What I Loved and Hated about The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina

Last updated on: April 17, 2019 at 9:01 pm by Jessica Jascha

What I Loved and Hated about The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina 2019-04-17T21:01:58-06:00 Jessica Jascha

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I’ve loved everything that The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina has had to offer so far in terms of story and content, but I don’t love every character. In fact, out of all of the characters in the show I dislike Sabrina and Harvey the most.

Sabrina drives me nuts with her thoughtless and selfish behavior. She is somewhat of a moral center for the show, but her morality is driven by hubris and self-interest. To me, there is no greater sign of this than when she raises Harvey’s brother from the dead. She thinks she can cheat the natural laws by killing Agatha and burying her in the Cain pit, which results in Agatha’s resurrection later, thus throwing off the balance of things. When this inevitably backfires she shows absolutely no sign of compassion or care for Agatha as Agatha is barfing up graveyard dirt and suffering greatly. All Sabrina cares about is that Harvey gets his brother back, and even that’s not coming from a place of what’s best for Harvey, it’s coming from some kind of savior complex she has. I felt so much rage in this and zero vindication when it caused a break between her and Harvey.

In season two when she tries to appeal to Prudence as a friend in order to get to see Ambrose, Prudence rightfully calls her out for not being a friend but someone who just comes around when she wants something. Sabrina does not listen to anyone else or really take their feelings into consideration, nor does she consider how her actions will affect others. In a way, she is the epitome of “do what thou wilt,” but I kind of hate her for it because she doesn’t think consequences should apply to her.

I do like that she drives the show, and in terms of acting the character is strong, and I don’t hate her 100% of the time, but I definitely don’t really like her either. Maybe I don’t remember what it’s like to be 16, or maybe it’s because I was basically born with a “how will this affect everyone” kind of view, but the fact that she acts without truly thinking and often on half-assed information is a source of irritation for me.

The only time I really connected with her/felt for her character was when she ran from signing the book of the beast because she was lied to, and in the Midwinter Special when Harvey gives her back the gift she gave him for the holidays, and pretty much any time Harvey makes a snide comment about her being a witch (which is why I hate him. What a jerk).

Favorite Characters

Of course the show wouldn’t be The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina without Sabrina, but the supporting cast by far is where my love really resides. Hilda is number one in my book. She’s comforting and sweet, seems a bit unassuming, is definitely a homemaking kind of witch that keeps the family together with her empathetic heart. She’ll cut a witch if she needs to, and no one ever really sees it coming. She’s consistently underestimated even though she is quite powerful, but she doesn’t really let it get to her. Instead, she uses it to her advantage. This resonates with me. Any witch who has been told they “don’t look like a witch” or is underestimated because of their appearance or kindness can find resonance with Hilda.

Lilith as Wardwell is the source of greatest entertainment for me. Her scheming is award-worthy and the way she stirs the cauldron keeps things moving in interesting ways. Some of her spells were my favorite to watch play out, and her mastery of manipulation was exquisite. She shows a different side to herself in season two that makes her more relatable, giving more depth to an already complex character.

Zelda and Ambrose also make my favorites list. Zelda is super loyal and I love her sharp wit and her expressions. Zelda as High Priestess is going to be very interesting to watch, and I can’t wait to see where she goes with it. She’s a bit power hungry but she’s not entirely without compassion, so it could go either way. Ambrose is adorable, knowledgeable, tenacious and fun. I love his face. Even when he starts to bother me when he’s dating Luke and not being supportive of Sabrina, I love his face, and I want to see him do well. I want to know more of his backstory, and I would watch a spinoff that focuses on him and the aunts as main characters if that direction were ever to happen.

I really like the Weird Sisters and especially enjoy drawing parallels between them and the original Weird Sisters of Macbeth. In season two they predicted the downfall of Blackwood through a dream, just as original Weird Sisters prophesied the downfall of Macbeth. Blackwood’s story plays out in a somewhat similar way to Macbeth with his treacherous rise and eventual fall.

Dorian Gray gets an honorable mention from me as well, because I love the story of Dorian Gray and I love he way he was depicted in this show.

Favorite Episodes and Scenes

There are so many good scenes in this series, but in season one, one of my absolute favorite scenes is the exorcism of Suzy’s uncle. When Sabrina, Lilith, Hilda and Zelda all come together and call on the witch ancestors by name to cast out the demon, I got chills. I know those names. They are my with ancestors too. Hekate is my matron. It was an amazing moment of solidarity and power.

There are little gems throughout the show, which I loved, that draw on that ancient witch lore, such as the witch’s mark, and the gendered struggles that inhabit the identity of witchcraft. Zelda’s familiar being named Vinegar Tom (Vinegar Tom was an 1876 play that examined the gender and power relationships during 17th century witch trials in England) is a testament to a prevalent plot point in the show that is easily overlooked if you’ve never heard of the original play.

The entire Midwinter Special was also a favorite of mine. There’s not much in the way of media entertainment for witches for the December holiday season, so getting a special that focuses on witch tradition, lore, and celebration was a treat. There is a plethora or Yuletide witchy Lore, so I hope they do this again in the future.

In season two, the Tarot episode was likely my favorite because I’m a Tarot Queen and it was so much fun to watch. Season two brought me more laughs than season one, and I especially loved when the Dark Lord came to make his demand for an act of devotion on Sabrina. The build up and the payoff had me rolling. Hilda taking care of the Shirley problem was also a favorite scene for me.

There are a lot of answers to season 1 in season two. Remember Connor, the witch without a coven who was murdered, and Ambrose suspected witch hunters? We see that come full circle, but there are still questions to be had that it seems, to me, Father Blackwood needs to answer for. Pieces of the puzzle as to what Sabrina’s father did and didn’t know, and what his intentions were, come into play as well. These are easily overlooked aspects of the series depending on how closely you’re paying attention or what you remember of season one when you watch season two.

So, anyway, what do you think? Who are your favorite and least favorite characters? What are your favorite scenes? What questions do you still have?

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