‘Sleepy Hollow’ Season 4, Episode 1 Spoilers: “Columbia” Picks Up After Abbie’s Shocking Death; Ichabod Crane Forges Unlikely Alliances in Quest for New Witness

‘Sleepy Hollow’ season 4’s episode 1, titled “Columbia,” is set to pick up after Abbie’s shocking death in season 3. Ichabod Crane will forge unlikely alliances in his quest for a new witness.

The synopsis for episode 1 posted on TV Guide reads, “Season 4 begins with Ichabod (Tom Mison) and Jenny (Lyndie Greenwood) still reeling from Abbie's (Nicole Beharie) tragic death, but Ichabod's new mission in Washington, D.C., brings unlikely alliances in his quest to locate the next Witness.”

Viewers were left in shot when major character Grace Abigail "Abbie" Mills was killed off at the end of season 3. A new key character is set to replace Abbie in the incoming season of the supernatural drama television series loosely based on the 1820 Halloween short story “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” authored by Washington Irving.

According to Blastr, Ichabod and Jenny are set on moving on from Abbie’s shocking demise with Ichabod’s search for a new witness. Ichabod will find himself in Washington D.C. and move into a haunted apartment. In the trailer, he meets his new partner Diana Thomas, portrayed by ‘True Blood’ actress Janina Gavankar.

Gavankar’s character is described as a single mother and former military officer. Diana now works for Homeland Security and is a supernatural skeptic who is bound to create conflict for the series protagonist. However, she has a more caring side that she rarely shows and is fiercely devoted to her 11-year old daughter Stella.

Meanwhile, Jeremy Davis of ‘Lost’ fame is set to recur as the series’ non-supernatural villain Malcolm Dreyfuss. Malcolm is a wealthy tech mogul described as a “dark mirror” to Mison’s Ichabod.

According E! News, Mison addressed Abbie’s shocking death during the London MCM Comic Con. He said, "I always thought of Ichabod as the sidekick… Abbie is the one the audience can relate to so when you're entering this insane world of Sleepy Hollow, you go with Abbie. She's been the guide and Ichabod is this insane man in the periphery."

Mison continued, "I never really was, funnily enough, interested in Ichabod's backstory in the beginning…that changed a lot in season two when they then did start to explore Ichabod's backstory and family and things, so it'll be interesting to be where they go without that crutch because I still think Abbie was grounding that as well.”

He added, “I'll be very curious to see whether they decide to find another way to ground Ichabod in reality or whether they think he's an inhabitant of the modern era enough that he can do it on his own.”

‘Sleepy Hollow’ season 4’s episode 1, titled “Columbia,” is scheduled to premiere on Fox on January 6, 2017. It was directed by Russell Fine and written by Albert Kim. It will be followed by episode 2, titled "In Plain Sight," scheduled for January 13.