Sleepy Hollow - Dead Men Tell No Tales (Bones Crossover Event) - Advance Preview

3.05 - "DEAD MEN TELL NO TALES"

Reviewed by Gavin Hetherington

3.01 - "I, Witness" (October 1, 2015) - Review / Advance Preview
3.02 - "Whispers in the Dark" (October 8, 2015) - Review
3.03 - "Blood and Fear" (October 15, 2015) - Review
3.04 - "The Sisters Mills" (October 22, 2015) - Review
3.05 - "Dead Men Tell No Tales" (October 29, 2015) - Advance Preview
3.06 - "This Red Lady From Caribee" (November 5, 2015) - Review / Advance Preview
3.07 - "The Art of War" (November 12, 2015) - Review / Advance Preview

When the crossover episode of Sleepy Hollow and Bones was announced, I think everybody's immediate reaction was - what? A crime procedural with no elements of fantasy crossing over with a supernatural drama? Really? I don't think one person doubted the ability of this event to work, myself included. Fortunately, I think this crossover episode worked! Sure, there are some kinks to the general rule that the Sleepy Hollow world is far too removed from the realistic world of Bones, but it's something that is kind of intriguing in this episode. As a note, I decided not to watch the screener for the Bones portion of the crossover, just to see if this episode would stand on its own legs. Good news to the fans of Sleepy Hollow that don't watch Bones (and may not want to), this episode can totally be watched on its own. I didn't find myself lost during it at all. Sure, there's references that they met prior to the episode (which is something I am interested in seeing, so I will watch the screener sometime this week prior to the episodes airing), but you seriously could just dive straight on in without worrying about not seeing the Bones episode.

So the main appeal of the episode is the famed Bones crossover section. As a note, the due from the other show appear half-way through this episode and don't really last the entire period - which is totally fine. The scenes they do get together are awesome enough as they are. It's mentioned that Booth and Brennan offered their help to Abbie and Ichabod so our Sleepy Hollow heroes decide to cash that cheque early. I was worried that the Bones-alum will not be part of any action, but I was pleasantly surprised to see they were. I was a religious watcher of Bones for quite some time and I became really quite addicted, but stopped watching at the beginning of season 9. Not that I didn't like the show anymore, but just because I didn't have the time to keep up with the show when I had a thousand others I was more interested in. Watching this episode really made me miss the show, so I'm beginning to look forward to jumping back on the Bones bandwagon when my schedule settles down a little. I love how the two teams - Abbie/Ichabod, Booth/Brennan - work together, even when they get separated when Booth sets off a booby trap. It stays very true to the characters of both shows which was a remarkable feat without exposing Booth and Brennan to the true supernatural occurrences that would be far too unrealistic for their characters. They do have a show to get back to, so it was a good job they didn't ruin that for them.

In terms of all the other storylines going on in the show, we aren't removed from them at all. Jenny is still knee-deep in her quest with Joe, even getting some answers about the guy they're after. We are still miles behind knowing everything, especially about the Shard of Anubis, but there's progress. Pandora continues to wreak havoc and make a few appearances throughout, as well as a brief flashback (and homage from Zoe) to Betsy Ross. Ichabod still has his growing crush on Zoe to keep him occupied when he isn't working - could this be the start of something new for him? There is actually a conversation between Ichabod and Abbie about Katrina and having to move on. The villains are very Halloween-esque and the zombies are more Michael Jackson Thriller than The Walking Dead. We have some good, exciting scenes with the undead - especially when they're in the town - as well as some good fight scenes as you'd expect by now from the show. All in all, I really enjoyed this crossover portion of the big Bones event. It further cements season three as continually being a pleasing ride so far and I have high hopes that the show will continue to deliver. Good humour, good fights and some really good scenes with the FOX foursome. Who knows, maybe they'll cross paths again in the near future? Hopefully the crossover is a success for both shows and both will benefit from it.

TEASES

- Booth and Brennan of Bones appear half-way through this episode.
- An enemy from the past.
- Enemies of the week - the undead!
- Ichabod on Instagram.
- Things get complicated for Abbie's work and personal life.

DIALOGUE TEASES

- "Actually, procreation plays a significant part in our relationship."
- "In this world, that is not a promise you can make."
- "Your way works too."
- "I will not give you the satisfaction, turncoat."

Have any questions about the special crossover episode of Sleepy Hollow and Bones? What are you looking forward to seeing in this bizarre concoction? Let me know in the comments and be sure to watch the episode live on October 29th on FOX!

About the Author - Gavin Hetherington

Award-winning author of the 'Abyssal Sanctuary' series. Gavin joined SpoilerTV in August 2014 and reviews 2 Broke Girls, Devious Maids, The Flash, Mistresses, Pretty Little Liars, Salem, Scream Queens and Sleepy Hollow. Gavin will write previews for Devious Maids and Shadowhunters, and backs-up Empire, iZombie, Once Upon a Time, Reign, Scandal and Supergirl. You can contact him at gavin@spoilertv.com.

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