Sleepy Hollow delivered one of its best episodes from this sophomore season, relying heavily on the story of Abbie, Jenny, and their mother (Lilly) to catapult the rest of cast and story along before next week’s fall finale.

For the most part, this series remains as engaging as it was last year, but there are times when this season has struggled to find its footing. New regular cast members like Katrina and Hawley feel like loose ends needing to be cut off, while others (such as Jenny and Captain Irving) sit idly by, stuck playing second fiddle.

This week’s outing, entitled ‘Mama’, felt like a reemergence of what made season one so great. There were laughs to be had, with Ichabod struggling to stay awake, as Hawley drugged him with Matzah Ball soup. The drama was also top-notch, with Abbie and Jenny coming to an understanding that although their mother may have acted in a crazed fashion, the demons that she spoke of were real and in the end, she saved her daughters. Sleepy Hollow has always been about family after all. Even Katrina’s story is becoming more relevant.

On the periphery, each week we get a glimpse of what Henry and Katrina are up to. For the most part, the Horseman of War has been conjuring up monsters-of-the-week for Abbie and Ichabod to defeat, but now, with Moloch reaching the age of puberty in a few short days, everything seems more important. It’s not that the lovely Katia Winter (Dexter) has done a poor job of portraying the ancient witch, it’s just that her presence in present day Sleepy Hollow has taken away from our time with Ichabod and Abbie. Katrina and Ichabod may be in love, but it’s Abbie’s connection to Crane that has us coming back week after week.

Again, this episode made Katrina’s story feel more relevant, as she must now find a way to stop Moloch from developing into a fully grown adult. It was particularly disturbing to see her holding the demonic child in all its black-gooey-goodness. The special effects team deserves credit for creating such an horrific creature. With each new monster brought to life, they continue to outdo themselves.

By the end of ‘Mama’, there are so many different possible outcomes before we go on winter break. Moloch is developing into an adult fast, so will Katrina and the rest of the gang be able to stop him before he matures? Since he’s the “big-bad” of this series (so far), the prince of Purgatory will most likely stick around until the end of season two. Captain Irving’s escape from the mental institution was another surprising development. The former policeman has been absent from the team for too long. Do you think we’ll ever see his family again?

Whatever happens in next week’s fall finale, it’s sure to be one wild ride. Stay tuned…

Sleepy Hollow continues with ‘Magnum Opus’ next Monday @9pm on Fox. Check out a preview below: