Agent Abbie Mills (Nicole Beharie)
First Appearance: “Pilot”
Full Name: Grace Abigail Mills
Backstory: After their father took off and their mother had a seeming breakdown, Abbie and her sister Jenny wound up in foster care. As teens, the sisters came upon four mysterious white trees and the demon Moloch in the forest. The sisters blacked out for four days until they were discovered by a search party. Abbie pretended it never happened, but Jenny insisted on telling the truth, leading the authorities to assume she was mentally ill. The sisters became estranged. Abbie briefly turned to drugs and broke into a pharmacy along with her then-boyfriend; she was apprehended by Sheriff August Corbin, who took her under his wing.
Mission Statement: The young police lieutenant was a week away from going to the FBI Academy. During a routine call to Fox Creek Stables, her partner and mentor, Corbin, was decapitated by the Headless Horseman and Abbie saw the mutant for the first time. She met a time traveler Ichabod Crane and partnered with him to vanquish the Headless Horseman and prevent the End of Days. It was revealed that Abbie is the Second Witness, one of two prophesied in the Book of Revelation to defend humanity from the Apocalypse. With that destiny, she decided to stick around Sleepy Hollow.
No Good Deed: On the 13th anniversary of the Mills sisters sighting in the woods, Henry Parrish told the Witnesses that he’d had a nightmare that forewarned the Horseman of War was coming, and Moloch would begin the Apocalypse that night. Though Abbie had been warned by undead Andy Brooks that Washington’s secret map would help Moloch to win the war, Crane and Lieutenant Mills used it anyway to enter the netherworld and liberate Katrina. Henry Parrish had cautioned that they might forget about each other in Purgatory, and they held hands as they entered the world between worlds. In a misleading vision, Corbin and Andy Brooks appeared to Abbie and claimed she’d made it to Quantico, but she had a memory of Ichabod and fled the illusion. Ichabod located her and they journeyed through a hellscape and found Ichabod’s wife. There was a wrinkle in the plan: Katrina explained that to be free, a soul must either be granted forgiveness or have another soul take its place. Abbie offered up herself as the one to remain behind. Katrina promised to return for Abbie and gave the Lieutenant and amulet for protection against Moloch. Ichabod took Abbie into his arms and also vowed to come back for her. The tender moment did not escape Mrs. Crane.
Remember This: Moloch found Abbie and declared that she belonged to him. Mills escaped and sought refuge in a life-sized version of her childhood dollhouse. Teen Abbie and Teen Jenny appeared and urged grown-up Abbie to remember something that happened in the woods: They’d seen Moloch raise the Horseman of War. God sent Abbie as a Witness to stop it, but she hadn’t yet gained enough strength.
Well, that Backfired: As Abbie had been warned, using Washington’s map did have dire consequences. Seemingly helpful Henry had turned her faith that there was a purpose to her pain against. His plot trapped her in Purgatory and separated the two Witnesses, which enabled him to break the Second Seal.
Out of the Darkness: Using a unique key, Ichabod kept his promise to come back for Abbie and save her from languishing in Purgatory.
Three’s a Crowd: Abbie’s looked a little downhearted during Katrina’s return to her husband and gave the increasingly erratic Mrs. Crane a lot of side-eye.
Don’t Let The Door Hit You: Moloch was killed by Henry, so Abbie doesn’t have to worry about him anymore. Henry then began causing more trouble, so with Ichabod’s consent, Abbie killed him.
What Could Possibly Go Wrong? After Katrina’s turn to the dark side, she made a not-so-veiled threat to Ichabod. As Katrina was about to disappear in a mystical cloud, Abbie lunged at her. This was a dangerous idea, Abbie ended up transported back to 1781. Oh, Abbie. Abbie, however, foiled Katrina’s plans to let Ichabod die on the battlefield (rather than keep him alive so that he could be resurrected later.) She also opened a can of whup-ass on some colonial thug that thought he could corner her and get violent. Through the help of her ancestor Grace Dixon, Abbie was able to return to the present.
- Distinguishing Features: Lovely Abbie is 5’1″ and has a petite frame. She has dark brown hair and is is doe-eyed and with high cheekbones.
- Special Abilities: Abbie is good with a gun, remembers her high school Latin, knows how to pick locks, has technical skills, can ride a motorcycle, is well acquainted with Biblical prophecy and decoding realty jargon such as “cozy.” Abbie can be relied upon to know how to MacGyver a situation.
- Bragging Rights: Abbie fulfilled her dream of becoming an FBI agent
- Living Arrangements: Agent Mills recently purchased a roomy new home, which she shares with Ichabod.
- Past Relationships: Detective Luke Morales and Agent Daniel Reynolds.
- Family Matters: At Fredericks Manor, Abbie had a vision of her ancestor and namesake, Grace Dixon, who had helped deliver and then raise Katrina and Ichabod’s son, Jeremy. Grace’s journal has proven useful in battling evil. She recently discovered that her father is alive.
- Likes: Abbie likes leaving Crane Post-It notes with instructions on how to take a shower, use a coffee pot and watch TV. Her interests include yoga, the Mets, Jane Austen, hockey, performing karaoke, big hug and bulk shopping for bottled water and such at Buy Plus
Photo courtesy of Fox - Dislikes: Crane’s initial assumption that she was an emancipated slave; Moloch’s claim that Ichabod would deliver Abbie’s soul to him, taking advice from Andy Brooks, haunted houses, lame third wheels getting in the way of Team Witness, slacking off, reckless driving; Ichabod’s nosy questions about her love life.
- Given To: Faking court orders and warrants, violating Captain Irving’s and Sheriff Reyes‘ direct orders, heckling baseball players, thoughtful gestures, being the subject of unrequited love, communicating with big, brown eyes, objecting to and then relenting to Ichabod’s wild ideas, romantic tension with Ichabod, shading Katrina, shooting at every evil creature (sometimes it works), saving the day
Quotes: “Okay, I’ll play along here. I am a black female lieutenant for the Westchester County Police Department. Do you see this gun? I’m authorized to use it. On you.”
“250 years, huh? The Civil War didn’t wake you? Noisy neighbors to the south? Did you get up to pee? I don’t know about you, but I’m getting up to pee every 75, 80 years.”
“Only in Sleepy Hollow does your boss get eaten by a demon.”
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Captain Frank Irving (Orlando Jones)
First Appearance: “Pilot”
Backstory: His job with the New York State Police frequently took Captain Irving away from his family and he ended up divorced from Cynthia, an attorney “who kept the damn dog.” Their daughter Macey, who is confined to a wheelchair after a car accident, lives in New York City with Cynthia.
Recent Developments: He joined the Sleepy Hollow Police Department after Sheriff Corbin’s murder. At a loss as to what’s causing the mysterious deaths in Sleepy Hollow, he reluctantly appointed Ichabod as a history consultant and Abbie’s unofficial partner.
Father’s Day: When Cynthia threatened to seek sole custody of Macey if he missed any more visitation weekends, Irving apologized for spending so little time with the family. During a walk in the park with his daughter, Irving stepped away to buy some hot chocolate and demon Ancitif jumped into the body of the food vendor and asked the captain if Macey is strong enough to “fight for her soul.” Irving roughed up the vendor and hauled him to the station for questioning; the vendor, who was no longer possessed, denied the charge. Irving consulted Revered Boland (David Fonteno) who advised him to take his family to a secure location. Irving hid Cynthia and Macey in a safe house, but the demon possessed Macey who snapped the neck of Reverend Boland. Ichabod, Abbie and Jenny showed up with a French lantern used by Benjamin Franklin to exorcise demons and freed Macey.
Devil of a Time: The police department dismissed Irving’s claims that the killing was caused by evil. When the police suspected Macey of being Boland’s killer, Irving lied to protect his daughter and claimed that he slew Devon Jones (Michael Roark) who’d been bumped off by a possessed Luke Morales, and Reverend Boland. Irving landed in prison, then was transferred to Tarrytown Psychiatric. His Lawyer turned out to be Henry, who tricked Irving into signing a contract to take his soul. Henry offered a loophole, Irving could kill someone. Parrish gave Irving the chance to kill one of his clients, Gil Everett (Michael Harding), the unrepentant drunk driver that had paralyzed Macey three years earlier. Though tempted, Irving restrained himself from doing what Henry wanted. Irving has since escaped from the psychiatric hospital. To stop Moloch’s End of Days, he cut down the Horseman of War with the Sword of Methuselah, Irving was injured in the battle and died.
Not so Fast: About six weeks after his presumed death, a bedraggled Irving showed up at a convenience store to guzzle some milk (not sure if he actually paid for it). He was exonerated for the murders (not sure how that happened). Abbie was suspicious since he did sell his soul. He sought Katrina‘s help to determine the state of his soul, she performed a spell and pronounced him clean. As he hugged a relieved Cynthia, with whom he has reconciled, Frank glanced in a window and saw his reflection missing. He won Abbie’s trust again and even helped the Witnesses to bring down evil warlock Solomon Kent. When Ichabod and Abbie’s backs were turned, he used his foot to make Kent disintegrate and then swiped the warlock’s book of dark spells. Irving later met up with Henry.
Truth be Told: Frank admitted to Jenny that he used a rune to trick Katrina into believing that his soul was clean. He asked her to help him get Hellfire Club funds to take care of his family after the rune’s power waned and evil consumed him. Before long he was back to pure evil, but when Henry died, he seemed to regain his soul.
- Dislikes: Any threat to Macey, the possibility of being forced to take antipsychotic meds and undergo electroshock, being evil
- Given To: Skepticism, balking at Abbie’s requests before giving in, raising his eyebrow and making mildly sinister faces when he’s alone, feeling guilty about the collapse of his marriage
Quote: “I ought to throw you in jail. Except I have a preserved head in a pickle jar.”
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Sheriff August Corbin (Clancy Brown)
First Appearance: “Pilot”
Backstory: After busting young Abbie for breaking into a pharmacy, he took her to a diner and gave her five minutes (as long as it takes apple pie à la mode to melt) to decide if she wanted to straighten out her life.
Recent Developments: He was decapitated by the Headless Horseman at Fox Creek Stables…. The sheriff privately believed that as teens, the Mills sisters encountered a demon in the woods. A 19th-century farmer had the same experience and linked the trees to the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse…. Corbin secretly kept track of occult happenings and mysterious cases along the East Coast. One of George Washington’s battle maps was among his files. Unbeknownst to Abbie, the sheriff also had a close connection with Jenny, who helped him look into supernatural happenings…. The Mills sisters and Crane often turn to Corbin’s occult files and recordings to help battle demons. During one such investigation, they learned that when Jenny was once possessed by a soul-hopping entity, Corbin managed to exorcize the demon…. The late sheriff’s envious son, Joe, showed up in town with a chip on shoulder and a grudge against Abbie. Joe has since made peace with his past.
- Likes: Apple pie à la mode, french fries, looking after the Mills sisters
- Dislikes: The spate of unsolved area murders
- Given To: Keeping secrets, sending Jenny on assignments to obtain rare artifacts and dig for information about the occult, appearing to Abbie as a vision
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Leena Reyes (Sakina Jaffrey)
First Appearance: “The Kindred”
Backstory: The tough-talking cop left the Sleepy Hollow Sheriff’s Department for a position with Border Control.
Recent Developments: After Sheriff Corbin’s death and Captain Irving’s imprisonment, Reyes returned to the Sleepy Hollow police force. She immediately fired Ichabod from his role as a history consultant and arrested Jenny, who was caught with weapons. It was revealed that Reyes knew Abbie and Jenny’s mom and played a critical role in having Mrs. Mills committed to Tarrytown Psychiatric. Jenny blames Reyes for the Mills sisters’ placement in foster care homes and for their mother’s subsequent suicide (It was later revealed that Reyes was not to blame.)
All Heart: When incarcerated Captain Irving requested a transfer to Tarrytown Psychiatric, she agreed, but threatened to subject him antipsychotic drugs and electroshock until his lawyer Henry intervened. The new sheriff thought Irving was keeping something from her, though he already told her that evil forces are behind the troubling events in Sleepy Hollow…. After Ichabod helped with a case, she seemed more receptive to him and came to rely Ichabod and Abbie solving cases. Recently, she’s taken to sending texts and hasn’t been seen on screen….
- Likes: Throwing her weight around, shooting
- Dislikes: Catching Ichabod hanging around the sheriff’s department, the rash of violent crimes plaguing the village
- Given to: Skepticism
Officer Andy Brooks (John Cho)
First Appearance: “Pilot”
Recent Developments: He was the first officer to find Ichabod wandering the streets and threw him in the slammer. He warned Abbie to stay away from Crane. Under the dark side’s sway, he tried and failed to get his hands on the Horseman’s missing skull. Foiled by Abbie he attacked her and was jailed… While alone in his cell, the horned demon Moloch appeared and as Abbie put it, “snapped his head backward like a Pez dispenser.” Moloch’s visit was not captured by surveillance cameras, so the cops ruled Brooks’s death a suicide. Brooks was reanimated. It was discovered that Andy is a necromancer, an appointed one with the power to speak for the dead, thus able to communicate with the Horseman.
Horseman Whisperer: Under Moloch’s control, Brooks used a Druidic artifact to free the Horseman from a supernatural Masonic cell designed by Thomas Jefferson. Early on he balked at being an undead minion to the forces of evil and having his soul belong to Moloch, but eventually became a willing servant, attacking Abbie in George Washington’s burial site in order to get his hands on Washington’s mystical map. He then advised her to burn it because Moloch would use it win the war. He begged Abbie to release him and she impaled his head, but he briefly rose again before Abbie finally let him to supposedly be killed by falling rubble in the crypt. He ended up in Purgatory. When Abbie was trapped there, Andy gave her information on how to reach the outside world through Moloch’s portal. As far as we know, Andy currently resides in Purgatory. After Moloch’s death other creatures fled Purgatory, no word on if Andy got a hall pass.
- Distinguishing Features: For a while he wore a police uniform and had an obviously deformed neck. Eventually he took on a more demonic look with veins all over his body and black eyes, he has since resumed his human appearance in Purgatory.
- Likes: Protecting Abbie and giving tips on how to defeat the Horseman and Moloch, warning her to stay away from Ichabod
- Given To: Unrequited feelings for Abbie, flip-flopping
Detective Luke Morales (Nicholas Gonzalez)
First Appearance: “Blood Moon.”
Backstory: Abbie’s ex-boyfriend, he was in the 101st Airborne in Iraq. Abbie broke things off when she planned to attend Quantico.
The Ex Files: He began following Abbie around; Possessed by Ancitif, Luke killed fellow officer Devon Jones (Michael Roark). Captain Irving falsely confessed to protect his daughter.
- Likes: Giving Ichabod side-eye, playing pranks on new members to the force such as bringing a headless horse-crossing sign to the station. (We saw Headless vandalize the sign, so maybe Luke just found it.)
- Dislikes: Crane’s closeness to Abbie and Ichabod’s role as a history consultant to the police department.