Sleepy Hollow has been a hit with critics but itās really struggled in the ratings since its first season. The show has built a loyal fanbase as it brings the story of Ichabod Crane (Tom Mison) to the small screen placing him in the 21st Century and partnering him with Lieutenant Abbie Mills (Nicole Behari) to solve supernatural cases. Sleepy Hollow is currently airing its third season in the US, which recently had a crossover with Bones, and here in the UK the second season was recently released on DVD and Blu-ray.
The action in season 2 picks up exactly where the season 1 finale Bad Blood left off. After the reveal that Henry Parrish (John Noble) was really the son of Ichabod and Katrina (Katia Winter) and one of the four horsemen of the apocalypse, Ichabod was buried in a casket and Abbie was stranded in purgatory. Katrina meanwhile is being held captive under the orders of her father. Season 2 is essentially a battle between Ichabod, Abbie and Katrina against Henry as they try to stop the apocalypse from happening.
As with the first season of Sleepy Hollow not every single episode is a continuation of the overall arc. There are some standalone stories as Ichabod and Abbie fight the rising evil in Sleepy Hollow. For the second season Abbieās sister Jenny (Lyndie Greenwood) is a season regular and much more part of the action as she acts as an accomplice to her sister and Ichabod throughout the season. Abbie also has to contend with her new boss Leena Reyes (Sakina Jaffrey), who runs the department very different to former boss Frank Irving (Orlando Jones) and doesnāt approve of Abbieās partnership with Ichabod.
For its second season Sleepy Hollow gets an extended outing with 18 episodes as opposed to the first seasonās 13. That allows for the storylines to be expanded upon and the pace isnāt quite as frenetic as the first season was. It does mean that the show starts to lag a little bit in the middle though but thereās generally enough going on to hold your interest.
As always the partnership of Ichabod and Abbie is at the heart of the show. Actors Tom Mison and Nicole Beharie have a wonderful chemistry and itās refreshing to watch a show where the two leads arenāt forced into a romantic relationship. It may come further down the line but at this point itās unnecessary as Ichabod is so clearly in love with Katrina and Abbie has a platonic relationship with him. Lyndie Greenwood also deserves mention for her performance in season 2. She really steps it up and she becomes one of the most interesting characters in the season.
Extra features on the Blu-ray release include four behind-the-scenes featurettes taking a look at the season and the monsters, a selection of deleted scenes, a gag reel and audio commentaries on selected episodes.
Sleepy Hollow: The Complete Second Season is a little uneven in places and not as consistent as the first season but itās still a hugely enjoyable ride. With ratings having plummeted for its third season, weāre not sure weāll see a fourth but we have everything crossed. Sleepy Hollow is a show with a lot of potential and it would be a shame to see it cut short. The second season hits a lot more than it misses so we recommend that you grab your copy and join in the fun!