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Sleepy Hollow – S3E13 – Dark Mirror

Previously on Sleepy Hollow, ‘‘Sins of the Father’

Two runners are romping through the countryside with their GoPro when one flies into Dem Woods screaming. Her dead body appears instantly, then the creature goes after the second. The Chosen One summons the horned being to kneel, “It is time I gave the Devil his due.”

While Abbie continues to struggle with her symbol addiction, the crew prepares a brunch, giving Crane an opportunity to be offended about Eggs Benedict and fact drop that Franklin was a spoon balancer… not always on his nose. Gross! He’s actually hiding his frustration about his denied immigration application, since he was unable to attend due to disembodiment. I hate it when that happens! Joenny promise to fund a lawyer with Corbin’s money and agree something is up with Abbie.

Images: FOX

Images: FOX

Case time! Another two bodies turn up, antiquarians who were exsanguinated AND poisoned, missing a golden Mayen prayer mask and Celtic plate. It can only be the work of the Jersey Devil.

Abbie: “It would be nice if for once a story was just a story.” Would it though?

Worthless Joenny Side Plot

Jenny’s trailer floods, so Joe offers to make it rain with his new money. But being a stereotypical clueless guy, he buys a whole new fancy trailer and puts all her stuff in storage. Jenny freaks out, so he brings the old one back because you should never touch Jenny’s stuff without asking. Remember when this show was really dark? Sigh.

Flashback Not Including Boring Ross

Crane and Abbie dig up a passel of unexplained animal deaths over the years from the Jersey woods. Jersey woods, you say?! He flashes back to rival scientist Japheth Leeds, Franklin’s competitor who traded barbs via Ichabod during his apprenticeship. This guy is obviously bad because while Franklin trapped electricity in a box, Leeds made an electrostatic inducer; Franklin made tons of Franklinsteins from dead bodies, but Leeds researched deadly animals. See? Totally different. His attempts to hybridize animal traits onto people led Franklin to make coded doodles about his alchemy in his MASH notebook almanac. In the flashback, Leeds downs his latest concoction and grows horns and a scorpion tail.

Crane Leeds stove Sleepy Hollow 3x13

Back to the Future

How fortunate that Sleepy Hollow continues to have so many untouched buildings standing 250 years later. Crane and Abbie head out to Leeds’ former laboratory and find his functioning Leeds Stove still standing as a door into the cellar. They find a sketch of the Hidden One and an amulet of her symbol.

Crane’s diagnosis: “It can only represent evil.” But you must say it like, eee-vill, because it is not truly evil unless it’s E-Vill.

Crane finds a history book he’s super excited about but Abbie zones out on the symbol, connected to a wax cylinder for an old phonograph, which is actually the first movie projector. Since the Jersey Devil isn’t here to pontificate, yet, he’s so helpfully left the first propaganda film on the Hidden One.


The gods once lived in a temple and Pandora brought them humanity’s offering every day, even to the Hidden One in the basement, nominated by his peers to watch the box full of evils. She brings him a forbidden flower, catching his heart. He hints that perhaps if she only opened the box, the upstairs gods who keep the Hourglass of Time would die and he could rule the earth. She does, but alas, humanity sends him back below. Isn’t that always the way?

preview-full-Crane Leeds stove Sleepy Hollow 3x13


Leeds’ plans to reassemble the Hourglass of Time with the gold, using the EeVill power of the monster convention to run it. Guess who shows up?! Leeds is excited to see Crane, his old insult sparring partner, suggesting they should’ve been having Sherry & Darts Nights. Not surprisingly, he proves to be bullet proof (gotta try!) and jabs Crane with his Deathstalker Scorpion tail. Leeds hops away with his electrostatic inducer, leaving Crane writhing on the floor. He talks Abbie through a likely antidote mix, which she spills and gets distracted by the underworld symbol as he slowly dies. Finally, she comes to, mixes up another batch, and clutches him in her lap until he recovers.

Once he wakes, Ichabod busts her on the obsession. Abbie admits to having seen it on the temple wall and felt it calmed her in the nightless underworld. He encourages her to do what she needs to do. They blow out of there.

Jenny calls to report that Leeds is most likely trying to recreate the Sands of Life for the hourglass, which fortunately requires lightning, something Leeds is an expert in harnessing. Ichabbie tracks him down on a mountain, allowing him extra smacktalk time. Crane advises that the Hidden One is a trickster, but Leeds thinks that because he’s choosing to serve, that keeps him from being tricky. Right? Um. This chat distracts him long enough for Abbie to stab him with the lightning rod.

Crane snarks, “I was mentored by one of the greatest minds in history. Benjamin Franklin sends his regards.”

A lightning strike finishes him off for good, but the Sands of Life are gone.

Ichabod finds Abbie ruminating over the symbol at home. She admits that she has a problem with it and asks for help.

E-Vill Tree

The Hidden One brings Pandora a flower, professing his love for her, and asks her to join him back at the pool. The Hourglass arises and the Sands of Life pour down the tree into it. He turns it over.

“The new world begins now.”

Next week: WENDIJOE IS BYKE, y’all!

Tally ho
Names dropped: Franklin, Leeds, Mrs. Washington, Benedict Arnold
Officer shoots supernatural creature: check
Fancy words: Suffonsified
Ichabbie moment: Abbie’s face in Ichabod’s hair
MOTW: Jersey Devil
Flashbacks: 1
Betsy Ross: NOPE

Sleepy Hollow S3E13
  • 7/10
    Plot - 7/10
  • 8/10
    Dialogue - 8/10
  • 8/10
    Action - 8/10
  • 8/10
    Performances - 8/10


‘Dark Mirror” was a fair monster of the week episode, but the makeup fell dangerously into the Buffyverse, along with the rest of the show. Pitting Crane and his “dark mirror” contemporary Leeds against each other in a battle of witty insults was fun, but as usual the interesting villain was killed off immediately. I found it disconcerting that Crane so heartily advised against the Hidden One’s treachery, as they planned to stab Leeds to death. I was left wanting to know if that was truly the case. The Hidden One plot feels dilute, while Abbie’s obsessive PTSD seems more dangerous. She and Crane still look great, but I am sensing something off about their storyline and I’m not sure what it is yet. It was strange that he was not more concerned that she nearly let him die, and their confrontation over it could have been much more powerful. This season seems determined to keep him as a nervous apprentice rather than in the dark authoritative strength he displayed during last season, which is not a plus.

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