Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Catholic
Religious Music & Entertainment
‘Sleepy Hollow’: Catholic Orlando Jones on Rising From the Dead

‘Sleepy Hollow’: Catholic Orlando Jones on Rising From the Dead

Last updated on: February 13, 2015 at 2:55 pm by Kate O'Hare

‘Sleepy Hollow’: Catholic Orlando Jones on Rising From the Dead 2015-02-13T14:55:27-08:00 Kate O'Hare

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

(Spoiler warning: If you haven’t seen the episode that aired Monday, Feb. 9, bookmark this page and come back later.)

It would be a stretch to call Fox’s supernatural drama “Sleepy Hollow,” currently airing its second season Mondays at 9 p.m. ET, a faith-based show, but there’s a lot in it that people of faith can appreciate — including a character who’s a faithful Catholic.

At its core, “Sleepy Hollow” is about people with morals and ethics battling to prevent satanic forces from sweeping over the Earth. There are demons and creatures and magic spells, but, in this age of antiheroes, the protagonists here are actual heroes — flawed human beings, but heroes nonetheless.

A fantastical combination of the tales of Washington Irving, “National Treasure” and Revelation, the series centers on Ichabod Crane (Tom Mison), here portrayed as a former Oxford history professor turned Revolutionary War patriot and bosom friend of such luminaries as George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin.

After apparently dying in a battle with the Headless Horseman (from Irving’s original tale, “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”), Crane slumbered beneath the earth for a couple of centuries or so, to be resurrected in modern-day Sleepy Hollow, N.Y., to do battle with the forces of darkness seeking to bring about the Apocalypse.

Along the way, Crane recruited local police Lt. Abbie Mills (Nicole Beharie) and her sister, Jenny (Lyndie Greenwood) to his cause, and eventually Abbie’s boss, Capt. Frank Irving (Orlando Jones). Like Jones, Irving is a Catholic who has been seen consulting with his priest. A tragedy which left his daughter in a wheelchair broke up Irving’s marriage, but he still cares deeply for his ex-wife and child.

Unfortunately for Frank, he died. But fortunately — or not, as the case may be — he didn’t quite stay that way.

As compelling as the Biblical story of Christ raising Lazarus from the dead is, it’s missing some vital elements. We are not told what Lazarus looked like when he came out of the tomb, nor what he said, nor what stories he told, if any, of where he’d been for the four days since he died.

There are a variety of traditions concerning Lazarus, but Scripture tells us nothing about his resurrection except that it happened, and that his continued existence was a cause of conversions and consternation, so the chief priests made plans to do him in.

So, while it’s a tempting idea to bring the dead back, it’s also profoundly disturbing. In literature and drama, from vampires to zombies to ghosts, it seldom bodes well, especially for the living.

This season, Irving became an active participant in the fight against the demon Moloch. But, while Irving was imprisoned on false charges and later held in a local psychiatric hospital, he made an unwitting deal with Henry Parrish (John Noble), an acolyte of Moloch (and Ichabod’s son — it’s complicated), and essentially sold his soul.

After Irving escaped from the hospital, his soulless condition allowed him to wield an ancient weapon, before he was ultimately slain by the Horseman of War. But then, he popped up at a grocery store, confused if he was in heaven or hell. The exact nature of Irving, what he’s up to, and even whether or not he’s actually alive (he apparently doesn’t see his reflection in glass) remains in flux.

In the episode that aired Monday, Feb. 9, he told Jenny that he came back from the dead in an altered form, with another, evil Frank Irving inside him. He found a magical way to keep that Irving at bay, long enough, he claimed, to find a way to provide funds for the safe escape of his family, but that soon the evil side will take him over completely.

Irving said, “This is reparations. I lost my job; I lost my soul; I lost my family. This is security for them. My time is running out.”

In conversation a a press event in January, Jones was cagey about his character’s situation.

“I would characterize myself as untrustworthy,” he says. “When someone is dead, and they come back … the question is, ‘How did that happen?’ I think that’s the question on everybody’s mind. … My soul is still in a precarious position. I wouldn’t characterize him as a zombie. I would characterize him as a disciple, a man still fighting for his faith, for his family, for his future.”

Asked if he was surprised by the strong reaction to his apparent demise (which included a “funeral” put on by fans in Wilmington, N.C., where the show films), Jones said, “Yes, I was. I figured there is a lot more story to tell. We exist in a strange time, and part of the joy of playing that character is … ‘Sleepy Hollow’ has a lot of diabolicals to it, a lot of evil.

“Irving very much represents a man of faith, a man of principle in a time when those characteristics don’t seem to be valued. So, to me, the ability to play someone like that during this time is an exciting process. I’m glad that Fox … agrees with that.”

I then asked Jones where Irving went while he was dead.

He replied, “That is a really interesting question. I would be excited to hear what the writers’ answer to that is. I can give you my answer to that. I think Irving refused to die. I think the concept of faith and the reality of faith are very different things. I believe he believes in the reality of it.

“The reality of it is, he has a family to protect, and he has been remiss in doing so. I feel he cannot leave them that way, and whatever he has to do for evil in order to have that last connection, that last moment, in the hope that he can stay. The hope that he can protect his family is what keeps him alive.

“At a lot of levels, hope and faith are very tenuous things that people talk about all the time, like, ‘You should give up hope; you should give up faith,’ and I love the fact that he doesn’t.”

But when I asked if Frank Irving’s soul was redeemable, Jones smiled and said, “As a good Catholic boy, all souls are redeemable. Every day you’re walking on this Earth, you get another shot to get it right.”

The fate of “Sleepy Hollow” remains unknown, with a third season in doubt. But, said Jones, “I would say the odds for renewal are high. I would say I am convinced it will happen.”

Previous Post

February 9, 2015

'Gotham': Penguin's Revenge, and the Dark Catholicism of Harvey Bullock

Next Post

February 10, 2015 Matt Triplett and Mr. Bull -- The Prayer of a Cowboy

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category books breaking news digital media Faith practice food interview jane the virgin media movies music NFL Pope Francis Showbiz 101 social media sports technology television Uncategorized video

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz