Family reunions tend to be a tricky business. All the strange and dangerous events going on in Sleepy Hollow ups the ante considerably, proving to be quite the thriller!
‘Deliverance’ opens with a charming memory of Katrina’s past becoming corrupted by a strange illness which quickly overtakes her. This quickly escalates into a feud between Henry and Abraham over Katrina’s true purpose in their plans. During their bickering battle she ends up slipping through both their grasps.
Meanwhile, Ichabod and Abbie are shown visiting the voting polls. After some grumbling and whining over how things were in his day, Crane eventually concedes and is pleased by how far the country has come in terms of equality and freedom. A passing officer makes a comment to the pair, making them aware of Katrina’s escape, and off to the hospital they rush!
Upon their arrival, it is obvious she is growing weaker. Her magic has no effect on this unknown weakness and despite being so much in the dark, none of them doubt that time is running out. While trying to escape, they notice some of Henry’s goons arriving at the hospital and decide to split up. Ichabod escorts Katrina back to their base while Abbie follows the enemy’s trail in hopes of discovering what ails Katrina.
Crane’s research leads to a link with the Hellfire Club and their supernatural experiments which causes them to realize Katrina isn’t sick: she is pregnant. At first, Ichabod appears to have doubts and assumes his wife may have had recent dealings with Abraham. He quickly shakes this off, and combined with knowledge gained by Abbie from the enemy’s new warehouse base, is able to connect her sudden pregnancy with the Jincan Henry recently acquired. A demon is forming inside her.
Following a shootout with Henry’s lackeys, the trio takes shelter in the very church where their enemy assumed his new name. Katrina realizes her son’s ability as a sin eater could be the only thing to save her, leaving Ichabod caught in a perilous choice. After some debate, he too decides to try and see what little good may be left in his son.
Using Irving as bait, Ichabod lures Henry to Tarrytown Psych where the pair begins their battle of varied ideals. Ichabod attempts to appeal to Henry’s doubts, fighting to uncover even a sliver of good in his son. Yet their talk only leads to more despair when Crane realizes it is no mere demon growing within Katrina; Moloch himself is rising.
Despite this new evidence, Katrina begs Ichabod not to give up on Henry, and a glimpse into a childhood memory of his son leaves Ichabod with a small glint of hope. But they must put all that aside for the time being and discover an alternative way to halt the demon lord’s ascension…
Katrina realizes Moloch could be stopped if she was to die, but Abbie dissuades her from this course of action, at least until they have exhausted all their options. Looking back on his notes, Crane discovers another link to an experiment of Benjamin Franklin’s. Using his forged connections to the Hellfire Club, the founding father discovered that Aurora Borealis could be used to stop the rising of demons, and went so far as to hide a lens inside the tablet which contains instructions as how to bring Moloch to Earth. This very same tablet currently lies in the hands of their enemies, and they are going to need an army to challenge them inside their fortified position.
Abbie and Ichabod form a loose partnership with Sheriff Reyes by telling her a fraction of the truth about the conflicts surrounding Sleepy Hollow. With a tactical team at their side, the duo storms the enemy’s lair and quickly seizes the tablet, all the while gaining the trust and admiration of Reyes at long last.
As they arrive back at the church, Katrina’s condition worsens. The rise of Moloch seems inevitable. But Crane refuses to give up hope and by letting literal light into their lives he is able to save his wife twice over. Evil came close to succeeding against them and while so many questions remain, they also have scored a true victory from which the bond between Ichabod and Katrina seems to finally be restored. With knowledge of his son’s hidden thoughts, Ichabod holds out hope that his son may yet be swayed, though Abbie still has her doubts.
The one constant for Abbie and Ichabod seems to be not knowing what comes next. This trend continues as the episode closes with Henry standing in the place of his birth as lighting strikes, a spark of darkness from the storm caught and stored in a jar for unknown purposes.
The tide of evil has been stopped for now, but the currents still sway.
