#TeamIchabod

The Death of Hope and the Murderers Who Killed It

As a person who watched this show consistently for the past 3 years, I can say that the biggest draw to this show was the equality in the partnership. As much as the Sleepy Hollow story is about Ichabod Crane, this show didn’t take place in his time period. It took place in hers. She was the touch stone. She was the audience’s point of reference. The human in the inhuman. The natural in the supernatural. They made her into a support beam when she was the foundation. Everyone loved the chemistry between the 2 characters and to have that constantly being thrown aside in season 2 and 3 was rude and oblivious. Sleepy Hollow had one of the largest minority supporting cast of any show right now, especially in the Sci first genre. Abbie was supposed to be a main character, the witness wife to Ichabod’s witness husband, but they treated her like a side chick. And on top of that, they played with us, the viewers, the fan base, so disgustingly.

They took all, that was sacred in this show burned it with Greek fire, had it dipped in acid, and fed it took Moloch’s minions. They went back on the biggest point of the serie’s mythos. It was the point that was hammered home every season. It was the reason the show was what it was. Every episode, every moment, every action was held to this idea. It was the reason Ichabod was saved in the first place. If it was not Abigail Mills he would fail. It was her presence, her existance, her partnership with him that made everything possible. She is not an interchangeable character. Yes, the witnesses support each other mutually, but the way things played out made Abbie’s character a stepping stool in HIS journey, rather than than a partner.

Sleepy Hollow writers made Ichabod into that kid in a project that gets all the credit for simply doing the easy half. They made him a coward. And on top of all that, after ship baiting all season, they couldn’t even be bothered to have him admit his feelings. Not even once. They tried top capitalise on us without giving us anything. They exploited the fan base and the fan base is very upset. They exploited Abbie and the fan base is livid. But because they exploited Nichole, there is no words for the hurt and rage the fan base currently feels.

At this point, it doesn’t matter who they bring in for the possible season 4. No one trusts them anymore. There is no fan base anymore. And a lot of people feel that even if they continue and bring in this relation of Abbie, she’s simply going to be an “appropriately white” relative. It will be the lightest of light skinned black girls. And who’s to say that they won’t just disregard their own timeline and mythos again and simp,y find some white girl who is going to be again distant relation? No matter who she is, she won’t have the same chemistry. She won’t be Abbie.

While I don’t particularly like this analogy, Ichabod is the brain and Abbie is the heart. As much as each one is important, the brain simply can’t survive without its heart. Abigail Mills stood for so much in an industry and genre the doesn’t love the Abigail Mills and Nichole Beharies of the world.

strong female characters are allowed to have relationships, be it with a hero, an anti-hero, a villain, whomever.  being in a relationship DOES NOT diminish a female character’s strength or their agency.  a female character does not have to forever be a lone wolf in order to validate her strength. 

What must've gone down at the first Sleepy Hollow writers' room meeting for season three:

Head Writer: So. We almost got canceled last season because instead of focusing on Ichabbie, platonic OR romantic, we put the spotlight on Katrina and didn't make her interesting or likable, and then we added in Hawley, who took away more time from the developing relationship between the Mills sisters. So we got rid of Katrina and Henry and Hawley and the fans came back to us. New year, new us, new season. What are your thoughts?

Writer #1: *raises his hand*

Head Writer: Yes?

Writer #1: *presses his fingertips to his lips for a moment* What if...we add in this super special awesome female character to be Crane's love interest in the past and then give him another love interest in the current time and then give Abbie a love interest that won't come to fruition until the last second and then instead of showing the blooming relationship between Ichabbie, we'll throw in those two things constantly until the fans are forced to recognize the true greatness of the show, which is things that are not Ichabbie?

Head Writer: ...

Head Writer: ...

Head Writer: So basically do the exact same thing that almost got us canceled last year?

Writer #1: *brightly* Yeah-huh!

Head Writer: ...

Head Writer: YASSSS BITCH YAASSSSS. HIGH FIVE BRO SEASON THREE IS COMIN' ATCHA!

Ichabod Crane + living the “What Would Abbie Mills Do?” life

submitted by @captainamuricasass

Leandra: Carver, don’t you have something to say to your sister? Carver: I’m sorry I flicked flour in your face. Leandra: Marian? Hawke: I’m sorry you’re my brother.

Raise your hand if you want Sleepy Hollow to be cancelled after that train wreck of a season finale

All that extra negativity over every small detail has deterred me from engaging with the fandom as a whole. I know the writers have messed up but the last episodes have been interesting and even then it's impossible to please everyone.

and that’s a shame, really. i mean… i’ve been in this fandom almost from the very beginning. i’ve made some pretty good friends in it, too, like… best friends. so i’m grateful for just that. i love these people.

but i do get it. it’s annoying. and it’s tiring. and it’s discouraging. to come up in here after what i think is an awesome episode to gush and squeal and instead have to block half the posts in the tag or on my dash… it’s like being a kid in a birthday party with a cute balloon and some asshole poking it with a stick until it pops. 

and it’s like. i see articles about how sleepy hollow is so bad now and i’m like

tbh, i don’t trust anyone who saw s2 and can say that with a straight face. it is objectively false that s3 is worse than 2.

does the show still have flaws? sure. the monsters are pretty hit or miss, betsy ross is still inexplicably a thing, and sleepy hollow the town still feels more like a stage than an actual town since they categorically refuse to build it up with people who are not victims of the week. but just in s3b–just since we’ve been back–we’ve had:

character development for abbie up the wazoo

team b having just as much time apart from team a to feel like their own people and not plot devices (granted the balance is off sometimes but nowhere near the flustercuck that was pushing jenny and frank away to focus on clifford the big red fail)

sophie, who is amazing and lovely

actual progress on mythology-building. like, the hidden one is a bag full of dicks and pandora needs to shank him and take her rightful place as queen but their backstories were super interesting and the twist they put on the pandora’s box story was cool and something i’d never seen before

joenny. i like them together and apart so i’m adding it, idgaf. their relationship does seem to leap forward jerkily at times, but they’re cute together and i’m not rooting for them to fail

a crane who is neither an asshole nor a buffoon

progress toward canon ichabbie that has been inexorable. that’s not me being some naïve dope. every single episode since the midseason premiere has made sure to built up the emotional connection between crane and abbie–and not just wrt to the witness bond, i’m talking crane the man and abbie the woman. even when they’re apart the show makes certain to point out that they should be together. explicitly and implicitly. 

so to see all that glossed over because ichabbie isn’t fucking yet is… frustrating. because even if you’re watching for just them, you’re getting stuff! good stuff! but nope. let’s wallow in negativity forever because goffman was a blind dipshit.

goffman is gone.

s1 was only doubleplusgood in the first half and it’s not coming back (plus it had its problems, then, too).

the headless horseman turned into a pile of shit and the show is better without him.

the show has moved past frank irving. headcanon him happy with his family and just let it go.

does it suck they’re gone? yeah, a bit. but the show isn’t broken because of it, and it’s silly af to act like it is. 

to clarify: not wanting to participate in renewal campaigns or polls or whatever because we’ve been burned before is fine. totally cool. understand completely. but to actively hope it fails or to pick apart the show to where the whole thing is bad because ONE THING hasn’t happened quickly enough to suit you is clownish bullshit. it just is.

so yeah, i completely understand you not wanting to engage. i wish we were in a place where i could tell you to engage anyway because it’s fun, but it hasn’t been, really. not lately. truthfully, every day i think about joining you and just tracking tags and reblogging gifsets and basically writing off fandom completely.

but.

i will say that there are still good people around. if you like, i’ll point you to a couple, even. just know you’re not alone in your fandom fatigue, nonny bunny. not at all.

New Motivator: Just know that anything you write will never be as bad as the Sleepy Hollow Season 3 finale.

Ichabbie - Sleepy Hollow Season finale [X]

Papa Mills Thinks Abbie and Crane Are Together

Even an absentee parent knows.