Sleepy Hollow (2013–2017): Season 1, Episode 6 - The Sin Eater - full transcript

My name is Ichabod Crane. I was enlisted
in the Queen's Royal Regiment...

...and sent to the American
colonies to fight.

It didn't take long
for me to have a change of heart.

In 1781 I died on the battlefield.

But I was saved by a mysterious spell
cast upon me by my beloved wife, Katrina.

Now I've been awakened 250 years later...

...and fate led me to Miss Abigail Mills...

...a young police lieutenant
investigating baffling mysteries.

Lieutenant Abbie Mills
to see Jennifer Mills. I'm her sister.

I believe that we can work together
to get some answers. Some real answers.

ICHABOD: We are now bearing witness
to strange events and dark forces.



They foretell that our realm is in danger,
and the apocalypse may be upon us.

Revelation.
This speaks of two witnesses.

You were called to something.
We both were.

KATRINA: When you wounded the horseman,
your bloodlines merged.

You became linked,
bound together by blood.

It's the horseman who's been awakened,
Ichabod, and you along with him.

ICHABOD:
Sleepy Hollow.

Safe!
MAN: No!

What? Are you kidding me, dude?
Way to police the game.

Yep, that's right. Blue, I'm a cop.
I'm deputizing you. Wake up.

ICHABOD:
This is what you do to relax?

It's cathartic.
It's baffling.

I'd consider myself a sporting man.

Why must you insult that gentleman
for citing a rule infraction?



I fail to see the point.
What is the point of baseball?

Oh, please, enlighten me.
All right.

For me baseball is about three things:
First, tradition. The rules never change.

You can always count on the grass
to be green, the lines to be white.

So no matter how crazy the world gets, it
makes you feel safe, like everything's okay.

Second, it's about teamwork.

Players have to have faith in each other
and watch each other's backs.

Because without that, the team don't work.

And what I love
is that this sport doesn't discriminate.

You can be a short long reliever,
a long shortstop...

...black, white, Hispanic...

...and that is the American dream.

So it represents the spirit of democracy.

That's what you guys
were fighting for, right?

Our pride, our link to the past.

Created by the forefathers, handed down
from generation to generation...

That's why I scream at the ump.

Open your eyes, sir! Yes, you, basketface!

Ha-ha-ha.
I thought only horses slept standing up!

Good, feels good. Exercise your
hard-fought right to free speech.

Just next time,
wait for the ump to make a call.

Right.

ICHABOD: I must say,
I deeply enjoyed this outing, lieutenant.

ABBIE:
Aw.

For a brief moment,
I felt as though I, too, were home.

You are home, Crane.

One day, I'll take you to a Mets game.

Bad beer, cold hot dogs...
That'll really blow your mind-.

Whilst I noted several indecipherable
flourishes in that sentence...

...I look forward
to your expanding my horizons further.

You sure you don't need a ride?
No, thank you.

I'm beginning to get my bearings
around town...

...so I should like to exercise my freedom
with a stroll and some fresh air.

You do that.

[CHUCKLES]

I'll see you tomorrow, Crane.

[DART PIERCES FLESH]

[GRUNTS]

[ON RADIO] And it still is news

Mama may have

Papa may have

But God bless the child that's got his own

[TINKLING MUSIC PLAYING ON MUSIC BOX]

[BABY CRYING]

[THUNDER CRASHING]

[BABY CONTINUES CRYING]

[SCREAMS]

[BIRD SQUAWKING]

[WOMEN CHANTING
IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE]

[LAUGHTER]

Hello, Miss Mills.

Who are you?
I am Katrina Crane.

This house is an echo of the home
I once shared with my husband.

What am I doing here?
Is this a dream?

It's a doorway in which I am able
to reach those who bear witness.

You and Ichabod.

The horseman you just saw
is a manifestation of what is to come.

He will return to Sleepy Hollow
by nightfall.

He can only be stopped
by the two witnesses...

...but I'm afraid
Ichabod has been abducted.

What do you mean? I was with him.
Abducted by who?

I do not know. They've marked
his surroundings with a shield...

...to block my sight.
That is why I have come to you.

It can't be a mere coincidence
he was taken now.

You think he was taken
for his blood tie with the horseman?

When I cast the spell on Ichabod
to save his life...

...I had no idea
their fates would become entwined.

It seemed irreversible until now.

You found a way?
The Sin Eater.

I don't understand. What's a Sin Eater?

We are out of time.

He will know how to guide you
to Ichabod and undo the spell.

What do you mean, guide me? How?
Ichabod must be sanctified.

Find the Sin Eater before sundown,
before the horseman returns...

...or everything will be lost.

Wait. I don't understand.

[TRUCK HORN HONKING]

ABBIE: What I'm about to tell you
is grounds to commit me.

The thing that killed Corbin
and Reverend Knapp, the horseman...

Would that be the Headless Horseman?

Yes. He's coming back. Tonight.

I have questions, if that's okay.
The first one being: How do you know?

Crane's wife... I believe he mentioned her.

Is some kind of witch.

She visited me.
Crane is linked to the horseman.

Their blood is mixed together,
so now their spirits are connected.

I'm gonna ask you to clarify that.

It means we can't hurt the horseman
without hurting Crane.

They have to be separated.

His wife told me
the only way to break the curse...

...would be to find someone
called the Sin Eater.

Now, who or whatever that is
has the power to pull them apart...

...so that we can stop the horseman
permanently.

You know...

...there are two things I believe a person
should hold on to as long as possible:

Virginity and skepticism.

Surprisingly,
I already lost the first thing...

...so I'm gonna hold on to the second one
for as long as possible.

I know he wouldn’t just disappear.

Now, I could pretend
this was just a bad hallucination...

...and let whatever is going to happen,
happen...

...but that isn't me,
and I know that isn't you.

What do you need?
To find the Sin Eater.

He'll lead me to Crane,
which leads me to my next big ask.

Let me guess.
You're planning a family reunion.

[DOOR BUZZES THEN OPENS]

Well, look what the cat dragged in.
I got you a 24-hour furlough.

Crane is in trouble.

I need you to help me find him.
You're a cop. Go investigate.

I am. You're my best lead.
And you know how important Crane is.

To you?
Yeah, to me. And to you.

You said that you went around the world
looking for connections...

...to things
that nobody could explain.

Things Corbin was trying
to help you understand.

I'm hoping you'll know
about one of them.

Have you ever heard of
the term "Sin Eater"?

You're right. We better move fast.

Apologies for the less-than-civil nature
of your seizure.

We didn't believe
you'd come voluntarily.

The effects of the tranquilizer
should be nearly gone.

What am I doing here?

Written on these pages...

...is the true account of Ichabod Crane.

An account by whom?
We'll come to that.

Will we, now, Mr. Rutledge?

Should have removed
your cuff links, J.R.

Surname, Rutledge.

The family resemblance
is too much to ignore.

You're a descendant
of Edward Rutledge...

...the youngest signatory
of the Declaration of Independence.

I knew him well.
Here's what else I know:

Your left palm is calloused,
suggesting you work with your hands.

Your right finger bears discoloration...

...in the shape of an inverted square
and compass...

...denoting a ring that's been removed.
For my benefit? Perhaps.

Hexes to ward off evil.
All telltale signs of Freemasonry.

You claim to be a fellow Mason?
I am a Mason.

Now, if we're on the same side,
what am I doing here?

You will live or die
based on the truth of your identity.

I am Ichabod Crane.

Perhaps.
I am.

We've been fooled before.
What does that mean?

It means we're dealing with forces
beyond the power of man. Demons.

Shape-shifters.

Tell me...

...when did you first hear the words
"ordo ab chao"?

"Order from chaos."

They were spoken to me by a dying man-
His name?

Arthur Bernard.

When I first heard of him,
I fought for the British.

We were sent to his home to capture him.

He was a freed slave suspected of treason.

Arthur Bernard.

You are charged with insurrection
against the crown...

...for publication of this document
advocating American rebellion.

The author on that pamphlet
reads "Cicero."

A pseudonym, no doubt.

You will be interrogated here
until you reveal the identity...

...of the treasonous criminal
known as Cicero.

I know no such man.

I think you will find
that the king's mercy is without limits.

Crane. Come forth.

Sir.

You come highly recommended to me,
lieutenant.

I'm counting on you to coax
our prisoner into confession.

Do this, and I'm giving you
a field commission as captain.

As you wish, sir.

Give him a chair. Shackle him.

A nurse from the local Quaker
community requests an audience.

Send her in.

By what right do you hold this man
prisoner in his own home, sir?

By royal assent of the king's
Quartering Act, madam.

And his wounds?
Did he offer resistance?

He's charged with treason,
a crime punishable by utmost severity.

I'm certain both sides can agree on that.

Wrong does not cease to be wrong
because the majority agrees.

You fight for no country, then.
I am a Quaker, sir.

I fight for the conviction
that every life is precious.

Now, I demand you to allow me
to treat his injury.

It's fine, my lady. I'm in good hands.

[SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY]

Your eyes betray you.

The inner voice
that wants to show him mercy...

...it's called the conscience.

JENNY: Every culture has their own version
of a Sin Eater.

A person with the power
to cleanse the wicked of their sins.

It's like a priest.
Except they don't absolve you.

A Sin Eater reaches inside your soul and
swallows your sins, ridding you of evil.

So how do we find one?

Corbin doesn't seem
to have anything on them.

JENNY: Corbin and I were always searching
weird blogs for strange phenomena.

There was this guy I was chasing
for a while.

He surfaced in Algeria, Japan, Ghana.

He visited death-row inmates
before they died.

Their last words? All the same:

"I am sanctified."

Ichabod must be sanctified.

That's what Katrina said.

Yeah. The problem is
he just stopped one day.

Disappeared like two years ago.
No more sightings. I don't know why.

I tried to figure it out,
but I lost track of him.

Maybe because you were
working alone.

Unh!
Enough!

You're released.

Who is Cicero?

I can offer you freedom
in return for one name.

That's all we need from you.

Would you sacrifice the name of a man,
one perhaps with a family...

...knowing you would be responsible
for his death and their misery?

My captain will not hesitate to kill you.

The love of power is the demon of all men.

And I'll let you in on a secret:
There are demons all around...

...hiding as men among men,
turning them against one another.

Join me against them.

The interrogation
has broken your grasp of reality.

Has it?

You interrogated Arthur Bernard
for days without results.

And then...?

MAN:
Hear ye, hear ye.

For the insidious crime, high treason,
by the king's...

ICHABOD: I was called away
to stand guard at a local execution.

MAN:... to hang by their
necks until they are dead.

And may God have mercy...

ICHABOD:
Three men were found guilty of treason.

Tarleton wanted to make an example of them.

Colonel. With all due respect...

...these public displays
may not yield the desired effect.

You think leniency is more likely
to inspire loyalty to the crown?

I feel it may prevent the birth
of a new generation of enemies.

Like that boy, who's just
witnessed his father's hanging.

Don't make me doubt your loyalty,
Crane.

Perhaps you'd feel better joining
the next round of traitors at the noose.

I remain faithful as always.

That was not my doing.

That boy watched his father die.

Do you think you'll be forgiven
just because you didn't pull the lever?

What I see...

...I'm afraid I don't
understand anymore.

As I said...

...that is your conscience...

...revealing what you refused to see
until now.

We're from opposite worlds,
you and I. Strangers.

And yet I have the oddest sensation...
We've known each other all along.

I don't believe in spirits or destiny.
You are a terrible liar, sir.

It's quite endearing.

Ichabod.

Ichabod Crane.
Katrina Van Tassel.

And destiny isn't a matter of chance...

...but of choice.

And what you choose to accept
will eventually become yours.

So, what is it that you saw?

I've heard tales of a secret war...

...between men and...
Demons.

You saw one.

They were right. You are the one.
Who was right?

How do you know this?

You possess a gift:
The power to bear witness.

Do you realize what it means?
How valuable you are in this fight?

We need you.
Who are you?

[HORSE NEIGHS]

Like you, someone who seeks
the truth above all else.

Evil gains its strength
when good men do nothing.

You are a good man, Ichabod Crane.

JENNY:
The Sin Eater knows how to hide.

I've cross-referenced
every death-row visitor's log.

No name shows up twice.
He's gotta have a name.

No one walks into a max-security prison
without authorization.

You really care about this guy,
about Crane.

Remember how Mom
used to take us to that rug store?

They had those extra pieces, the parts
of the rug that didn't really fit anywhere.

I always felt like that was you and me.

You know, the remainders.

Two girls holding on
to each other so tight...

...because we really did not fit
anywhere else.

Then I lost you.

I felt really alone for a long time,
till Corbin. Then I lost him too.

Except at almost that same moment...

...Crane came into my life.

I guess he made me feel
like for the first time...

...I had a purpose that I understood
and someone...

...who I was supposed to find it with.

Anyway.

Well, the next time you see that witch
in a dream, tell her to be more specific.

I mean,
her husband's about to be a dead man.

What?

Abbie, are you gonna invite me
to the party?

He's a dead man. James Turcotte.

Death-row inmate from Huntsville, Texas.

His name shows up
on this death-row inmates log...

...at San Quentin the following year.
He takes on the identity of dead inmates.

That's how he hides.
Not anymore.

We have the last name that he used.
Ian Kellett.

Last listing is a residence
in Hartford, Connecticut.

[KNOCKING ON DOOR]

This is Lieutenant Abbie Mills with
the Sleepy Hollow Sheriff's Department.

I'd like to talk to you.

[FOOTSTEP INSIDE]

Sir, I can hear you in there.

I have a warrant to search the premises.

I need you to open this door now-
We don't have a warrant.

How is he going to know?

[LOCKS CLICKING]

What's this about?

This is about Ian Kellett.

Dead man whose ID number
you used to rent this apartment.

We know your real name. Henry Parrish.
You committed identity theft.

You could be facing some real time, or you
could open the door and we could talk.

Mr. Parrish, I know who you are,
what you are.

My friend is missing. I need your help.

People always do.

I don't do it anymore.

Even if I explained,
you wouldn't understand.

Try me.

Imagine you had a pair of glasses
that could see people, see through them.

Into their hearts.

What they've done.

The parts that are locked down
so deep...

...even they are afraid to see.

You see them.

You carry them.

Until the only person
you can't see anymore is yourself.

If I didn't stop,
I would have disappeared completely.

We know what it's like
to live with something no one else has.

No matter what it feels like,
it's a gift.

And you have a responsibility,
whether you like it or not.

Let he who is without sin...

Fairly certain that isn't you.

ABBIE:
You wanna get biblical?

I looked, and there before me
was a pale horse.

Its rider's was named Death,
and hell followed with him.

Revelation.

The first of the Four Horsemen.

Thing of it is, he's connected
to my friend. Death?

Yes.
Connected to your friend how?

A curse. A blood tie linking
their spirits together.

And you want me to break the curse.

To separate the horseman from your friend.

According to the Bible,
a sin is a transgression of divine law.

That is what the horseman is,
an abomination.

A walking force of pure sin.

You have the power to pull him out.

Where is your friend now?
I was told you could tell me.

Maybe.

If your connection with your friend
is strong enough, I could use it.

It's strong.

Use it.

Like I said, I don't do it anymore.
You should go.

Wait a minute. Wait a minute.

JENNY:
Abbie.

Your friend is underground...

...behind a door marked with a symbol.

A square and a compass.

That's the symbol of the Freemasons.
Underground. Was it a tunnel?

I've told you what you needed
to know to find him.

That's all I can do for you. Please leave.

JENNY: I had no idea these tunnels
were under the town.

ABBIE: Crane showed them to me.
A lot of secrets down here.

Parrish said the door
had a compass and square.

You sure that's the Freemason symbol?

Like, secret societies, animal sacrifices?
I'm pretty sure that part's a myth.

The Templar Knights, the founding fathers.
They're the good guys.

If they're the good guys,
why do they have Crane?

ICHABOD: When I returned to the interrogation
at Arthur Bernard's, everything changed.

My sins were about to be revealed.

[THUNDER CRASHING]

And where were you?

I'm here to continue the interrogations.

The time has passed
and you have failed.

I shall grant you one path
to redemption. One path only.

Take this man into the forest,
where he will die like the animal he is.

The woman was right. Katrina.
You are invaluable to the cause.

And what would you
have me do? Huh?

Betray my country, my family,
my home? For what?

For the unknown?
Some sacrifices are worth making.

If you pull that trigger, you will
carry sin inside your heart forever.

You will invite evil to live inside you
until you beg for salvation.

That is what I'm offering you,
what she's offering you.

How would you know
what she's offering?

Pull the trigger
and you'll never find out.

[GUN COCKS]

March.

The life you knew will never return.

You are Cicero, aren't you?

He is all of us.

Find Katrina.

She will guide you
to Commander Washington...

...and, I suspect, much more.

"Ordo ab chao."

"Order from chaos."

Speak these words to her. She will know
which side your heart has chosen.

I will find you again, my friend.

[GUNSHOT]

No!

Traitor!

[GROANS]

[GROWLS]

[ROARS]

[HORSE NEIGHING]

[GRUNTING]

Ordo ab chao.

[ICHABOD GRUNTS]

I couldn't save him.

Had I acted sooner,
he would have lived.

This is my sin.

And I must bear it all my days.

Brother Ichabod Crane,
we are humbled to be in your presence...

...and we offer you our trust.

If this ledger confirms my account,
and I didn't write it, who did?

Katrina.

She was your ally.

Her coven was in league
with our Mason forefathers...

...until she betrayed their trust.

How?
By secreting you away...

...from wherever you were buried
these centuries.

Someplace we could not find.

The Masons.

My brothers wanted me dead.

That's why Katrina hid me.
She was protecting me.

At the expense of the greater good.

She knew the inevitable outcome
of your tie to the horseman.

Regretfully, a fate we would have sealed
for you long ago.

And one that we have no choice
but to seal for you now.

That's why you had me tell Bernard's story.

RUTLEDGE:
He died for the greater good.

In Arthur Bernard, you witnessed a man
willing to make the ultimate sacrifice.

Inside this box is the only way to assure
the horseman's reign ends.

Forever. You know what you must do,
Brother Crane.

The square and compass.

MAN:
Drop your weapon.

That's not how this is gonna work.
I'm a police officer.

Let us in or we call in the damn cavalry.

Crane.
Miss Mills.

Uh, don't be alarmed.
These men are my brothers.

Your brothers? You're a Mason?

What the hell is happening?
He will not be hurt by our hand.

I want him out of here now.
ICHABOD: No, please.

Allow me to explain.

Would you excuse us?
Of course.

What is that?

The Masons have been tracking
the horseman.

With his arrival, the threat
of the apocalypse draws closer.

I stopped him before, temporarily.

Now I can finish what I started.

My life is tied to the horseman's,
and his to mine.

When he rose, I rose.

Therefore, if I die, he dies.
No.

To ensure he never rides again,
my life must end.

It's the only way.
No.

I am not letting this happen.

I swore an oath to sacrifice my life
if necessary so others may live freely...

...a lesson I learned from someone
who did the same for me.

I know a man who can help, someone
who can separate you from the horseman.

Katrina has searched and failed.

Katrina is the one who told me about him.
Katrina came to you?

Who is this man?
A Sin Eater.

It's a long story,
but he wasn't exactly cooperative.

So I'm gonna bring you to him.

There isn't time.
The horseman's nearly here...

...and even if we could be decoupled,
I'd only free him to continue his rampage.

This assures that he won't.

I do not accept that, Crane.
You must.

If you accept
what we've been chosen to do...

...to avert the apocalypse
so humanity can endure-..

...so people can choose their own
destinies, just as I must now choose mine.

There's another way.
There's always another way.

Abbie...

...this is the only way.

That's the first time
you ever called me Abbie.

I've lived on borrowed time,
more than any man deserves.

I've seen wonders
beyond my wildest imaginings.

And through these centuries...

...against the impossibility...

...that we would find each other...

...we did.

And I am most grateful for it.

How can you be so calm about this?

I'm terrified.

Perhaps it would be easier if you left.

There's no way.

Too many people
I never got a chance to say goodbye to.

You are not gonna be one of them.

I'm so sorry.

Crane? Stay with me, please.
Ichabod, no. Stay with me.

[NEIGHS]

ABBIE:
Stay with me, Crane.

HENRY: I wasn't sure I'd make it in time.
He doesn't have to die.

RUTLEDGE:
What do you mean?

Not yet.

He's almost gone. Clear the room.
All of you.

Thank you.

Everyone out, now.
This had better work.

Who are you?
I have been called many things.

Angel. Demon.

Until now,
I wasn't sure which was true.

For so long, I've hoped for this day...

...to find the reason for what
I've been given. And now I know.

The reason is you.

You're the man Abbie told me about.

The one Katrina sent her to find.

I bought you a few moments
before the poison stops your heart.

I can remove it, along with your sins,
if we're lucky.

Put your hand on the table.

[GRUNTS]

Yes, he's in there.

As long as you carry your sin
in your heart...

...it allows the horseman
to be tied to you.

Someone once told me that before.
Who?

The man I sinned against.

Whose life I couldn't save.
His name. Say it out loud.

Arthur Bernard.

Now, summon him
with all your heart.

Here, into this room.

Now open your eyes.

I told you I would find
you again, my friend.

I don't understand.

I did everything you asked of me,
I broke every vow I took to my country...

...I betrayed my own blood,
and yet you died anyway.

What more would you have done?
Freed you sooner so you'd live.

And if I had?

Would you have found your destiny?

Found your way to your true home?
Your death is on my soul.

No, my death saved your soul.

Only you chose to see it as a sin...

...when, all along, it was your salvation.

What would you have me do?
Forgive yourself.

The horseman feeds on your regret.
That is what fuels your blood tie to him.

Let it go. His hold over you will be broken.
I'd only free him so he could ride again.

You'd only free yourself to stop him
and the others that ride with him.

But you won't do it alone.
Abbie.

Together, your combined power
will weather the coming storm.

Now do you understand?

I do.

Then repeat these words:

I purge the wicked from my blood.
I purge the wicked from my blood.

Our spirits severed...
Our spirits severed...

...my soul sanctified.
...my soul sanctified.

Death, leave me now.
Death, leave me now.

I command you.
I command you.

I feel him no more.

He's gone.
He is sanctified.

You were right.

There's always another way.

Next time, listen to me, okay?

I can't go through that again.

My ears shall remain eternally open
to your admonition.

I don't know what the hell that means.
Just say yes.

Yes.

The sun has set.

He's awakened. I can feel it.

The horseman rides.
He'll come for you.

We must prepare.
We'll be ready.

[GASPING]