Tag: Fox

Fox’s ‘Gotham’ Gets A Logo And Synopsis!

by Derek Kraneveldt

Briefly: Following the absolute ton of casting that Fox has been doing over the past few weeks, Fox has revealed the logo and first synopsis for the upcoming series, Gotham.

Here’s the logo:

GothamLogo

And here’s what it’s all about:

Everyone knows the name Commissioner Gordon. He is one of the crime world’s greatest foes, a man whose reputation is synonymous with law and order. But what is known of Gordon’s story and his rise from rookie detective to Police Commissioner? What did it take to navigate the multiple layers of corruption that secretly ruled Gotham City, the spawning ground of the world’s most iconic villains? And what circumstances created them – the larger-than-life personas who would become Catwoman, The Penguin, The Riddler, Two-Face and The Joker?

 

“Gotham” is an origin story of the great DC Comics super villains and vigilantes, revealing an entirely new chapter that has never been told. From executive producer/writer Bruno Heller (“The Mentalist,” “Rome”), “Gotham” follows one cop’s rise through a dangerously corrupt city teetering on the edge of evil and chronicles the birth of one of the most popular super heroes of our time.

 

Growing up in Gotham City’s surrounding suburbs, James Gordon (Ben McKenzie, “Southland,” “The O.C.”) romanticized the city as a glamorous and exciting metropolis where his late father once served as a successful district attorney. Now, two weeks into his new job as a Gotham City detective and engaged to his beloved fiancée, Barbara Kean (Erin Richards, Open Grave, “Breaking In”), Gordon is living his dream – even as he hopes to restore the city back to the pure version he remembers it was as a kid.

 

Brave, honest and ready to prove himself, the newly-minted detective is partnered with the brash, but shrewd police legend Harvey Bullock (Donal Logue, “Sons of Anarchy,” “Terriers,” “Vikings,” “Copper”), as the two stumble upon the city’s highest-profile case ever: the murder of local billionaires Thomas and Martha Wayne. At the scene of the crime, Gordon meets the sole survivor: the Waynes’ hauntingly intense 12-year-old son, Bruce (David Mazouz, “Touch”), toward whom the young detective feels an inexplicable kinship. Moved by the boy’s profound loss, Gordon vows to catch the killer.

 

As he navigates the often-underhanded politics of Gotham’s criminal justice system, Gordon will confront imposing gang boss Fish Mooney (Jada Pinkett Smith, The Matrix films, “HawthoRNe,” Collateral), and many of the characters who will become some of fiction’s most renowned, enduring villains, including a teenaged Selina Kyle/the future Catwoman (acting newcomer Camren Bicondova) and Oswald Cobblepot/The Penguin (Robin Lord Taylor, “The Walking Dead,” Another Earth).

 

Although the crime drama will follow Gordon’s turbulent and singular rise through the Gotham City police department, led by Police Captain Sarah Essen (Zabryna Guevara, “Burn Notice”), it also will focus on the unlikely friendship Gordon forms with the young heir to the Wayne fortune, who is being raised by his unflappable butler, Alfred (Sean Pertwee, “Camelot,” “Elementary”). It is a friendship that will last them all of their lives, playing a crucial role in helping the young boy eventually become the crusader he’s destined to be.

Are you excited for the show? What do you hope to see from it?

Ten Reasons Almost Human Needs a Season 2

by S.J. Borger

Fox recently announced a slate of shows renewed (and cancelled) for next season. There were reasons for celebrations (Brooklyn 99, New Girl), reasons for sorrow (Raising Hope), and reasons to agonize as Fox’s silence over the fate of others left us waiting.

Almost Human deserves a second season. It’s done with its world-building, the characters are set, the twisty through-plot is just about to make sense (or pay-off, or be forgotten in favor of a new, better one, maybe?) and it’s ideally placed to have strong, fan-rific, possibly-the-best-show-(think-Fringe)-you-should-be-watching second season.

And we’re not the only ones, the website Save That Show shows a whopping 88% of people who take the poll support saving Almost Human (yes, we’re aware that the sample population of this poll is probably slanted. Yay statistics!)

Karl Urban as Det. Kennex and Michael Ealy as Dorian in Fox's Almost Human.
Karl Urban as Det. Kennex and Michael Ealy as Dorian in Fox’s Almost Human.

So without further ado, here are our Top Ten Reasons to Renew Almost Human:

1.Firefly. That’s right, we said it. Fox Executives still owe us for cancelling Firefly, and we are calling in that debt—because we are not afraid to play that card, and we will probably play it again. It is the television equivalent of that thing you said that one time to your brother that comes up every Thanksgiving, Christmas and occasional birthdays.

2. It’s a good show. It’s a really, really, really good show. It’s not the most innovative when it comes to plots (it’s still a procedural cop show) but the world is interesting, the characters are invested and it’s just getting better. It got second place in TV.com’s Best of 2013, and was in the top 5 Best Sci-Fi/Superhero Series 2013.

3. The wall! What’s behind the wall? Who lives out there? Why is there a wall?? The series jumped up a notch when it introduced that particular element and it needs to be explained!

4.The show combines elements of Asimov’s robotics, fringe science, and a tech-noir grit with laugh-out-loud humor. Its nods to the films, books and other works that went before it—and where Almost Human clearly draws inspiration from—are subtle and usually done with tongue-placed-firmly-in-cheek.

Almost Human promo picture. Courtesy of Fox.
Almost Human promo picture. Courtesy of Fox.

5. Ealy and Urban—who play mismatched partners Dorian and Kennex—have an undeniable chemistry and their on-screen friendship and banter contributes a great deal to what makes the show so good. Also, we would watch Dorian and Kennex banter in the car anywhere. It should be a web series. Traveling in Cars with Kennex…

6.It’s good sci-fi. It’s smart sci-fi. It offers an intriguing look at our future, with a mixture of both cynicism and hope in terms of where humanity might find itself. And good, smart sci-fi—where the science isn’t just ’magic’—is hard to find. Especially on network TV.

7.While the two leads are men, the show’s two supporting roles, Captain Maldonado and Detective Valerie Stahl (played by Lili Tayler and Minka Kelly, respectively) are strong, effective, commanding women. And those are even rarer on network TV than good sci-fi.

8.Almost every great show had a rough first season. Especially world-building shows, where so much has to be built up before the series can really take off.  Almost Human’s first season wasn’t that rough (ok, ok, the through-plot with the Syndicate-whatever wasn’t great…) and it is poised to really have a phenomenal second (and more!) season.

9. Firefly. Yup, twice in one list.

10. It consistently got better with every episode, and a second season would probably continue the trend, if the final six episodes are any indication. AND Season One finished up with any number of exciting plot points and new characters just waiting for more exploration.

Capt. Maldonado (Lili Taylor) talks to her officers via super smart speaker phone. Courtesy of Fox.
Capt. Maldonado (Lili Taylor) talks to her officers via super smart speaker phone. Courtesy of Fox.

‘Ok, ok,’ you’re saying. ‘You had us at Firefly. But what can we do?’

Amazingly enough, letter writing campaigns work. You can write directly to Mr. Kevin Reilly, FOX Broadcasting Co, 10201 W. Pico Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90035. Or, go to Fox and watch it.  You can follow the fan campaign here, or sign this petition here.

Also a ‘save Almost Human’ google search can point you in other directions.

You can catch up with Almost Human at Hulu.com.

What do you guys think? Should we save this show?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ns91hBJqsDM

Selena Kyle And Young Bruce Wayne Cast For Fox’s ‘Gotham’!

by Derek Kraneveldt

Briefly: The cast of Gotham has grown once more.

Following Jada Pinkett-Smith joining the project a few weeks back (and plenty of other casting just prior to that), Touch‘s David Mazouz has been cast in the series as a young Bruce Wayne, and newcomer Camren Bicondova has come onboard as Selina Kyle.

According to the release, Wayne has been “sentenced to a solitary life after the tragic murder of his wealthy parents. Serious and soulful, young Bruce relies on the guidance and protection of Alfred Pennyworth and James Gordon.” while Kyle is “a teenage orphan who is suspicious and wholly unpredictable. A street thief and skilled pickpocket, she’s dangerous when cornered.”

David Mazouz
David Mazouz
Via Camren's twitter.
Via Camren’s twitter.

Are you looking forward to Gotham? What do you think of the cast so far? Sound out below!

The ‘Fantastic Four’ Reboot Cast Has Been Revealed!

by Derek Kraneveldt

Briefly: With less that a year and a half until the film is scheduled to hit theatres, the cast of Josh Trank’s Fantastic Four reboot has reportedly been revealed.

According to Variety, final deals are still being completed (and one actor hasn’t received one yet), but if everything goes according to plan,  the new Fantastic Four will consist of:

MichaelBJordan

Michael B. Jordan as the Human Torch.

KateMara

Kate Mara as the Invisible Woman.

JamieBell

Jamie Bell as Ben Grimm.

MilesTeller

Miles Teller as Mr. Fantastic.

Variety also states that the reboot will be based on the Ultimate Fantastic Four series. Next up, who do you want to play the villain, and who do you want that villain to be? Sound out below!

Fantastic Four hits theatres on June 19th, 2015!

Jada Pinkett Smith Joins Fox’s ‘Gotham’!

by Derek Kraneveldt

Briefly: The cast of Fox’s Gotham has grown yet again.

This time, Jada Pinkett Smith has joined the project as Fish Mooney, “a sadistic gangster boss and nightclub owner. Wielding street smarts and the almost extra-sensory ability to read people, Fish is imposing and hotheaded — and not one to be crossed.”

Pinkett joins Donal Logue (Harvey Bullock), Robin Lord Taylor (Oswald Cobblepot), Zabryna Guevara (Captain Essen), Sean Pertwee (Alfred Pennyworth), Erin Richards (Barbara Kean), and of course Benjamin McKenzie (James Gordon).

What do you think of the casting so far? Who else would you like to see nab a role? Sound out below!

Pinkett

The ‘Gotham’ Casting Continues! Donal Logue Is Detective Harvey Bullock

by Derek Kraneveldt

Briefly: It was just yesterday that Fox announced the casting of The Penguin, Alfred, and more for their upcoming series Gotham (which came just a few days after the announcement of Jim Gordon’s character), and today that cast has expanded once more.

Donal Logue, best known for his work on Sons of Anarchy and Vikings has taken the role of Detective Harvey Bullock. The official description for the character reads that “Jim Gordon’s partner and mentor, the rough-around-the-edges Detective Harvey Bullock plays loose with police procedure, but he gets results … and he does it with old-school, forceful panache.”

Casting for the project is coming along very quickly. At this rate, it’ll be interesting to see what comes next. What do you hope to see from Gotham? What do you think of the cast so far? Sound out below!

Logue

The Penguin, Alfred, More Cast In Fox’s ‘Gotham’

by Derek Kraneveldt

Briefly: After casting Southland‘s Ben McKenzie as James Gordon earlier this week, Fox has revealed more of the principal cast for their currently-in-production series, Gotham.

RobinTaylor

Accepted and Would You Rather star Robin Taylor will portray Oswald Cobblepot (The Penguin). The character description in the press release reads that “With the brains of a chess grandmaster and the morals of a jackal, Oswald Cobblepot is a low-level psychopath (for gangster Fish Mooney) who hides his sadistic lust for power behind an exquisitely polite demeanour.”

Zabryna Guevara

Burn Notice star Zabryna Guevara has been cast as Captain Essen. Her character is described as “Gordon’s boss at the GCPD Homicide Squad, Captain Essen balances the two worlds of police and politics with a Machiavellian skill that’s as much corporate litigator as cop.”

Sean Pertwee, The Seasoning House, Sterling Pictures

Sean Pertwee will play Alfred Pennyworth, who is “A tough-as-nails ex-marine from East London, Alfred Pennyworth has loyally served the Waynes. Now, in the wake of their tragic deaths, he’s fiercely protective of the young Bruce Wayne.”

Erin Richards

And finally, Erin Richards will portray Barbara Kean, who is “A sophisticated emergency room doctor, Barbara is the fiancée of James Gordon, joyful but with an edge of vulnerability. She stands by her future husband…which can be difficult in a world as corrupt as Gotham.”

Things seem to be coming together quite quickly for the series. Be sure to let us know what you think of the latest casting, and we’ll be sure to keep you up to date with more!

Fox’s ‘Gotham’ Casts Its Gordon!

by Derek Kraneveldt

Briefly: Fox has found its Jim Gordon.

The O.C. and Southland star Benjamin McKenzie will play the young Commissioner in the currently-in-development pilot Gotham. He’ s no stranger to the world of Batman either, as he voiced the Dark Knight himself in the 2011 animated feature Batman: Year One.

Details on Gotham are still few and far between, but the series is set to tell the origin of the commissioner, and will also feature a young, pre-Batman Bruce Wayne (as well as some of the franchise’s classic villains).

Are you looking forward to the series? Are you hoping for a dark, Batman Begins style Gotham, or something a little more fun? Let us know in the comments below, and we’ll be sure to keep you up to date on all things Gotham.

Southland

Source: Variety

Geekscape Recap: Almost Human “The Bends”

by S.J. Borger

Almost Human continues its strong premiere season with its fourth installment, “The Bends.” The titular item is a new drug made from seaweed (and causes a weird green-y algae growth on its overdose victims) that would be wildly popular if it could be processed with a high enough level of purity (shades of Breaking Bad here, without the, you know, cancer and stuff).

Rudy Lom (Mackenzie Crook) goes undercover in this week's Almost Human episode, "The Bends." Courtesy of Fox.
Rudy Lom (Mackenzie Crook) goes undercover in this week’s Almost Human episode, “The Bends.”
Courtesy of Fox.

Lom, Rudy Lom

The episode starts with our intrepid lab geek, Rudy Lom, in some sort of about-to-get-violent situation. It seems as if Rudy is undercover and his cover his blown—he releases a steam vent (handy how those are always around, just at elbow height, in these situations) and runs. His pursuers shoot, one getting him in the arm.

We then get the ’24 Hours Earlier’ super-title (we understand the use of the flash-forward, and it wasn’t done badly here, but it seems to be getting a tad overused in television these days. Just our personal opinion.) and go to Kennex and Dorian, eating lunch (dinner?) at a sushi place. Well, Kennex is eating, Dorian is clearly in a hurry to get someplace (where is never established). After declaring he can’t leave until he has eaten everything on his plate, per Japanese culture, Dorian has the chef serve Kennex some sort of clear-ish, wriggling, still very much alive slug thing (having lived in Japan for two years, we can clearly state that that is NOT something usually served in a Japanese restaurant). Tricked by his own words, Kennex eats it.

Ah, male bonding.

Cut to someone we’ve never seen before, with a nifty phone-in-palm device (why doesn’t EVERYONE have these?? Is it new tech? Is it super expensive? He’s the only one we’ve seen with this!) talking to his wife, who clearly doesn’t know he’s in a obviously-where-crimes-happen alley. After lying through his teeth about where he is, Frank Cooper—we find out that’s his name—meets up clearly-not-good-guys. We quickly discover that he’s there to introduce a new cook to THE drug pin of this city, The Bishop. Apparently there’s 600 liters of raw product just waiting for the next Walter White (sorry, we got our shows mixed for a second); the next cook-extraordinaire to brew up the drug.

But things go wrong when the Bishop finds a subcutaneous wire (another piece of cool tech) on Cooper, and bam, bam, both Cooper and his cook buddy are dead.

We didn't have a picture of the newly deceased friend, but here's Kennex, looking resolved and sad that his friend is dead. Courtesy of Fox.
We didn’t have a picture of the newly deceased friend, but here’s Kennex, looking resolved and sad that his friend is dead.
Courtesy of Fox.

Because All Dirty Cops Keep Incriminating Evidence In Their Trunks, Uh-Doy

The next morning, Kennex and Dorian are called to the crime scene—a dead cop (clearly Cooper), whose car’s trunk his full of illegal drugs, clearly making Cooper out to be a dead, dirty cop. But wait, no, Kennex was buddies with Cooper (of course he was!) and he knows in his gut Cooper wasn’t dirty. Also, Kennex points out, if Cooper was dirty, why wear a wire?

Of course, all those drugs in the trunk  and multiple dead bodies at what is clearly a drug deal gone wrong is enough for Detective Paul (whose sole purpose so far is to be the one guy who doesn’t like Kennex…), who declares Cooper guilty and then pretty much disappears for the next fifteen minutes of air time.

Oh, we also get some new info on the drug, the Bends. It’s highly toxic, and the Bishop is poised to take over the streets with it (a la The Wire; again, we’re not saying this show is breaking new ground, only that its execution is a lot of fun to watch). This is mostly info-dumped by Detective Stahl (Minka Kelly), who seems to be regulated to that quite a bit. Not that she doesn’t do it well, but we wish we’d see a few more women doing some kicking-ass and taking names.

This is Stahl's "I am going to read out loud what the computer is telling me because I have one job in this precinct and I'm going to do it" face.
This is Stahl’s “I am going to read out loud what the computer is telling me because I have one job in this precinct and I’m going to do it” face.

The Case of the Dirty-Or-Just-Mildly-Dusty Cop

Kennex meets with the widow (was it just us or was there some ‘my-best-friend’s-wife-is-the-woman-I-loved subtext going on with Kennex? We never do find out why he and Cooper aren’t friends anymore…). Of course the widow proclaims her husband’s innocence.

Maldonado meets with Captain Barros, Cooper’s commanding officer, who doesn’t want to believe Cooper was dirty either, but admits that Cooper wasn’t assigned to any official undercover work; Barros does say that Cooper was the type of cop to work something on his own. Nonwithstanding, since Cooper’s financials show suspicious activities, Maldonado is going to have to investigate.

The widow tells Kennex that Cooper went up to their cabin the day he died, so that’s where Kennex and Dorian head. It’s already been torn apart, but thanks to the helpful clue from the widow that Cooper was working on the fireplace, Kennex finds the receiver for Cooper’s wire. Unfortunately it doesn’t prove anything in terms of Cooper’s innocence but it does prove that The Bishop was there, which apparently is a big deal since no one knows what Bishop looks like.

Cue the ‘let’s find a new cook and go undercover and get Bishop plan.’ Except they need a cook…and that’s when they bring in Rudy. Who apparently is a bio-tech, cybernetic, computer programming…chemist. Don’t think on that one too much. A geek is a geek, right? Clearly we all have expert levels of knowledge in all fields related to geekdom. There’s probably a Venn diagram somewhere.

Rudy jumps at the chance to go undercover (a great subtle touch, when Kennex is pitching the idea to Rudy, is when Rudy sees his reflection in a tux, a la James Bond, in the metal surface of his instruments). He even has a fedora ready and waiting.

Rudy Lom (again, sorry). But come on, he is rocking that fedora. Courtesy of Fox.
Rudy Lom (again, sorry). But come on, he is rocking that fedora.
Courtesy of Fox.

Time for the “Live Your Cover” Speech

While Detective Paul (who is apparently the undercover expert) drills Rudy, Kennex and Dorian go find a bad guy that can set up a meet with The Bishop.

They find someone relatively easily (Patrick Gallagher of Glee), who agrees to set up the meet after a little kind-of-sort-of blackmail from Kennex.

Rudy holds up under Det. Paul’s grilling, though the fedora gets nixed (though we liked it, Mackenzie Crook can rock a fedora) and the operation is a go—except for one thing. Rudy drinks a nasty liquid (which makes him fart, ha ha bathroom humor) but also turns his whole body into a GPS-locater. It’s in beta, he says, and it’s top-secret.

So, off Rudy goes to his meet, followed by two cockroach-cameras (a lovely bit of tech), where he meets the Bishop and almost blows the whole thing; Dorian has to go in to provide support (but the cover is still intact). Bad guys convinced of Rudy’s nefarious-ness, they agree to take him to the ‘real lab’–but first he has to drink some gross-milky looking liquid—and when he does, his GPS signal cuts off.

The bad guys then take Rudy to the ‘real lab’ after revealing that guy we think is the The Bishop isn’t, in fact, The Bishop. It’s a solid reveal that played out well.

Dorian and the bad guys robot (with head, at this point). Courtesy of Fox.
Dorian and the bad guys robot (with head, at this point).
Courtesy of Fox.

You Dirty Double Crossing Double-Crosser!

Back at the base, Kennex rolls out as soon as Rudy’s signal disappears—but even though no one exited the building, Rudy’s is nowhere to be found; because bad guys, apparently, use sewers. The bad guys and Not-Bishop bring Rudy to a lab and demand he cooks—and he does, creating a product that’s 94% pure.

Meanwhile, back with Kennex, they figure out that the only way the bad guys could have known to have Rudy drink the GPS-signal block juice was if one of the bad guys was a cop. Maldonado puts two and two together, and figures out that Barros is The Bishop.

Sure enough, Rudy (now in a super-secret lab) meets Barros, who asks Rudy how he cooked such a pure form of the drug.

Maldonado called Barros to ‘update’ him, and manages to track the phone to get a location. Kennex and Dorian speed to him.

While Rudy explains how the cooking process is more of an art than a science, the goons are alerted to something-not-right and now we’re back to where we were at the beginning of the episode. Rudy escapes, gets shot in the arm—

And Kennex and Dorian get there. Two henchman are instantly disposed of, then Kennex goes after Barros while Dorian goes at it with Barros’ android, which was a great fight that ends with the bad robot’s (see what we did there?) head getting ripped off his body, spine still attached. Awesome.

Kennex, Lom and Dorian safe and sound after their adventures. Courtesy of Fox.
Kennex, Lom and Dorian safe and sound after their adventures.
Courtesy of Fox.

All Wells That Ends Up at a Cop Bar

Kennex gets Barros, clears Cooper’s name, and he, Dorian and Rudy go out to celebrate—to Kennex’s cop bar, much to his dismay.

Another really good episode. Seriously, if you’re not watching this, you should be. The ratings aren’t great (though the numbers went up this week) and Fox isn’t known for its generosity with freshman shows and middle-ish ratings. So watch it! Tell your friends to watch it! While not perfect (Dorian is supposed to be ‘troubled’ but he seems the saner of the two, for example) it’s still better than most of what’s on TV, and certainly the world and its characters are intriguing enough—and the episodes are doing an excellent job expanding and building the world—that this show could be one with a lot of mileage in it.

Almost Human airs on Fox on Mondays at 8 p.m.

You can catch up on all the episodes so far on Hulu or Fox.com.

Geekscape Recap: Sleepy Hollow: Sanctuary

by S.J. Borger

Wow, readers. Just wow. For the first time, Sleepy Hollow provided an episode that requires no qualifications, no hesitant ‘buts’ or ‘it’s getting better.’ No, siree, with episode nine, “Sanctuary,” Sleepy Hollow finally provided what we had been hoping for all season—a solid, well-paced, challenging and intriguing hour of television with few, if any, flaws. It was just fun. It was scary in parts. It had a little bit of BBC-esque ‘monsters in bubble wrap’ but it worked. The whole episode just worked.

We can only hope the trend continues.

We still have a fairly lengthy ‘previously on’ prior to the episode actually starting, but it seems we’ve finally moved down to just one (yay!) and then the episode starts right up.

The Frederick Manor in Sleepy Hollow's newest episode, "Sanctuary" Courtesy of Fox.
The Frederick Manor in Sleepy Hollow’s newest episode, “Sanctuary”
Courtesy of Fox.

Don’t Go In the House…

A Jaguar with a chauffeur drives a young woman–Lena Gilbert, who is wealthy enough to have a ‘Family’ and a Jag and chauffeur/bodyguard—drive up to what she says used to be the Family’s ancestral home. Despite her bodyguard’s admonishments, she runs into the house. Because that’s what rich young women due at the beginning of horror movies.

On the second floor she finds a doorway blocked with some sort of branch/hedge thing—she cuts herself…and the branches come to life, dragging her into the dark.

We go to Crane and Abbie, coming into the precinct with fast food. Crane has a (somewhat entertaining) rant about food (fast food, what the pilgrims really eat…etc.) which winds down when he realizes that essentially, he’s just lonely. Abbie tries to cheer him up–not well–and then she and Crane get called into Irving’s office (the more Orlando Jones is in these episodes, the better they get—coincidence?? We think not) because super rich heiress Lena Gilbert (of the sucked into closet by branch fame) has disappeared, and the Senate Majority Leader wants her found (Crane is rightfully astonished at the idea of a billionaire…) but Abbie doesn’t see why she and Crane need to investigate it. Irving shows them a note left by Lena—with Katrina’s name on it.

With a little research, they discover Lena’s ancestry and from that, know which house she went to—her ancestor’s, Frederick’s Manor (the colonial we saw earlier). The two head out.

When they get there, it’s clearly time for a flashback, and Sleepy Hollow obliges. We go back to see a newly married Crane and Katrina arrive at a well-kept Fredericks Manor, where Katrina calls the place a sanctuary (like the title, get it?) and explains that the Manor is a haven for escaped slaves, for Lachlan Fredericks not only did not have slaves, but freed and protected any who came to him—as well as any other who need protection or refuge.

For once though, the flashbacks do not show Crane as an all-knowing sage, nor do they reinforce exposition which could have been shown other ways. This time, rather, they actual propel the mystery and the ambiance of the episode, providing foreshadowing and layers to characters.

Back in the present, Crane is mildly shocked—though he had just given a speech on human equality—that a billionaire would date an Irishman (Clooney). Funny, apt, character driven. Just all-in-all good.

Len Gilbert is rescued by Crane and Abbie. Courtesy of Fox.
Len Gilbert is rescued by Crane and Abbie.
Courtesy of Fox.

Dead Bodies, Strange Voices and Doors Slamming Shut

In the house, Crane and Abbie find the body of the bodyguard (we hardly knew ye!) and when Abbie attempts to go outside to call for backup, the episode goes good old fashioned haunted house creepy: doors slam, shutters shut as Crane approaches, and light goes from bright morning sun to grey and spooky.

Abbie, understandably, is not happy. Winds blow, whispers right out of hearing—and a black women in period dress, that only Abbie sees. Apparently a haunted house crosses a line with Abbie, and she wants out.

Crane calms Abbie down and proposes they find Lena and try to get out. As they explore, he finds a book—Gulliver’s Travels—his wife’s favorite—and in it a letter. A letter from him, sent from Washington’s aide-de-camp when he died on the battlefield. Before they can discuss it much, the house goes all spooky sounds and creaks, and they return to their search for Abbie.

And another flashback, where we see the Manor in all its glory and meet Lachlan Frederick and his housekeeper, Grace Dixon. Crane realizes that the house was a sanctuary not just for slaves, but also for the powers of good. Protected against demonic forces.

Upstairs, the find a blood trail that leads them through a series of moldy rooms to a closet—where Lena is being held, caught in roots and branches. They cut her free—and the branches bleed.

Outside, an old tree stump comes alive. And not in the friendly Ents-of-the-Forest way either. As Lena is pulled free from her bonds, she cries that ‘it’s alive.’

At the precinct, Irving has Jenny in his office—where she is finally returning the two guns she ‘forgot’ to give back after the headless horsemen escape the week prior.

Before she leaves, she nervously—and it’s the most charming we’ve seen Jenny—asks Irving over to Thanksgiving dinner.  They mood gets a little flirtatious—before it’s interrupted by a wife? Ex-wife? And Irving’s daughter, who’s in a wheelchair. Jenny ducks out as Irving recovers.

SLEEPY HOLLOW: Lt. Abbie Mills (Nicole Beharie) searches a colonial-era house that holds secrets in the "Sanctuary" episode of SLEEPY HOLLOW. Brownie Harris/FOX
SLEEPY HOLLOW: Lt. Abbie Mills (Nicole Beharie) searches a colonial-era house that holds secrets in the “Sanctuary” episode of SLEEPY HOLLOW.
Brownie Harris/FOX

So, yeah, Great-Great-Great Granddad was  Warlock

At the house, Lena explains that she’s been researching her family history, and that Katrina Crane had interested her as she was the last person to seek sanctuary at Frederick’s Manor. She confirms a legend that Lachlan was involved in witchcraft, and Crane surmises he and Katrina were in the same coven.

They are attacked by a root-man (straight from the BBC…), and panicked, they run into hidden passages between the walls. Abbie gets separated from Crane and Lena, who crash through the walls to get out. Crane reaches behind to get Abbie, but instead his almost captured by the root-man. Lena helps him pull free and the two run.

Abbie, meanwhile, sees the same women in period clothing she had seen before—who we now know is Grace Dixon–who leads her through the passage and to an empty bedroom.

At the precinct, Jenny is confronted in the halls by Irving’s daughter, Macy. The two bond slightly over having-relatives-as-cops, and Jenny denies dating him (or even wanting to, though we think the lady doth protest too much). We learn that Macy’s spends most of her time with her mother in the City, and Jenny urges her to give Irving another chance.

Irving and his ex-wife have a tense little you’re-not-a-good-enough-father conversation, and in the end, the ex-wife, who doesn’t understand why Irving is there in a small-town precinct instead of the big-time city job he had before, says that if he cancels one more weekend with Macy, she’ll file for full custody.

Meanwhile,  Grace shows Abbie a vision—Katrina, giving birth. It is obvious something is trying to get at her—crows beat upon the window—and Grace is clearly the mid-wife, helping Katrina through the birth. Despite the difficult labor and the uncanny events, a baby boy is safely born.

Crane and Lena continuing running, trying to escape the creature. They do not succeed, and Lena is taken again.

Crane takes on the creature sent by Moloch to kill his son. Courtesy of Fox.
Crane takes on the creature sent by Moloch to kill his son.
Courtesy of Fox.

So, Crane, There Was This Vision…

Abbie, gun and flashlight out, stumbles through a hallway. Points for atmosphere,as the only-seeing-things-through-a-flashlight-beam is used, and used well, for effect from this point out.

She runs into Crane, who has lost Lena, and Abbie tells Crane what she saw. It’s a lovely bit of acting on both Mison’s and Beharie’s parts, as Crane learns he lost not only a wife, but a child. And that they had been left in danger. Abbie compassionate but stern.

She then tells him what we haven’t seen: that the dark forces gathering outside (sent by Moloch) started to get in, growing inside the property. And they attacked the same moment Crane’s child was born. Lachlan sends Katrina, the baby and Grace to his carriage, and is almost instantly slaughtered by the root-man. We hear the child cry—but that was all Abbie saw. We don’t know if the child survived or not.

Lena’s scream interrupts them, and they run towards the sound.

Lena stands in the basement, light only by a flashlight, and before she can speak to them she is pulled into the grasp of the root-man, who holds her by her throat.

Abbie can’t get a clear shot and the creature—and Lena—disappear. They cast their flashlights about—illuminating the roots along the foundation of the house. Crane urges Abbie to shoot them, and she does, which injures the creature, who releases Lena.

Grace appears again, escorting Katrina and the child to a secret door—to escape, for safety—and Abbie now knows the way out. The fight their way to the door and emerge, safe, outside the house.

Family sometimes chooses you. Courtesy of Fox.
Family sometimes chooses you.
Courtesy of Fox.

Vengeance is Sweet

But Crane is not appeased. Though he knows the child and Katrina lived, he is infuriated at the monster who attacked them, so he grabs a flare and a ax from the back of the car, and goes back in. In a particularly powerful moment,he tells Abbie not to follow him.

He goes back to the basement and begins to whack at the roots, and finally the monster itself, killing it completely.

He stumbles out, splattered in blood (we know, we know, you’re thinking, ‘Yes! maybe they’ll get him some new clothes.’ Nope, sorry. His shirt apparently can instantly clean itself of blood stains, because, yeah, cotton weaved 200 years ago never held a stain). He gets in the car and Abbie, silenced, drives off.

They leave the Jag behind because, well, it’s a Jag.

The next day—Thanksgiving—Abbie finds a morose Crane in their secret-research-room (in his perfectly spotless shirt), where Abbie has gotten a package from Lena, containing all of Lena’s research on the Manor. In it, Abbie finds a family tree, going back to Grace Dixon…and ending with Abbie’s mother. Crane and Abbie realize they had been set on this path for quite awhile, and acknowledge each other as family.

It would have been nice to actually see them at Thanksgiving, since Jenny had invited Irving and it seemed like he had said yes, so it was weird that we didn’t see anything, but that was a very minor flaw in an otherwise really strong episode.

Stay tuned next week for all the haps in the Hollow!

Sleepy Hollow airs on Fox on Mondays at 9 p.m.

Geekscape Recap: Almost Human: Are You Receiving?

by S.J. Borger

Almost Human is rapidly becoming our favorite new show of the 2013 season. Is it groundbreaking? Not really—but what it does it does well, including playing on tropes and concepts that are familiar without making them seem cliché or—worse—lazy.

With episode three, “Are You Receiving?” we get a standard hostage situation (the show continues it’s good-hearted, um, emulation of themes and motifs by pretty much recreating Die Hard in 2048) but the this show is not so much about the what is happening as it is about who it’s happening too, and Karl Urban and Michael Ealy—not to mention the show’s robust ensemble cast which includes veterans Lili Taylor and Mackenzie Crook (Pirates of the Caribbean)—have an endearing chemistry and are well on their way to forging a great TV partnership.

They Give Great Car Conversation

Almost Human's futuristic cityscape. Courtesy of Fox.
Almost Human’s futuristic cityscape. Courtesy of Fox.

The episode starts with Kennex (Urban) going about his morning ablations—including the addition of rubbing some olive oil on his prosthetic leg (a nice nod to episode two), which does, as Dorian (Ealy) had promised, stop the squeaking.

Urban is really captivating as Kennex, giving the gruff-cop-everyman-with-a-heart-of-gold his own personal touch, and he and Ealy have already settled into an appealing back and forth dialogue that feels organic and natural; well written repartee and the chemistry of the two leads lend this show a great deal of its charm.

We go to a large, modern-y business building where a security guard brings a package up to the 25th floor. He flirts with one of the girls—there’s business about a keyed lock versus a bio lock that we thought was going to pay off later but doesn’t—and then he goes back to his desk in the lobby, where he is, sadly, shot by the bad guys. The bad guys then shoot a janitor (bad day to be a minimum wage employee at whatever building this is) and plant a bomb-looking device in the basement. Apparently Fox isn’t too concerned about that whole 8 p.m. time slot, because blood sprayed and everything.

We also learn that the bad guy likes to ask people what their name is before he kills them. You know, because without our manners where would we be?

Back to Kennex, who is being mildly lectured by Dorian about his tardiness in picking up Dorian.

Sidenote: So, apparently, Dorian has an apartment of his own somewhere not in the Police precinct. Which is fine, we just assumed he would just go back to the…lab/basement place or whatever and, you know, hibernate for the night. If he does have an apartment, that was fast. Or maybe there’s a like a robo-hostel for all the cybernetic cops? Now that’s an idea for show!

The two partners engage in some mild ribbing about the use of olive oil and coffee temperature—entertaining, as both actors have solid comedic timing and there is a sense that they genuinely like each other—when a call comes in about a gunshot victim at—you guessed it—our super classy office building.

Kennex (Karl Urban) and Dorian (Michael Ealy) arrive at the scene of the crime Courtesy of Fox.
Kennex (Karl Urban) and Dorian (Michael Ealy) arrive at the scene of the crime
Courtesy of Fox.

They Just Walked Right In and Shot Him

Kennex and Dorian get to the building and Dorian is able to pull a sketchy image of our bad guys going up to the 25th floor from the shattered security system—which means they’re still in the building. As the bad guys have disabled the elevators, Kennex and Dorian start up the stairs.

The bad guys, meanwhile, have rounded up the employees on the 25th floor—including a young-ish girl who was huddled under a desk. Main Bad Guy (Damon Herriman) has a mildly existential monologue about the importance of honesty before hauling her out with the rest of the hostages and telling Bald Henchman to “start now,” resulting in the triggering of the bomb they had set earlier. Kennex and Dorian run out to see a gaping hole where the lobby used to be.

So there’s nothing like an explosion in the business district to get the attention of law enforcement; while Kennex and Dorian still heading up, Stahl (Minka Kelly) and Maldonado (Lili Taylor) connect in through some weird open-air speaker phone that oddly knows when to turn the mute on and off.

Maldonado tells Kennex to not ascend and to stay and assist with the evacuation, leading Kennex to the old fake-static-to-drop-call trick, which leads to one of our top three lines of the night:

Dorian: Did you just hang up on Captain Maldonado?

Kennex: It was a boring conversation, anyway.

Ha. Funny. Well-delivered, both self-aware and situationally appropriate. And an excellent encapsulation in two lines of what makes this show work: yes, it is unashamedly stealing, but it knows it, and you know it, and it’s done well, with just enough tongue-in-check self-awareness mixed with a kind of geeked-out respect.

The guys keep going up, and Maldonado, on the advice of Kennex, jams all communication signals—including Kennex and Ealy’s phones/wifi/whatever it is, leading the Main Bad Guy to pronounce how predictable the police are.

Sidenote: this is where, we admit, we clued into the it’s-not-really-about-the-hostage-it’s-about-the-money ‘twist,’ mostly because that’s almost exactly what both the Die Hard 1 and 3 baddies say at roughly the same point in those movies. So.

Capt. Maldonado (Lili Taylor) talks to her officers via super smart speaker phone. Courtesy of Fox.
Capt. Maldonado (Lili Taylor) talks to her officers via super smart speaker phone. Courtesy of Fox.

Don’t Overthink the Phone Thing

With all of the phone calls not being able to get out, Dorian ends up getting any calls placed in the building bounced to him. After a amusing interchange with a Portuguese woman (where Dorian speaks flawless Portuguese as a woman), they get a call from a women trapped with the gunman (Dorian, answering the call as Kennex, adds a nice bit of humor just as the show get serious).

The caller—Paige—is hiding in a closet with a view of the hostage situation. As she’s talking to Kennex, the bad guys grab a random hostage—Lou–and execute him, throwing his body out of the window, where it lands feet from the mobile police command center. Turning him over, Detective Paul (Michael Irby), he of the I-don’t-like-you-Kennex attitude of last week, finds a note attached to the front of the body demanding: “No Cops, Stay Out.”

Maldonado initiates hostage protocol. And sends a drone with a phone (which somehow works? Why didn’t Kennex have a phone like that??) and gets Lead Bad Guy’s demands (airlift for escape and a fission igniter).

Using facial recognition, Maldonado identifies Lead Bad Guy as Lucas Vincent, a lieutenant in the Holy Reclamation Army (never a good combination of words).

Lucas gives Maldonado a 43 minute deadline or a hostage dies.

Kennex (another top three line) asks Dorian if a fission igniter is as bad as he thinks it is…and it is. It’s a detonator for a mega-ton explosive device (though why they would have a mega ton explosive and not the detonator, we don’t know).

Paige, meanwhile, is pretty close to breaking down. We find out the young-ish girl hiding under the desk earlier is Jenna, her sister, and that Jenna was only there to have lunch with Paige.

Kennex, trying to calm Paige down, tells a story of a near-death experience he had with his father when they were ice-fishing. It works mostly because Urban excels at that gravelly, hero-of-the-day tone. With Paige calmer, and having gleaned some crucial information from her, Kennex and Dorian continue up the stairs.

It's just this guy I shot. No biggie. Courtesy of FOx.
It’s just this guy I shot. No biggie.
Courtesy of FOx.

Just The Igniter, Ma’am

Back at police headquarters, Maldonado can’t get a fission igniter (apparently approval for that is a much higher paygrade), so Rudy Lom (Mackenzie Crook) offers to make a fake one that could pass an initial scan. Maldonado approves it.

Stahl decants a load of exposition; Holy Reclamation Army is an anti-Western religious group known for taking hostages in order to further their political gains, with no qualms at taking life.

Back with Kennex and Dorian, their leisurely trip up the stairs is interrupted with gunfire—two bad guys have spotted them up above. The firefight moves into a deserted office floor, where Dorian takes out one bad guy and the other one, injured, flees.

Kennex comes up to Dorian and discovers Dorian has been injured—a glancing blow to the head. Dorian, who is glitching a little, still manages to discover that their bad guy—originally id’d as Michael Demerais—has a facemaker (it does what it sounds like)—and once disabled, the bad guy is revealed to be Gregor Stone, not a member of the Holy Reclamation Army, just a petty criminal.

He also finds a small red plastic disc with the word “start” on it; but then it becomes obvious that the gunshot has injured Dorian more than he let on—he won’t be able to walk within five minutes.

Dorian wonders why the gang is going through the trouble of faking identities instead of just wearing masks while Kennex has to try to repair Dorian using an old q-tip (ew) and lying through his teeth about the cleanliness of his tools, leading to our third top three lines of the night, Kennex in regards to the bundle of wires/tendons revealed in Dorian’s injury and being unable to find the “magenta one,” tells Dorian “there’s 50 shades of purple in there.” Ha. In fact the whole trying-to-fix-Dorian-scene was classic.

Back at the precinct, Lom is trying to finish the fission igniter while a newer robot watches. He only has four minutes…

Kennex, who has accidently knock Dorian unconscious, talks to Paige in another effort to calm her down. While connecting wires with (used) chewing gum, we learn Kennex’s middle name is Reginald (his father was an Elton John fan, apparently).

ALMOST HUMAN: Det. John Kennex (Karl Urban, R) assists Dorian (Michael Ealy, L). Cr: Liane Hentscher/FOX
ALMOST HUMAN: Det. John Kennex (Karl Urban, R) assists Dorian (Michael Ealy, L).
Cr: Liane Hentscher/FOX

Phone’s Haven’t Gotten Any Smaller, but the Guns Got Huge

The injured bad guy makes it up the 25th floor to tell Lucas there’s two guys in the building. Lucas tries to bluff with Maldonado to see if they’re cops but she (nicely) calls his bluff and he ends up not knowing—but he still sends three guys to the stairwells with really big guns.

Paige decides she can’t hide out in the closet while her sister is one of the hostages, so she sneaks out when the Bald Henchman’s back was turned and joins the hostages (against Kennex’s advice). She keeps her head though, and manages to plant her phone (with its open line) so that Kennex can hear what happens in the room. She does tell Kennex before she gets off the phone that the bad guys keep going to the window in the corner for some reason.

Lom, the unsung hero of the day, gets the igniter finished and Det. Paul sends it up. Kennex and Dorian, knowing the stairs aren’t safe, are stymied on how to get to the 25th floor.

Lucas gets the igniter and tells Bald Henchman to send ‘the message to the other crew.’  He also says they won’t be taking the igniter—leading Dorian to realize the hostage situation is a decoy.

Kennex and Dorian figure out that the other crew is outside the building, and the red discs are being used as a reflective/point-to-point communication—and the only thing of value nearby is the palladium depot. Where the other crew is, stealing lots and lots of palladium.

Kennex than gets to say “it’s a heist,” a la John McClane in, well, all the Die Hards. Points to Urban for saying it believably and without any McClane mannerisms.

He totally doesn't look anything like John McClane, though.
He totally doesn’t look anything like John McClane, though.

So, It’s Kind of Like Die Hard. Only with Robots.

The bad guys plant a bomb with the hostages (a light bomb), and Kennex realizes the bad guys are going to kill all the hostages. There’s no way for Kennex to get up the floor in time, but Dorian can—by climbing up the elevator cables. They know it’s a suicide mission, but there’s no other option. Dorian goes up the elevator shaft before Kennex can stop him.

Dorian then gets to be pretty bad ass, punching through the air ducts (ah, where would we would be without air ducts??) and taking out four bad guys before Lucas takes Dorian down.

Lucas goes through his ‘what’s your name?’ spiel and, then, just before Lucas can pull the trigger, Kennex—wearing the Facemaker disguising him as one of the gang—comes in and finishes off the rest of the baddies. He grabs the negotiating phone and tells Maldonado to drop the comm jam—the other bad guys were using it to jam the alarm at the palladium depot.

They do so, and the alarm goes off, trapping crew 2 in the vault.

Dorian disables the light bomb, and yay, day saved.

Paige and Jenna meet Kennex face to face and mutual admiration ensues.

"There's like 50 shades of purple in there, man!" Courtesy of Fox.
“There’s like 50 shades of purple in there, man!”
Courtesy of Fox.

He’s not Injured, He’s My Partner

Dorian and Kennex go back to the station, where they are greeted with applause—a far cry from the last week’s sullen muttering—and Kennex, having completed the I-don’t-like-my-partner phase and firmly moving into the he’s-weird-but-he’s-mine odd couple phase, bypasses Lom’s lecture about fixing Dorian with chewing gum and takes Dorian out for noodles. Aw. They’re buddies now!

On the way to the noodle shop, Dorian admits that when the gun was pointed at his head, he discovered he did not want to die.

That’s intriguing. It’s hard to write a world with robots or any type of AI and not have to grapple with the sentient beings versus human technology moral dilemma, and the writers seem to laying the groundwork for this.

The episode ends with Dorian singing (reasonable well) along with Benny and the Jets. And calling Kennex ‘Reginald.’

All in all, a really good episode. Like all great TV, the experience was more than just a sum up of what happened.

Come back next week for more on our favorite odd couple!

Almost Human airs on Fox on Mondays at 8 p.m.

Geekscape Review: Almost Human

by S.J. Borger

The images are nothing new to us; the world is clearly pulled from the great sci-fi futures of our past; in the opening scenes we see Asimov, Orwell, Philip K Dick, Arthur Clark, William Gibson. We see Blade Runner, Demolition Man, Robocop, Alien and Cameron’s dark tech-noir worlds.

Almost Human promo picture. Courtesy of Fox.
Almost Human promo picture. Courtesy of Fox.

Almost Human does not reinvent the near-future dystopia, with its slums of neon and Chinese ideograms, black markets for tech and drugs not invented yet; nor does it offer a new version of luxury, all glinting silver and glass. It is not a brave new world, perhaps, but it’s certainly a fast-paced, well-developed, well-acted and for the most part well-written world, and if you join J.H. Wyman and J.J. Abrams in their new project—part sci-fi adventure, part buddy-cop comedy, part humanist philosophy essay–you will not be disappointed.

Karl Urban as Det. Kennex and Michael Ealy as Dorian in Fox's Almost Human.
Karl Urban as Det. Kennex and Michael Ealy as Dorian in Fox’s Almost Human.

The pilot and episode two aired in a one-two punch this week, on Sunday and Monday, in an effort by Fox to capitalize on both the after-football audience and the pre-Sleepy Hollow viewers. The move seems to have worked, with the Almost Human pilot pulling in 9.1 million viewers and a 3.1 rating (not the strongest debut this Fall, both Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D and Sleepy Hollow premiered to larger numbers, but still a solid debut); the numbers slipped a little on Monday (episode two: Skins) to a 6.8 million viewership, which was still a 10% bump from the numbers Bones pulled in in the same time slot.

All in all, viewers would do well to tune back in to the show; the pilot, while entertaining, was not as strong as the second episode and things only look to get better from here.

Almost Human follows John Kennex (Karl Urban, Star Trek, Judge Dredd), an LAPD Detective in the year 2048. All detectives are now required to have an android as a partner, but Kennex don’t need no stinking robots, especially since he blames them for the death of his human partner two years prior in a bust gone wrong.

Super sci-fi techno world.
Super sci-fi techno world.

Of course our snarky Kennex has secrets—including visits to a black market doctor to access memories lost to him from his injuries during the ambush—and the other Detectives aren’t entirely thrilled he’s back, except for his Captain (the lovely Lili Taylor, Mystic Pizza, Six Feet Under, The Conjuring)  and Detective Stahl, the computer guru (Minka Kelly, Friday Night Lights, Parenthood).

After throwing his first android partner out of the car (while moving at high speeds), Kennex gets assigned a DRN (or Dorian) model, one that had been discontinued due to its emotional programming making it unstable. Dorian (Michael Ealy, Sleeper Cell, For Colored Girls, Common Law) has the ability for empathy and deductive reasoning, something the new models do not, and through the course of the first episode (with a fairly basic get-the-bad-guy-foil-the-dastardly=plan plot) the two—both outcasts—form a bond.

Not to lie, these two are also an attraction...
Not to lie, these two are also an attraction…

The attraction of this show is not (or at least not yet) the story. The plots are basic procedural whodunits, well written and paced but nothing surprisingly evocative…yet. However, the interaction between Urban and Ealy is engaging and enjoyable—the two already of a steady repartee with genuine chemistry. J.J. Abrams and Wyman have solid experience in making a procedural more than just about the crimes being solved, and Almost Human looks like it could mature into the Fringe successor we’re all waiting for.

What do you think, dear reader? Will you be tuning in next week for more?

Check back next week for our recap! And follow our twitter for live tweeting during the episode!

Geekscape Score: 4/5

Almost Human airs on Fox on Mondays at 8 p.m.

Episodes can be viewed here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ykwxg534yAw

Geekscape Recap: Sleepy Hollow:Necromancer

by S.J. Borger

First, apologies for the dearth of Sleepy Hollow recaps here at Geekscape–between ComiKaze, and Blizzcon, and a terrible, terrible flu bug, we got a little behind. But we’re back, just in time for Sleepy Hollow’s best episode of the season, Necromancer.

The stars of “Sleepy Hollow” appear in a scene from the TV show. Nicole Beharie, left, plays police Lt. Abbie Mills and Tom Mison plays Ichabod Crane. (AP Photo/Fox)
The stars of “Sleepy Hollow” appear in a scene from the TV show. Nicole Beharie, left, plays police Lt. Abbie Mills and Tom Mison plays Ichabod Crane.
(AP Photo/Fox)

A Recap in the Recap

So, in the past few weeks, Crane has been cured of his connection to the horseman, found his Freemason brothers (Ep. 6, The Sin Eater), John Cho rejoined the cast, and Crane and Abbie convinced Captain Irving of the existence of all things that go bump in the night while setting a trap for the horseman and then catching said Horseman (Ep. 7, The Midnight Ride). While still suffering from expositional monologues and occasional main-character-making-serious-bad-choice-itis (also known as the-plot-demands-I-forget-everything-I-know-for-a-moment syndrome), Sleepy Hollows is a winner this Fall season, with solid ratings and an ever-growing (and loyal) fan base.

The Horseman, imprisoned.
The Horseman, imprisoned.

A Hex, A Horseman and a Hit

The latest installment, Necromancer, starts out immediately after The Midnight Ride (still with the double whammy of voice-over introduction, though) which Abbie charmingly introducing Crane to the fist bump as they celebrate capturing the Horseman (using a Devil’s Snare straight out of the Winchester boys’ playbook, and wouldn’t that be a fanfic crossover made in Heaven/Hell…).

The Horseman is being subdued by a combination of hex candles, UV lights and the aforementioned devil’s snare. Irving—and a giant big shout of glee at how wonderful Orlando Jones is and how happy we are that he is getting SO MUCH screen time (especially in the super-sexy bullet-proof vest)—Crane and Abbie have a little discussion about the demons of hell that are coming their way and who they can depend on—namely themselves, Jenny, and the dubious ally in Andy Brooks (Cho).

Irving points out Brooks is dead (and can we point out, hopefully for the last time, that no one EVER noticed Brooks’ body missing from the morgue—not ever?) to which Crane and Abbie explain the whole Moloch connection (leading to the best line of the night, Iriving’s “Moloch, the demon on the top of the org chart?” great line, great delivery).

As Jenny was released from the hospital the day prior (which we didn’t see, which was odd, because what, did Abbie pick her up from the mental hospital, drop her off at home and say ‘don’t worry your super-skilled-soldier self, I’m going headless horseman hunting and there’s no reason you’d want to be involved in that!’??) and is now just hanging out in Sleepy Hollow, not at all interested in Crane or Abbie or what they might be working on.

Abbie asks Irving to go get her because she might be ‘useful’ while she and Crane find Brooks because he’s the Horseman’s voice.

Cut to two hunters in the woods who stumble upon the Horseman’s horse. One of them calls up somebody and speaks in German. Apparently Hessians just hang out in the upstate New York woods dressed up like deer hunters…

Once he finishes his phone call, he shoots the other hunter and takes the Horseman’s horse.

Captain Irving and Jenny head out on a call.
Captain Irving and Jenny head out on a call.

Things Aren’t Going to End Well

Back at the police station (Sheriff’s station?) Jenny comes in unescorted and greets Irving with what would have been a stirring speech against police abuse of power except she came in unescorted and uncuffed and of her own free will.

Irving and Jenny have a little tête-à-tête where they both state obvious things about each other in a level, menacing way so that we know how smart they each are and how much they don’t trust each other before they get interrupted by a ‘situation’ at a local antiques store. One that Jenny knows…because she used to do freelance acquisitions for the owner. So apparently she’s also Lara Croft.

Crane and Abbie wait for Brooks in his liar in the (seemingly endless) tunnels beneath the city; Crane finds an ancient plaque thingy with Egyptian hieroglyphs on it which lead him to believe that Brooks is the Horseman’s necromancer, or in Crane’s world, a speaker for the dead.

Sidenote: Okay, so a necromancer is usually considered someone who raises or speaks to the dead. TO. Not FOR. Usually for purposes of divination or power. A speaker FOR the dead is Ender Wiggan.

So they bundle Brooks up and take him the Horseman’s cell, and even though Brooks tells them that he has no free will and will do horrible things and not be able to stop himself, neither Crane nor Abbie seem daunted (even though he says “this won’t end well.”) and off they go to the Horseman’s cell.

SH ep8.5
John Cho as the undead Andy Brooks, clearly not very well secured.

Everyone Needs A Little Druidic Incantation 

At the Antique store, Jenny and Irving discover that the place was ransacked by someone (or ones?) who stole a thracian phiale, an ancient relic safely kept in a…wooden box. Well, a wooden box covered in Druidic scripture (16th century, which wasn’t exactly pagan-religion friendly, and written in Norse runes, but okay….). Apparently it can break a hex spell (like the one holding the Horseman) and was taken by men speaking German. Jenny deduces that the Hessians will hit the grid next to take out the power to the UV lights.

Crane and Abbie bring Brooks to the Horseman’s prison (and where did the find time to inlay into the cement the devil’s snare?) and Brooks warns them one more time that it’s a bad idea…but they take him anyway, locking him to a chair and then putting cuffs (with LOTS of slack) on him.

The Horseman doesn’t seem to want to talk, so Crane taunts him, getting up close and personal and finishing with a shove, with dislodges a locket.

Brooks goes all black-eyed and possessed (at this point the Sleepy Hollow producers should really give a shout out to Supernatural…) and, in the Horseman’s voice, says the locket is Katrina’s.

So we all know there’s a flashback coming , and sure enough, Crane explains that the locket was purchased for Katrina by her fiancé, Abraham, who she jilted for Crane (Abraham is apparently Crane’s best friend and partner, though we’ve never, ever, ever met him before and how did he know Abraham and not Katrina??).

In the flashback we see Katrina, who is somehow no longer a simple nurse in homespun, if low-cut wool, but now decked out like a lady in a very expensive gown in a very expensive house. And apparently Abraham is a Loyalist? And Katrina is going to break of the engagement because it’s an arranged marriage and that sort of thing shouldn’t happen in the new country they are both fighting for.

All of that is very interesting but doesn’t explain why the Horseman has the locket. Crane thinks the Horseman might know why Moloch is holding Katrina captive.

Crane and Katrina, all dressed up in 1774.
Crane and Katrina, all dressed up in 1774.

Is That a TAC Team or Are You Just Happy to See Me?

Irving and Jenny—in full tactical armor and all SWAT teamed out—are at the power station to foil the Hessian’s plan. They capture three handily and then ambush the others with a full SWAT team. Yay, happy ending and lots of arrests (and supposedly lots of paperwork for somebody).

Crane continues to question the Horseman (a phenomenal performance by Cho as Brooks, by the way) and we find out that killing Crane is the Horseman’s mission from Moloch.

Meanwhile Jenny discovers that the Hessians had time to plant something at the plant, which starts a furious search.

The Horseman brings Crane up short by accusing him of betraying and leaving his previous partner for dead, causing Crane to start to lose control and get personally involved in the interrogation.

Jenny and Irving are too late, and an explosion rocks the power plant—and the UV lights go out (seriously, the Sleepy Hollow police don’t have a generator??). The Horseman is clearly not as powerless as they thought.

SLEEPY HOLLOW: Ichabod Crane (Tom Mison) searches for clues in the "Into Darkness" episode of SLEEPY HOLLOW airing Monday, Nov. 18 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. ©2013 Fox Broadcasting Co. CR: Brownie Harris/FOX
SLEEPY HOLLOW: Ichabod Crane (Tom Mison) searches for clues in the “Into Darkness” episode of SLEEPY HOLLOW airing Monday, Nov. 18 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. ©2013 Fox Broadcasting Co. CR: Brownie Harris/FOX

A Duel to the Not-Quite-Death

As Abbie and Crane wait for Irving and Jenny to return, Abbie presses for an explanation to the Horseman’s allegations. Cue flashback #2.

Crane and Abraham were entrusted to take the Declaration of Resolves to the first Continental Congress (Abraham is NOT a Loyalist, then) and of course, as people do when on a highly dangerous covert mission, the two talked about Katrina and Crane thought that deep in enemy territory was an ideal place to tell Abraham that Katrina dumped Abraham for Crane. Why would you do that?

Abraham decides that the only logical reaction is to duel. Crane refuses, but is forced to fight to defend himself. Abraham is about to win but Hessians interrupt, shooting Abraham. Crane flees into the forest at Abraham’s insistence.

Crane insists on going back in but Abbie won’t let him as Crane is too emotional and raw—and Irving and Jenny show up just in time to provide a distraction. Abbie is upset that Irving has brought Jenny to see the Horseman, but more importantly, since they didn’t find the thracian phiale, everyone is now in a lot of super-duper-danger. Apparently, says Jenny, if the Hessians break in with the phiale and recite a druidic incantation it will set the Horseman free.

Irving positions men at every entrance to the tunnels and they decide that Abbie, Irving and Jenny will patrol the tunnels to secure them from the Hessians, leaving Crane along with the Horseman.

Brooks (remember all that slack on his handcuffs?) digs out of his own belly (ew) the phiale because apparently Crane can’t see Brooks from the two-way mirror/glass observation room that was so handily built into the ancient tunnels. And, despite being told multiple times not to trust Brooks, no one had bother to gag him either, so Brooks not only has enough slack to dig the phiale out, but no impediment to speaking the druidic incantation, which Crane still doesn’t notice because apparently he’s busy pouting about Katrina and Abraham…

Seriously, these people are really bad at this sometimes.

Abbie, Jenny and Irving explore the tunnels, where super scary demons slither about just out of their sight. Definitely chill worthy moments there.

Crane comes into the Horseman’s cell and still doesn’t notice what Brooks his doing…until Brooks calls his attention to it. And then Crane acts surprised that Brooks, who has said over and over again he has no control over his actions, has released the Horseman.

The Horseman breaks his bonds and gives Crane a sword and the two reenact the duel Abraham and Crane fought in 1774…revealing that the Horseman is Abraham.

The Horseman. AKA Abraham. AKA Katrina's ex-fiance.
The Horseman. AKA Abraham. AKA Katrina’s ex-fiance.

Apparently (cue flashback 3), after Crane ran into the woods, the Hessians performed a ritual which bound Abraham to Moloch and turned him into the Horseman. Katrina is being held by Moloch as a reward for Abraham once the four horsemen ride.

The Horseman/Abraham gets the better of Crane, and is about to kill him, when Moloch’s demon minions flash in, grab the Horseman and Brooks. Brooks cries out that the Horseman cannot kill Crane yet, and in a spooky-smokey flash, the demons, Brooks and the Horseman are gone.

So what’s next? It seems Crane and Abbie get trapped in a haunted house—where more than just a ghost’s secrets are revealed.

Join us next week for all the haps in the Hollow!

Sleepy Hollow airs on Fox on Monday at 9 p.m.

James Mangold, Hugh Jackman To Return For ‘The Wolverine’ Sequel!

by Derek Kraneveldt

Briefly: It’s not officially official yet (Director James Mangold is still in negotiations), but it looks like we’re set to get another The Wolverine.

Deadline reports that the film is now in the works, with Mangold in talks to write the treatment for the film (and likely subsequently direct, since he did a pretty bang-up job on the first).

No information on the film’s storyline has been revealed, but we’ll be sure to share it as soon as we hear more!

Were you a fan of this Summer’s The Wolverine? Did you check out our breakdown with Ian Kerner? Sound out below!

Wolverine

Geekscape Recap: Sleepy Hollow: “John Doe”

by S.J. Borger

It’ll be three weeks before we get anymore Sleepy Hollow—but when it comes back, it should be with a bang—guest stars galore, including Fringe’s John Noble, and the return of the horseman.

But we’re not there yet, readers, are we? This week’s episode, “John Doe,” hit a lot of right notes and was a definite improvement over the good-but-predictable groove last week’s episode had.

Still had to wade through four minutes of ‘previously on’ voice over exposition before we get to anything new. Sure hope that will stop soon.

Ichabod Crane tackles modern bathroom paraphernalia (yes, it's a gif!). Courtesy of Fox and EW.Com
Ichabod Crane tackles modern bathroom paraphernalia (yes, it’s a gif!).
Courtesy of Fox and EW.Com

And the Adventure Begins

Eventually the voice over ends and we’re in a foggy, gloomy forest with a young boy—dressed like a page from a Ren Faire—being teased by a young girl that he ‘can’t catch her.’ With a laugh, she runs off (in white shoes! Who wears white shoes in the muddy, muddy forest?? A dead giveaway that something isn’t right) and he follows. He doesn’t get but a few steps before a horseman gallops behind him—Conquest, or Pestilence. The boy runs for his life, making it to the road as the horseman disappears into a fine black mist (an awesome effect only slightly reminiscent of Supernatural’s demon essence).

Side note: We had a joke planned about calling Pestilence Conquest but then some quick internet searching showed us the error of our ways: the horseman referred to as Pestilence is more commonly called Conquest. Who knew? Well, apparently the Sleepy Hollow writers. So, well done, them.

So, black dust swirl and scared boy segue into Crane and Abbie at Corbin’s cabin. Apparently Crane is moving in (…did Corbin leave the cabin to Abbie? Or Jenny?) and they’ve gone shopping for the necessities, like an orange soap-puff-thingy (they might have a name but we don’t know it).

After the requisite ‘you-must-have-faith/I-only-believe-what-I-can-see/but-you’re-a-witness/pfffft-whatever’ conversation (she refers to God as ‘the big guy’ so we know she’s a little agnostic), and the obligatory Crane-fumbling-with-modern-conveniences sequence (though those are funny. Mison’s frustrated-yet-polite-incredulity comedic timing is impeccable) Abbie gets a police call—someone has collapsed on a road close by.

She and Crane head out—despite her protests that it’s a routine call.

Thomas Grey is a boy-out-of-time in this week's Sleepy Hollow episode.
Thomas Grey is a boy-out-of-time in this week’s Sleepy Hollow episode.

Nothing in This Town Is Routine

Our young boy has made it to town, where he passed out. A few witnesses (namely a mail carrier) remember enough to know which direction he came from.  Abbie’s ex, Morales, is already there (why are there THREE detectives at a collapsing-boy scene?) Crane is intrigued by the boy’s clothes—again, he’s all short pants/long vest/peasant sleeve’d up.

Abbie postulates that the boy got lost from a Ren Faire. To which we had to scoff, because after five weeks in Sleepy Hollow, Ren Faire is not the first assumption we would jump to. More like ‘he must have traveled in time! Everybody’s doing it now! We’re going to need border police before these Elizabethans come and take all our jobs!’

Or, possibly, is he Amish?

Crane seems ready to go with Abbie’s premise until the boy wakes up and cries out (typing phonetically now): “Euld thrun.”

Crane understand him—it’s Middle English. Before the boy can answer any questions, though, the Paramedic takes him away.

Orlando Jones as Captain Irving. Courtesy of FOX, 2013
Orlando Jones as Captain Irving.
Courtesy of FOX, 2013

One Scene at the Police Station So We Don’t Forget It Exists

After the credits, we join Abbie and Crane at the Police Station. Abbie is going through missing persons because, well, she’s just not going to go with the whole supernatural forces theory yet. She defines ‘kidnapping’ for Crane (pretty sure that’s been a word for a while—yup, the internet says it’s English, from the late 1600s. So.)

Irving walks up for a status report; prompting another attempt to define a term for Crane, this one ‘John Doe’; Crane snaps back that he knows it, it originated in England (true, says Wikipedia, from as far back as 1300s).

Crane pleads with Irving that the child is from a similar distant past, as evidenced by his speaking Middle English (great King Arthur’s court reference by Irving, in his deadpan world-weary tone. The whole scene is just fun), Abbie says the kid isn’t in any database and that Morales—he of the ex-boyfriend-hood—is checking in with the local Amish (finally!).

Irving tells Abbie and Crane that the boy has some infectious disease and the CDC has been brought in and the boy quarantined. Abbie and Crane should go to the hospital to see if they can get any information from the child about where he came from and, perhaps, the disease which is rapidly killing him.

Oddly no one is checking in with Ren Faires…

Irving checks in with Morales, who brings up Crane as a possible problem (small town/people talk/he used to be a suspect). To be honest everything with Morales feels forced and awkward–the character, his dislike of Crane, his reason for being—and other than being the male-tight-shirt-wearing character to Abbie’s female-tight-shirt-wearing character, we are often left wondering what exactly his purpose is. He provides no real conflict and is apparently an inept detective (note: they still haven’t figured out John Cho’s body is MISSING).

Irving puts Morales back in his place (“is that gonna cause a problem, Morales?”), and thank God, that scene is over. Though Irving’s defense of Crane was awesome—including the part, when, alone, Irving silently doubts his own words.

We couldn't find a photo of the hospital scenes, so here's a picture of Tom Mison as Ichabod Crane looking especially delicious. Courtesy of FOX, 2013.
We couldn’t find a photo of the hospital scenes, so here’s a picture of Tom Mison as Ichabod Crane looking especially delicious.
Courtesy of FOX, 2013.

VECTOR! CDC! QUARTANTINE! Out of Medical Words Now

Abbie and Crane get to the hospital, where Crane is appalled by the plastic quarantine sheeting.

They are met by an officious, brash and seriously one-note (BAD-TEMPERED GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL) CDC doctor. Who keeps calling the boy the ‘vector.’

Side Note: We know that in the study infectious diseases a vector is a real thing and is actually involved in the transmission of diseases; they are the biological or mechanical objects which allow the disease to jump to humans (think mosquitos and malaria…the mosquitos are the vector). We watched Contagion just like everybody else. But humans aren’t typically called vectors because even if they infect other people the disease is not species hopping. The first patient is called Patient 0 or something similar. Also, the CDC guy didn’t use any other infectious-disease type words like pathogen or virus or protozoa or virulence or vaccine or antibodies or gene-mapping…well, you get the idea. Not only was his character one note, but apparently so was his knowledge of contagious diseases.

Crane is offended by that (and rightfully so!) and wants to speak to the boy. He can’t touch him, but he can talk to him through a camera/TV set up. Which the boy, who’s from so far back he speaks Middle English, totally views as normal and doesn’t freak out about at all. Neither is he freaked out by the humans in biohazard suits or, you know, being naked and hooked to wires and getting pricked by needles. He’s the most composed ten-year-old ever.

Thomas Grey and Crane talk in Middle English via TV. Courtesy of FOX, 2013.
Thomas Grey and Crane talk in Middle English via TV.
Courtesy of FOX, 2013.

We Don’t Think Middle English Means What You Think It Means

So Crane—in fluent Middle English, which is saying something since no one in our time or his has ever actually heard it spoken—questions the boy.

The boy’s name is Thomas Grey (finally, a name!). He says he’s sorry—he knew he shouldn’t have left the village.

Abbie—who is just NOT going to let go of her ‘this all has a rational explanation’ viewpoint—says they ‘see this all the time,’ people locking up children and threatening them if they run away (in Sleepy Hollow, which just, like, ten minutes ago was described as a ‘small, quiet town?’ Who’s doing all this kidnapping and locking up off children all the time?)

Crane points out that usually such people don’t teach those kids Middle English; CDC guy demands to know where the kid is from.

Thomas looks at the camera and says he’s from the village Roanoke.

Roanoke, Virginia.

CDC Guy springs into action, calling for lots of things and walking off. Crane, however, doesn’t think it’s the modern-day Roanoke. He thinks it’s the Roanoke Colony—the Lost Colony. The boy’s clothes and speech point to it.

 

They talked like this guy wrote.
They talked like this guy wrote.

Side Note: So, here’s the thing. Middle English, as a language, which phased into Early Modern English by 1470—which slowly transitioned into Modern English by around 1650.

Roanoke Colony was founded in 1584. On the order of Queen Elizabeth.

Shakespeare’s Queen Elizabeth.

So Middle English wasn’t spoken in Roanoke—if anything the kid should have sounded like something out of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. And this isn’t just a few years difference: by the time Roanoke was founded Middle English hadn’t been spoken in over 100 years. Crane talks about the language of Chaucer—and that is Middle English—but Roanoke would have been speaking the language of Shakespeare or Marlowe.

Ok, sorry, end rant.

But, seriously, research, people, research.

Lt. Abbie Mills and Ichabod Crane track Thomas Grey's trail. Courtesy of FOX, 2013
Lt. Abbie Mills and Ichabod Crane track Thomas Grey’s trail.
Courtesy of FOX, 2013

The Middle Part Where Much is Discovered and/or Explained

So, Crane hypothesizes that Thomas is from the Lost Colony (cue Flashback). As Crane explains the Roanoke lore (cue move back to research-book-club spot) including that the first colonist was born in Roanoke Colony, a Virginia Dare (how does he know these things??).

Abbie and Crane have another ‘do you believe…?’/’I believe…’ conversation that is interrupted (thank goodness) by Irving calling up and telling them the disease has spread to the Paramedic and the nursing staff.

Abbie and Crane decide to go to the woods where the mail carrier saw Thomas and see if they can find any clues; back in the hospital the ill Paramedic, covered in black-colored veins, sees Conquest riding down upon him.

Crane and Abbie search the woods and using Crane’s super-tracking skills (of course he has super tracking skills!)–explained in an interesting two sentences by Crane, that he has noble blood and was raised in a regal manner. Abbie doesn’t have any questions. HOW can she not have any questions?? Nope, she just keeps on walking into the woods.

they follow the boy’s trail to a small island. Crane discovers a symbol carved between two trees which leads to a hidden path beneath the water (which is patrolled by some…thing. Which is strong enough to yank a branch out of Crane’s hands but not interesting enough for an explanation) and Crane and Abbie cross the water to the island, where a weird camera angle tells us they are traveling through more than just normal space…

As they step into a clearing, Roanoke village appears (looking just like it did in Crane’s flashback). The villagers are gathered around a well that is in the center of town, and they greet Crane in Middle English. They all have the black vein disease but no one seems to be dying of it.

Conquest (aka Pestilence) rides again in Fox's Sleepy Hollow. Courtesy of Fox, 2013
Conquest (aka Pestilence) rides again in Fox’s Sleepy Hollow.
Courtesy of Fox, 2013

Was it a Horseman? Vaguely Genghis Khan-Looking Armor? Bow?

A town Elder takes Crane back to Thomas’ house and explains that the original colony was beset by a devil on a horse (Conquest, knows Crane), who brought a plague upon them. Virginia Dare was the first to die and her spirit led the village to where they are now, and something in that place has kept them alive.

Thomas’ father pleads with them to save his son; a young girl offers Abbie a purple flower (which made it seem important but, no, no pay off on that) and they return to the hospital, where more people have gotten ill—including Crane, who has to be sedated before he submits to quarantine.

Crane discovers himself in Purgatory with his wife, who tells him he must be dead or very close to dying to be there. They don’t have much time before Crane is jerked back to his body—just enough to explain that she is held in Purgatory and that Moloch has not allowed her to contact Crane recently. Also, we get a not-really-Catholic-canon explanation of Purgatory.

CDC Guy is even more unbearable, and Abbie is directed by Irving to stop investigating some crazy Lost Colony theory and report to Morales for her road black assignment (I guess the town’s in quarantine and they don’t have any uniformed police to do that? And if you’re wondering, ‘when did Morales become Abbie’s boss?’ So are we.)

Lt. Abbie Mills ask for a sign. Courtesy of FOX, 2013.
Lt. Abbie Mills ask for a sign.
Courtesy of FOX, 2013.

Hey, Big Guy, I Need A Sign-Thingy. Kthxbai

Abbie slips into a convenient door to avoid being seen by Morales and the CDC Guy, which just happens to be the door the Chapel (praise for Abbie’ reaction, though, a sort-of resigned, ‘of course it’s the Chapel’). She has a heart to heart with the ‘Big Guy,’ asking for a sign.

Nothing happens. Leaving, she sees another penitent cross herself with holy water (not usually supplied in non-denominational chapels but okay, maybe that’s the mystical part) and everything clicks into place—

Abbie rushes to Irving and convinces him to release Crane and Thomas to her so she can get them to the water in Roanoke Village. Irving (via voice over) hatches a steal-the-astonishingly-ill-people plan which involves stealing an ambulance….and it goes off without a hitch.

Abbie, Crane and Thomas stumble through the woods to the village—Thomas clearly doesn’t have much time. Crane collapses and Abbie injects him with adrenaline to keep him going (a nice little ha-ha moment and indicative of the growing camaraderie between the two leads).

Crane, high as a kite, gets up and carries Thomas as the Horseman hunts them down through the woods.

Roanoke Villiage. Courtesy of FOX, 2013
Roanoke Village.
Courtesy of FOX, 2013

Run, Crane, Run

They get to the island just in front of Conquest; Crane jumps into the well (deep enough to completely submerge him and Thomas) just as the Horseman rides up to claim them both. Conquest is too late; the water covers Crane and Thomas completely.

After a moment, Crane emerges. Wet. But cured.

Thomas, however, has dissipated. As has the village-all that is left is a dry well and old houses. Crane—always helpful—realizes that Thomas and all the villagers had all always been dead, and Thomas the ghost had been lured into leaving the village by Conquest (and, we guess, brought back to some semblance of life??), who had hoped to spread his plague as the beginning of the end of days (if that sounds familiar, readers, it’s because Supernatural had a similar plot line with Roanoke, Pestilence and the Croatoa virus).

Crane tells Abbie she saved them by having faith (last week she learned to have faith too, so hopefully this one sticks).

They walk off, job well done, episode over—

Nope. One, final shot of the Headless Horsemen (somewhat awkwardly) coming out of a lake while his pale horse waits on the shore.

The Horseman. Duh-Duh-Duuuh. Courtesy of FOX, 2013
The Horseman. Duh-Duh-Duuuh.
Courtesy of FOX, 2013

The Wrap Up

All in all a good episode. The disease as magic or science was odd; not the combination of the two but how it was handled; the disease was a disease until it wasn’t. The CDC Guy, who could have added layers to the episode with dialogue about the strangeness of the disease, how it wasn’t viral or bacterial or something, would have given more depth to the piece, allowing the ending to feel like a real payoff and not just the end to that particular monster of the week. Also, the forced, cliché ridden conversations about Witnesses and belief and faith, while necessary (somewhat) in earlier episodes, are getting very rote now. Let’s see how Abbie is torn between her two worlds; facts and evidence, myth and superstition, instead of constantly being told how torn she is.

Also, if Crane could occasionally not know everything that’d be great. What’s the point of having all those books??

No episode next week, or the week after. Or the week after that. But hopefully episode six will be worth the wait–maybe Crane will get some new clothes! See the promo below for teasers and goodies.

Come back in three weeks for all the haps in the Hollow.

Sleepy Hollow airs on Fox on Monday nights at 9 p.m. EST/PST. It will return on November 4th.

Geekscape Recap: Sleepy Hollow: “The Lesser Key of Solomon”

by S.J. Borger

So, congratulations are in order for Sleepy Hollow: not only is it the first Fox series to be picked up for a second season, but it also continued its upward trend: last night’s episode was by far the best in terms of consistency and plotting. Was it a little too procedural? Did it give up too much style for a predictable substance? Maybe, but it was still the best entry in the series so far. And it moved; scene to scene connected in a fast, cohesive and entertaining way.

The episode starts with a one-two punch of a voice over explaining the show’s backstory, followed by a ‘previously on.’ It’s a good two minutes of rehashing events before the show starts; when it does, it’s a flashback to Boston Harbor, 1773. Crane and a Revolution-era A-Team are tracking a cargo. It’s protected by another Hessian (they’re everywhere!), who blows it up with an incantation to Lord Death (never a good sign) and boom (quite literally) flashback’s over.

SLEEPY HOLLOW: Lt. Abbie Mills searches for her estranged sister in “The Lesser Key of Solomon” episode of SLEEPY HOLLOW airing Monday, Oct. 7 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. ©2013 Fox Broadcasting Co. CR: Brownine Harris/FOX
Crane (Tom Mison) flashes back to 1773 and the Boston Tea Party.
2013 Fox Broadcasting Co. CR: Brownine Harris/FOX

Back to the Future

Crane is giving romantic advice to an unknown woman—a radio show? A wrong number? Nope, the Northstar (read Onstar) lady.  It was a nice bit of humor before jumping right into the action: it’s just moments since last week’s episode, we find out, as a white cargo van careens out of the psychiatric hospital and Abbie runs out, informing Crane that Jenny has escaped.

This does nicely answer our final question from last week; Abbie had not left poor Crane all alone in the super-secret research room, but had brought him with her. And left him in the car, sure. Why not?

Abbie manages to convince Captain Irving to give her time to find Jenny before calling in the escape to State authorities. Irving, in fine, if caustic, form, eventually relents and gives Abbie and Crane 12 hours to find Jenny.

Meanwhile, Jenny (in a hoody as her disguise, because no one in a hoody has ever drawn unwarranted suspicion) visits a dive bar—apparently one of her old haunts. The bartender, Wendel, pours her a drink and welcomes her back.

Jenny drinks (one shot, whiskey. Just I case we didn’t already know she was a badass). She asks if Wendel still has her things. He does, and is glad to get rid of them–Jenny’s so badass even her stuff scares normal people. From a safe comes a mysterious, beat-up, badass duffel bag. Jenny spouts some more badass tropes, just to cement how truly badass she is, takes her bag, and leaves.

In case the scene didn’t clarify it—or the whole breaking out of the psychiatric hospital didn’t clue you in—Jenny is badass.

sleepy-hollow-lesser-key-solomon-07-600x336
Jenny Mills (guest star Lyndie Greenwood) after her escape from the Psych ward.
©2013 Fox Broadcasting Co. CR: Brownine Harris/FOX

Ze Germans Are Coming! Ze Germans are Coming!

We move to young kid learning piano from a creepy German piano teacher–Gunther. CREEPY PIANO TEACHER. Who’s GERMAN. So, he’s the bad guy.

Gunther gets a creepy distorted-voice phone call on an ancient cell phone. The caller creepily telling him where to find Jenny (creepy!) and that Jenny might know where ‘item 37’ is. Also, a ‘team’ has been dispatched with info on Jenny and her ‘known associates.’ Even creepier! Gunther hangs up and abruptly dismisses kid playing song on the piano.

While each scene was successful, they were very routine. No new angles. No interesting quirks or inner dilemmas hinted at. Rebellious woman of course goes to the hole-in-the-wall bar when on the run; the bad guy is hiding in plain sight as quiet, foreign piano teacher.

These tropes are fine—the scenes were fine–they were just very standard. Still better than some of the more cliché heavy moments in earlier episodes. Besides, lots is happening and the plot is moving. Onward.

To Wendel, the bartender. Poor Wendel, it’s not such a good day for him. Gunther shows up with Central Casting German Thug 1 and 2.

Side note: That’s an awful lot of first-generation German’s hanging out in Sleepy Hollow. Just saying.

They ask for Jenny’s whereabouts. Wendel refuses. After the mandatory bad-guy-has-moral-upper-hand-because-the-bad-guy-is-aware-he-has-no-morals discussion concludes, Wendel gets tossed on the pool table with a case full of very nasty tools beside him.

Got to give him credit for refusing, though.

SH Recap 4.5
SLEEPY HOLLOW: Ichabod Crane (Tom Mison) searches for Abbie’s sister.
;2013 Fox Broadcasting Co. CR: Brownine Harris/FOX

Tell Me About Your Mother

Back to Abbie and Crane, who are at the police station attempting to figure out where Jenny may have gone. Crane, looking through Jenny’s file, questions Abbie about her childhood. We discover that Abbie’s father left when they were young and mom had a ‘nervous breakdown,’ putting the sister’s in foster care.

Crane notices in Jenny’s file that there was one foster family Jenny stayed with longer than any other—perhaps they might know her hiding spots?

Speak of the devil—Jenny’s at a truck stop bathroom, going through that duffel. Money, passports—guns. She holds both up (one in either hand) because, remember, badass? Then checks they’re loaded. Of course they are. Because leaving live ammunition in your weapons for years is totally not going to be bad for the weapon or the ammunition.

Back to the bar, where poor Wendel is dead—body hung from a hook, head in the pool rack. Irving, in a that’s-why-he’s-the-captain deduction exercise, points out to the detectives that Wendel was tortured and that the beheading is a drastically different type than that which killed Corbin. Poor detectives, they were so proud of their ‘same as Corbin’ theory.

Crane and Abbie visit Jenny’s last foster mother; who is, of course, a terrible foster mother just in it for the monthly checks.

Not a bad scene, played well by all involved, but it was predictable. Exactly what a viewer who’d seen Law & Order would expect. Yes, it gave us a peek into Jenny’s life but we already knew it wasn’t ice cream and puppies. But it didn’t challenge us. Or surprise us. Or take any risks.

Turns out foster mom does know one or two things about Jenny—including that she used to visit a cabin up by the lake when she was upset.

Sleepy-Hollow-Episode-4-Video-Preview-The-Lesser-Key-of-Solomon-01-2013-09-30
Lt. Abbie Mills deftly picks a lock.
©2013 Fox Broadcasting Co. CR: Brownine Harris/FOX

Into the Woods

Crane and Abbie go to the cabin; Abbie breaks in with her lock picking skills.

Turns out its Corbin’s cabin—and Jenny is there. Corbin, apparently, mentored both girls in different ways. Abbie towards a career as an officer of the law, Jenny as a sort of super-commando.

The sisters pull guns on each other (because who among us hasn’t wished, every now and then, to be able to aim a weapon at a sibling’s head?) and proceed to have a series of sisterly arguments.

Crane chides them for both being childish and they put the guns away. Jenny reveals that Corbin visited her the day before he died and told her that he had a premonition of his death—and if that happened, she was to go to his cabin because there was an important object there.

Now, if you’re asking yourself, why did she even bother to store her stuff at the bar when there was Corbin’s super-secret cabin? The one no one knew about and far less likely to be traceable, or sold while she was locked up, or burnt down or whatever—that’s a good question.

Of course if she hadn’t gone to the bar we wouldn’t have known what a badass she was—and that she could hold a gun in each hand while looking pensive.

So, Jenny pulls out a wooden box that hides a leather bag that holds a sextant and a scrap of leather with a symbol on it.

The symbol sparks yet another one of Crane’s recollections—this time back to Boston Harbor, 1773, and the Colonial Mission: Impossible team. Turns out they—sent by Washington himself–were after a device that was stored in a box that had the same symbol.

Sleepy-Hollow-Episode-4-Recap-The-Lesser-Key-of-Solomon
Lt. Abbie Mills (Nicole Beharie, C) and Ichabod Crane (Tom Mison, L) find Abbie’s estranged sister, Jenny (guest star Lyndie Greenwood, R).
©2013 Fox Broadcasting Co. CR: Brownine Harris/FOX

And Voila. A Secret Map!

Crane rearranges the parts of the sextant to reveal that it is also a projector—and it projects a map of Sleep Hollow where the mystery box is hidden.

They are interrupted by gunshots—it’s the Germans (plausible that they found the cabin, since the distorted voice did tell Gunther that there would be a list of known associates). After a shootout that proved everyone involved is a terrible shot, German Thug 1 and 2 run off with the sextant—leaving Gunther behind to answer just enough questions to move the plot forward before crunching down on a cyanide pill (why he waited until after he had given them all the information, we don’t know).

There’s a torture/don’t torture argument between Jenny and Abbie which doesn’t really go anywhere, but does show off Jenny’s knowledge of guns. ‘Cause she’s badass. Just in case we’d forgotten.

Meanwhile, Irving has found Gunther’s house using good old-fashioned police work. The house is normal—the basement? Not so much.

Apparently the Hessians—we know Gunther is a Hessian thanks to a tattoo on his chest—have been living in secret in the community just waiting for the signs so that they can assist their evil dark lord.

Side note: Was anyone else unsure if the Germans had been there for hundreds of years, unaging, or if there was some secret Hessian society still operating, training little Hessians to be sleeper agents and sending them over?

The object they are after is the Book of Solomon, where according to legend, King Solomon wrote down the spells that would release the 37 demons from their banishment to Hell’s 7th circle.

Along with those demons, the demon king? Lord? Ruler of some sort would also rise—Moloch, or the demon Abbie and Jenny saw in the woods all those years ago. The brains of the operation, so to speak.

So Gunther crunches a cyanide pill and dies. Crane—he of the memory—draws the stolen map. Solomon’s book is buried in the abandoned Dutch Reform church. Off they go.

SH recap 4.2
SLEEPY HOLLOW: Lt. Abbie Mills (Nicole Beharie, R) and Ichabod Crane (Tom Mison, L) search for Abbie’s estranged sister.
2013 Fox Broadcasting Co. CR: Brownine Harris/FOX

To the Creepy Abandoned Church!

German Thugs 1 & 2 are already there. It’s a suitably creepy church, though the statue of a nun seems a little off (didn’t think Dutch Reform went in for nuns, but okay) and they—rather easily—find the chest (with the book inside it) hidden in a fireplace.

Side note: Why didn’t someone just hide the book in the library? Or the super-secret research room? It’d probably be harder to find then in some giant stone box with demonic writing all over it.

Also, was the Church deconsecrated? If not, does the consecration rule not work in the Sleepy Hollow world? If not, why not?

Crane, Jenny and Abbie rush over, and during the car ride we learn that Jenny traveled the world as a freedom fighter and has super-commando training. Of course she does.

This is a reoccurring issue; our characters are all the super-best. Crane remembers everything and always has the perfect flashback to solve the case. Abby is a super-cop; Jenny is a special forces trained freedom fighter. If they have these great strengths, they should have correspondingly great weaknesses. But their foibles and weaknesses aren’t truly detrimental to their attempts to fight the good fight, nor do they force them to change, or cause them any real loss—they are the kind of weaknesses you say you have at a job interview: “I just work too hard,” or “I find that my greatest weakness is once I’m given a task I just have to complete it,” or “I pay too much attention to detail.” These aren’t real, fatal flaws and without them the characters remain stereotypes.

There is a pointed conversation between Jenny and Crane about fighting for things one believes in. Considering the day Abby’s had, Crane and Jenny are lucky all she did was roll her eyes.

Back at the Church, German Thug 1 and 2 find a spooky baptismal font in the center of the church. They open up the book (a decidedly medieval-looking book, which isn’t quite right for Solomon’s time but okay) and chant the super-evil chant to wake up Moloch (in German, nonetheless, ‘cause that was around 3000 years ago). The baptismal font bursts into flames and oily goo spills out into a pentagon-y shape.

SH recap 4.3
SLEEPY HOLLOW: Jenny Mills (guest star Lyndie Greenwood) in the final moments of the episode.
2013 Fox Broadcasting Co. CR: Brownine Harris/FOX

That Was Almost A Close Call

Crane, Jenny and Abbie rush in. Despite having numbers on their side, and surprise, and supposedly being a super-cop and commando-chick, they are handily defeated by the German’s when one of them takes Jenny down and holds a gun to her head just as Abbie reaches the book.

The German tells Abbie to put the book down or Jenny gets it (if you are feeling like you’ve seen this before, reader, you have).

Abbie, of course, throws the book down into the flames. The German let’s Jenny go to try to save it—the book bursts into flames, and the Hell portal closes. It was just that easy.

There’s another brief scuffle and both the Germans end up dead.

Back at the police station (Still no paperwork!) Jenny and Abbie make amends, because Abbie arranges for Jenny to get out of the psych hospital early (no charges for the escape, the hospital doesn’t want the ‘bad press’) under Abbie’s conservatorship.

We end with Crane showing Abbie an excerpt from Paradise Lost that refers to Moloch. Moloch led a revolt of demons against heaven and was punished. He is the demon of child sacrifices, and the demon which controls the horseman, and imprisons Crane’s wife.

Now, says Crane, they know his name.

Tune in next week for more haps in the Hollow!

Sleepy Hollow airs on Fox Monday nights at 9 p.m. EST/PST

Geekscape Recap: Sleepy Hollow: “For the Triumph of Evil”

by S.J. Borger
Sandman Mirror
The Sandman Cometh. The newest Demon in “For The Triumph of Evil” episode of SLEEPY HOLLOW.
©2013 Fox. Broadcasting Co. CR: Brownie Harris/FOX

Sleepy Hollow started this episode with, well, if not quite a bang, a definite scare.

Before we even get to the opening credits, we had a dream sequence (points for creepy monster make-up), a person jump off a building and land—quite convincingly, thank you—on a parked car, and an eyeball explode into a gust of sand.

So the writers have definitely got the pacing under control. And, thank goodness, time-of-day (no more three nights and four days in the space on an episode; last week it apparently took eight hours to drive from one end of Sleepy Hollow to another).

Wait…Is this a Dream??

So the episode starts right off with Abbie coming into work, where Captain Irving introduces her to Doctor Vega. She sees Crane interrogating someone—when she rushes in, she sees it’s her teenage self—and Crane’s eyes are covered with a white, milky film. As she goes into stop him, she becomes hunted by a no-eyed-no-mouth demon.

She wakes up (dream sequence!) and gets called to a crime scene where a lady jumper is asking for her—and only her.

She has time on the rush over to wake up and pick up Crane (Supposedly. We don’t see it happen. Though, when is someone going to take Crane to WalMart or Target and get him some clothes?)

We find out that jumper lady is Doctor Vega (she of the dream!), and she was the treating doctor at the psychiatric hospital that Abbie’s sister, Jenny, was put into years ago after they first saw the demon in the woods.

Vega’s last words to Abbie imply that not only does Doctor Vega deserve to die, but Abbie also has some horrible punishment waiting for her.

Captain Irving—just about at the end of his freaky-cases-that-don’t-make-sense rope–tells Abbie and Crane to look into it. Quietly.

Sleepy-Hollow-2
Clancy Brown as Sheriff on Fox’s Sleepy Hollow.
Photo: courtesy of clancybrown.com.

Side note: Still very unsure about the armed forces set-up in Sleepy Hollow. It’s got a population of 140,000 (says so right in the opening credits); and the pilot was very clear that Abbie was a Deputy Sheriff, and that the poor Sheriff Sheriff got killed.  So, it’s fairly odd that a Deputy Sheriff is now reporting to Captain Frank Irving of the City Police (?) State Police (?)—we’re not sure.

Captain isn’t a rank that a Sheriff office typically has, so we can assume he’s not a Sheriff. But then there are all the Detectives…also not a rank commonly associated with Sherriff. And, how come no one is concerned about replacing the Sheriff? That is a fairly significant power vacuum.

And then, what about the fact that a Sheriff is an elected position and it reports to the County Board or Council or whatever governing body is about? Police are not elected, they are municipal employees. While not unheard of for the two to share offices in smaller towns, and some cities/counties merge the two (Las Vegas comes to mind) it’s still so vague. Clarity on who exactly Capitan Irving is and why he is in charge of a Sheriff’s Deputy would help. Also, why is a Sheriff Deputy a Lieutenant? So confused…

Finally, has anyone else noticed the Case of the Disappearing Uniform? First Episode: Abbie Mills is in full Deputy Sheriff regalia almost the whole episode. Second, half and half. Third, no uniform, just a badge and a gun.

Ok, back to the recap. Sorry.

Crane and Abbie
SLEEPY HOLLOW: Ichabod Crane (Tom Mison, R) helps Lt. Abbie Mills (Nicole Beharie, L) discuss the details of the case on Monday’s (9/30) Sleepy Hollow, “For The Triumph of Evil.”
©2013 Fox. Broadcasting Co. CR: Brownie Harris/FOX

Exploding Eyeball, Check

As Abbie and Crane leave the body, they engage in yet another ‘Abbie and Crane being the capitol-W-Witnesses of the coming apocalypse’ conversation.  There’s a little bit of regurgitating known information (God bless Winson and Beharie, because some of their lines could be cringe-inducing in lesser hands), in the end Abbie admits she doesn’t believe it yet; and Crane tells her she must stop being afraid and accept her fate.

So, yeah, that’s the episode’s theme.

So Crane and Abbie head to the Tarrytown (yes, that’s a real town) Psychiatric Hospital to see Abbie’s sister, because Crane knows that Abbie’s dream was prophetic and the Doctor Vega connection needs to be revealed (first they go watch videotapes of Doctor Vega in session with Abbie’s sister, before they decide, hey, we have a living person we can question).

We find out that Jenny is incarcerated for stealing $4000 worth of sporting goods and then insisting it was for the ‘end of days.’  Crane’s response: ‘Well, she’s sane, then,’ is one of many sparks of humor throughout the episode and gives us a glimpse of where the show could go—and how good it could be.

At the hospital, Jenny refuses to speak to Abbie, so Crane goes to talk to her by himself. After a few minutes of info-exchange, Jenny refuses to help, saying that her conscience is clear. Is Abbie’s?

SH Sister
Ichabod Crane (Tom Mison, L) speaks to Det. Abbie Mills’ sister, Jenny (guest star Lyndie Greenwood, R) in the Tarrytown Psychriatic Hospital.
©2013 Fox. Broadcasting Co. Photo: Brownie Harris/FOX

Come on, It’s Not Like You Weren’t Mean to Your Sister

Crane goes back and pressures Abbie: what did Jenny mean? Is her conscience clear??

Abbie—rather easily, unless the whole faceless-nightmare-monster shook her up way more than she let on—tells Crane that when they were brought in for questioning after seeing the Demon in the Woods (and if you’re wondering, why were two presumably abducted girls taken in for questioning instead of being taken somewhere warm and fed hot chocolate, and if they were brought in, why wasn’t the Sheriff there? Or Child Services? So are we, reader, so are we).

Anyway, when the sisters were brought in for questioning, Jenny continued to insist she had seen a demon—but Abbie, and their rescuer, Mr. Gillespie—lied and said they didn’t see anything. Abbie was scared of losing the first good foster home they’d had, and Mr. Gillespie was too busy playing small town hero.

Crane and Abbie decide they should talk to Mr. Gillepsie.

SH Abbie to House
SLEEPY HOLLOW: Ichabod Crane (Tom Mison, L), Lt. Abbie Mills (Nicole Beharie, C) and Capt. Frank Irving (Orlando Jones, R) wait as Abbie ventures into hostage situation.
9;©2013 Fox. Broadcasting Co. CR: Brownie Harris/FOX

Poor Mr. Gillespie, we hardly knew ya….

Handily, having just introduced him via flashback, we now head over to Mr. Gillespie’s home, where Mr. Gillespie is napping in his man-cave easy chair surrounded by bird houses. Clearly, the man has a terrible bird house problem.  A clatter wakes him up; he cuts himself on a nail, and the blood he wipes away leaves a creepy aboriginal symbol on the cloth. So, he’s obviously going to have some difficulties of the supernatural kind.

Back to the police station, Captain Irving pretends to be angry about a headless horseman prank as a way to…bond with Morales (he of the not-dating-Abbie-anymore fame)? Unclear. Orlando Jones does a great job with this character, we just wish (a) he’d be used more, and more logically (think Bobby to Sam and Dean…) (b) the whole Sheriff/Police thing gets cleared up.

So, he’s there when the call comes in: shots fired. And he goes. Even though the station is full of on-duty, not busy cops. Shouldn’t he be doing other things? Admittedly, all we know about police work we learned from Law & Order, but it seems like the guy in charge doesn’t usually go out on calls. By himself.

AND, he just got all buddy-buddy with the prank-playing cop. So it’s not like there isn’t someone right there to come along.

Still, when Abbie and Crane show up at Gillespie’s house, it’s a full-blown hostage crisis, so at least he wasn’t alone for long. Apparently, Gillespie, for unknown reasons, is holding his wife hostage and demanding to see Abbie. Abbie—still not in uniform—puts on a vest and goes in.

Does she have training in this? Is anyone even going to ask her that?

She goes in, and sure enough, Gillespie’s eyes have gone all white and milky and the scary-no-face-monster is there. He tells her they have to pay what they owe and that the next time she falls asleep, the Sandman will make her feel so guilty for her betrayal of her sister, killing herself will be the only option.

The faceless monster shows up, Gillespie shoots at him, Crane runs in to save Abbie; but before he can get there, Gillespie kills himself. That was pretty awesome, blood and stuff shooting up in the air in front of the kitchen window, Crane watching from outside.

No paperwork or anything after that. No shocked reaction to the top of someone’s head geyser up into the kitchen sink. No time!

Super-Secret-Meeting-Place: Ichabod Crane (Tom Mison, L) and Lt. Abbie Mills (Nicole Beharie, R) discuss the Sandman and how to stop him. © 2013 Fox. Broadcasting Co. Photo: Brownie Harris/FOX
Super-Secret-Meeting-Place: Ichabod Crane (Tom Mison, L) and Lt. Abbie Mills (Nicole Beharie, R) discuss the Sandman and how to stop him.
© 2013 Fox. Broadcasting Co. Photo: Brownie Harris/FOX

Who needs Google, with Crane Around?

Our heroes head back to the library, sorry, The Magic Box, no, not right either, sorry–the creepy records room via the secret tunnel no one has noticed Crane tore down a wall to get to.

One more side note: these are the worst police ever. Not only have they missed the GIANT HOLE in their wall leading to the creepy tunnels, they have also completely failed to notice that John Cho’s body is MISSING.

John Cho in Sleepy Hollow © 2013 Fox. Broadcasting Co.
John Cho in Sleepy Hollow. His heads on backwards because he’s DEAD. And just walked out of the least guarded morgue on the east coast. 
© 2013 Fox. Broadcasting Co.

Safely ensconced in the super-secret research room of solitude, Crane and Abbie begin to research Sandman myths. Never mind Abbie’s phone continues all the knowledge known to man…it’s the big musty books with no index that’ll have the answers.

Abbie stumbles across a bit of lore about a dream spirit, along with the now-familiar symbol that we saw on Gillespie’s bloody rag. It’s an old Mohawk legend, says Abbie, of a Sandman. Ro’kenhrontyes, they called him.

This sparks yet another eerily specific and crazy-helpful memory (with requisite flashback) from Crane. He then declares they need to find a shaman. Cue ‘things-are-different-now’ conversation, which is where Sleepy Hollow is really at its best: when they allow Crane to be amazed, annoyed and sometimes flabbergasted by all that is around him, and the changes and assumptions of the people in our day and age.

Abbie remembers one person who might be able to help, and off they go in search of the last Mohican (well they didn’t come out and say that, but…).

SLEEPY HOLLOW: Flashback of Ichabod Crane (Tom Mison, C) 'talking' with the Mohicans2013 Fox. Broadcasting Co. CR: Brownie Harris/FOX
SLEEPY HOLLOW: Flashback of Ichabod Crane (Tom Mison, C) ‘talking’ with the Mohicans
2013 Fox. Broadcasting Co. CR: Brownie Harris/FOX

The Last Mohican

They find one, selling used cars—Wendel Clark (played by Philip DeVona).

And he was great (offering Crane a Delorean was a lovely little throwaway line. its lines like that, that make Sleepy Hollow have so much promise!); at first reluctant, he is convinced when Crane quotes the “all that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing,” which was a little heavy handed but, hey, worked!

Wendel just happens to have a fully equipped lodge just ready and waiting for some dream-warrior time. Got the tea all brewed up, cots all ready. Even has two random Native American bros to help out.

Tells Crane and Abbie that the only way out is to fight the dream spirit on the spirit realm, the dream plane. Win, and Abbie will be absolved. Lose, and she’ll die.

Abbie drinks the tea; Crane does as well. An endearing, nice moment between these two, who, with no words, show us their loyalty and gratitude.

The ritual requires, apparently, three parts: the tea (check); shirts off (hah, Crane apparently does not believe in manscaping and we say, good! Nice to see a hairy chest once in a while, and Abbie wears a sports bar, which is surprising, considering the amount of….lift happening when she has a shirt on), and wait a minute…scorpion bites.

Of course Wendel has scorpions. What self-respecting Native American car salesman/Shaman doesn’t?

Sandman Stalking SH
The Sandman, Sleepy Hollow’s newest Demon.
Originally published on adweek.com “A Visit to the Set of Sleepy Hollow”. Photo: Randall Slevin.

Dream a Little Dream of Me

So Crane and Abbie get bitten, and boom, instant dream world. They are, of course, separated, and as Crane races through the spirit-woods to find Abbie, she is being stalked by the Demon, who taunts her, and then, disappearing into a whirl of sand and dust, drags her….somewhere.

Crane, having discovered the dream plane version of the Sherriff station, makes his way to the interrogation room, where Abbie is being forced to watch her younger self betray her sister.

Crane attacks the demon, who fights him off—telling him, in a way heavy with foreshadowing, that Crane is not that demon’s problem to deal with.

Abbie realizes what she has to do: admit her wrongdoing, and her fear (ha, remember how we said, back in the beginning, there was a theme?? See, here it is, paying off.), and then says she isn’t afraid anymore.

The Sandman turns to glass, which Abbie shatters.

Her and Crane return to the real world, and the super-secret-records room to recuperate.

Except it’s not so super-secret, because Captain Irving shows up—since he has a key—and approves them using the room for the more ‘off-beat’ cases. He even says he’ll get them a key.

Abbie leaves Crane, saying she has to go talk to her sister (Poor Crane. I mean, how is he supposed to get home? Get dinner? Does he have any money? A phone? He definitely can’t drive…).

Don't worry, Ichabod, I'm sure she's coming back...eventually... Courtesy of Fox
Don’t worry, Ichabod, I’m sure she’s coming back…eventually…
2013 Fox. Broadcasting Co

Duh-Duh-Duuuuh

Abbie gets to her sister’s room (room 49, harkening back to Sheriff Corbin’s words the week before: Don’t fear 49.) and of course, sis has boogied out. Abbie orders the hospital locked down, and then discovers the open venting hidden by the ceiling tiles. Begrudging respect wars with annoyance.

All in all this was the strongest episode of the bunch. Fast paced, for the most part well-plotted. While some of the rules of the world lack consistency, and we still run into issues of Crane-knowing-everything-but-only-when-it’s-convenient–there were some scenes that felt awkward within the rest of the episode–for the most part the episode was a huge step forward. Here’s hoping next week is a big of a leap.

Keep posted next week for all the haps in the Hollow!

 

Sleepy Hollow airs on Fox, Monday nights at 9 p.m.

FOX Lands Deal For Batman Inspired TV Series “Gotham”

by Cameron Shooshtari

After a lengthy bidding war, FOX has acquired the rights to create the television series, “Gotham,” based on the popular DC comics Batman universe.

The show, which is being developed by Bruno Heller, creator of CBS’ “The Mentalist,” will be about a younger Jim Gordon, still a detective in the Gotham Police Department. Bruce Wayne/Batman will not make an appearance, but the show will have other characters and villains from the Batman universe.

The Commissioner Gordon character was introduced in Detective Comics (1939) as a supporting character to Batman and has remained virtually unchanged ever since. Armed with his signature bushy, salt and pepper mustache, Gordon is one of Batman’s most loyal allies in the fight for justice in Gotham City. He was most famously portrayed by Gary Oldman in the Christopher Nolan ‘Dark Knight’ trilogy.

Personally, I think this could be a potentially great series and a great avenue of exploration for the DC universe. Gordon is one of my favorite characters in the series and it will be interesting to see how they fill the void without Batman in the picture. I’ve been looking forward to a grittier ‘Law & Order’ direction for the Batman franchise, so we can see how the criminal justice system in Gotham functions (or doesn’t). I hope we’ll also get to visit other Gotham locations like Arkham Asylum or The Iceberg Lounge.

gordon

Source: Deadline

Geekscape TV Review: ‘Sleepy Hollow’

by S.J. Borger

Sleepy Hollow Pulls Ahead

Sleepy Hollow, the new genre-tastic show from the powerhouse team of Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman (Fringe, Star Trek: Into Darkness) along with Phillip Iscove and Len Wiseman, and starring fan favorites John Cho, Orlando Jones and Clancy Brown, with Nicole Beharie (42) and Tom Mison (Salman Fishing on the Yemen), premiered last night on Fox to a whopping 10 million viewers—a 3.4 rating among adults 18-49–making it Fox’s highest rated Fall drama premiere in six years.

And let’s hope that those numbers stick around, because the show looks to only get better once these world-building, exposition-laden episodes get out of the way (and they are pretty exposition-laden!).

Tom Mison as Ichabod Crane. Mison has already been voted Fall 2013's Breakout Star by the Television Critics Association, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
Tom Mison as Ichabod Crane. Mison has already been voted Fall 2013’s Breakout Star by the Television Critics Association, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

Just a Story About a Guy, and a Girl,and a Headless Horseman…

Sleepy Hollow is a modern retelling of Washington Irving’s classic, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. But this one has a modern action flare right from the start. In the teaser opening, we meet Ichabod Crane (Mison) in 1781, busily—and quite handily—killing British soldiers in the Revolutionary War; in a rapid series of shots we see Crane kill the Horseman; the Horseman reviving only to slash Crane open; and Crane decapitating the Horseman; then, suddenly, we’re in modern day Sleepy Hollow and a dazed Crane is digging himself out of a grave and stumbling out into the fog, where he eventually meets up with Beharie, who plays Deputy Sheriff Abbie Mills, a sarcastic, ambitious, slightly pushy deputy sheriff who manages to remain likeable even while slogging through a number of the tepid, trope-heavy procedural scenes.

The first twenty minutes are engrossing, startling, funny, engaging and, quite honestly, great television. The show moves, the actors seem at home in their characters, the dialogue sparkles and pops, doling out enough information to move forward but never seeming forced or out of place. The first twenty minutes of Sleepy Hollow are pretty darn close to perfect television—the Starbucks conversation between Crane and Beharie is short, funny, blisteringly socially aware while also being deprecatingly self-aware and there’s only about five lines of dialogue. This is when Sleepy Hollow is at its best.

Series leads Mison and Beharie complement each other—on-screen together, they have the easy give and take of a long partnership, at times combative and other times comedic. Mison, in particular, portrays a man-out-of-his-time with wry humor and a bleak, buried sorrow that lends a gravity to him that would have been hard to manage in a lesser actor; Beharie inhabits her deputy-sheriff-with-a-past with a natural ease and great charm. The supporting cast—Cho, Jones and Brown—make the most of the limited screen time they have, and they all play off each other superbly, taking even some of the more monotonous lines and imbuing them with an honesty which enriches the whole show.

Courtesy of FOX. Beharie as Deputy Sheriff Abbie Mills and Mison as Ichabod Crane.
Courtesy of FOX. Beharie as Deputy Sheriff Abbie Mills and Mison as Ichabod Crane.

And Then Things Got a Little Weird

Unfortunately, after about twenty minutes, the show got pilot-itis, and started trying to explain itself. Three or four scenes in particular stand out for their overly-expositional, stridently info-dumping tone; which is so discordant when compared to rest of the episode, we can only assume  an executive at Fox got nervous, and started suggest/insist-ing that more exposition was needed—and those info-scenes got added to the detriment of others (i.e.: information is alluded to late in the episode that was never actual given during the episode itself, which smacks of a cut or deleted scene).  It may not be the nicest thing, to blame the Execs, but they can take the punch, since they still owe us all for cancelling Firefly.

It’s a pity, because what was good was so very, very good that the audience probably could have stood for being left a little confused longer—even two or three episodes in—in return for the quality remaining high throughout. Again, we’re going to blame the Fox executives for that. Since, you know, they cancelled Firefly.

Things got a little weird—there seems to be an odd blurring between the Sheriff’s office (usually an elected official beholden to a county council) and the police precinct; the Horseman turned in his axe, which was MAGIC, for a shotgun (which may also be magic…since the shells do burst into flame); George Washington is also apparently a supernatural/demon hunter; and the apocalypse figures in (don’t worry about being confused, because the show will spell that out for you three times before the end of the pilot).

Courtesy of Fox. And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him
Courtesy of Fox. And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him

And Then Clancy Brown Quoted the King James Bible

However, despite the occasional ‘what, wait?’ and the sudden onset of pilot-itis, there is an intriguing heart to Sleepy Hollow. The cast is invested and believable, there’s plenty of humor, the murder-mysteries could be intriguing, and the scare factor is definitely there (there is one scene, with a blurry demon…well, no spoilers. Just…phew…). Plus, you get a pretty hardcore “these bad guys mean business” ending.

The pilot is often the weakest episode in a show’s history—many successful shows have had problematic pilots. Sleepy Hollow has much more going for it than against it, and the second episode looks to be full of even more absurd odd couple/crime solving/Armageddon preventing adventure.

We don’t know about your Monday’s, but ours could do with a little more of that.

Sleepy Hollow airs Monday’s on Fox at 9 p.m; the pilot can be viewed online here.

Score:

Pilot Episode: 3.5/5

Overall Show: Possibly a 4, even a 4.5 out of 5. Excited to see how the  next few episodes do!

Geekscape’s Guide To The 2013-2014 TV Season

by S.J. Borger

Below is the definitive list of new and returning shows on network and cable (excluding the smaller niche channels such as Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon) that could possibly have a fandom, be near a fandom, or be fandom adjacent…

Peruse through the list, watch some trailers (though not every show has a trailer yet), and have fun!

So. Alphabetical order. Nice and neutral.

Starting with:

abc-logo

Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D

ABC, Tues, 8 to 9 p.m. Air Date: 9/24

Whedon’s back on the small screen, folks, and he’s brought Coulson. And Lola. While not necessarily a super-hero show (Coulson runs a small team of normal, if talented, people who track and contain—if needed—new superhuman talent), it lives and breathes at the intersection of Marvel and Whedon so really, anything could happen. Whedon has said that the new series is Avengers adjacent, taking place after the events of The Avengers, but focusing on the normal people on the peripheral of the super-hero action. It is expected that the show will interact with both Captain America: The Winter Soldier as well as the upcoming Avengers sequel.

Clark Gregg reprises his role as Phil Coulson (you could hear the screams of joy as far as Montana when he was revealed as being alive at the 2013 South by Southwest Festival this year). He is joined by Ming-Na Wen (Mulan, Stargate Universe, Eureka), fan favorite J. August Richards (Angel), Cobie Smulders (How I Met Your Mother, Avengers), and Ron Glass (Firefly, Serenity) along with a host of new, interesting characters that round out the team of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Quite possibly the most anticipated show airing this season—the pilot has gotten high scores at IGN as well as positive reaction from the San Diego Comic Con crowd—its pedigree and fan base should guarantee significant support—the question is will it appeal to a larger audience? Hopefully its adventure-of-the-week, underdog format will make it accessible enough for both the fans and the soon-to-be fans.

Once Upon A Time in Wonderland

http://youtu.be/vqOwV-2B5_w

ABC, Thurs, 8 to 9 p.m., 10/10

A spin-off of ABC’s hit Once Upon a Time, now in its third season, Once Upon a Time in Wonderland follows a now grown-up Alice, almost convinced her adventures were the ravings of an insane mind,  as she escapes from a Victorian London insane asylum and goes back down the rabbit hole.

Wonderland, however, is also a victim of the same curse as the residents of Storybook, Maine, prompting Alice into new and—hopefully— thrilling adventures.

The show is expected to cross over with Once Upon A Time and share characters and settings, as well as having the blending of ABC/Disney mythology that Once Upon a Time is known for (Once Upon A Time deals entirely with the Disney version of fairytales, stretching the premise as far as possible to include other characters, such as Mulan, Peter Pan, etc.).

Once Upon A Time had a similarly exciting premise that was never fulfilled, stuck instead in a mire of bad dialogue, over-exposition, predictable ‘twists’ and flashbacks with painfully obvious ‘lessons’ (only Rumpelstiltskin, played by Robert Carlyle, was ever able to convincingly play both sides of his characters). Hopefully Alice will not be plagued by the same issues.

Created by the same team as Once Upon a Time, Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz (who were also responsible for Tron: Legacy),  Alice stars newcomer Sophie Lowe as Alice, with Emma Rigby (Hollyoaks, Prisoners Wives) as The Red Queen, John Lithgow (Third Rock from the Sun to name one….) as the voice of the White Rabbit, and Naveen Andrews (The English Patient, Lost, The Adventures of Sinbad) as Jafar.

Mind Games is slated for a midseason release on ABC.
Mind Games is slated for a midseason release on ABC.

Midseason

ABC also has two shows slated for a midseason premiere which skate along the borderline of geekdom:

Mind Games

http://youtu.be/s2P9Qc5tgzo

ABC, Sundays, 10 to 11 p.m., 3/9/14

 From Kyle Killen (Lone Star, Awake), Mind Games stars Christian Slater and Steve Zahn as brothers who use psychological manipulation to help their clients solve problems; from the preview it looks a little like Franklin and Bash meets Leverage with some Lie to Me thrown in for good measure.

Resurrection

http://youtu.be/8MFrquHzlWA

ABC, Sunday, 10 to 11 p.m., Limited Series, 2/24/13

Based on Jason Mott’s novel The Returned,  and co-produced by a long list of people including Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, Resurrection stars Omar Epps (House), Francis Fisher (Eureka, Sons of Anarchy, Torchwood: Miracle Day) and Kurtwood Smith (That ‘70’s Show, Star Trek IV, 24). The show follows the lives of the citizens of Arcadia, Missouri as their loved ones begin returning from the dead—not as zombies, but as living, breathing, alive people the same age as they were when they died.

Castle returns to ABC on Monday, Sept. 23rd.
Castle returns to ABC on Monday, Sept. 23rd.

Returning Shows:

With renewals for both Once Upon a Time (Sun 8 to 9 p.m., 9/29) for its third season, and Castle (Mon, 10 to 11 p.m., 9/23) for its sixth season, ABC is a strong second among the networks for geek friendly fare.

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BBC America—known for quality geekfare such as Merlin, Torchwood, Orphan Black, Being Human, Misfits, Vex, Spaced, Black Books and, of course, Doctor Who, Red Dwarf and Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy—only has one new offering for the Fall 2013 season.

Atlantis

BBC America, Saturday, 11/23, Time TBA

Atlantis is a fantasy adventure program created and written by Howard Overman (Misfits and Vexed) and Johnny Capps (Merlin). The show’s main cast reads like a Guide to Greek Myths (Jason, Hercules, Medusa, The Oracle) and the series is set to be one of the most expensive projects on the BBC Wales studio. There is no official preview/trailer yet, but numerous six-second teasers can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/bbcatlantis

Atlantis looks to be very much in the BBC Sword-and-Sandals adventure genre, and we can safely expect well written, well-acted episodes with the occasional extremely cheesy special effect.

The Musketeers debuts on BBC America midseason 2014.
The Musketeers debuts on BBC America midseason 2014.

Midseason

The Musketeers is slated for midseason debut, but there is little information on it other than the newest incarnation of the Doctor, Peter Capaldi, was filming the show (he’s Cardinal Richelieu) when he was offered the role of the Doctor. Also starring Santiago Cabrera (Heroes, Merlin) and Luke Pasqualino (Skins).

The Doctor Who 50th Anniversary is slated for 11/23/13
The Doctor Who 50th Anniversary is slated for 11/23/13

Returning Shows

While disappointingly low on the new shows slate this season, the returning shows more than make up for it. With the Doctor Who 50th Anniversary special on 11/23/13, as well as season 8 coming up (and a new Doctor), Orphan Black returning midseason (March 2014), and of course, the ubiquitous Top Gear (I won’t say which season, its re-run so much it’s nearly impossible to tell).

Sherlock Holmes will return for its third season as well, but will air in America on PBS.

cbs

CBS is next in our little alphabetical list…and they have nothing. Not the geek-friendliest network, CBS. Mid-season has a new show coming out called Intelligence (Mon, 10 to 11 p.m., air date 2/24/14), which basically looks like a not-as-funny Chuck. Which makes sense for the network that also has The Mentalist, which is basically a not-as-funny Psych.

 

new-cw-logo_613x345
Just to be clear, this is The CW’s logo, unedited, pulled straight from the internet.

Ah, the CW.  Where else could we find such unabashedly sexy fare?  As well as very, very, very geek friendly. And quantity, one might say, over quality. We have to at least give them credit for trying: of all the networks, the CW continuously has the most fantasy/sci-fi/speculative/comic-book based shows every season. And they don’t even require proficient storytelling or decent ratings when it comes to renewing them. This throw-it-at-the-wall-and-see-what-sticks approach has brought us Arrow and Beauty and the Beast; but it also brought us Supernatural and Nikita.

However, it has to be said that most CW shows can be boiled down to “pretty (mostly white) people with  (Insert bad guy/thing here) problems hook up with each other while maintaining bouncy, shiny hair and flawless skin.”

This year the CW gives us five—that’s right, five—sci-fi/fantasy shows. Three premiere this fall, the other two have mid-season dates.  True to mold, they all have a large cast of young, nubile and extremely good looking people who seem to spend a lot of time with their shirts either off or unbuttoned. Not to complain: sometimes it’s nice to sit back and watch the pretty.

The Originals

http://youtu.be/WTKj52BUEeU

CW, Sneak Peek: Thurs, 9 to 10 p.m., 10/3; Regular Timeslot: Tues, 8 to 9 p.m., 10/8

A spin off of the popular Vampire Diaries, The Originals follows the lives of various supernatural characters (vampires, witches, werewolves, half vamp/half wolves…) in hot, steamy New Orleans. For some reason that sounds really familiar…but we just can’t place where we’ve seen something like that before.

The series focuses on the Klaus (Joseph Morgan), Elijah (Daniel Gillies) and Rebekah (Claire Rhiannon Holt) Mikaelson, vampire siblings–and the world’s original vampires–as they return to New Orleans—a town Klaus founded, centuries before—and enter a power struggle with the local supernaturals to reclaim to city.

The Originals has a sneak peek immediately after the season premiere of The Vampire Diaries before it moves to its normal timeslot on Tuesdays, leading into Supernatural. 

Reign

CW, Thursdays, 9 to 10 p.m., 10/17

CW’s attempt at The Tudors; Reign follows the young Mary, Queen of Scots, as she is courted by rival princes: the French (Catholic) and English (not-so-Catholic). The history of Queen Mary is fascinating. She had a legitimate claim to the English throne and was backed by English Catholics; she was married three times and was viewed as a powerful player in the socio-religious politics of the time; she survived multiple assassination attempts and was put under house arrest by Elizabeth I of England for eighteen years before eventually being executed for treason.

Unsurprisingly, the CW’s version is about high school age girls being flirted with by high school age boys who all just happen to be princes and princesses. Lots of pretty costumes and slow motion while a song that sounds a whole lot like Bones from MS MR plays underneath (clearly a lot of people saw the Game of Thrones season three preview and said, wow, we should make ours look just like that).

Oh, and Nostradamus as an articulate, court-going prophet. Who knew?

That’s not to say it couldn’t be the surprise hit of the season. Stranger things have happened.

The Bible, airing on the History Channel, was the surprise hit of the 2012-2013 season.
The Bible, airing on the History Channel, was the surprise hit of the 2012-2013 season.

The Tomorrow People

http://youtu.be/3wi0PnEIdjc

CW., Weds., 9 to 10 p.m., 10/9

A remake of the popular 1970’s BBC show of the same name, The Tomorrow People follows a group of young, pretty people who are the next stage in human evolution. The Tomorrow People have psi powers that ran the usual gamut of telepathy, teleportation, telekinesis, etc., and the use them to fight the good fight against evil, bigoted humans.

It’s unclear how closely it will follow the BBC show, where the group was not only involved in saving humanity from threats on a weekly basis but also part of a galactic organization that monitored and assisted telepaths—the trailer features a lot of Mark Pellegrino (Lucifer from Supernatural)–random trivia, he’s the uncle of Stephen Amell, aka Arrow–as Jedikiah Price chasing down our super-evolved heroes because, as Price says,: “I’m systematically rounding up your kind and wiping you out, because I am evil.”

While the shows seems to be gleefully stealing from all manner of sci-fi before it (the teleporting looks a lot like Jumper, at one point there is a force lift, followed by a frost-shock, followed by a force choke, and the hidden subway station HQ has been seen, well, everywhere) and there are clear parallels to Alphas as well as X-Men (Marvel even used the term Tomorrow People, starting in 1963, as a taxonomic designation for the X-Men and other Mutants in the Marvel Universe).

The Tomorrow People was created by Phil Klemmer (Chuck, Veronica Mars) and stars Robbie Amell (cousin to Stephen Amell of previously mentioned Arrow fame) as Stephen Jameson, Luke Mitchell as John Young and Peyton List as Cara Coburn. 

Star Crossed premieres midseason 2014 on The CW.
Star Crossed premieres midseason 2014 on The CW.

 Midseason

Not content with just three new casts of incredibly good-looking people with powers, The CW has The 100 and Star Crossed set to premiere midseason.

The 100 is based on the book of the same name by Kass Morgan, and it centers on 100 petty thieves and criminals (all young and pretty, with excellent muscle tone for people born and raised on a space station) who are sent from their space station homes to post-apocalyptic Earth to see if mankind can survive on the harsh surface.

Star Crossed looks rather like District 9, if the aliens were all super-hot models who were trying to integrate into all-human US High Schools. The trailer seems to have a lot of imagery that’s set to invoke the civil rights battle of the 1960s, which doesn’t quite ring true as the only seemingly physical difference between humans and aliens are an abundance of six-packs and some tattoos. There’s also a Romeo and Juliet plot between a human girl and an alien boy. Because why else would you travel light years across galaxies if not for true love?

Supernatural returns for season 9 on The CW in October.
Supernatural returns for season 9 on The CW in October.

Returning Shows

The CW has renewed The Vampire Diaries (Thurs, 8 to 9 p.m., 10/3), Beauty and The Beast (Mon, 9 to 10 p.m., 10/7), Supernatural (Tues, 9 to 10 p.m., 10/8), The Arrow (Weds, 8 to 0 p.m., 10/9) and Nikita (Fall 2014, no air date as of yet).

 Fox-Logo

 FOX, which seems to be aware that it will never, ever, ever make up for cancelling Firefly, is trying to retain some geek cache with two new shows this Fall.

Sleepy Hollow

FOX, Monday, 9 to 10 p.m., 9/16

The second most anticipated show of the Fall, directly behind Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Sleepy Hollow is created by Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci (Fringe, Transformers, Star Trek) and is based on the short story, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, by Washington Irving.

Sleepy Hollow follows Ichabod Crane (Tom Mison from Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, One Day, Parade’s End) as he is mysteriously transported to modern day Sleepy Hollow, and attempts to hunt down and stop the Headless Horseman (in the original story the Horseman is an 18th century German mercenary brought in by the English to fight during the revolutionary war) who was brought to the future as well.

Ichabod must join forces with local Sheriff Abbie Mills (Nicole Beharie, Shame, 42) and adjust to cultural, societal and technological difference of the 21st century (including radically changing his racial and gender stereotypes) in order to stop the Horseman’s nightly killing spree.

With a strong cast and an all-star writing team, expectations are high the Sleepy Hollow will be the show to watch this Fall.

Sleepy Hollow rounds out its cast with Orlando Jones (Godzilla, Evolution, MadTV) as Captain Frank Irving and John Cho (Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle, Go On) as Andy Dunn.

2013-2014_UpFronts_r3_Crop

Almost Human

http://youtu.be/ykwxg534yAw

Fox, Mon, 8 to 9 p.m., 11/4

JJ Abrams—who doesn’t seem to be content unless he has four or five projects going—is producing this sci-fi procedural starring Karl Urban (Star Trek, RED, Chronicles of Riddick, Riddick, Doom) and Michael Ealy (Sleeper Cell, Flash Forward, Underworld: Awakening) as unwilling partners in the LAPD thirty-five years in the future.

It’s typical buddy cop formula: an off couple forced to work together and eventually growing to trust and even like each other.

The twist? Karl Urban’s tough-as-nails cop, John Kennex, doesn’t trust Michael Ealy’s Dorian for one good reason: Dorian is a robot. And not just a normal, super-efficient robot, but a slightly malfunctioning one.

While the trailer gives a Deus Ex meets I, Robot vibe, and doesn’t really introduce any new themes or arguments that sci-fi fans won’t already be thoroughly versed in, both Urban and Ealy are worth watching and the trailer certainly captivated interest.

Almost Human was created by J.H. Wyman (Keen Eddie, Fringe) and J.J. Abrams is one of the executive producers, so hopes are high.

With Neil deGrasse Tyson hosting, Cosmos is set for Jan 2014 debut.
With Neil deGrasse Tyson hosting, Cosmos is set for Jan 2014 debut.

Midseason

Midseason has two more shows set to debut; Cosmos: A Space-Time Odyssey and Wayward Pines, though the air dates are still not announced.

Cosmos will star Neil deGrasse Tyson and was produced by Seth McFarlane and Carl Sagan’s widow (the original show was hosted by Sagan and aired on PBS). When it does air, it will air simultaneously on Fox and the NatGeo channel, expecting to launch in 48 countries in over 140 languages. Also, the bridge of Tyson’s ship looks almost exactly like the Illusive Man’s from Mass Effect. Just saying.

Wayward Pines brings Blake Crouch’s mystery/thriller novel of the same name to the small screen. M. Night Shyamalan has developed it as a multi-part series for Fox. It has been compared to Twin Peaks by just about everybody, and Fox hasn’t released very much information other than a 2014 release.

24--and Jack Bauer--are back on Fox in May 2014.
24–and Jack Bauer–are back on Fox in May 2014.

Returning Shows

Fox does not have much in the way of the Geek returning; The Following is set for a midseason premiere on Mondays, 9 to 10 p.m.; and under the heading of old-shows-don’t-die-they-go-to-mini-series, 24 is slated to return as a limited run in the Spring.

 

Print

NBC is not offering much this year for us geeks, with only one offering in the Fall. We’re hoping this is an improvement; previous years, which have had a glut of nerd-tastic shows, perhaps in some desperate attempt by NBC to gain some geek-cred (The Cape, The Event, Flash Forward, V, Bionic Women, Journeyman). This make anything with a slightly Lost-like feel strategy hasn’t fared well for the Peacock, so maybe just one new show means NBC knows it has a hit. And it case it doesn’t, it has two midseason shows ready to wash the taste from your mouth.

Dracula

http://youtu.be/Z1jVcmDH43Y

NBC, Friday, 10 to 11 p.m., 10/25

A limited series with only a ten episode run, Dracula is a retelling of the classic tale by Bram Stoker. Created by Cole Hadden, with Daniel Knauf (Carnivale) as showrunner, Dracula stars Jonathon Rhys Meyers (The Tudors, Mission Impossible III) as Dracula, who returns to Victorian London to seek revenge for a betrayal years before. This is another show whose trailer draws heavy inspiration from Game of Thrones.

The plot stays somewhat in line with the book; Dracula falls for the lovely Mina, there’s a Van Helsing on hand to fight him…there’s a lot of pretty people in period clothing walking around dark London streets. If they weren’t all in their thirties it’d be a CW show.

Dracula stars Katie McGrath (Merlin), Nonso Anozie (Ender’s Game, Game of Thrones) and Thomas Kretschmann (King Kong, The Pianist, Blade II, 24). 

Believe, produced by J.J. Abrams and directed by Alfonso Cuaran, is slated for a midseason debut.
Believe, produced by J.J. Abrams and directed by Alfonso Cuaran, is slated for a midseason debut.

Midseason

Two shows are slated for a midseason release: Believe, another J.J. Abrams produced show, directed by Alfonso Cuaran (Harry Potter) about a little girl with special powers and the ex-con who has been tasked to protect her (Sundays, 9 to 10 p.m.); and Crossbones, created by Neil Cross (Luther) and starring John Malkovich as the pirate Blackbird. Slated to air in 2014 on Sundays, from 10 to 11 p.m., there is little other information out there as of yet.

NBC also recently announced a mini-series adaptation of Stephen King’s Tommyknockers in 2014, but no dates or casting information has been forthcoming.

Grimm
Grimm, the best show people aren’t watching, premieres on NBC Friday, 10/25, at 9 p.m.

Returning

Returning to the Peacock this Fall are Revolution (Weds, 8 to 9 p.m., 9/25) and Grimm, Fridays, 9 to 10 p.m., which if you are not watching, start—there’s still time to catch up before the new season airs on 10/25. Community is slated for a midseason release.

Black Sails is set to debut on Starz in 2014.
Black Sails is set to debut on Starz in 2014.

 

Networks Waiting for Midseason to Debut All Their Geekery

Not every network has new content slated for the Fall, but midseason will serve up some highly anticipate premieres:

SyFy announced Helix with a premiere date of Jan, 2014. Ronald D. Moore (BattleStar Galactica) created the series about a group of CDC scientists sent to the Artic only to discover the fate of mankind may rest in their hands. Starring Billy Campbell (Eureka, The Killing, The 4400) and Hiroyuki Sanada (Speed Racer, Lost, The Wolverine).

TNT is bringing two shows that may not deal with a fandom in their content but certainly do with their talent: Mob City (formerly Lost Angels) stars Simon Pegg and is written and directed by Frank Darabont. The series follows the LAPD/Mob wars in Los Angeles in the 1940’s.; and Legends with Sean Bean as the best-of-the-best undercover agent who is struggling to find where his cover ends and he begins. Both shows are slated for 2014 premiere.

Simon Pegg in Frank Darabont's new cable drama, Mob City, on TNT.
Simon Pegg in Frank Darabont’s new cable drama, Mob City, on TNT.

The Last Ship isn’t set to premiere on TBS until Summer 2014, but this Michael Bay produced end-of-the-world-via-virus show looks to be next summer’s big cable hit. The show stars Adam Baldwin (Firefly, Serenity, Chuck) and Eric Dane (Grey’s Anatomy).

Penny Dreadful is set to premiere on Showtime in 2014. Called a pschyo-sexual horror series, produced by John Logan (writer: Rango, Gladiator, Skyfall) and Sam Mendes (director: Skyfall, American Beauty) it stars Josh Hartnett, Eva Green and Billie Piper. The series will be set in turn-of-the century London and will deal with the origins of literary horror monsters such as Dorian Gray, Dracula and Frankenstein’s Monster.

Starz has Black Sails set to debut in January 2014. It is a prequel to Robert Louis Stevenson’s novel, Treasure Island, set twenty years before the events in the book. Fan reaction at the San Diego Comic Con was so strong Starz has already ordered a second season. It’s got pirates, islands, beaches and rum, so all things point to a hit.

The Outlander is also set to premiere in 2014 on Starz. Based upon the bestselling novels by Diana Gabaldon, the series follows the adventures of time-traveler Claire and her Scottish husband, Jamie Fraser, as they live through historical events from the Scottish revolt under Bonnie Prince Charlie to the revolutionary war. Lots of adventure, lots of romance (and sex, to be clear) and a great deal of historically accurate details made the books a must-read; if Starz follows HBO’s example and lets the novels guide the show than expectations should remain high.

This image--and a short clip--have been teasing the internet about J.J. Abrams new show for weeks now.
This image–and a short clip–have been teasing the internet about J.J. Abrams’ new show for weeks now.

Rounding off our report are two shows which are nothing more than whisper and rumor at the moment:

The Stranger, J.J. Abrams’ bit of marketing masterpiece: just a grainy black and white video with no information at all.

The Sector is a Ridley Scott produced, sci-fi procedural a la Blade Runner. Originally picked up by Cinemax, it was dropped in 2011 but the Science Channel recently announced it is picking up the series.

American Horror Story: Coven premieres on Oct 23rd.

Returning Shows to Keep An Eye Out For

The Walking Dead returns to AMC on Sunday, Oct. 13th at 10 p.m. Season four has yet another new showrunner in Scott Gimple, who will guide the show through a season set to introduce a host of new characters joining our ragged crew in the prison as they attempt to shore up and defend against walkers and humans alike.

The American Horror Story: Coven will be returning to F/X on Weds., October 9th, at 9 pm. Continuing the tradition set in season 2, season 3 will have returning actors but a completely different st of characters and plot. Returning this season are  Jessica Lange, Sarah Paulson, Francis Conroy and Dermot Mulroney; Kathy Bates, Patti Lupone and Angela Bassatt round out an all star cast. Coven focuses on the secret society of witches and an outside evil which is attacking them. The season will flash between modern day and 1830’s.

http://youtu.be/TkPwDPt4JOA

HBO will be bringing back Game of Thrones in the Spring of 2014. Be prepared, the show’s finished seasons are now more numerous then the remaining books…R.R. Marting better write fast.

SyFy is bringing back three shows this season: Being Human, slated for a Jan. 2014 premiere; Warehouse 13 will come back (if only for  six episodes) for its fifth and final season in 2014; and Haven premieres its fourth season on September 13 at 10 p.m. (with a guest star stint from everybody’s favorite Sheriff, Colin Ferguson).

Haven returns for season 4 on Sept 23rd. Catch up on all the episodes on Chiller.

 Starz has renewed Da Vinci’s Demons for a 2014 premiere. If you didn’t see season one, now’s the time to go back and watch (the complete season can be pre-ordered on iTunes). Created by David S. Goyer, co-writer of the The Dark Knight Trilogy, Da Vinci’s Demons is a solid show steeped in mythology and renaissance Italian/Catholic politics.

TNT is bringing Falling Skies Back for a fourth season in late Spring/Summer 2014, so check back for more information on what will happen to Mason and his regiment later.

That’s it! We hope you enjoyed our guide, and be sure to let us know if there are any titles that we missed!

‘American Horror Story: Coven’ Premiere Date And Episode Titles Revealed!

by Derek Kraneveldt

Briefly: We now know when we’ll finally step back into the world of American Horror Story.

According to SpoilerTV, the series’ third season, subtitled Coven, will premiere on October 9th. The titles of the season’s first three episodes have also been revealed: “Bitchcraft”, “Boy Parts”, and “The Replacements”.

I’m a big fan of the series, and really can’t wait to see what Ryan Murphy and the rest of the team have in store for us this year!

Did you enjoy Asylum? Are you excited for what’s next? Sound out below!

American-Horror-Story-Asylum-american-horror-story-32431051-1600-1200

Source: ShockTillYouDrop

Two Stylish Character Posters Released For ‘X-Men: Days Of Future Past’

by Derek Kraneveldt

Briefly: While we’ve been busy catching up with all the Comic-Con news, we missed the awesome first posters for Bryan Singer’s upcoming X-Men: Days of Future Past.

The posters feature a stylish, original design, that each showcase both versions of the portrayed characters. One image features both Michael Fassbender and Ian McKellen as Erik Lehnsherr, while the other spotlights James McAvoy and Patrick Stewart as Charles Xavier.

They’re both absolutely awesome images, and a great start to the film’s marketing. I can’t wait to see what comes next! Take a look at the posters below, and let us know what you think! X-Men: Days of Future Past hits theatres on July 18th, 2014.

X-Men "Days of Future Past" poster -- exclusive EW.com image

X-Men "Days of Future Past" poster -- exclusive EW.com imageSource: EW

 

Fourth ‘The Wolverine’ Clip Debuts Online!

by Derek Kraneveldt

Another day, another new clip from The Wolverine.

The clip (along with all of the others) is action packed, this time showcasing a battle between Logan and Shingen. It doesn’t impress me as much as yesterday’s World War II clip did, but it’s still heads and shoulders above that first, ridiculous train clip.

Take a look at the new clip below, and let us know what you think! The Wolverine hits theatres on July 26th!

Based on the celebrated comic book arc, this epic action-adventure takes Wolverine, the most iconic character of the X-Men universe, to modern day Japan. Out of his depth in an unknown world he faces his ultimate nemesis in a life-or-death battle that will leave him forever changed. Vulnerable for the first time and pushed to his physical and emotional limits, he confronts not only lethal samurai steel but also his inner struggle against his own immortality, emerging more powerful than we have ever seen him before.

Third ‘The Wolverine’ Clip Released

by Derek Kraneveldt

Following the train and funeral clips from earlier this week, Fox today debuted a third clip for James Mangold’s highly anticipated The Wolverine.

This one is easily the best of the three, taking us all the way back to World War II, when Logan saves a very particular soldier. The clip looks great, and brings back some of the excitement that I lost after seeing that awful train scene.

Take a look at the new clip below, and let us know what you think! The Wolverine hits theatres on July 26th!

Based on the celebrated comic book arc, this epic action-adventure takes Wolverine, the most iconic character of the X-Men universe, to modern day Japan. Out of his depth in an unknown world he faces his ultimate nemesis in a life-or-death battle that will leave him forever changed. Vulnerable for the first time and pushed to his physical and emotional limits, he confronts not only lethal samurai steel but also his inner struggle against his own immortality, emerging more powerful than we have ever seen him before.

Yukio Featurette For ‘The Wolverine’ Released

by Derek Kraneveldt

Fox today debuted a new featurette for The Wolverine, this time spotlighting the female ronin, Yukio.

This one is short and sweet, clocking in at just under a minute long. That being said, it does feature some cool new footage of the character, as well as explain exactly why Yukio is doing what she’s doing.

Take a look at the new featurette below, and let us know if you’re excited for the film! The Wolverine hits theatres on July 26th!

Based on the celebrated comic book arc, this epic action-adventure takes Wolverine, the most iconic character of the X-Men universe, to modern day Japan. Out of his depth in an unknown world he faces his ultimate nemesis in a life-or-death battle that will leave him forever changed. Vulnerable for the first time and pushed to his physical and emotional limits, he confronts not only lethal samurai steel but also his inner struggle against his own immortality, emerging more powerful than we have ever seen him before.

Source: IGN

Watch A Second Clip From ‘The Wolverine’

by Derek Kraneveldt

Following yesterday’s ridiculous first clip, Fox today debuted another scene from the highly anticipated The Wolverine.

This one is leaps and bounds ahead of what we saw yesterday, and features a fight breaking out during a funeral. The action and effects all look infinitely more polished than what we’ve already seen, and there are definitely some impressive shots in this latest clip. I certainly hope that the bulk of the film looks closer to what we see here than the physics-less mess that we saw yesterday.

Take a look at the new clip below, and let us know if you’re excited for the movie! The Wolverine hits theatres on July 26th!

Based on the celebrated comic book arc, this epic action-adventure takes Wolverine, the most iconic character of the X-Men universe, to modern day Japan. Out of his depth in an unknown world he faces his ultimate nemesis in a life-or-death battle that will leave him forever changed. Vulnerable for the first time and pushed to his physical and emotional limits, he confronts not only lethal samurai steel but also his inner struggle against his own immortality, emerging more powerful than we have ever seen him before.

Fox Developing ‘The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen’ TV Pilot!

by Derek Kraneveldt

Briefly: The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen is a fantastic property that could make a phenomenal movie or TV series if put in the right hands. Could those hands belong to Michael Greene and Fox?

TVLine has revealed that Fox has just purchased the rights to produce a ‘Put Pilot’ based on The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. This means that we’re extremely likely to see this come to light, as if a ‘Put Pilot’ is not aired, the network suffers a major penalty.

Michael Greene (Heroes, Smallville) will write and produce the pilot, which is still without a cast or director.

According to TVLine, the official logline for the series reads: “A drama series based on Alan Moore’s critically and commercially successful graphic novel series about a group of Victorian-age literary characters, including Captain Nemo, the Invisible Man, and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, who team up to fight a common enemy.”

Over ten years has passed since the terrible film adaptation of Alan Moore and Kevin O’Neill’s first released to theatres. Do you think that enough time has gone by for people to forget about the film, or will people avoid this based on the name alone? The books are obviously held in very high regard, how do you think a series could turn out?

We’ll share more details as soon as they come in, but be sure to share your thoughts below!

League_of_Extraordinary_Gentlemen_Vol_2_5

Source: TVLine

Watch The First Clip From ‘The Wolverine’

by Derek Kraneveldt

Fox today debuted the first clip from this month’s highly anticipated release of James Mangold’s The Wolverine. We’ve seen pieces of this scene in almost every trailer so far, but somehow, seeing it all together makes me a little less excited for the film.

I’m all for suspending belief, but this is just ridiculous. I won’t spoil things for you, so take a look at the clip below, and let us know what you think! The Wolverine hits theatres on July 26th, and hopefully the bulk of it is a lot better than this scene!

Based on the celebrated comic book arc, this epic action-adventure takes Wolverine (Jackman), the most iconic character of the X-Men universe, to modern day Japan. Out of his depth in an unknown world he will face a host of unexpected and deadly opponents in a life-or-death battle that will leave him forever changed. Vulnerable for the first time and pushed to his physical and emotional limits, he confronts not only lethal samurai steel but also his inner struggle against his own immortality. Directed By James Mangold, The Wolverine hits theaters in 2D & 3D on July 26, 2013.

Watch A New Featurette For ‘The Wolverine’!

by Derek Kraneveldt

We’re just a few weeks away from the highly anticipated release of The Wolverine, and Fox has just launched a new featurette promoting the film.

Titled “A Ronin Story”, the featurette begins by explaining just what a Ronin story is, and subsequently why The Wolverine fits in the genre. The video features plenty of exciting new footage for the film, and I actually found the scenes shown off here more exciting than any other preview that we’ve already seen.

I wasn’t overly excited for The Wolverine when the first trailer debuted online, but the film’s current marketing (plus those amazing sumi-e posters) are all really amping me up for the feature. Watch the new featurette below, and let us know what you think! The Wolverine hits theatres on July 26th!

Based on the celebrated comic book arc, this epic action-adventure takes Wolverine (Jackman), the most iconic character of the X-Men universe, to modern day Japan. Out of his depth in an unknown world he will face a host of unexpected and deadly opponents in a life-or-death battle that will leave him forever changed. Vulnerable for the first time and pushed to his physical and emotional limits, he confronts not only lethal samurai steel but also his inner struggle against his own immortality. Directed By James Mangold, The Wolverine hits theaters in 2D & 3D on July 26, 2013.

Source: DigitalSpy

Three New Character Posters From ‘The Wolverine’

by Derek Kraneveldt

Just yesterday, Fox released a beautiful sumi-e The Wolverine poster featuring Jean Grey. Today, three more characters got the sumi-e treatment. The latest posters feature Harada, Mariko, and Shingen, and just as before, I’d love to get every single one of these up on my wall.

If the film turns out half as good as these posters, we’re in for a treat with The Wolverine. Check out the new images below, and be sure to let us know what you think!

Mariko

Harada

Shingen

Based on the celebrated comic book arc, this epic action-adventure takes Wolverine (Jackman), the most iconic character of the X-Men universe, to modern day Japan. Out of his depth in an unknown world he will face a host of unexpected and deadly opponents in a life-or-death battle that will leave him forever changed. Vulnerable for the first time and pushed to his physical and emotional limits, he confronts not only lethal samurai steel but also his inner struggle against his own immortality. Directed By James Mangold, The Wolverine hits theaters in 2D & 3D on July 26, 2013.