6 Things We Loved AboutChilling Adventures of SabrinaPart 2 (and One We Really, Really Didn’t)

Hail … Satan ? Netflix ’s Chilling Adventures of Sabrina has hark back with its 2d season . How does ithold upagainst itsmuch - hyped launching ? Hop on your broom handle , because we ’re about to take a bumpy ride .

The soph season pore on Sabrina ’s journeying after signing the Book of the Beast , showing her growing into her big businessman while growing more isolated from her deathly friends . Kiernan Shipka has likewise been grow into the role , though still underperforming in compare to the rest of the mould . At the same time , Father Blackwood ( Richard Coyle ) is assert more ascendance over the Church of Night , hop to keep its patriarchal structure intact . This lead against Sabrina ’s wishes … as well as those of her begetter .

We Loved

The Aunts (Again)

Miranda Otto and Lucy Davis continue to hit ( literally and figuratively ) as Sabrina Spellman ’s aunts , Zelda and Hilda . The actress are strong , piquant , and committed , and they continue to mature into their characters . I could seriously watch them all Clarence Shepard Day Jr. . The not bad part about them this time of year was that they were n’t stay put on their same shit . Hilda and Zelda , as a pair , started out pretty toxic , unable or unwilling to mature or change , and the first time of year center on them get wind to live apart from each other . But they ’ve since developed a documentation scheme , helping each other through their single journeys as only witches can … by coach each other in the artistry of conquest and poisoning competition !

I did take issue with Zelda ’s storyline , with her getting married to Father Blackwood . It required her to disregard a lot of warning sign that a woman with her strength and intelligence would have been well aware of . But goddamn if I do n’t love Miranda Otto every measure of the direction … and she appear amazing in that flowered clothes . Lucy Davis ’ Hilda did n’t get a lot to do this season , but she was a treasure to watch . Her main plot line was about her growing human relationship with Dr. Cerberus , who materialise to be a master of ceremonies for a sex - madden nightmare . It ’s great because not only does Hilda now have someone who knows and loves her for who she really is , but she ’s also found herself a literal demon in the sack . Not spoiled , Hildy .

Ambrose

Chance Perdomo did impress me in the first season as Ambrose Spellman — but it was a limited experience , as the character was n’t devote a lot to do . Now that Ambrose has been freed of his domicile prison , the character and actor have soared . His was the most telling storyline of the time of year , as he struggle to figure out his allegiances during Father Blackwood ’s rise to power . He get it on Father Blackwood was bad newsworthiness , but without him , Ambrose would still be trapped at home , unable to do , well , anything . It was an interesting juxtaposition , and Perdomo delivered it beautifully . I ’d love to see him in more projects .

That said , I ’m disappointed at what happened to Ambrose ’s boyfriend Luke , being tortured and shoot down off without anyone discovering how Hilda had magically dose him into the family relationship to begin with . Luke may have been a misogynist and a total dick , but no one deserves that .

When Lilith Watched the Play

There ’s a scene early on in the season ( or , “ Part 2 , ” as Netflix call it ) when Sabrina and Nick are perform a fiendish morality play , showing Lucifer ’s nightfall from heaven and how Lilith came to be a part of his eternal life . Madam Satan ( Michelle Gomez ) watch wordlessly from the back of the church , as a propagandise and pull wires variant of her liveliness story represent out in front of her .

You could see every turn and turn play out on her face — her dear and hope as she watched Lilith verbalise her undying honey for Lucifer , as well as the painful sensation she ’s suffered as a result of agree to be his servant and courtesan . Lilith was more often than not discrepant this season , as for the most part it was never clear what the heaven she was up to . But in this moment , she carried all of our shriveled black hearts .

Theo

Early on in the season , Lachlan Watson ’s character amount out as a trans man . I felt Theo had one of the strong subplots of the season , especially for the non - witch type , because of how thoughtfully it was handled . Theo get out to his friends at a clock time and spot that shape for him : In a present moment of delight , right after secure a place on the boy ’s basketball squad . It was a celebration , one that we all felt a part of .

And then , there was the view where he come out to his beginner , before the schoolhouse dancing . It was a little cumbersome , for certain , but you could see the love between them . And I adore the way it end , with Theo asking his sire to take him out for a haircut . It felt powerful in its simpleness . ( This is coming from the perspective of a cisgender person , family line in the trans community may have different sentiment or concerns . )

Harvey’s Tarot Reading

Much in the nervure of the first time of year ’s Battybat risky venture , Part 2 ’s fourth episode was mostly standalone . It neuter realism and mess with our head . The story centered around a cryptical fortune teller ( Lilith in disguise ) , who gave tarot readings to several of our Hero of Alexandria — present them with dire fortunes if they pursued a route that veered from Satan ’s Master Plan . Most of them were various tier of mulct , but my favorite was Harvey ’s . Not because it give us any special brainstorm — in fact , I ’d say it was the one that made the least sense — but because of what go on during it .

Harvey was looking into whether he should go to a summer art colony instead of persist in Greendale with his friends , so his tarot indication was a full - on tribute to Lovecraftian horror . It centre around William Harvey bunking with an art bookman name Howard ( named after H.P. Lovecraft ) who spent his time drawing horrific creatures from alternate realities , which only seem at Nox through a portal in the chamber cupboard . He had to , he claimed , because it was the only way to keep the monsters at bay .

The art was gorgeous , with plenty of nods to Lovecraft ’s creations , and the episode ended on the promise of Harvey take to take up Howard ’s mantelpiece … after glimpse into the horrific void himself . It may not have been a vital chronological succession , although it did provide clue about Harvey ’s fine art - based fortune , but it was just cool to watch .

Kiernan Shipka as Sabrina Spellman. All images and photos: Netflix.

Kiernan Shipka as Sabrina Spellman. All images and photos: Netflix.Image: All images via Netflix

The Missionaries

One of the uncanny but clean things Sabrina did this season was fetch in the missionaries in episode six . It was confront as a standalone idea , with these Mormon - case missionary coming to “ purify ” the town , because they were really angelic witch hunters . And it seemed like a orderly idea for a one - off sequence . The main guy wire was sufficiently creepy-crawly , with the strangest - expect eyes I ’ve perhaps ever seen in my total lifespan , and I just care the imagery the show utilized , have these old - schoolhouse angels a modern boundary . Plus , it gave us possibly the greatest railway line in the series so far , when Dorian Gray confronted an Angel Falls who ’d try out to stamp out him with a crossbow : “ You shot me . You bitch . ”

Then , this happened …

We Loathed

Dear God, Where Do I Begin

The end of episode six was where everything diminish apart . The time of year went from an interesting follow - up to a junkyard mound , rent three season of storylines and crunching them into a bathetic , ridiculous mess . I ca n’t divide these problems into sections , nor would I really want to ( because it ’s all bad ) , so I ’m just going to take you through a journeying of “ what the fuckery . ”

Sabrina heads into the re - consecrated Church of Night to stop the angels from sacrifice the Weird Sisters — since she was christen as a infant , she ’s the only one who can . She move to get a crown of thorns put on her head as a way to bind her big businessman , then is scud with a crossbow three times , fall to the floor in a way that looks like Christ on the cross . She ’s dead . But not for farsighted !

Sabrina rise up , swim in the air with white eyes and a slightly pitched part that sounds like someone retard down a Chipmunks recording a little too much . Now she really looks like she ’s on the cross , ordering these angels to pledge their souls to the Dark Lord as fire shoots out from her bridge player like the brand .

How do I put this ? Sabina has become Demon Jesus .

After rising from the beat , Sabrina spends her time performing actual miracles — include taking aside Roz ’s blindness so she can see again ( oh yeah , shewas unreasoning for like three and a half episodes)—and prophesy her sire ’s teachings of compassionateness between witch and mortals . She surrounds herself with youthful witches and warlocks , who look up at her in awe and amazement , much to the chagrin of all the old - schoolers . Everyone is shock at both how powerful and rotatory Sabrina Spellman is , as she prompt the heap with her lurid Truth . She even gets through to Prudence Blackwood , who ’s pass most of the time of year obeying her founding father ’s commands so she can remain in his good graces . That is , until Sabrina ’s noble teachings root on her to change her ways . I ’m not kidding when I say this amps up the show’sracial problemsto genuine “ white savior ” levels .

Wait , it gets worse .

Sabrina and her friends realize that her newfound position as the choose One is only happening because she ’s an idiot unknowingly fetch about the apocalypse . Her blind trust in Mary Wardwell , who we have a go at it as Lilith , has lead her every tone of the elbow room to fulfilling a divination that will give Lucifer back his saintly conformation so he can contribute Hell on Earth , with Sabrina by his side as his queen . Sabrina , being the ever - lasting dumbass , decides without consulting anybody that the only result to this is for her to take her powers everlastingly — arrange them into a plant version of herself that plow out to be fucking transphobe ( in the worst picture of the serial publication so far ) . Guess what : That was the concluding step in the prophecy , you wingnut .

Then , there was the time of year finale , which was so overstuff I ca n’t even remember everything that happened . Over the course of one 60 - moment episode , Lucifer hail back , break he ’s Sabrina ’s biological Church Father ( eww ) , and also shares that Nick was puzzle out for him the entire time ( but not volitionally , because we still need Nick to be a “ decent guy ” ) . Sabrina and her family try and flunk to defeat Satan , twice — as Roz , Harvey , and Theo break the logic gate of Hell from opening — and finally succeed the third clock time with Nick sacrifice himself as a human horde for Satan ’s soul . They also execute “ Masquerade ” from Phantom of the Opera , because why not we ’re all in hell now .

It all ends with Lilith go up as the Queen of Hell , with a crown of favourable finger bones . She gives Sabrina her beldam baron back and takes Nick with her to the underworld , where she ’ll substitute Lucifer as the leader of their church and source of all that is malevolent . This whole affair happen so tight that Father Blackwood ’s sexist takeover of the Church of Night , which was present as the central conflict of the serial publication , was pretty much an afterthought . Zelda now runs their church , and Blackwood ’s on the rivulet , I guess .

I ’m not sure if you ’re following all this , but here are the CliffsNotes : It only have 19 episode ( and aholiday special ) of Chilling Adventures of Sabrina , a show about witches who idolise Satan , to essentially murder Satan . I ca n’t say what propel this determination . perhaps someone worried the original conflict was subpar , or that the brusque time of year want to “ trim to the Salmon P. Chase ” a raft faster than traditional television . Maybe the producer were under pressing to take the whole Satan component out of the show . But in myopic : It ’s a cataclysm .

Three episode is not nearly enough sentence for Sabrina to become Jesus , lose her powers , get down the Revelation of Saint John the Divine , and then come face - to - face and get the better of Lucifer Morningstar … the eternal ruler of hell who ’s also her personal Darth Vader . What the heaven is Chilling Adventures of Sabrina without the Dark Lord ? It ’s an interesting question , but it should n’t have been enquire so all-fired rapidly . And it ’s commute the serial publication forever … in a way I do n’t think it ’s quick for .

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