To tell the truth, Sleepy Hollow has had me for a while now, with a wonderful first season that stood out as one of television’s best surprises of 2013. The tone was set from the pilot as Nicole Beharie and Tom Mison displayed instant chemistry that only got stronger as the year went on, while the writing remained fresh and clever throughout. Season two looks like they’re ready to build on that as “This is War” kicks things off in grand style.

In which our champions pop the trunk.

Acting as the conclusion to last season’s cliffhanger-filled finale episode “Bad Blood,” the premiere spends the first 15 minutes intentionally disorienting Abbie and Ichabod before the illusion that they’ve got things under control is shattered. It’s a very clever gimmick, reminding us of the bond they’ve built up while hitting the ground of this second season at a sprint. And we’ll see whether all their training stays with them in the real world (I think it’s safe to assume driving was not part of it for Ichabod either way), but just the sight of the two of them facing off against Headless was a rush. The confrontation ending with his grenade-aided escape was Sleepy Hollow in a nutshell: surprising and ludicrous, but still pretty cool.The Headless Horseman has been doled out wisely by the series, usually appearing only for big moments when he can do maximum damage. He’s been a terrific, relentless foe, but John Noble being revealed as the second Horseman means there’s a new Big Bad in Sleepy Hollow. As cool and scary as Headless and some of the monsters of the first season were, none of them can touch the ferocity that Noble is able to attack his scenes with. Henry is a marvelous nemesis not only because of the actor portraying him but because the writers have given him such a deeply personal connection when it was revealed that he’s Ichabod and Katrina’s son Jeremy. The series has done a fine job of gradually building up connections like this, such as Abbie’s sister Jenny working with her or the Headless Horseman turning out to be Ichabod’s former rival Abraham.While most of the hour was able to more than make do with the regular cast, John Cho makes a welcome return as Andy, everyone’s favorite tortured soul. But it’s Timothy Busfield’s introduction as a blowhard Benjamin Franklin that nearly steals the show. Tom Mison is always a riot when Ichabod feels particularly put upon, and Busfield gives him plenty of reason to do so, parading around naked and talking down to him. I love the idea of seeing more flashbacks to Franklin, especially if he’s used as cleverly as he is here with his famous kite flying actually being an attempt to destroy the key to Purgatory.

Sleepy Hollow's Cast Discuss Season 2

With almost all of the moving parts of Sleepy Hollow working so well together it felt a bit jarring when the show stopped to check in on Katrina. After finally releasing her from Purgatory at the end of last season, the series now has a chance to develop her character beyond a pretty face to deliver exposition and Ichabod to pine after. Given the series’ track record I don’t doubt that they will but for now she remains the most detached part of the show, finding herself out of the frying pan and into the fire of Abraham/Headless Horseman’s clutches.Sleepy Hollow’s first season was a marvelous balancing act of humor, outrageous myth-building, horror and action. At the heart of it all was Nicole Beharie and Tom Mison’s terrific job portraying the growing partnership of Abbie and Ichabod. “This is War” is more of a conclusion to last year’s finale than anything else, but if it’s any indication of what we can expect for the second season it’s going to be well worth watching once again.