This week’s episode recap of Sleepy Hollow revolves around the hunt for the Headless Horseman, and how to stop him. We get some history lessons regarding Paul Revere, and his Midnight Run, with a little liberties taken for the sake of the story. Josh provides this week’s episode summary for Sleep Hollow‘s The Midnight Run while both Violet and Josh provide their thoughts!
Don’t need the Sleepy Hollow episode recap for The Midnight Ride? Click here to jump directly to Josh’s thoughts on the episode!
To see Violet’s thoughts on this week’s Sleepy Hollow episode, The Midnight Ride, click here to get directly there!
Sleepy Hollow, Season 1 Episode 7: The Midnight Ride Recap Overview
Need a quick Sleepy Hollow episode recap of Season 1 Episode 7, titled The Midnight Ride? Here is a summary of events for the episode. Each event is linked to the more detailed Sleepy Hollow episode recap for The Midnight Ride if you need more information!
- We see a commotion of people back in Boston 1775 saying, “The regulars are coming”, and the Headless Horseman kills several horse riders.
- Brooks warns Luke to stay away from Abbie. Meanwhile, Abbie and Crane find the Freemasons slaughtered by the Horseman
- Crane and Abbie seek to destroy the Horseman‘s head. The Captain decides to help, and goes to retrieve the head. He is attacked by the Horseman but manages to flee with the head.
- Crane believes the key to stopping the Headless Horseman lies within a manuscript associated with Paul Revere. After much difficulty, Crane is able to view it online
- Brooks approaches Abbie and tells her he wants to help, and that the Horseman can only be trapped, not killed. Crane concurs, and comes up with a plan.
- The trap is set, over some social conversation between Crane, Abbie, and the Captain. Through the use of trickery and deception, they are able to lure the Horseman into their UV trap.
Sleepy Hollow Episode Recap: The Midnight Ride, the Details
The Regulars are Coming!
This week’s episode of Sleepy Hollow begins in Boston, 1775. There is a concern that the “Regulars” are coming, which is passed from person to person throughout town by word of mouth. We then see the Headless Horseman (still with a head), killing several riders.
Back in the present, Crane is surprised by the amount of supplies Abbie has been able to procure. Abbie heads out after some witty banter, and Crane says he will meeting with the Freemasons. Abbie’s ex-boyfriend Luke walks up, and starts talking with her. He tells her he wants to get over their weirdness, and try to get back to being friends. Meanwhile, we see through the eyes of someone who has been watching the two talk.
Brooks Returns
Later in the evening, Brooks approaches Luke. He warns Luke that he should stay away from Abbie to protect her. He then assaults Luke, and seems to invade his mind. He warns him to make the right choice when he chooses a “side”. Abbie meanwhile listens to a voicemail from Crane, and we see him pay a visit to a nice house, and he hears gun shots. He finds a sword to arm himself with. Abbie has arrived at his location, and has spotted the Headless Horseman. Crane has found several decapitated people in the house. Abbie finds Crane, and they both see The Headless Horseman ride off on his horse.
The Captain shows up along with a forensics team. Crane explains to the Captain the dead people were Freemasons working to protect people. The Captain gives them the story of Cult Ritual Suicide for the time being, to keep everything under wraps. Crane begins searching frantically for information on the Headless Horseman. He finds a book of importance, but pages have been removed. Crane is angered about how much the Headless Horseman has gotten away with. Crane then realizes that the Horseman must be looking for his own skull.
Now The Captain’s a Believer
Crane and Abbie talk with the Captain, and tell him they want to destroy the head. He doesn’t want to allow it, and he tells Abbie the skull was sent to another lab. Crane and Abbie try to convince the Captain for help. The Captain takes a trip, and he visits a lab. He visits a lab tech named Paul, and he has ran some tests, all of which are inconclusive. It looks like the Captain will be getting a visitor–the Headless Horseman himself, as we see him approach the building.
He enters the facility, and opens fire, and everyone takes cover. The lab tech is killed. The Captain grabs the head and makes a run for it. He is able to distract the Horseman with a pipe spewing steam at him, and he makes for his car, speeding off. Back with Abbie and Crane, he now believes them, but after making some calls, he can’t get any back up from any agencies, as they assume he is crazy. Crane and Abbie get to destroying the head now in their possession. Unfortunately, standard tactics of explosives and sledgehammers are not working. Crane and Abbie plan to take it to a car crushing machine to try that.
The Beauty of the Internet
Crane is bothered by 4 lights lit up in a parking garage, so he decides to pay them a visit. They investigate and find that they are heads of the dead Freemasons, hung over lanterns. The heads are also lined with silver. Crane realizes this has some meaning, and he talks about the use of it in the past. Crane then realizes that Paul Revere’s famous ride had the Headless Horseman chasing his men, not just a British soldier.
Crane and Abbie head to Terrytown Museum, as they believe a manuscript Paul Revere had may be the key to destroying the head. Abbie has discovered that the manuscript is at another museum, but they can view it online. Crane fumbles through a computer, reading the manuscript. Crane is unable to decipher the hidden code in the text. Crane gets to work. Abbie heads out to make a phone call. We see Luke, who is freaking about, and thinking about the conversation he had with Brooks. Abbie calls him, and he ignores the call. She leaves a message, saying she can’t make the coffee date they planned on before.
The UV Plan
Brooks then pays Abbie a visit. He tells her he is trying to protect her. Meanwhile, Crane tries to continue deciphering the code. He looks at the skull of the Headless Horseman, and finds the password written on the inside of its teeth: Cicero. Brooks warns that Abbie will be pursued by the Headless Horseman until he has his head. Brooks then tells Abbie that the Horseman cannot be killed, but he can be trapped. Crane comes in, and tells Brooks to tell the Horseman to meet him at a cemetery if he wants his head. Crane then warns Brooks to never come back there again. Crane seems to think he knows how to trap the Horseman.
Crane then says that they need a witch to make the sun come out while Death is out. Abbie has an idea though–using UV light. Abbie and Crane make a plan to capture the Horseman, and enlist the Captain’s help.
Time to Trap a Horseman Sans a Head
Funny enough, their casual conversation while preparing their Horseman trap talks about Thomas Jefferson and his relationship with a slave, and the hypocrisy of Jefferson’s slavery stances. Crane is angered by their allegations, but both the Captain and Abbie tell him about the DNA evidence proving their explanations. This seems to shut Crane up. Next Abbie and Crane talk about their loneliness in life.
The sun goes down, and Crane an Abbie prepare for their confrontation with the Horseman. Crane presents the head, and lures the Horseman. Crane hops down a hole, and the Horseman follows. Several heads line the ground, confusing the Horseman, thinking he has found his head. Then Abbie and Crane lure him further. Abbie fakes a hurt ankle, and the Horseman approaches her, ready to sever her head. Then Crane turns on the UV lights, which traps the Horseman. The episode ends here, leaving us with a big cliffhanger.
Josh’s Thoughts: Sleepy Hollow, Season 1 Episode 7: The Midnight Ride
So, I guess the big question: what is next for the Headless Horseman? They have him trapped, but they can’t leave him there forever. Are they going to try to find a more permanent solution? I would say the answer has to be yes, but do they have one they can find? Brooks already told Abbie that he cannot be killed, and Crane already seemed to know this, so what is to be done with him? Make a UV prison? Where do Crane and Abbie keep him then? Next episode better pay off on this!
I am curious about Brooks’ motives. Is he simply brainwashed by the Horseman, but occasionally breaks free? Why does he choose to help Abbie in this episode? Where has he been the last few episodes? That is all kind of odd to me.
The Captain seems on board now, rather than simply thinking they are both crazy. This has to be a sigh of relief for Abbie. I actually really enjoyed the scene where the Captain has to flee from the Horseman with the head. It was entertaining, and nice to witness that “Abbie was right” moment combined with the terror of the assaulting Horseman.
I have to say, one of the most aggravating things about the show still is how snide Crane consistently is about today’s society. I would think one would marvel at our technology, and not insult it every time he encounters. Although on the same token, his foray into using a computer was hilarious. I think my favorite line of the episode was something to the effect of, “Leftenant, I’ve done something catastrophic!”
Violet’s Thoughts on Season 1 Episode 7 of Sleepy Hollow: The Midnight Ride
I felt like this episode brought back the creepy darkness that was felt at the very end of the pilot episode, and which got me interested in the show in the first place. However, it felt a little heavy and over the top in the “Crane discovering new things” department. That is not to say that I did not find those moments humorous, but there needs to be a balance. Some episodes he doesn’t notice much, but this time he commented on way too many things, some of which I would have thought he would have encountered by now and wouldn’t be so surprised by. After all, I’m sure he’s discovering plenty of things off screen as well as on screen. But I guess the show wants to make sure we have the benefit of seeing every little discovery he makes. For example, I’m sure he has encountered cell phones by now, so it was odd that he treated the voicemail as he did, and if he didn’t know what it was, then how would he know to leave a voicemail in the first place? Nevertheless, I did quite enjoy the voicemail in the form of a letter which he left, though. It reminded me of Supernatural when Castiel had to record a voicemail greeting.
I thought it was kind of weird how Brooks randomly came back, and why he all of a sudden wants to protect Abbie — or claims to anyway. And what does keeping Luke away from Abbie have to do with anything? Does Brooks secretly want her for himself?
This episode reminded us of something we learned in the first episode, that the other three horsemen cannot rise until the Headless Horseman gets his skull back. In that case, the Freemasons’ plan in The Sin Eater for Crane to kill himself in order to kill the Headless Horseman as a result of their blood tie sounds like it was a pretty good plan, now that we know the Horseman cannot be killed anymore! If Crane is dead, the Horseman is dead, and therefore can never get his skull back, and that means the other three horsemen will not rise! Why was it a good idea to break the blood tie again…? Just to save Crane? It seems like his sacrifice would have been well worth it, logically speaking. One life for billions. But I guess for the sake of the show that could not happen. So if the Headless Horseman cannot be killed, what are they going to do with him?
Overall, I’m still very much enjoying Sleepy Hollow, and especially the way it is sneaking in a history lesson into every episode. Even if the history is a bit tweaked to fit the story. But there is always a lot of truth to the history lessons, and I am actually learning things. For example, I was not aware that the message was actually “The Regulars are coming!” rather than “The British are coming!” were you? Don’t lie!
Scenes from Sleepy Hollow, Season 1 Episode 8, Into Darkness
Here are scenes from the next Sleepy Hollow episode, titled Into Darkness:
Scenes from Sleepy Hollow, Season 1 Episode 8: Into Darkness
What did you think of Season 1 Episode 7 of Sleepy Hollow, titled The Midnight Ride? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
