The character of Sabrina the Teenage Witch has been part of popular culture for quite a few years; a popular TV show in the 90s, an animated series in the 70s and a comic book character as part of the Archie Comics universe going back to the 60s. The archetype of a teenage witch has been popular just as long and a few years back, many of the characters from the Archie universe were updated with a tinge of darkness, including Sabrina whose updated series, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina launched in 2014 by veteran and respected comics scribe Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa. Those comics “reboots” inspired the popular CW show Riverdale feature Archie, Betty, Veronica, Jughead and many others. With the popularity and reception CW’s Riverdale received, it was only natural for a television show featuring Sabrina to happen. First thought to be a companion show to Riverdale, then picked up by Netflix on a 2-season order, The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina landed on Netflix just around Halloween.
The show takes the architecture of a teen drama – high school pressures, teen romance, rebelling against adults – and constructs a powerful narrative of support to give viewers a dark, beautiful house of horrors. I don’t have much familiarity with any past incarnations of the character, so I carried zero expectations into viewing the show aside from seeing chatter on social media that the show was good.
The series begins as Sabrina is approaching her 16th birthday, which is a big deal for most young girls, but even moreso as a witch and a girl like Sabrina who is half witch/half human. Right off the bat, we are thrust into the duality of her life. You see, at this point, witches are “encouraged” to sign their name in the Book of the Beast, giving over their soul to Satan while gaining more access to the arcane arts. Her struggle over her two lives – human and witch/coven – drive much of the plot as she soon begins to split her time between Baxter High and the Academy of Unseen Arts, a school for witches and warlocks populated by the teens of her Coven, Church of Night.
The star of the show in every way as Sabrina is Kiernan Shipka, who is probably best known for playing Sally Draper, the daughter of Don Draper (John Hamm) in Mad Men. Shipka sparkles in the role and carries such gravitas in just about every scene, she has power, she is fragile, she is devoted, and she is headstrong. Sabrina lives with her Aunties Zelda, played by Miranda Otto, best known as Eowyn from the Lord of the Rings films and Lucy Davis, known for playing Etta Candy in Wonder Woman. Zelda and Hilda are effectively Sabrina’s two mothers since Sabrina’s parents died in a plane crash when she was very young. The show nicely captures both the love these three characters have for each other, as well as the natural resentment Sabrina has for her “parents.”
The other name familiar to genre television viewers is Michelle Gomez, best known for playing “Missy” a version of Doctor Who’s antagonist The Master. Gomez is absolutely fantastic in her role as faux mentor to Sabrina, she chews up the scenery as Miss Wardwell which is just a disguise for her true nature as Madam Satan. Madam Satan, in the comics, is Sabrina’s adversary. Gomez pulls of the American accent and oozes charisma in the role. These four women probably get the most screen time and attention and they are all outstanding.
On the whole, the remaining cast is great, most of whom I don’t know. Ambrose, Sabrina’s warlock cousin who is under house arrest for attempting to blow up the Vatican is charming and supportive. Roz, Sabrina’s best friend may have some secrets of her own. Sabrina’s other Susie is constantly bullied. The characters are definitely in tune with modern sensibilities; Ambrose is black and pansexual; Roz is black and going blind, and Susie is bullied because she dresses like a boy and is rather boyish. The only real bore in the Sabrina’s immediate circle is her boyfriend Harvey Kinkle. I don’t think the actor portraying is so bad, I just think the character is bit of a dud.
That’s her “normal,” half human side of things. On the witch side, Sabrina finds herself at odds with Father Faustus Blackwood, the head of the Church of Night as well as the Weird Sisters, a trio of young witches led by the striking and enigmatic Prudence, the other two are Dorcas and Agatha. Prudence serves as a foil for Sabrina for much of the first season.
The first season (and the “Midwinter Special) deals with issues of family legacy (the Spellmans, largely), family in general, the strong bonds of friendship, faith, dual heritage, teen romance and angst, and the price of one’s soul…just to name a few things. Set in and around the town of Greendale, the environment can be considered a character, too. There’s haunted woods, a graveyard in front of the Spellman Mortuary, the Unseen Academy and perhaps the place I’d most like to visit, Cerberus books.
The show just looks really good, too. There’s an anachronistic feel to it, with the high school and much of what’s connected to the high school having a 1960s vibe and feel, while Ambrose is seen reading modern comic books and referencing writers like Grant Morrison while Harvey is shown using a mobile phone. The opening credits are fantastic, too. Similar to iZombie, they evoke Sabrina’s comic book origins with the artwork and fonts, and at the end, there’s a glimpse of Sabrina’s original comic incarnation from Archie Comics.
The show can be considered a companion to CW’s Riverdale in that Sabrina is an Archie Comics character and the two shows share producers. One of the characters does make a passing reference to Riverdale High School, so they do seemingly exist in the same universe. But the best thing that could have happened is for this show to be on Netflix rather than CW. Because of that, the show can be a little more adult, go darker, and embrace the horror feel and themes (at one point a character’s throat is slit and blood pours out). There’s also a scene early in the show where Sabrina gets out of a bath tub and as is normal for people who are bathing, she isn’t wearing clothes. I don’t know how necessary it was to show that specifically other than to maybe make a statement that this take is more adult than the previously filmed version of Sabrina. Those dark, horror roots resonate throughout the story; Hilda and Zelda can be considered gender-swapped versions of Cain and Abel from DC’s House of Secrets. One episode is nearly an out-and-out homage to a very popular Stephen King novel (and film). One demon Sabrina has to thwart emerges from a square puzzlebox, much like the Cenobites from Clive Barker’s Hellraiser and Clive Barker paintings can be seen throughout. The title of one episode is also the title of an H.P. Lovecraft story. In other words, the show embraces horror, but doesn’t drown in it. It takes resonant notes and makes them into something its own.
The first 10 episodes of season one, plus the “Midwinter Special” make for some addictive television viewing. Remarkably well acted, beautifully shot, and just damned fun, The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina was the most surprising and revelatory show for me in 2018. Season 2 will land on Netflix in April 2019 and I can’t wait.
© 2018 Rob H. Bedford
