"Child's Play"

"Welcome to the Vault.... the most amazing library ever. An archive of the incredible, a repository of the impossible, a storehouse of secrets great and small.... This is the untold history of America. This is a collection of weapons from myth and lore. And this is classified supernatural information that's only revealed to sitting U.S. presidents."

—Jake Wells to Molly Thomas

"Child's Play" is the ninth episode of Season Four of Fox's Sleepy Hollow. It was written by Francisca X. Hu and directed by Michael Goi. It is the fifty-eighth episode of the series overall, and debuted on March 3, 2017.

Synopsis[]

When a monster appears that resembles Molly's childhood imaginary friend, Diana realizes her daughter's life as a Witness will be anything but normal. Meanwhile, Molly gets her chance to see the vault for the first time.^[1]

Recap[]

Jake is seen running desperately through the forest... he trips. Another runner on the obstacle course complains that he's holding people up, and jogs on. Alex comes over and wonders why they're there, and Jake insists that he needs to be ready. She points out that Jake just took down a demonic djinn and saved lives--including hers--and he has nothing to prove. Despite that, Jake tells her to time him as he goes at it again.

At school, class ends and Diana enters as the art teacher, Mr. David, tells Molly that her last few assignments seemed incomplete. Indifferent, she starts to leave, and Diana tells her to pay attention. Molly shrugs and leaves, and Mr David asks Diana if everything is okay at home, he says that Molly hasn't been herself recently, and asks Diana to come by later to discuss it because he has to attend a faculty meeting.

As Diana and Molly drive home, Diana tries to talk to her daughter about what happened. She says that school is important even with everything that is happening, and it's good for them to do normal things. Molly figures that strange things will continue happen to them. She says that her vision of Mr Crane in the future, when he was so scared and alone haunts her. Diana decides to show her what she is involved in and says she has something to show Molly and takes her to the Vault.

At the Vault, Jake tells Molly that the place is a library of the impossible. Molly perks up and Alex asks her to help test out an Amerindian relic. Diana tells Molly that she gets to be a part of a secret club, and Molly agrees that it's cool. Diana says that she has to do some stuff, and Jake and Alex will show her around until Crane gets there.

Malcolm lies on a bed of nails and tells Jobe that Indian ascetics have used the same technique to enhance their vision. He needs to extend his own visions, and has Jobe put a stone on his chest. The demon says that he hopes Malcolm finds what he seeks and then hits the stone with a hammer....Malcolm sits at a dinner table outside the White House as Molly cheerfully sketches him. She asks for the nearby string quartet to play her favorite, and Malcolm chuckles, saying that he can't deny her anything....Malcolm sits up and the penetration marks on his back instantly heal. He tells Jobe that in his visions of the future he isn't alone.

At the Vault, Alex and Jake go to get takeout. Molly is examining the hat worn by Davy Crockett, and Crane explains that it's made of Wendigo pelt. She wonders where the monsters come from, and Crane explains that they can come from Purgatory and dimensional pockets, and are usually summoned by evil people. Molly says that she knows a good monster, an imaginary friend she made up when she was little. She shows Crane sketches that she made of "Mr. Stitch," and hums the song that he used to sing her.

In an underground chamber, something emerges.

Crane shows Molly the secret tunnels beneath DC and they yell, testing the echoes. Further along in the tunnels, Mr. Stitch moves, triggering one of Benjamin Banneker's wards. In the Vault, metal shutters slam down on the vault doors and Crane realizes that he can't open them. Outside, Jake tries to tap out a message against the door, but Crane simply responds with the intercom.

Alex assumes that it's a security system, and Jake finds Benjamin Banneker's mark on the door. They surmise that they are warded against supernatural threats. Diana arrives and Alex says that Molly is safe and it's probably just a short in the system. Jake finds wards carved at a later time, and among them is a federal ID. Alex looks it up and discovers that it belongs to a Claudia Russell, who was their predecessor at the Vault, working there until 2011. They get her address, and Diana says that she has to meet with r David. Jake and Alex tell her to go ahead and meet with the teacher, and Diana says that she'll be with them as soon as she can.

In his classroom, Mr David turns to see a cloth-wrapped glad figure in his doorway. The figure charges at him and beats him down. Diana arrives a few minutes later and finds a badly injured teacher on the classroom floor. She calls for an ambulance and notices a swatch of a child's blanket clutched in David's hand. When the EMTs arrive and take David away, Diana calls Crane and tells him what happened. She explains about Mr. Stitch, and Crane says that Molly showed him a picture of the creature. They guess that Molly's imaginary friend has come to life, and Crane says that he'll talk to Molly. Diana goes to the house to get Molly's old drawings.

Jake and Alex go to Claudia's house in the country. He says that when he was transferred to Vault 355, the place has been without an attendent for years, and he hopes that Claudia can fill in the gaps. They knock at the front door and a shotgun blast goes off through the door. Alex peers through the resulting hole and realizes that the door is booby trapped. They slip inside and find a woman's desiccated corpse in a chair.

At her home, Diana goes through Molly's drawings. Jenny enters, saying Crane briefed her, and Diana shows her the original blanket. It is intact. Jenny says that Crane is looking into the spell that activated the creature, and asks for details. Diana explains that when Molly was 6, Diana told her to draw what made her happy.

Alex finds a VHS tape of Claudia who seems to have descended into total paranoia. She says that some creature got her despite all the hexes and wards that she puts up, and warns that evil always finds a way. Claudia talks about how they thought they had all the advantages, including the Vault, but people forgot to be afraid of the monsters. She says that she never forgot about the sacrifices they made, and mentions her friend Michael. After what happened to him, Claudia left the Vault to get away from the demons and the memories. She warns that they'll find her because evil never forgets, but she'll be ready for them.

Crane tries to move a desk while looking for escape routes, and says that they should never wait for people to help them. As he works, he asks Molly if she's heard of the legend of Pygmalion. She hasn't, and Crane explains that Pygmalion fell in love with his sculpture of a beautiful woman, and he entreated the gods to bring her to life. He says that passion and artistic talent can bring something to life, and explains that they believe Mr. Stitch attacked Mr. David. Crane asks if she's dabbled with magic recently, and Molly insists that she's been careful. When Crane asks why Molly thinks Mr. Stitch would have gone after David, Molly insists that she is not mad at him. She says that her mother thinks she is but she's not. She says with frustration Diana who can't understand what she is feeling.

As Diana and Jenny leave the house, the ward on the wall glows green. Mr. Stitch appears and advances on them. Jenny shoots it but it shrugs off the bullets and knocks her aside. Diana shoots at it as, well, but it keeps advancing. Jenny grabs a shovel and knocks it back, and they get inside. The creature grabs Diana's throat but the women manage to slam the door shut, breaking its grip. They then go back outside but Mr. Stitch has disappeared. The sun has just set, and Diana explains that in Molly's stories, Mr. Stitch went to bed as sundown.

As Diana and Jenny drive to the Vault, they call Crane and tell him what happened. He speculates that a basic summoning ritual will draw Mr. Stitch out. Among Molly's sketches are those of a now closed amusement park that Molly used to love. They think that Mr. Stitch is drawn there, and Jenny passes on Crane's theory that Mr. Stitch is going after those who Molly has subconscious negative emotions for. Diana is shocked that somewhere in her mind, Molly hates her. Jenny assures her that Molly loves Diana so much that she can't tell her that her feelings without hurting her mother, and Jenny says that something bigger than life is sending Diana a message.

Jake and Alex bring back Claudia's notes and find a reference to the Norse glyphs that she used. The actuators are magical and physical, meaning that reading the glyphs will give them access to a servo. The servo is located in a utility chamber and the entry point is inside the vault… and there's one other problem. The agents give Crane directions to the narrow tunnel that leads to the servo. Molly offers to go but Crane forbids it. Alex points out that the servo is close enough that Crane can talk to her constantly. The girl says that she wants to do it and the situation is her fault, and Crane reluctantly agrees to let her try.

Crane lowers Molly down on a rope and Jake reads the glyph. Molly finds the other set of glyphs on the servo and manages to shift the first two levers. The third one is jammed, and Molly finds what appears to be another way out. She removes the rope from her waist and heads down the tunnel, before Crane realizes that she's on her own. Jake and Alex head to the alley where the tunnel leads. Molly comes to a grate and manages to open it. Malcolm grabs her hands and pulls her out.

Diana and jenny arrive at the abandoned amusement park and Jenny says that Ichabod told her that a simple decomposition spell should do the trick. They go to the play ship in Molly's drawings.

Malcolm introduces himself and says that he's heard a lot about her. He tells her that she's special, and assures her that she is blessed with an extraordinary capacity for creativity and vision. Malcolm says that he's been following her progress for a while and asks if she's happy; he doesn't think that she is, and that she knows deep down that something's not right with her and her family and the world. Malcolm tells her that it's going to get better. Molly says that she has to get back to her friends, and Malcolm takes her hand and says that he'll see her soon. Jake and Alex after he leaves and Molly realizes that Malcolm gave her something.

Jenny prepares the decomposition spell and the two women set the blanket in the middle of a circle. As Jenny begins the spell, Mr. Stitch arrives and Diana tells Jenny that she'll distract it. She shoots the creature and runs into a nearby fun-house. Mr. Stitch goes after her. The creature smashes through the walls and knocks her down, but Jenny arrives and hits it with a board. Mr. Stitch knocks her aside and goes after Diana... just as Molly, Jake, and Alex arrive. Molly apologizes for bringing Mr. Stitch there, and says that she should have talked to Diana.

Jake and Alex take Jenny to the spell circle. Molly tells Diana that she doesn't like it when she keeps things from her. She admits that she's angry with Diana, and Diana says that she can let it all out. As they hug, Jenny sets the blanket on fire and completes the spell. The sparks surround Mr. Snitch, and Molly says goodbye to it as it disappears.

The next day, Jenny goes into the duct to release the last lever. Alex says that Claudia's documents are a tale of woe that is their future as well. Jake tells her that they're different because they have the others. He insists that they won't lose each other like Claudia lost Michael, and promises that the two of them will end it together just like they started. Jenny opens the door and Jake gives Crane his Chinese takeout.

Later, Alex finds an item that fell out of Molly's backpack. There's a tablet with a Wiccan hex on it, and the person who donated the tablet to the local schools is Malcolm. She figures that Malcolm planted the device on Molly to conjure the monster, and specifically targeted her.

Malcolm shuts down the company and an executive tells Helen that their former boss is crazy. She says that she figures Malcolm is after something different now. Meanwhile, Malcolm oversees the building's shutdown. He tells Jobe that he's decides to let the business go because it no longer brings him joy. He needs every resource to move on to the next phase, and asks Jobe how his team is coming along. The demon says that the second recruit is ready to be plucked soon. Jobe asks what Malcolm plans to do with Molly, and Malcolm says that he didn't know was how much he could mean to her. He figures that she needs a father in her life.