Oh, the things I find on Hulu. After catching up on Arrow, The Goldbergs, and Grimm, I found myself in the predicament of having nothing to watch while I grade papers. I’d heard good things about Sleepy Hollow, so I decided to give it a shot. Within five minutes, I was completely hooked.
While the premise is intriguing (the show is a loose interpretation of Washington Irving’s classic The Legend of Sleepy Hollow), the character of Ichabod Crane and the brilliant actor who plays him (Tom Mison) are what truly captured my TV heart.
I’m only six episodes into the first season, so I know I may be claiming him as a TV boyfriend a bit early in the game, but I can’t help myself. And here are 10 reasons why:
1. He is literally a piece of living history. In the first episode, he “died” during the Revolutionary War and then woke up in 2014. The man rattles off Colonial and Revolutionary War history like an encyclopedia, but with the sensibility of someone who lived through it. The history teacher in me is swooning, (as the rest of me is fact-checking).
2. While he is a man stuck far away from his own time, he is surprisingly objective in dealing with his surroundings. Rather than panic, he explores the modern era with the mind of an academic or scientist. It’s fascinating to watch him mesh his knowledge of life in the past with his existence in the present.
3. He has a proper British accent. Need I say more?
4. Perhaps, he’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but he’s pretty easy on the eyes.
5. He says stuff like this … (in reference to what eventually becomes a Headless Horseman)
6. And this …
7. Despite everything, he doesn’t forget who he is. Modern life doesn’t rob him of his manners, personality, or morals. Even when those things don’t jive with modern civilization, he refuses to let them go. I’m still wondering if he’s going to change out of those 18th century clothes!
8. At the same time, he’s not afraid to try new things. Like doughnut holes.
9. According to him, he instigated the Boston Tea Party (as a means for a diversion for a secret mission).
10. He can speak German and Middle English. Beautifully.
I’m sure I’ll have more to add to this list after the next six episodes. 🙂
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What’s your favorite thing this week?
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c.b.w. 2014
C.B. Wentworth 
OMG YOU’RE WATCHING SLEEPY HOLLOWWWWWWWW.
*ahem* sorry. Didn’t mean to go fangirl on you.
And, well, as of season 2… Crane is still in 18th century clothes. So I don’t think he’s ever going to give them up, lol!
Crane is spectacular. Also, do you know you can get a free audiobook version of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow at Audible that’s narrated by Tom Mison? 😉
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OMG! I can listen to him for hours????? I’ll be checking that out!! 🙂
Fangirls, unite!
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May have to check this out. My favorite thing today is going to be meeting with a writing buddy for two hours to write.
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You might dig this show! 🙂
Sounds like a wonderful way to spend the day!
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As a Brit and an amateur Historian (the kind who realises that the more you look into an era, a person, an event, the more cracks appear in what ‘everyone knows’) I tend to avoid American productions with a ‘1776 premise’. I find they tend to reinforce national/patriotic myths rather too much. For that reason (and because my leisure time is – let’s face it – finite) I have not watched ‘Sleepy Hollow’. I do get to see trailers though. It’s interesting that IC is given a ‘British accent’. There is no such thing, by the way, as we have more accents than you would believe possible in such a small island, and anyway, how could a late 18c colonial have a 21c ‘Received Pronunciation’ voice? Every time I think of Ichabod Crane, I get this mental picture:
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Part of the joy of this show is how it pokes fun at history and current society. It delves into the Revolutionary era with a satirical attitude. The quote about the baked goods really showcases the satire – how quickly we’ve forgotten the details of an era some so readily celebrate and about which we accept so many false understandings. Then again, this is a problem with every historical era. I blame Hollywood, although I am a happy viewer. I just have the sense to look things up and question what I’m watching. If anything, Sleep Hollow is inspiring people to look up the events and people referenced in each episode.
I hear you on the British accent, although as an American that distinction is how I identify an inflection different from my own. I would classify his accent as upper crust London, which really stands out from the general American twang of supporting castmates. His backstory as a British soldier that changes sides is an interesting one in that it’s a vehicle for the aforementioned satire. However, I am not blind to the obvious ethnocentrism that influences the show and the character, as the war is seen through only the American point of view.
p.s. I love the variety of accents on the British Isles. Even in London, the array of accents is quite interesting!
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Yes, in one of the moments of the show I have ever actually seen, a modern character makes a jibe to IC, based on hearing his accent, to the effect that ‘his side’ lost in 1776.
The war itself split America in two, created modern Canada (good!), was a maul, and was largely a waste of effort, as there was enough support in Parliament for Colonial representation to have made it likely that it would have happened within a decade.
By the way, did you know that the United States military was planning a war against the United Kingdom in the late 1920s / early 30s?
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You had me at “proper British accent!” 🙂 But, darn, I have Netflix (not Hulu) and it doesn’t appear to be on there. Bummer! I’ll have to rent the discs.
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It’s well worth renting! 🙂
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