"The Midnight Ride"

"What do you think I'm going to tell him? The Headless Horseman is mowing down people to bring about the end of days? For further questions, please call Ichabod Crane, the man who beheaded him in 1781."

—Frank Irving to Ichabod Crane

"The Midnight Ride" is the seventh episode of Season One of Fox's Sleepy Hollow. It was written by Heather V. Regnier and directed by Doug Aarniokoski. It is the seventh episode of the series overall, and debuted on November 11, 2013.

Synopsis[]

Abbie and Ichabod must find hidden clues to thwart the evil in Sleepy Hollow and Abbie gets an unexpected visit from the late Andy Brooks.^[1]

Recap[]

Beginning in Boston, 1775 the episode opens with The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere. As four men join together to ride, a Hessian cuts down three men with his axe as they race to escape.

Back in Sleepy Hollow, Abbie brings supplies to Crane’s cabin. he is amazed by the inclusion of bottled water, pointing out the lake. and she explains about toxins in the water, he is appalled by the idea. When an alarm indicates sundown, she tells him to go meet with the Freemasons, since they have a “no girls allowed” rule.

She sees Luke who asks her what she’s prepping for. It turns out Jenny is getting out and moving in with her tomorrow. He tries to talk to her and she says tomorrow afternoon they’ll talk. He leaves, and someone calls out to him from the alleyway. When he approaches, he realizes it’s Brooks, who they all thought was dead. Brooks proceeds to threaten him to stay away from Abbie.

Abbie returns to her car to find that Crane has left her a voice mail saying she deserves to be at the meeting and he’ll change the “no girls allowed” rule for her. She should meet him at the lodge to plan for the Horseman’s arrival.When Crane gets there, he can’t locate anyone. He arms himself with a sword and moves through the house, just as Abbie arrives to see the Horseman through the window, and Crane at the other window. He finds all of his fellow Freemasons headless when Abbie joins him and they both watch the Horseman ride off.

Captain Irving arrives on the scene and warns them both that there better not be a headless perp in their recounting of events. He explains that the working theory is a cult ritual suicide, which Crane finds absurd. While going over the scene on his own, Crane finds a ring on one man’s hand and finds the information he had been seeking about the Horseman has been ripped out of the book. They realize that the Horseman was after his skull, apparently assuming it was in the possession of the Freemasons. If the Horseman gets to it before they do, the other three Horsemen will rise.

They ask Irving for the skull to be destroyed. He is in disbelief, explaining that he had the skull sent out to an independent lab. He is no longer so disbelieving that he doesn’t go to the lab himself to check on the skull. The evidence technician, Paul, tells him that the skull is a mystery – the biopsy came back unreadable. There’s no DNA markers, no cell structure, no signs of life. Irving asks for a box and neither of them notice the eyes open.

The Headless Horseman enters, guns blazing, and kills Paul. When Irving fires back, he narrowly avoids being beheaded by the thrown axe. By shooting a pipe to allow steam out, Irving is able to grab the head and escape. He brings the head back to Crane and Abbie, and tells them of what he saw. All of the cameras cut out around the time of the attack, so there’s no evidence of what happened, but now Irving cannot deny the truth of the Horseman.

This leaves Abbie and Crane to destroy the skull. They try to smash it, burn it in acid, break it with a sledgehammer, and blow it up, but nothing works. Their next option is to take it to an industrial compactor to be smashed. However, on the way there Crane notices four lanterns hanging in a clock tower. When Crane gets closer, it turns out the lanterns are the four heads of the dead Freemasons. Crane is furious at the offense. He remembers a time when Adams gave Paul Revere a document with a demonic heptogram on the manuscript, they were secrets for conquering evil, and Crane realizes that’s what the Masons wanted to tell him – the Headless Horseman’s weakness.

Crane and Abbie visit the Tarrytown Museum of Colonial History where the manuscript is kept, but not without Crane harrumphing over what a tour guide is teaching children about Paul Revere. Abbie tells him the manuscript is actually in London, but that it’s also online. And even if he doesn’t understand what that means, she assures him it’s a good thing. They figure out that the manuscript is coded with a Vigenere Cipher, but without the code word it’s impossible to decipher. Abbie forgets about her coffee date with Luke, and calls him to cancel. He is still haunted by Brooks, and chooses not to answer her call.

Brooks appears, and is promptly elbowed in the face by Abbie, who tells him he’s supposed to be dead. Andy is stuck and just wants it to end, but “he” won’t let it and Brooks tells Abbie he’s only trying to protect her. Meanwhile, Crane discovers the code word they were searching for – Cicero, written on the back of the Horseman’s teeth by Paul Revere. Crane looks for Abbie and finds her with Brooks, they have a bit of a tense stand-off, but Brooks insists he’s only there to help. Crane tells him to tell the Horseman to meet in the cemetery when night falls before he leaves.

The Witnesses go through the manuscript and learn that Death can’t be slain, but can be captured and enslaved with the help of a witch who turns the moon to the sun. Crane gets concerned about their inability to summon Katrina for help and Abbie realizes they don’t need a witch if they use UV light to simulate the sun. They need Captain Irving’s help to follow through with their plan, and hopes keep the Horseman in a cell designed by Thomas Jefferson situated beneath the archives. Before they put the plan into action, Abbie and Crane discuss their unique position as witnesses and how Abbie can’t share the things she’d like to with Luke, even if she wanted to.

When the sun goes down, Crane informs the Horseman of his reply – holding up the skull with a candle in it. Crane then rides on horseback through the cemetery and towards the trap. The Horseman follows him through the tunnels and finds a fake head, causing him to smash every fake head he comes across. The real head as the one that Abbie is carrying and she snuffs out the light and runs. She falls down and begins to yell for Crane, crawling away from the Horseman as best she can. When she gets to a spot, she signals Irving to turn on the UV lights – effectively trapping the Horseman.

Cast[]

Starring[]

Tom Mison as Ichabod Crane
Nicole Beharie as Lieutenant Abbie Mills
Orlando Jones as Captain Frank Irving
Katia Winter as Katrina Crane (credit only)

Guest Starring[]

John Cho as Andy Brooks
Nicholas Gonzalez as Detective Luke Morales

Co-Starring[]

Jeremy Owens as Headless Horseman
Richard Cetrone as Headless Horseman (weapons)
Craig Branham as Headless Horseman (horseback)
Daniel J. Roberts as Tour Guide
Vince Pisani as Paul Short
Déjá Dee as Desk Clerk
Allen O'Reilly as Samuel Adams
Paul Burke as Paul Revere
Rebecca Morris as Mom
Zach Shirey as Son
Erica Page as Chat Lady

Trivia[]

Title[]

This episode was initially titled as God, Honor, Fatherland.^[2]

Movie References[]

When the Headless Horseman chases the riders in the flashback, he spins his axe around in his hand once before the first strike. This is a reference to Christopher Walken's role as the Horseman in Tim Burton's movie Sleepy Hollow.