On the season 3 finale of Sleepy Hollow, “Ragnarok,” Abbie and Crane defeat the Hidden One, but the cost is higher than either could have imagined. If that isn’t enough, Pandora becomes determined to take her husband’s place and the Headless Horseman returns.
Crane has a lot on his mind. He’s just discovered Betsy Ross alive and well, and he still has to get Pandora’s box reassembled and save the world. They are keeping the fact that they are from the future under wraps or risk throwing the time stream into utter chaos.
The Eternal Soul
But Betsy is curious, especially about Crane and Abbie’s relationship, so Crane is having a hard time keeping his old friend from getting suspicious. He simply tells her that they are not only at the Catacombs on a rescue mission, but need to restore a powerful supernatural artifact that is the only hope against a foe that holds the fate of the world in his hands.
Crane performs the incantation as instructed, but the box doesn’t have its silver hue. It seems Pandora left out some information about the Eternal Soul of a Witness. The box opens, and a cloud of black smoke starts to envelope Abbie. Betsy and Crane fight to shut the lid, but the box turns silver and Abbie collapses.
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Abbie awakens, but she’s weak and senses something is wrong. Crane says the box took something very precious, Abbie’s soul. He’s also got to tell Betsy that they will not be returning together. Apparently, if Betsy enters the well, she’ll return to her proper place in history none the wiser. She senses the strong bond between Crane and Abbie and acknowledges his heart belongs to her. This explains why the two never spoke again after she returned.
Abbie and Crane return home, and they’ve got a lot of news to process. Jenny tells them about Joe. Crane swears the Hidden One will pay for his role in Joe’s demise.
There’s no time to mourn for Joe now though, the gang still has to save humanity. Jenny’s been looking for ways to modify their arsenal by researching myths where gods are killed like the Norse Ragnarok, “Twilight of the Gods,” a battle in which all existence was destroyed and remade. Ezra is jumping right in. He finds a tome in the Archives called the Elder Edda. If there’s a clue in the Ragnarok myth, they’ll find it in there.
They’ve got the box, but Pandora is missing. The Hidden One took off with her once his power was restored. Abbie and Crane head to FBI headquarters where Sophie and Reynolds alert them to a big storm building over the Hudson Valley, and Abbie figures out that the Hidden One is at the epicenter.
The Hidden One has decided to destroy the world slowly. He wants to turn rivers red, crops black, and a bunch of other catastrophes of epic proportions. Crane, Jenny and Abbie arrive on the scene. Jenny and Abbie distract him with some Greek Fire while Crane gives Pandora her box.
The box starts to do its thing but stops just short of getting rid of the Hidden One forever. Pandora says she cannot draw enough energy. In order to stop him, Abbie knows what it needs, but she’s resisting. Pandora says Abbie is holding on to hope, but the box hungers for the light at the center of her being. Abbie’s soul is the binding agent to hold the darkness together. Crane insists there has to be another way, but Pandora warns only Abbie can save the world.
Abbie opens the box and tells Crane to never give up hope. They are her final words as she gets sucked into the box. The Hidden One is left behind, but he has no power. Pandora tells him to beg for forgiveness and his life. He tells Pandora he’ll do whatever she asks, but Jenny shoots him. Pandora is incensed, it was supposed to be her victory, not Jenny’s.
A Benevolent Dictator
Crane tells Pandora that the threat is over, so wherever her container took Abbie, Pandora needs to return her, but Pandora is tired of being ordered around. She’s ready to be worshiped. With the Hidden One gone, she has his powers. All she wants from her followers is for them serve, obey and fear her. Pandora played them.
Pandora has no plans to destroy the world, she likes it. She plans to be a benevolent goddess, and after making this proclamation, she disappears.
Jenny, Crane and Ezra plot to overthrow Pandora. Crane plans to use the Blavatsky Map, which locates monsters, to battle Pandora.
A Phoenix Rises
Inside the box doesn’t seem too bad. Abbie finds herself in a pub, reunited with August Corbin. He praises Abbie for her sacrifice, and she’s okay with her choice. She left on a high note, and she’s ready to move on. August informs Abbie her journey isn’t over yet and tells her about the Phoenix (the bird that rises from the ashes). He gives her a cryptic message about how the bird looks the same but it isn’t.
He’s proud of her and knows she’s ready for her next adventure, but Abbie questions what happens to Crane. Corbin tells her Crane is still trying to get her back. She knows he’ll never give up, he always finds a way. Corbin says she’s taken Crane as far as she can.
Corbin notices Joe sitting at the bar and leaves Abbie to go buy his son a beer. The two embrace.
The Headless Horseman Returns
Pandora decides to start making the world a better place in her own way. She shows up at a church during services. She tells the parishioners the world is a terrifying place, and even though they want to push their fears aside, they are all around them. She lets them know that if they love, adore and respect her, she’ll take their fears away. If the don’t, she can make their darkest nightmares a reality. Pandora opens her box, conducting an impressive light show which sends everyone screaming and running.
Crane and Jenny give Pandora another chance to bring Abbie back, but this appears to be a non-negotiable for her, so Crane calls forth the Headless Horseman. He offers the Horseman his head. Jenny’s concerned about that pesky apocalypse, but Crane assures her that with Moloch dead, that’s no longer an issue.
The Horseman and Pandora do battle, but he’s really no match for a goddess. Realizing his former nemesis can’t conquer her on his own, he rushes to the Horseman’s aid, but Pandora puts him down with ease.
Crane is devastated that he lost Abbie. Jenny tells him Abbie sacrificed herself so he could be around to save the day. Crane rallies and helps him put a serious hurting on Pandora. Her end is a gruesome one, hacked to death. She has a few dying words for Crane. She knows Crane loves Abbie; she’s his hope; his everything. Crane demands Pandora let her out, but Pandora says Abbie was never inside the box, she’s dead and gone.
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New Beginnings
With Pandora dead, the box explodes. Crane wakes up in the waiting room between life and death, and it’s his chance to say goodbye to Abbie. She explains the box took her soul, but now that the box is broken, she’s free. Abbie also explains they are Eternal Souls. He questions what that means, but even Abbie isn’t sure. All she knows is there is no trip to the pearly gates in her future.
Abbie tells Crane that whatever the next stage is, she’s ready. It’s time for new beginnings. Crane wonders what the world holds for him without Abbie in it. She reminds him of all of the mentors and partners he’s had. Their job was to carry him forward, and Abbie’s done. They will meet again, but in the meantime he’s to bash monsters and look out for Jenny. He must honor their bond and be brave and strong. Abbie goes in for a fist bump, but Crane kisses her hand and bows instead.
Crane comes to, Jenny is frantic. She wants to know about her sister, but the look on his face makes it clear Abbie isn’t coming back this time.
Crane pays a visit to Abbie’s grave. He fills her in on what’s been going on in her absence. He’s in charge of the Archives and pursuing his citizenship. Things have been quiet on the monster front, but he doesn’t expect that to last.
On cue, Ezra shows up. Abbie’s death has set wheels in motion, and Crane needs all the information Ezra can give him. There must always be two witnesses. When one dies, their soul doesn’t move on, it’s eternal. The essence passes on to someone from their extended bloodline, turning them into the next Witness. Crane has to find her before “they” do.
Ezra gives him a letter from George Washington dated 1789. A flashback shows Washington and Betsy discussing Crane’s future. They know that hundreds of years in the future, Crane will be carrying on what they have built. It would be Crane’s duty to head a secret organization founded by Washington to battle the supernatural. Ezra says not all of the men in the organization are bad, but some have lost their way. It seems FBI guy Jack Waters is one of those men because he shows up, and Ezra takes off. Crane is off to Washington D.C.
(Image courtesy of FOX)
Contributing Writer, BuddyTV
Jennifer has worked as a freelance writer in the entertainment field since 2012. In addition to currently writing feature articles for Screen Rant, Jennifer has contributed content ranging from recaps to listicles to reviews for BuddyTV, PopMatters, TVRage, TVOvermind, and Tell-Tale TV. Links to some of Jennifer’s reviews can be found on Rotten Tomatoes.
