BWW Recap: Time to Discover SLEEPY HOLLOW's Hidden 'Magnum Opus'

It pains me to admit this, SLEEPY HOLLOW, but for a while this season, I felt like you were losing your momentum. Sure, your episodes were fine, but sometimes it seemed like you were reaching. They certainly weren't always the power-packed, dramatic tales from season one that we grew to know and love. Tonight's episode started in quite the same way. And then it made a complete 180 and suddenly, we were back to the good ol' days, fighting Moloch and all his henchmen like it's our job! Just in time, too, since Moloch is growing stronger and the impending apocalypse could happen, like, any second now.

Since the stakes are so high, our heroes get right to work! Wait, what? What do you mean our heroes take time to play a game before they get to work? Fine, I guess they deserve a break. Maybe they do need some downtime to relax: Ichabod is hearing voices! Abbie hears them too, and Ichabod realizes he's not going crazy after all. He turns around to see Katrina speaking to him through a mirror. She's concerned, and says that she failed her mission. Not only is Moloch still alive, but he's stronger than ever. Ichabod tells her about the mysterious weapon capable of defeating Moloch that him and Abbie read about in Abbie's mother's journals, but Katrina is forced to leave; Abraham is coming. As Katrina leaves the room, Henry enters and takes control of the mirror. He spies on Ichabod and Abbie, and succeeds in making me even more scared of mirrors than I already was. Henry watches as Ichabod deciphers Abbie's mother's code, realizing that the phrase "chosen words" is an anagram for "Enoch's sword." That sword must be the weapon they're looking for.

Meanwhile, en route to Canada, Jenny gets a text from Abbie warning her about police checkpoints that are being set up in an attempt to catch Irving, who sits comfortably in the passenger's seat. They're not too concerned yet, since they haven't encountered any of the checkpoints so far. Until they see one, it's off to Canada as if nothing is strange at all.

After some clever code breaking, Ichabod discovers that they're looking for the Sword of Methuselah, which, according to ancient scripture, can kill any being on Earth. Methuselah himself (you know him, right?) used it to kill demons. Even more clever code breaking reveals that the image of the divided snake that was in Abbie's mother's journal was a copy of one created by Benjamin Franklin in a political cartoon aimed at uniting the colonies. The shape of the snake matches the river, and Ichabod and Abbie set out to find the sword. But don't forget: Henry's been watching this all play out. He knows their plan, and he sends his own man - the Headless Horseman - out to find the sword before Ichabod and Abbie. Katrina tries (and fails miserably) to distract Abraham, but he's determined.

Back to Jenny and Irving. Sure enough, they encounter security checkpoints on their way to Canada. Irving insists that Jenny let him out of the car, so she does - but not before giving him a burner phone and devising a plan to reconvene by a bridge later on. Irving agrees, and he does a nice little tuck and roll out of the moving car and into the woods on the side of the road.

Ichabod and Abbie finally make it to the end of the river, and they find a stone building...or, rather, what's left of a stone building. Abbie's been here before, though, when she dreamt about seeing her mother in purgatory. Her nice little moment of nostalgia is destroyed when the Headless Horseman gallops his way in, prepared to fulfill the task Henry has given him. He hears Abbie, locks eyes on her (or at least, hones in on her position...), and points his gun at hear head. (Side note: how does the Horseman see? He has to see somehow, otherwise how would he know where he was going? Does he use echolocation, like a bat? Or does he rely on his trusty steed? We may never know.) Ichabod calls him by his name, distracts him from Abbie, and leads him into a clearing, just in time for him to be scorched by the rising sun. Smooth move indeed, Ichabod.

After several flashbacks, we learn just how close Ichabod and Abraham used to be. In fact, Abraham is the one who convinced Ichabod to come to America in the first place, and he's even the one who introduces Ichabod to Katrina. Their fates are forever intertwined. Abbie listens as Ichabod recounts his past with Abraham, but she's more focused on the task at hand. Before the Horseman left, he stole a plaque, which had an image of a snake eating its tail on the outside of it. Ichabod recognizes this as a common symbol of the Knights Templar, usually associated with the phrase, "As above, so below." That's when it dawns on them...the sword is beneath their feet! They dig, and sure enough, they find a passage. They trek down the spiral staircase and find a room full of strikingly true-to-life stone statues. Abbie recognizes one of the statues as one of her ancestors, and that's when Ichabod realizes that something is terribly, terribly wrong. They leave, but not before the gorgon can scare them half to death.

The gorgon turns anybody who looks at it into stone, which explains why the "statues" looked so similar to actual people. Since no one can look at it without dying, Abbie creates a plan: they'll lure the Horseman into the cavern, and rely on him to kill the gorgon, since he doesn't have any eyes, and therefore, cannot gaze at it. Their plan works, and Ichabod and Abbie find the room with the sword while Abraham kills the gorgon.

Abbie's not just going to be able to stroll into the room and yank out the sword, though. That'd be too easy. Instead, she must take her time, and pick one of the many options. Ichabod manages to keep Abraham busy by challenging him to a duel. After intense discernment, Abbie chooses a sword, but they all immediately turn into snakes. Ichabod comes in to check on her progress, but is followed closely by Abraham. By the way, the cave apparently breaks enchantments, and allows you to see people in their true form. In other words, Abraham looks like Abraham, and not like the Headless Horseman. The pair lie to the Horseman, and tell him that the sword doesn't exist after all. Abraham doesn't really care, though. He's just heard a trumpet sound, which signals the start of...well, the apocalypse. Together, Abbie and Ichabod light the oil in the vat in the middle of the room, and the Sword of Gryffindor - sorry, the Sword of Methuselah - reveals itself. Ichabod is ready to take on the Devil.

But what about Irving? Jennie waits at the rendezvous point, but receives a mysterious voicemail. It's from Irving. He's decided to stay underground, hiding on his own. He doesn't want to ruin anybody else's life. Jenny is upset, but she understands. She's a good kid, that Jenny Mills.

Henry's not a great kid, though. Actually, he's probably the worst child a parent could ever dream of. He prepares for the rise of Moloch with a giant ring of fire outside of the cabin, and I can't help but to wonder where all of the neighbors are during this and why they don't' complain. I guess that's just another question we'll never know the answer to.

Next week is the fall finale. What do you think is going to happen? Will the Sword of Methuselah be enough to defeat Moloch, or will Ichabod and Abbie have to think of something else? Let us know in the comments below or tell me on Twitter @CourtHenley!

Check out a sneak peek at next week's episode below:

Photos courtesy of FOX.

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