Sleepy Hollow S2E6 - "And the Abyss Gazes Back" Recap

Abbie teaches Ichabod some yoga and he takes offence to the word "buns." She also gets him to open up and admit how hurt he is by all that Katrina had kept hidden from him. They decide to head out and grab a beer instead. While out, they encounter some men getting into a fight and Abbie goes to break it up. She finds that one of the men is Joe Corbin, Sheriff Corbin's son. He's back from Afghanistan, having been dishonourably discharged. He blames her for the death of his father and tells her to stay away.

Ichabod and Abbie later respond to a call about a noise complaint involving Joe. They head into the woods, where they find multiple dead bodies that have been brutally torn open, with Joe being the only survivor. Joe thinks his father knew something about what's happening with him and expresses jealousy to Abbie over the time his father spent with her instead of him.

Henry pays another visit to Irving, who is still mad about his soul being stolen. Henry tells him he can reclaim it if he kills a man, a soul for a soul. Henry points out another man in the hospital, the man who drove drunk and paralysed Irving's daughter. Irving swears not to kill for vengeance and Henry warns him that those who gaze into the abyss are at risk of the abyss gazing back.

Ichabod hasn't found anything on the creature from the woods in the research he's done but Ichabod believes that Joe may have been responsible for the deaths in the woods. The monster in the woods took human organs and possibly consumes them. Ichabod recalls his time knowing Daniel Boone to bring us to our monster of the week: the Wendigo. Presumably, Joe is a Wendigo. The change is triggered by the scent of human blood and can only be turned back upon consuming human organs.

Ichabod and Abbie learn that Joe has run off again so they head to Corbin's place where they find the Sheriff's last will and testament. They follow the coordinates to a location in the woods where they find Joe digging up a box left for him by his father. Joe tries to run away and when Ichabod accidentally cuts himself, Joe screams at them to run. He transforms into a Wendigo and begins to chase Ichabod. Abbie has broken into Joe's car and snatched up a tranquilliser gun which she uses to subdue WendiJoe.

Ichabod and Abbie bring him back to their hideout where Hawley is waiting and Jenny arrives with some stolen organs which she feeds to WendiJoe, thus allowing him to return to his normal human state. Abbie explains to Joe what he is and says that she can help him. He tells her this began two weeks ago when he received a letter covered in white powder. Ichabod and Abbie realised that Henry sent the letter after grinding up the Pied Piper's Flute. The letter said Joe was cursed and thus Joe returned to find the cure.

Ichabod examines the contents of the box and finds that it is a powerful poison from south China and this is what Henry must be after. If Joe transforms once more, the change will be permanent so they must find a cure before Henry comes looking for the poison. Ichabod apologises to Joe for his son's actions but warns him not to trust Henry. Joe tells Ichabod to make sure he tells his son he loves him no matter what.

Hawley offers up a connection to some Shawnees. (Shawnees were the ones who originated the curse). Hawley tells Ichabod to keep his mouth shut but Hawley has left a bad impression after going back on the terms of a deal so Ichabod is the one that smooth-talks Big Ash into giving them access to their Shman who will help them cure the Wendigo curse.

Abbie has a heart-to-heart with Joe in which she assures him that the Sheriff loved and was proud of him. She also tells him that the Sheriff's love for his son was what made her want to turn her life around, as she wanted to be a part of that. But the nice moment is broken up by Henry, who demands the box. He has henchmen with guns and Jenny draws her own weapon, ready to defend themselves. But Joe surrenders the box and himself, as Henry says he'll cure Joe. Abbie warns him not to go but Joe doesn't listen. Henry's henchmen chain up the vault with Abbie and Jenny still inside. Outside, Henry slices Joe's arm, saying he has cured him of his true curse: humanity.

Irving confronts Gil, the man who paralysed Macy, and is ready to rise above it all and leave him be. But when Gil says one too many insensitive things about Macy, Irving attacks him. He has a vision of the apocalyptic setting like the one he saw in his dream. He leaves Gil alive, but is shaken at his nearly losing himself to darkness.

Ichabod and Hawley free Abbie and Jenny from the vault. Ichabod has a skull and an incantation he must read once he gets some of WendiJoe's blood into the hollowed skull. He also has a spike that can take him down if that does not work. Abbie is determined to save Joe. She and Ichabod head off after him. Abbie cuts her hand to lure Joe and Ichabod insists on doing the same, saying of course he's coming with her. He must atone for the trouble his son has caused, after all. Once they corner WendiJoe, Ichabod recites the incantation but ti doesn't work. Ichabod is ready to take him out but Abbie insists that Joe simply needs more time and pleads with him to come back. With a dramatic convulsion, Joe turns back into a human.

Abbie brings Joe back to the hang-out place where Ichabod is playing video games and unleashing a hilariously Ichabod-brand of name-calling, including the word "buns." Joe asks Abbie for a favour. He wants to carry on the torch of his father helping people so he'd like a letter of recommendation to Quantico. Abbie is more than happy to do so. She gets a call from Irving, who tells her about Henry owning his soul and how he almost killed a man. Abbie tries to assure him that they'll fix this and Irving begs her to not let him down. Ichabod agrees with Abbie that Henry must be stopped but after seeing how she fought for Joe even when he seemed beyond saving, he feels he must fight for his son. Meanwhile, Henry has poured out the contents of the poison and put it back together in the form a black widow spider which we see crawl up into Katrina's mouth. Gross.

Sleepy Hollow airs on Mondays on FOX at 9PM.