Twitter Fans #MoreInterestingThanKatrina
A Twitter hashtag captured my attention over the past several days #ThingsMoreInterstingThanKatrina. Some passionate fans went all in to vent about what is arguably a primary contributor to “Sleepy Hollow’s” sophomore slump. I won’t pretend to be impartial here, the recaps are clearly Team Ichabbie.
In its first season, “Sleepy Hollow” was a surprise hit for Fox. The crisp, witty and gleefully absurd show took advantage of the potent chemistry between its leads Tom Mison and Nicole Beharie who were backed up by a talented well-utilized and refreshingly diverse cast. The first season finale was a terrific shocker, what came next was shocking for all the wrong reasons.
In the beginning, Ichabod and Abbie’s primary mission was to prevent the End of Days. The duo spent most of their time trying to defeat Moloch’s plan to reunite the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse which would bring on doomsday. Though he had a lot on his plate, Ichabod also sought to free his wife Katrina from Purgatory. In most of her scenes, Katrina was relegated to breathy cryptic messages. Since getting sprung from the netherworld, the series has turned into the Saving Katrina Show — and that’s its most glaring problem.
While Katrina is an easy target for Ichabbie fans, I should think Ichatrina loyalists would demand much more for her. And what about Katia Winter? What’s it like to be on a quirky show where the other actors get to have all the fun? While Ichabod, Abbie, Jenny and Captain Irving get to deliver laugh-out-loud lines, Katrina gets to whisper “Save me, Ichabod, save me” or the equivalent of that. Abigail and Jenny get to play action girls. In the midst of battle, they aren’t reduced to heaving bosoms on the periphery. They join in the fight with guns blazing. Lyndie Greenwood’s badass Jenny is the second coming of Sarah Connor.
What does Katrina do? We were told that Katrina is a powerful witch but she’s demonstrated as much mystical ability as a freshman Hufflepuff. Ichabod, Abbie and Jenny are adept at incantation, so it doesn’t seem that they need her help. Why the writers opted to diminish Katrina’s magical powers is as much a mystery as their choice to nearly sideline Beharie, who is the lead actress.
Despite it all, I still love this show and think the writers are too smart to shove Mrs. Crane down our throats without an endgame. What if the helplessness is all an act? Perhaps the writers plan to jolt viewers with the reveal that Katrina is the Big Bad. TPTB have given plenty of indicators that something is fishy. For all the trouble Crane and his Leftenant Mills go through to repeatedly save Katrina, she finds a way to make their efforts all for naught. This season, Ichabod learned that his wife is a prolific liar. Here’s the biggest puzzle, Katrina seems to flip-flop about which man she wants, her husband or the Horseman. That’s right, dreamy heroic Ichabod or the Horseman of Death. Now, you gotta admit that Headless has some swagger — especially when he struts about shirtless, but Witch, please. It’s hard not to believe the writers are Ichabbie shippers because there certainly has been a lot of murmuring, embraces, stolen glances and hints. Ichabod throws shade at and delivers some severe side-eye to newcomer Hawley. Remember “Heartless“?
As far as I’m concerned these theories are all #ThingsMoreInterestingThanKatrina.
But that’s just my opinion, I want to hear from fans on both sides of the aisle. Please leave a comment on how you feel about Katrina, and why.
I actually like both ladies, although I admit Abbie is the more interesting of the two to me. Katrina is still a question mark in my mind. She saved Ichabod and is responsible for his being in the present, but she has lied to him as well. Abbie is a good contrast to Katrina. Hopefully the writers will make better use of both ladies in the next season.
Very good points, Tana. Both characters deserve a better season.
Comparing Abbie to Katrina is like comparing owning a Mercedes to having a bus pass. The comparison itself is offensive. The original premise of two witnesses worked in Season 1 and was abandoned. The bait and switch was obvious and viewed as a betrayal. Few viewers would have watched a B-rated actress and an unknown Brit during Fox’s prime time. They captured the audience and then shoved Katrina at them. Hopefully someone can salvage it.
I’d like to see the show get back on track too. I’m holding out hope that the second half of this season will redeem itself.
Agree, totally…
Its worse than most people realize. She is shown to be the type woman who will go with whichever man is in front of her. If she’s with Ichabod, she’s breathlessly saying how much she loves him. When she’s with headless, she’s making eyes at him. As soon as she’s caught making eyes at headless, by Ichabod, she professes her undying love for him. And yet the minute his back is turned, well you get the drift.
Is that what the writers think of women? That we are unable to remain faithful? That we can’t walk down a flight of stairs without help? That we constantly need saving? They don’t even know how babies are born (hint: we don’t wear skinny jeans/corsets and babies don’t exit via the stomach), but that didn’t stop them from giving her TWO demon pregnancies in two seasons (or less than 24 episodes). Makes me wonder what century we’re in.
Good points. And skinny jeans lead to no good.
Ichabbie all the way.
The #ThingsMoreInterestingThanKatrina comments are rude and crude but hilarious and highly entertaining and very much on point. The emphasis on Katrina this season has upset the equilibrium between the two witnesses. They are a team of two, not a trio. I hope to see Katrina outed as the duplicitous woman I believe her to be. This would make for a more interesting character and give Katia Winter much more to sink her teeth into as an actress and get Sleepy Hollow back on track .
Standing around whispering can’t be much fun for Katia to play. I hope she gets to show off her chops when the show returns. If Katrina does go to the dark side, I bet she’d make a far more effective Big Bad than Moloch. All he did was lurch about and give orders.
I agree I think she’d be more effective and interesting going to or being revealed to have always been on the dark side. It will give Crane some major angst to deal with too and hopefully wake him up to see Abbie is the only one he can truly trust.
I do not think they have smart enough writers to make it happen…