Sleepy Hollow – “Deliverance” Recap. The Horrid King.

Season 2, Episode 7

Air Date: Monday, November 3, 2014 at 9/8c on Fox

Rating: ★★★★★

“Fate is fickle, father; best not to tempt it.” — Henry

[warning] SPOILERS AHEAD! [/warning]

“Deliverance” wastes no time jumping into the nightmare awaiting Katrina (Katia Winter) after the spider Henry (John Noble) created crawls into her mouth. This is no ordinary spider – it’s a seed, demon seed to be exact and Katrina is the “vessel” in which it will grow.

Ichabod’s loathing of dial-up Internet is justified.

The heart of “Deliverance” focuses on saving Katrina from giving birth to Moloch (Derek Mears), the demon growing inside her. This isn’t a normal gestation of nine months either – it’s accelerated to a mere 12 hours before Moloch is reborn on earth. Talk about scary pregnancies! Winter does an amazing job of convincing me she is in immense pain. Her screams, as her abdomen stretches and contorts, riddled with blackened veins, made me cringe.

What I find intriguing in “Deliverance” is Abraham’s (Neil Jackson) willingness to disobey Henry in an effort to rescue Katrina before Henry’s men take her away. Abraham braves burning sunlight to stop Henry but in all the fuss, Katrina is able to get away on her own. Abraham’s actions will come back to haunt him but I think this shows his love for Katrina is stronger than his loyalty to Moloch. Regardless of his affections, Abraham is bound to serve Moloch no matter what. I have a feeling, though; Abraham will be the monkey wrench in Moloch’s plans.

Throughout “Deliverance,” the question of faith comes up. Katrina’s faith that her son Jeremy is still buried somewhere beneath the malice that is Henry doesn’t waver. Through a glimpse of a memory Henry doesn’t intend to show, Ichabod (Tom Mison) sees a little boy running scared, crying out for help. After everything Henry has said and done, I fear Jeremy is lost forever. Noble’s performance chills me to the bone. He is absolutely amazing. The way he delivers his lines instill a sense of dread. “Don’t say no; say rise…rise my horrid king; rise Moloch.” There is one moment where I saw a glimmer of something, remorse perhaps, when Ichabod calls Henry by his birth name, but whatever it is quickly vanishes into a dark void. Being able to turn emotions on and off on a dime is not an easy thing to do and only a few actors can do it convincingly. Noble is one such actor. I did find it odd that Henry refuses to read Ichabod’s sins. Is Ichabod right? Would Henry see the truth of Ichabod’s suffering and finally realize his mother and father didn’t betray him as he vehemently believes?

Kill the evil secret organization bad guys and save a witch from giving birth to a demon…all in a day’s work.

The path to saving Katrina is a winding one full of unexpected twists and turns, with assistance from the new sheriff in town, Sheriff Reyes (Sakina Jaffrey). She reluctantly aids Abbie (Nicole Beharie) and Ichabod to take down the men who are part of a secret organization known as the “Hellfire Club.” The group possesses an ancient tablet that Benjamin Franklin (Timothy Busfield) created. Inside the thick stone tablet is a prism that replicates the “aurora borealis” when used to filter sunlight. Ichabod uses the light from the prism to destroy the demon before Katrina gives birth.

There is a bit of humor mixed into the darkness of “Deliverance.” I think it balances everything out, especially when dealing with apocalyptic scenarios. When Ichabod realizes something Benjamin Franklin wrote can assist them in saving Katrina, he turns to Abbie and quips, “I must Internet, immediately.” Most of us say “Google it” or “go online” but I think Ichabod’s phrase might catch on. And since they are using the old church, St. Henry’s Parish to be exact, the speed with which the dial-up connects to the Internet is comical.

What puzzles me about “Deliverance” is the ending. Henry seems to have a contingency plan. Did he foresee his plan for Moloch’s rebirth failing? Or does he have a backup plan just in case? How many schemes does he have to bring Moloch back?

“Deliverance” has some interesting moments but the focal point of Katrina giving birth to Moloch is undeniably epic. However, the episode has its flaws. Surely, Abraham will look for Katrina but the question is, will she go back now that she is out of danger or will she stay with Ichabod? If she does go back to Abraham, who’s to say Henry won’t try to harm her again? Remember, Moloch has a plan for her because she is one of the “Hellfire Shards,” whatever that means. I’m sure it’s connected to the Hellfire Club. I also want to see what happens with Abbie and Nick Hawley (Matt Barr). I know Jenny (Lyndie Greenwood) suspects Nick’s interest in her sister.

What did you think of “Deliverance?” Leave me a comment below and/or tweet me @judybopp.

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Judy Manning

Dream chaser extraordinaire! Judy tends to be a tad sarcastic and kind of goofy! She is an avid admirer of all things supernatural, paranormal, celestial and mystical. She loves to read, write, and watches way too much TV. She enjoys many genres of film and music (and let's be honest, most music from the 80s). She also has a wicked sweet tooth. Cupcakes beware.