Sleepy Hollow: Abbie Mills is Dead — April 8, 2016
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Photo: Fox
First Appearance: Aibileen Clark
Sometimes at TVRD we’ve completely ignored glossed over Sleepy Hollow plot details and concentrated on Ichabbie subtext. “Ragnarok,” the Season 3 finale is a fateful episode, so we’re going to break it down for you with a laser-sharp focus on the plot and what actually happened. No more skipping over anything and making up things. Pinky swear. It went like this:
Abbie: Okay, so here we are back in the catacombs. Whew, I sure hated being here in isolation for ten months.
Ichabod: It was ten months for you in catacomb’s dimension, but only a few weeks in our dimension and yet I fell apart. Rattling around in the home we share, touching your lingerie in a pervy manner.
Abbie: What?
Ichabod: I’m just saying that my character would fall apart without your character. That has been made obvious to the audience. I begged you to stay in Sleepy Hollow in the first episode when I started with that whole “our fates entwined” line. You are not my sidekick; you are my leading lady. The writers have been shipping us from the get-go. They wrote a heavy-handed scene in which I saw you somewhat scantily clad in the third episode–the third! We have an intense emotional bond, but we also have a physical attraction, so it’s essentially a romance. Don’t let them pretend that the fans just imagined all of this with a bunch of mumbo-jumbo interview quotes about the nature of the relationship. Whatever they say about emotional intimacy vs. physical intimacy goes out the window when there are amusing scenes in which I ogle your lingerie which happened twice this season. Remember all the times I got huffy with other male characters who showed an interest in you? Remember how I practically poked Daniel’s eye out with my flailing fingers when I met him. My eyebrow arch was at Code Red.
Abbie: I remember none of this. I seem incapable of acknowledging such things. We have to do something or other with Pandora’s box to help defeat the Hidden One. He’s a recently resurrected god who makes lots of threats but hasn’t measured up to Moloch when it comes to impact. He’s supposed to be the big bad, but is just cranky, and he’s mean to his wife, Pandora, so she has aligned herself with us to get rid of him. Uh-oh, smoke came out of Pandora’s box and engulfed me. Whoopsie, I just fainted.
Ichabod: OMG! I will now lift you up and carry you in my arms.
Abbie: What’s that sound?
Ichabod: The Ichabbie shippers are swooning, and they are charmed by the height-differential porn. It looks like I’m carrying a doll. Enjoy it now, ladies.
Betsy Ross: I was supposed to be dead, but here I am in the catacombs. I have to go back to my 18th-century timeline, but first, I have something important to say: “Your heart belongs to Abigail Mills.”
Ichabod: What’s that sound?
Betsy: The Ichabbie shippers may be having heart attacks. (Turns to camera and breaks fourth wall.) If you are experiencing chest discomfort and shortness of breath, please seek medical help immediately. Spoiler: You’ll probably need some medical help by the end of the episode. This finale may cause upset stomach, irritability, trouble sleeping, abnormal dreams, confusion, restlessness, mood changes and aggression. Byeee!
Abbie: Let’s go. Did you have something to tell me, Crane?
The Audience: Say it, say it. Three little words. Come on; you can do this. Three words.
Ichabod: Something. About. Souls.
Quotable Ichabbie:
Ichabod and Abbie prepare to leave the catacombs via a mystical portal.
Ichabod: It would not have the same metaphorical heft, I fear. Now, let us not miss the perfect opportunity for embracing…
Abbie jumps in without him.
Abbie: Tally-ho!
Ichabod: That was not very sporting!
The Witnesses return to the archives. It goes like this:
Abbie: Hi.
Jenny: Hi. Joe’s dead. The Hidden One turned him into the Wendigo again, so he had to be put down in the previous episode.
Abbie: “Joe was our brother.”
The Side-eye Fairy: Okay, we’ll overlook the business about how Abbie was Joe’s babysitter despite the fact that according to Wikipedia, Nicole Beharie was born in 1986 and Zach Appelman was born in 1985, but Joe and Jenny were having sex sooooooooooo ixnay on the otherbray because that sounds like incestway.
Ezra Mills: Hi.
Abbie: Hi Dad. You just returned to my life, and you know all about the supernatural world and my mentor and father figure, the late Sheriff Corbin. Right now, I have to go deal with the Hidden One. It’s dangerous but don’t worry, you and I will have a big scene.
Agent Daniel Reynolds: Hi Abbie, thanks for stopping by the FBI office to look at the National Weather Center Doppler Radar images. Blah, blah. Something. Map. I don’t have anything else to do in this season finale.
Abbie: You are my ex-boyfriend, and we kissed recently. Right now, I have to go deal with the Hidden One. It’s dangerous but don’t worry, you and I will have a big scene.
Ichabod, Abbie, Jenny and Pandora attempt to defeat the Hidden One but it doesn’t work. Pandora’s box needs the soul of a Witness. It goes like this:
Abbie: Time to sacrifice myself again. I will recklessly plunge into the unknown. I guess I should have said more to my dad and Danny, who may or may not be my boyfriend now.
The Audience: Nope, you sacrifice yourself once a season. You stayed behind in Purgatory to help Crane save Katrina in Season 1. You time-traveled back to 1781 to save Crane from Katrina in Season 2. And this season, you jumped into Pandora’s magic tree to save Jenny and the world from the Hidden One. Ichabod says “Noooooooooooo!” and then he rescues you. He kept his vow to get you out of Purgatory. The Ichabod of 1781 helped you to return to this century, and Crane went to Home Depot and built an astral projection system so that he could save you from the catacombs.
Abbie: Byeee!
Ichabod: Noooooooooooo!
Jenny: I just shot the Hidden One. “That was for Joe.”
The Audience: Ummmm, can we please focus on your sister right now, Jenny?
Pandora has absorbed her husband’s power, and she promises to be a benevolent goddess as long as everyone worships her, but she’s not bringing back Abbie because blah, blah plot. Ichabod returns to the archives to freak out. Abbie is in a dimension with nice lighting. It goes like this:
Me: Yay, Sheriff Corbin! I love Clancy Brown!
Sheriff Corbin: Hi Abbie. This is so cool. It’s like our first scene in the pilot. We’re talking about ice cream and pie.
Abbie: I made peace with my sister and Daniel Reynolds and my dad.
The Audience: “Made peace with?” Whaaaa? Where are we going with this? How is Daniel even so important that his character was brought on for closure? Abbie just met him at Quantico training, right? What kind of time frame are we using here? No offense to Agent Reynolds but come on.
Abbie: So, do I get to go to heaven now?
Sheriff Corbin: No. It’s obvious that you have a death wish because you keep doing things like this but let’s talk about how the phoenix rises from the ashes and it’s the same bird but it isn’t.
Me: I don’t like where this is going. Honey, would you come in here for a sec? What do you think of this scene?
Mr. TV Recaps: It looks like an ending.
Me: I’m not enjoying this at all. I’m really not. I’m starting to shut down here.
Mr. TV Recaps: Okay, Hon. Good luck recapping! (Grabs dog, backs away slowly.)
Sheriff Corbin: “You’ve taken Crane as far as you can.” Oh, there’s my son Joe, he’s an angel, I guess. Byeeee!
The Audience: This church scene and gospel choir, what? This isn’t Abbie’s funeral, is it? Oh, hey, Pandora, you’re back in Little Miss Crazy Pants mode with the snazzy outfits and rambling. Normally, we’d enjoy your monkeyshines, but this is a bad time.
Ichabod: Hi Pandora, I’ve got the Headless Horseman’s skull now and you trapped his spirit in the box but now I’m summoning him or something.
The Audience: Whatever, man.
Pandora’s fighting the Horseman and tossing headstones and this is shot like a standard dimly lit Season 1 battle scene with a monster of the week. My beloved Pandora is apparently dying, but I’m not paying attention because this is an absolute mess.
Pandora: “Death wins in the end, it seems … even for a goddess.”
The Audience: Stop being cryptic. Are you referring to yourself, or Abbie? She’s our goddess; is she an actual goddess?
Pandora: “You love her, don’t you?”
The Audience: Yes! Stop fooling around now; there are only 13 minutes left in this episode.
Pandora: “She is your hope … your everything.”
The Audience: Yes, yes, yes! We know!
Pandora: “She’s dead. Dead and gone.”
Pandora’s box explodes. Ichabod has visions of Abbie: in one of them, Crane is behind bars with his rockstar Jesus hair and Abbie enters in her police uniform. It’s a callback to the first time Leftenant Doe Eyes met the damn sexy hobo.
Abbie: “We are eternal souls, Crane.”
Ichabod: “What does that mean?”
Abbie: “My job is done.”
Ichabod: “Where are we?”
Abbie: It’s “the waiting room between life and death.”
Mitchell and Annie on Being Human
Ichabod: You mean like the U.K. version of Being Human? It’s on Netflix. In any case, the heroine was in the waiting room of Purgatory and she got saved by the hero. That show really knew how to navigate the Annie/Mitchell ship and make it canon. It’s too bad the hot actor left because viewers tuned out and the show went down the tubes. That better not be what’s happening now.
Abbie: “My journey isn’t over. And for a witness it never truly is. But… Abbie Mills has done what she’s supposed to do.”
Ichabod: Why are you referring to yourself in the third person?
Abbie: Let’s go have a scene on the front porch of our home. Remember how much Ichabbie shippers loved that scene? The one where you made the lovey-dovey face? “It’s time for a new beginning.”
Ichabod: “What is there for me in a world without you?”
The Audience: Cancellation?
Abbie: George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Betsy Ross and I were your mentors.
Ichabod: That makes no sense at all. How did you mentor me? I’m the one who guided you in the supernatural world. You guided me in the modern world and we worked together. These words coming out of your mouth are absurd. Stop talking crazy, Boo.
Abbie: “Our job was to carry you forward.” Let me put it in simpler terms.
Ichabod: I don’t understand.
Abbie: Have you ever heard of “the magical Negro,” Crane?
Ichabod: Why, no. What does that mean, Leftenant?
Abbie: It’s a trope in which a benevolent black character serves as the inspiration and guidance to help a white character reach full potential.
Ichabod: Really? Pardon my language, Leftenant, but that sounds like some f–ked up regressive bullsh-t. You are the heroine. You are an iconic character. You and I are an iconic pairing with historic pop culture value.
Abbie: You is kind. You is smart. You is important.
Ichabod: What?
Abbie: Go watch The Help. “It’s not goodbye; it’s until we meet again.”
Ichabod: That had damn well be in Season 4. I love you.
Abbie: What?
Ichabod: Psych! Everyone else said it, so I guess I don’t have to. Here’s a dreamy kiss on your hand and a gallant bow. Too bad everyone is so busy hate-Tweeting, drinking and crying that it isn’t making much of an impact right now.
Jenny: Crane, wake up! You were knocked out. It sucks that my sister is dead. Welp, gotta go scatter Joe’s ashes. It’s so sad. An online article noted that “two central characters were killed off.”
Ichabod: Uh, no. Abbie is a primary character. We are co-leads, and the entire series is built around Ichabod and Abbie. Joe was a popular secondary character but we are not going to lump those two deaths together, okay? Girl, bye.
Crane visits his Leftenant’s headstone. It goes like this:
Ichabod: Who put this thing up? Your name is Grace Abigail Mills. They left off the “Grace.” There’s something I always wanted to tell you. The audience has been waiting for it. Here it is.
Ezra: Hi. Blah, blah. Something. Plot. Men in Black. “There must always be two witnesses; when one dies their soul does not move on, it’s eternal.”
Ichabod: So what does that mean? Is this like Dr. Who? Hey, are you my helper now? Are you going to be magical? May I call you Bagger Vance?
Ezra: “The essence of a Witness’s soul finds someone from their extended bloodline and sparks a new Witness.”
Ichabod: Extended bloodline? That rules out David Tennant, I guess.
Ezra: “Find her before they do.”
The Audience: Find Nicole Beharie.
Ichabod swears to Abbie: “Wherever you are, whoever you are, I’ll find you.”
Let’s Zapruder the TVLine interview with Showrunner Clifton Campbell. When asked if this is the last we’ll see of Abbie, Campbell says:
The character of Abbie Mills makes the supreme sacrifice to save the world, and her character dies in the season finale, yes. To answer the second part of that question, she will not return to the show as Abbie Mills. There’s certainly the possibility, given our really good relationship with Nicole and how much she’s help build us these past three seasons, that reflections of her will be around and that the idea of her will be around is certainly something we’ve all talked about, but not as the character of Abbie Mills.
What are you, running for president? Don’t give us word salad, our feelings are raw!
When asked directly by TVLine: So is Nicole Beharie no longer on the show? Campbell’s response starts with:
Nicole Beharie as Abbie Mills is no longer with the show. The character is dead.
Sigh. Beharie’s statement also leaves room for interpretation.
“Sleepy Hollow has been an incredible experience in every way. I loved playing Abbie. It’s been such a gift to have taken this wild ride… Alas, ‘Abbie Mills has done all she was meant to do.’ I’m excited about what the show has in store for us next. I’m rooting for my co-stars and crew… they have been my inspiration, my teachers, family, my friends, over the last few seasons. I want to thank the fantastic producers, writers, and directors who have worked tirelessly to bring this show to life. I want to thank Fox for their faith and support. But, most of all, [I want to thank the] Sleepyheads for all of your love – what an honor. I will never be the same. Stay tuned.”
What does “in store for us” mean? Are we to “Stay tuned” for your return if Sleepy Hollow gets a fourth season, which it probably will?
When it comes to Beharie’s status on the show, I hope the writers echo what Ichabod said to Betsy Ross: “I’m telling the truth, I’m just not telling the whole truth.”
I’ll miss Abbie Mills and Ichabbie. I’ll miss engaging with all the smart and funny Abbie Mills and Ichabbie fans who are breaking up with the show. The Abbie and Ichabbie love is strong here so check back for more tributes. It’s been an honor amusing you. xo
We love the insightful and witty Sleepyhead opinions. Comments don’t appear right away but we’ll get to them.
I.haven’t stopped being angry but I laughed hard enough to spit up my lunch. Lmbo
Hi Dawn! You know it’s my aim to make you laugh.
You always make me laugh with your recaps and it couldn’t have been easy to find humor in this episode. Do you really hold out hope for Nicole’s return because just seems like more baiting from Campbell.
Hi Nancy,thanks for the compliment! I want to believe and remain optimistic but not delusional. Fingers crossed.
LOVE the snark! I, too, am still waaaay too angry to be civil to any of TPTB on the show, but I will miss your recaps.
Hi Mauve. Thanks for the compliment. I just want them to fix this situation so I can happily recap S4.
I’ve loved your re-caps this season and wanted to thank you for the laughs.
As for Season 4, if they get one, I’m here for Abbie and Ichabod. Not Fake-Abbie and Ichabod or New Witness and Ichabod. They have killed any interest and love I had for this once great show. Robbing Abbie of her importance as a Witness and forcing her into the Glorified Magic Negro Mammy trope is a bridge too far for me. Even if they manage to bring her back, they’ve tainted the SH experience.
Thanks, Bernie. I’m glad you enjoyed it.Fans can handle heartbreak, but not a sense of betrayal. I suspect that they have a plan for NB but aye-yi-yi, this has turned into a debacle. If NB is still the leading lady, they need some quick damage-control.
I actually hope she is out of this environment because it feels toxic.
This was betrayal with a side order of insult and derision. They didn’t want her gone, they wanted her story and her importance obliterated and for that, I am done with all of them.
Love Tom Mison and wish him a long and happy career, but if he’s still Ichabod in a Season 4, I won’t be part of it.
It was a deep betrayal. I intend to at least watch long enough to complain. I love Tom Mison too. In my head, I already have the first episodes of S4 plotted out. On second thought, I can’t leave anything up to chance. I’ll “oversee” the rest of the series.
Seriously, were you in my home watching me watch Sleepy Hollow? Because this was my experience exactly. I also hated the all around vagueness of the post-show statements. It gives me a tiny tiny piece of hope that Nicole Beharie is not quite gone. The wording is so deliberately ambiguous. Like when she said,” I will never me the same. Stay tuned.” Does that mean she won’t be Abbie Mills, but she’ll be someone else and we should keep watching? (Probably not.) UGH. This denial is the worst part of my grief. Although if they did bring her back as the new witness as a chance for her to play someone different to flex her acting chops, I will watch just to be reunited with her glory, no matter how absurd that premise sounds. But yeah, false hope sucks. This show sucks.
Hi TV Phd. This is torture. I hope the plan is to do something glorious with Nicole, but I curse my own optimism. This finale was abusive.
You have such a way with words, I always savor your recaps! I look forward to more if/when Sleepy Hollow is renewed. Thanks for the levity! May we meet again at the next meet-up.
Hi Deb. Thank you for the lovely compliment. They better renew just to make it up to us. Looking forward to seeing you again.
Always love your recaps, and the satire and sarcasm is much appreciated anesthesia, for the blunt force trauma received, from an otherwise travesty of a season finale. It was for naught, waiting episode after episode (brimming with plot holes, fragmented details, lacking continuity and congruence, absent context and content, etc.) after Season One ended, for the hope of a return to the novelty, the uniqueness and the diversity of the cast, with a Black Woman co-lead, with a fascinating tale of her own, and personal struggles intricately woven into the experience, that captured my imagination, and made me want to traverse the zaniness of experiences that would be this new adventurous Sleepy Hollow, that seemed would spew forth an endless array of deep and intricate and delicious story telling, with the two Witnesses at the helm, and a host of intriguing whimsical frightening magical supernatural characters- enemies of their mission the two would meet along the way, and as the heroes they would be compelled to contend with to the bitter or happy ever after end, for humanity’s and the world’s sake, and with the help, guidance and wisdom from their immeasurably knowledgeable ever expanding duty bound, family members and comrades at arms, from past, present, and unfortunately, not to be experienced, future. For this to be the result of 3 seasons and summation of season’s 3 finale, is a sad commentary. It would have been a better season finale had they just done the intro theme, and then https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8oVZziJMeU
I don’t know if there is going to be a season 4. But, at this point, I have lost my desire and anticipation, for knowing what’s next, and interest in having a next, given the death of the co-lead and what amounted to a decisive destruction of her story, the treatment of Nicole Beharie, specifically, and WOC in general, and I must add Orlando Jones, admission of his true exit, befuddled and disappointed me. I hung in through seasons 2 and 3. So I don’t think much more should be expected of me at this point, given the trajectory of the show, and according to the showrunner and writers, it was my erroneous perceptions of what I thought Sleepy Hollow was going to be, that’s at fault. And that’s enough of a clue for me of my worth as a loyal fan.
I will say the actors, whom work, were often, greatly underutilized and/or diminished, and the set designers, costume designers, and monster creators, deserve tremendous praise for their talent and skill. (There were just a few iffy monsters, set designs and costume.)
Thank you, for always bringing it full circle. And hope your glass ranneth over with wine, as just desserts (in a very good way.
for your efforts.
Thank you for your eloquence, Kim. I’m nodding my head to this whole comment. I didn’t see Orlando’s comments. Dare I look? I don’t know if I’m ready to have all of my hopes dashed. The “mentor” thing is just baffling.
Oh, there was wine. And carbs. I’d like to think the writers accidentally drunk-wrote that script and will make a statement that it was all just one big accident.
I love your test pattern link so much.
Thank you, Elaine. Glad to hear you made it a seafood and drink,TV Cappers Delight!
Orlando, was very polite, and prefaced his comment, here is the video where he talked about his departure.when asked the question around the 1:00 mark, why he left, his answer, is around 1:20.
I meant carbohydrates. The Girl Scout cookies are here. I asked Mr. TV Recaps to put them on a high shelf so I can’t get to them without help.
Orlando is a master when it comes to shade. Bowing down.
Lol. you got it right, I got it wrong. I think I have seafood on my mind, Lol.
And indeed, Orlando knows how to say things just right. Sorely, missed.
Wow, this is my first time here & I had several belly laughs already
Laughing to keep from cryin’ tho 
As I watched the show it slowly dawned on me that Abbie really was going to be killed off. You got it so right with the black person always as the sacrificial lamb only capable of “mentoring”.
I knew that it had hit the fan behind the scenes & went googling to find out what happened & luckily came across your wonderful re-capps.
Well, I definitely wont be back if Nicole is gone. I wonder if it will make it, like The Vampire Diaries did without Nina Dobrev – but I only keep watching for Bonnie – I digress, sorry!
All I can say is we gotta write our own stuff.
If not for Shonda Rhimes ….
Thanks for making me laugh, take care & have a great day
Hi Auset, so glad you found us and enjoyed the recaps! I intend to watch long enough to see how they attempt to recify it, which seems nearly impossible. If I get Beharie and Mison together and the show really does right by the actors, I’ll definitely be on board–aggrieved-but on board. If they infuriate us some more, I’ll probably end up ranting a lot.
I started binging on TVD a few months ago and I’m in it for Damon and Bonnie, who have always been my favorite characters. I’m way behind. TVD gets a lot of things right that I wish Sleepy Hollow would pick up on.
Please visit again!
This was awesome! You’ve captured the ridiculousness of the episode and how FOX treated the Abbie Mills character perfectly. I spit out my drink when you got to “You is kind…”. Yeah, I’m done with Sleepy Hollow, and thank you for explaining why.