'Sleepy Hollow' 1.03 "For the Triumph of Evil' Review

FOX

After a smashing debut, Sleepy Hollow’s second episode was a little more so-so. Part of that could have had to do with the fact that the ‘of the week’ case had less to do with the central focus of the series than the events of the pilot. So it was a relief to see that the third episode, ‘For the Triumph of Evil’ managed to give viewers a great mixture of a super creepy creature feature as well as a story that pushed the overall plot along quite nicely.

'Once Upon A Time' 3.01 "The Heart of the Truest Believer" Review

ABC

When any show reaches it’s third season, it’s usually time to put up or shut up. A first season is all about establishing the world and the characters that reside within. The second can be used as a time to experiment--try new things see what works and what doesn’t. Hopefully, by the time the all-important third season comes about a show’s creators have some idea of what needs to be changed, expanded upon, or dropped entirely. Once Upon A Time floundered quite a bit last year but the season premiere seems to be taking what worked from that year and finding new ways to incorporate it into the storytelling in this new season.

'Revenge' 3.01 "Fear" Review

ABC

Summer may be over here in real life, but it’s just kicking off in the Hamptons on Revenge as the biggest mystery of the fall begins:  Who pulled the trigger on Emily Thorne?

'Elementary' Season Two Premiere - "Step Nine" Review

CBS

Step Nine: “Make direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.”

When we rejoin our duo in season two, it doesn’t seem like much has changed in their day to day life.  With the exception of Joan being fifty percent more badass than previously when she single-handedly takes down a runner that Sherlock lost sight of.  So when Sherlock receives a mysterious call that sends them to London we hit the ground running with the introduction of several new characters and Sherlock’s attempt to make amends with at least one of them along the way.

'Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.' 1.01 "Pilot" Review

ABC

Some of the best books to read are the ones that require you to delve right into the world. Either the book uses terms that will mean something later on or even including intentionally difficult words which require a dictionary to be close by. There's a certain added joy in having to work for the complete picture and Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. understands that from the get-go by throwing around concepts such as Extremis and Project Pegasus. In some cases, such a concept will resolve itself with exposition in the episode, or such a concept will be placed into the dialog in hopes that the apparent synergy in this television series will get viewers to seek out the appropriate Marvel comic to read for full comprehension. That may seem daunting to a casual viewer but that's part of what works so well during the pilot episode of this Joss Whedon led endeavor. Despite the fact that there's a lot of additional story alluded to in the episode, there's never an overbearing sense of information overload. 

'Sleepy Hollow' Pilot Review: The Fantasy-Horror Cousin of 'Fringe' Delights Instantly

Fox

Hudson Valley, New York. 1781. The scene: a battle rages on between the redcoats and the patriots. Ichabod Crane (a dashing Tom Mison) fights for his life against... that's not a regular redcoat soldier. Two hundred fifty years later, Crane awakens in a cave and to find himself alive in a very different world than the one he once occupied. Meanwhile, a routine police call turns into a double homicide perpetrated by the very same redcoat solider that should be dead but you can't truly kill the Horseman of Death headless or not. 

Fox

So it goes for Fox’s latest genre entry Sleepy Hollow, a surprisingly engrossing occult apocalypse conspiracy tale woven around two main figures from that legend (Crane and the Headless Horseman) and police lieutenant Abbie Mills (Nicole Beharie) who's more than willing to believe as recent events involving both figures bring up dark days from her past while forever changing her future. After watching the pilot it would be impossible not to compare this show with quite a few others currently on the air (Elementary) or have since long ago left our screens (The X-Files). To me, it immediately established itself as a sort of horror-fantasy version of Fox’s most recent genre phenomenon that didn't get canceled after one season Fringe, which makes sense since Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci are involved in both shows. Which is nothing but a compliment when a pilot is this  strong, well-plotted, and filled with disturbing imagery right out of the gate.