"Chilling Adventures of Sabrina" is a new spin on the familiar Sabrina Spellman character from the television series "Sabrina The Teenage Witch," which aired from September 1996 - April 2003.
This new spin on the series stars Kiernan Shipka as the title character, playing a more sinister role than the character did in the series’ predecessor. Now in its second season, the new series has recently released its latest chapter, bringing back its beloved characters for a major ride through hell.
Part Three starts where our characters left off in part two, with Sabrina finding out her father is the “Dark Lord” - aka the devil - and that he has possessed Nick, Sabrina’s warlock boyfriend. Sabrina then enlists the well-known Harvey, as well as Ross and Theo, to help retrieve him.
Additionally, with the Dark Lord stuck inside Nick, Hell is now ran by Madam Satan, played by Michelle Gomez. This change in leadership shifts the balances of the realms and results in more trouble for the Greendale Clan.
Offsetting the previous chapters, there are plenty of other intriguing storylines throughout the series, especially with the iconic aunties, Aunts Zelda and Hilda (played by Miranda Otto and Lucy Davis) still in the mix. Aunt Zelda is now running the Church of Night, a school meant specifically for witches and warlocks who praise the Dark Lord, while Aunt Hilda is attempting to maintain a normal life with her lover.
Elsewhere we have Sabrina’s cousin Ambrose and his new girlfriend Prudence, played by Chance Perdomo and Tati Gabrielle, who are navigating their new relationship and traveling the world to hunt down Prudence’s dad, Father Blackwood, following his previous evil actions throughout the series.
This chapter of the series does a great job with elevating the characters to different spaces in their life while still letting it fit for the series overall. The plot progression often seems so organic in a series with such a chaotic setting.
Theo, played by Lachlan Watson and formerly known as Susie, gets more character development when he is given a love interest, making for some great, complex moments. Ross and Harvey, played by Jaz Sinclair and Ross Lynch, are still dating and struggling to find the right time to sleep together (which is pretty hard to do in between taking trips to hell and making sure to be on time to band practice). While that problem is on the surface, a new problem arises when potential old feelings between Sabrina and Harvey arise. One of the best themes of the series is its ability to showcase the hellish elements with the more grounded ones, such as Sabrina and Ross deciding to join the cheer team.
The series also took a shot going the musical way, something its sister series “Riverdale” has done previously, which I feel was done organically and in a way that made sense for the storyline. While some shows' attempts to do this come across as out of place, Sabrina managed to make sure it felt right in tune with the plot. Along with taking a page from “Riverdale” with its musical elements, the town's name dropped in the series multiple times - I'm sure fans of both series noticed and appreciated the mini crossover. While continuing to maintain those elements, the series does a great job juggling the big storylines of the series and intertwining everything when it is just right.
"Chilling Adventures Of Sabrina" has become a great hit for Netflix, garnering a huge fan base across social media while providing quality entertainment for fans of the original comic book. For those who may not have watched the first parts, trust me, it is worth the ride.
While this adaption does dip into the more satanic side of witchery, it still manages to incorporate the simple concepts of Good vs. Evil in a great, enjoyable way. So check out the series if you haven't and witness the rise of Sabrina Spellman, the Queen of Hell.
I give this series 5 out of 5 Swoops.
