Juan Barquin / Columnist
There’s a whisper in the wind coming through your bedroom window late at night. If you listen closely enough, it’s telling you to stop whatever you’re doing so it can recommend a new television series.
That’s a pretty weird thing for the wind, or a ghost or whatever it is, to tell you, but it happened anyway because life is full of all sorts of weird surprises. Speaking of those, there’s a little town known as Sleepy Hollow that’s full of much stranger things, and it’s plenty more fun to experience than reality.
Far from one of Tim Burton’s richest films of the same name that came before, FOX’s “Sleepy Hollow” is an entertaining new interpretation of Washington Irving’s short story “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.” In this modern-day world, Ichabod Crane (Tom Mison) is a professor and soldier from the Revolutionary War era who finds himself resurrected in present day. Here, he attempts to stop his fated enemy, the Headless Horseman, who just happens to be Death, riding his pale horse to signal the coming apocalypse.
Sure, there is no shortage of horror programming that relies on the impending apocalypse as its main plot point, “Supernatural” among the most recent and similar in style, but who cares as long as it works? Much like the aforementioned series, “Sleepy Hollow” also features its own version of the buddy cop dynamic, with Nicole Beharie co-starring as Abbie Mills, a detective tasked with being one of the witnesses to the apocalypse mentioned in the Book of Revelation alongside Crane.
What really makes the show work is the decision to avoid focusing solely on one of the two characters, genuinely providing insight into both their personalities and backstories instead of just Crane’s. It’s rare to see a white man and black woman sharing the screen together without an ounce of favoritism and without the latter becoming a stereotype — and that’s something to be especially appreciated.
As a matter of fact, it’s arguably one of the most diverse and well-rounded casts on network television, with other actors of color like Orlando Jones, John Cho and Lyndie Greenwood filling out
supporting roles. Between this and “Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” FOX almost seems to be making amends for all the nonsense stereotyping on “Glee” and the outright racism of their worst new series “Dads,” so I’m not complaining.
The show isn’t without its flaws, from the ridiculous special effects to some wacky little decisions in camerawork when it comes to period scenes, but those features almost make it a more endearing experience. Nothing about the show screams seriousness, regardless of its literally apocalyptic nature, and it embraces its loopier aspects, the chopping off of heads and use of Middle English especially, with a little camp and self-awareness.
“Sleepy Hollow” actually tends to mirror the well-loved series “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” in general vibe and style at times. Albeit it’s a lot more interested in properly blending the monster-of-the-week episode with the series arc, but the similarities between the two shows are hard to ignore. While the horror features of “Buffy” have dated plenty since the ‘90s, “Sleepy Hollow” has a pretty solid grasp on how to utilize atmosphere and even jump scares at times to complement the origins of its story.
And it’s really that mixture of witchcraft, wildness and wit that makes “Sleepy Hollow” such a pleasure to watch. It’s a show that knows exactly how to balance its mysterious side with all the delightful banter and dramatic momentum that Crane and Mills bring to the table.
If FOX, never known for giving niche shows a chance, is actually putting their money on this surprising little hit with a second season order, you should give it a go. too. You can catch up on every episode so far on FOX’s website or Hulu.
juan.barquin@fiusm.com
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