"Heartless"

"Succubus, huh? Well, that settles it. I'm definitely not buying her breakfast."

"Heartless" is the eighth episode of Season Two of Fox's Sleepy Hollow. It was written by Albert Kim and directed by David Boyd. It is the twenty-first episode of the series overall, and debuted on November 10, 2014.

Synopsis[]

Crane and Abbie set out to take down a succubus whom Henry has sent out to drain the life forces out of its victims.^[1]

Recap[]

Reunited with her husband, Katrina tries to give him what he needs to trust her again. He worries that secrecy is hard habit to breaks and she replies, "I am sorry, and I pray that you can learn to trust me again. We need each other, as husband and wife, to win this war." They are interrupted by Abbie trying to track down Henry after he was quiet for a week. She figures he is up to something. In his lair, Henry takes a human heart out of a clay pot and recites a chant which starts it beating. Moments later a naked woman appears, and Henry tells her it's time to get to work.

That evening, in a club, a shy young man tries to get up the nerve to talk to a girl. The Succubus Henry summoned transmutes her appearance into something like a female equivalent of the young man, and then propositions him. They are then seen in a car together and after he asks her name, she transforms into a demon and sucks his life force out of him.

Abbie and Crane arrive on the scene and after seeing the body, Abbie questions Crane's hope for Henry, as this seems to be his work, "And you still think there's some good left in him? Maybe, somewhere deep down, there is, but at what point do you say that that no longer matters?" Back at his baste, Henry mirror-conferences with a very angry Abraham, who wants Katrina back. Henry reminds him that Moloch has forbidden Abraham from going after her, and they have a new plan. The Succubus arrives moments later and expels her victim's life force into a glass jar.

Abbie and Crane try to identify the creature responsible for the death at the club, and Katrina notes that the puncture wounds are over a "...Vitae vis; a life force. There are certain points in the body through which a person's life force flows, this is a major artery. There are certain creatures that can be identified by the vitae vis point they target, perhaps that would help you narrow your search." She then has a vision of a crying baby in a crib which worries Crane. Abbie tries to make plans with Crane, but he is more concerned about escorting Katrina home.

Meanwhile, in a diner, a young man tries to tell his girlfriend's friend that he is uninterested in her, and she tells him he has the wrong idea, and leaves, embarrassed. In the parking lot, she meets the Succubus, who appears as similar to the girlfriend upon whom she actually does have a crush. The Succubus seductively comforts the girl, then steals her life force.

Upon Katrina's advice, Crane thinks they might consider mystical artifacts as well as creatures, but Abbie is a step ahead, and is already meeting with Hawley. Hawley tries to talk Abbie into a date but she is more focused on getting answers he does not have answers and Abby leaves soon after. Hawley turns his attention to a woman in the bar. Abbie, Crane, and Katrina eventually put the clues together and come to the conclusion they are dealing with a Succubus, Katrina explains that they are drawn to secret desires and can mimic people's desires. This is illustrated at the bar where the Succubus buys Hawley a drink.

Katrina recites a spell to try to track the succubus, she drips wax on a map and it encircles the harbor, Abbie realizes that the Succubus is at Hawley's boat. Abbie and Crane arrive at the dock and hear Hawley struggling with the Succubus, who has morphed into her demon form. Crane attacks the Succubus with a pole while Hawley uses a crystal, pressing it into her skin, burning her, even as the Succubus draws out his life force. Abbie arrives and shoots the Succubus sending her into retreat, but does not harm her.

While Abbie calls Katrina, Crane tells Hawley that that the creature is drawn to those with secret desires, and Crane notes the way Hawley is looking at Abbie. Abbie tells them that Katrina's magic is unable to track the Succubus at that moment, and they have no idea where she went.

Crane returns to the cabin, he wakes Karina up from a nightmare in which she saw a crying baby in a cradle and Henry standing over it. She tells Crane it's like a part of her is elsewhere and can't let go. Abbie arrives and reveals that succubi usually feed monthly and cannot understand why this one is feeding so much. Katrina then has a vision of the succubus standing over the cradle with Henry and his soul jar. When Katrina describes Frederick's Manor covered in vines, they tell her she is seeing the present. Katrina tries to focus her vision and sees the contents of the jar being poured onto a writhing green demon baby. Katrina recognizes it as the one that was inside her -- Moloch. It appears that Henry summoned the succubus to complete the process that began inside Katrina. Abbie and Katrina argue over whether Henry can be saved, and Crane has to break up the fight.

Returning to the archives, Abbie finds a description of the succubus which calls her Incordata. Crane finds a reference which indicates that the Incordata's heart is stored separately from her body, and she can be killed if her heart is destroyed. A story explained that in the first century, a Roman priest defeated an Incordata, and was immortalized as St. Valentine, hence the custom of giving hearts on Valentine's Day. Katrina explains that the heart would have to be on consecrated ground or in a cemetery. Abbie discovers that Henry recently bought a plot at a cemetery. Crane suggests Abbie go with Katrina to protect her and when she points out Crane doesn't know what the succubus looks like, he answers that Hawley does.

Hawley and Crane return to the club, where they plan to wait until Katrina and Abbie destroy the heart. Hawley gives Crane a mystical knife to use in fighting the succubus and soon after the succubus arrives, seeking out her next victim. At the cemetery, Abbie and Katrina search for the heart and notice a hex inscribed over a crypt. Back at the club, Hawley tries to remember what the succubus looks like, but explains that it is more of a feeling than anything else. Suddenly he sees the succubus, but then she disappears, Crane and Hawley split up to follow her. Crane manages to follow her into a storage room where she traps him.

Katrina finds the heart jar and when it is opened Abbie sees maggots and Katrina sees rats, because a spell of avoidance that preys on individual fears. Abbie gathers her courage and puts her hand into the jar, removing the heart. Meanwhile the Succubus appears to Crane as Katrina. She tells Crane she can sense his desire and also his doubts, trying to ensnare him. As this unfolds, Katrina begins her spell to destroy the heart and Abbie calls Hawley, who tells her he lost Crane.

The succubus approaches Crane, but he stabs her. Katrina does not finish the spell when she is thrown back by a burst of energy and knocked out. Abbie sees the heart is still beating, which means the succubus is still alive, and is seen drawing out Crane's life force. Hawley enters the room and attacks the succubus.

Abbie picks up Katrina's spell book and starts reading the spell, completing the ritual which causes the heart to smoulder, burst into flames, and is destroyed. The succubus attacks Hawley, when Crane throws the knife into her back. When she turns and charges him, Crane shoots the Succubus with Hawley's revolver. The Succubus bursts into flames and then disintegrates into nothingness.

Abbie helps Katrina out of the crypt, and tells her that they are stronger with her help than without. Katrina knows Henry will try again, and Abbie thinks at first that Katrina agrees that Henry must be stopped, but Katrina says she has to destroy Moloch to break her son's ties to the demon. Katrina can sense his growing power, but he is still vulnerable and Katrina thinks she can convince Abraham to take her back. Knowing that Crane will never let her go, she asks Abbie to tell him that she has moved to destroy Moloch, she cannot face leaving him again. At the cabin, Abbie finds Hawley bandaging himself and she gives him what's left of the charred heart for him to sell.

Crane arrives and Abbie tells him that Katrina has gone back to Fredericks Manor. Although not happy with the decision, he thinks it's a bold move, and could pay off. He says Abbie was right about letting relationships evolve, "Katrina is the love of my life. But she is also a highly skilled operative, a fact I tend to overlook. Katrina's heart has always been deep and mysterious, a fact she has used to her advantage."

Katrina returns to Abraham, who asks Henry to let her stay. Standing over the crib in Fredericks Manor, Henry agrees, checking that Katrina is wearing her necklace. Henry allows her to see Moloch in the crib which Katrina sees as a baby boy and not a demon lord. She smiles.

Cast[]

Starring[]

Tom Mison as Ichabod Crane
Nicole Beharie as Lieutenant Abbie Mills
Orlando Jones as Frank Irving (credit only)
Katia Winter as Katrina Crane
Lyndie Greenwood as Jenny Mills (credit only)
John Noble as Jeremy Crane

Guest Starring[]

Co-Starring[]

Jeremy Owens as Headless Horseman
Elena Sanchez as Lilith (demon)
Greg Perrow as Duncan
Connor McCabe as Robbie
Raven Angeline Whisnant as Kalinda
Colin Owens as Eric
Jenna Bryant as Melissa
Mary Russell as Becky
Brett Kelley as Bachelor
Sophia Grillo as Bachelorette
Kevin Patrick Murphy as Bartender

Trivia[]

The title refers to the demon they hunt in episode, however, the Japanese title is more descriptive with the objective of the monster whereas the US title took after the Succubus' other name - The Incordata.

Body Count[]

Robbie - Lilith drained his life-force in his car outside of the club PRAVДA
Becky - Lilith drained her life-force.
Lilith - Heart destroyed by Katrina and Abbie's spell and body finished off by Nick Hawley's mystical gun.