Can Sleepy Hollow get back on track?

The mid-season finale summed up a middling first half of the season by killing off Captain Frank Irving. To the consternation of self-proclaimed 'Sleepyheads' and casual fans alike, the death of Irving was another betrayal. Katrina, the world's most boring witch was still alive spreading corseted Goth malaise. Jenny Mills, treasure hunter and mercenary was reduced to waiting for the phone to ring. And Hawley of the majestic white teeth and golden mane. Good gravy. He and Katrina were allowed to sidetrack the entire show. Our witnesses, the pulchritudinous, raven-haired, and honor-bound Abigail Mills and Ichabod Crane were left in a state of flux.

In the 2015 mid-season premiere, Sleepy Hollow may have redeemed itself by returning to its core narrative: the battle to save humanity from unquenchable evil. Thanks to Henry, the Horseman of War and Peter Pan of the apocalypse, Moloch has been defeated. As a result, purgatory has been torn open freeing those trapped inside. This event will henceforth be known as “Purgatory Blowout 2015.” What a relief for Ichabod. He was just telling Abigail that he would rather "fight the threat of the apocalypse," than get a job and sign up for health insurance at healthcare.gov. Purgatory's first escapees seem to be the angel Orion and an assortment of lesser demons looking for a Moloch replacement. Orion is God's most judgmental angel. His biggest turn-ons are hastening epidemics and natural disasters. His turn-offs are indifference and Goth witches. Orion lays out the stakes for Abigail and the viewer: Headless is now the top demon, there are countless evil souls on the loose thanks to Purgatory Blowout 2015, and FYI: angels are crazy. This is great news since Katrina just set Headless free from captivity while she works on a spell to make him human again. He won't be lonely. Purgatory Blowout 2015 has provided him with his own gang of useless minions. Headless, minions and souls on the loose? That is a lot to work with. How many episodes until the season finale? In other news, Jenny and Hawley have teamed up to recreate scenes from the highly anticipated, but never released 1986 romance-adventure, "Is This Love or Treasure?" starring Rae Dawn Chong and Gary Busey.

All of these developments could become satisfying story lines. A touch of Type A romance between Abby and Orion could also provide real sexual tension and another layer of comic relief. One of the greatest indicators of the show’s potential redemption is the return of Captain Irving. What are the effects of selling his soul to Henry and hanging out in purgatory? Who has he become? Will he play his return a la Denzel in Training Day with a "purgatory aint got nothin’ on me" aplomb or will he be cool like Isiah Whitlock, Jr. as Maryland State Senator Clay Davis on The Wire: "Purgatory, shiiiiiiiit."

I am excited to find out.