News Netflix orders The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina to series

I'm halfway through and I'm loving the show even more. The trial was a lot of fun, if a little scattered, and I enjoyed the introduction of Daniel Webster (hopefully we'll see more of him). Seeing the Academy of Unseen Arts was fun, although not nearly as magical as seeing Hogwarts for the first time (but that's probably a good thing), and I didn't suspect a thing regarding the true nature of Quentin until we learned the truth. I especially enjoyed watching Sabrina and the ghosts exact against the Weird Sisters, and if it weren't for the fact they're secretly working for Blackwood (which could explain why they were getting to know Sabrina before she was suppose to sign the book), I would've thought they learned their lesson.

The four nightmares episode was absolutely terrific. A fascinating deep dive into what terrifies Sabrina, Amrose, Zelda, and Hilda the most and I hope those fears are explored further as the rest of the season progresses. Plus, the cat is out of the bag for Wardwell's secret role in Sabrina's life and I wonder how much she's going to reveal. I liked how she didn't even try to lie and simply accepted that Sabrina remembered everything from the nightmare.

Yeah, I'm getting that sense now, complete with his sardonic sense of humor and his banishment for a high crime.

 

Just watched episode 3. This show is really, really dark, way more so than any of the Buffyverse shows.

 

Spoiler

Considering how Zelda killed Hilda in the second episode, I'll say it is very dark. That and we see a great deal of graphic violence.

 

I'm on episode 4. I'm really enjoying it. Not enough Salem though. I loved the MJH show version of him and have a love of black cats in general.

 

I finished the season this weekend, and I'd this is the most fun new show I've seen in quite a while. It definitely wears its influences on its sleeve (Buffy, Harry Potter, the Craft, Hocus Pocus, Charmed) and that's probably part of what I enjoy so much (though I could do without the 'Charmed' campiness), but it most definitely isn't derivative. Everything fits together in its own specific story which feels honestly unique and gives an interesting twist on the 'chosen one' concept.

At first, like some others, I was also put off by the insistence on using Satanism instead of general magic or paganism, but I really came to love the way it was used over the season. This decision, more than anything else, really pushes the show into totally unique territory and puts it in a position to give some thought provoking stories about subjects that none of the other classic magic shows were really all that interested in dealing with (like a serious look at religion, or cannibalism - both seen this season, or the question of how responsible seemingly 'good' people are for the obviously evil overarching organization, which I suspect is still coming).

I really liked the whole cast over all and the characters, especially Sabrina and Ambrose.

In the end, there's really only two things here that bothered me. The first was the camp (as mentioned above), especially from Mrs. Wardwell, who was a good character in some episodes, but way too over the top at the beginning and again towards the end of the season. Reverend Blackwood was a bit campy as well, but it seemed to fit his character so well that I didn't mind it at all.

And the second was a bit of a lack of visual/audio creativity. There are a lot of visual designs that look like they were just ripped out of some other work, like Salem's Goblin form (could be any random video game), the nightmare demon (stepped straight out of a Buffy the Vampire Slayer episode - and that's not a show whose FX should be emulated 20 years later), the tribunal reminded me a lot of several different shows, the sound effects of various unseen demons were all very generic and of course what song does one play over an evil dream sequence but 'Dream a little dream of me'? Some of this is probably budget or schedule related as obviously no production has time to do everything perfectly, but I hope there'll be a bit more attention to that kind of detail next season.

Spoiler: Spoiler for last episode

I was also a little disappointed at first that Sabrina ultimately does sign her name in the book - I really liked the setup of her refusing to give up her power and not being under Satan's thumb. But I suppose in the end it was inevitable that they would have to play around with her being in the book as well as out of it and I'm sure there will still be plenty of story opportunity for her to reclaim her name somehow. I'm certainly interested in what this prophecy is all about and why Sabrina specifically is so important. And I'm really looking forward to seeing Harvey, Roz and Susie's more supernatural adventures.

 

Verily, the Devil is a mighty trickster. Or rather, Madam Satan is the mighty trickster, doing his bidding. I'm not sure how I feel about this new Sabrina that we see at the very end, but I'm intrigued by the story potential.

I loved this whole season. The entire cast is fantastic (although Harvey is on the weak side and I don't care about Hawthrone), the music is the right kind of haunting, and the aesthetics are exquisite. I'm not one usually for modern-day horror with it's reliance on shock gore, but while this show has moments of intense graphic imagery, it is utilized only when it's actually needed and not willy-nilly for the sake of intense graphic imagery.

As the second half of the season developed, I greatly appreciated how Harvey, Roz, and Susie weren't simply mere mortals acting as catalysts for Sabrina's actions, but instead became something more within the context of the witching world. Harvey, part of a long family tradition of witch hunters; Roz, inheriting a family curse of blindness but with the gift of cunning; and Susie, who can see and communicate with the dead (or at least her ancestor, Dorothea, but it would rather limited if it was just her). Even though Sabrina separated herself from them for their own protection because Sabrina signed Satan's book, I look forward to seeing those dynamics develop further in the next season, particular the lover who is in a family of witch hunters.

I liked how Susie's possible gender dysphoria was casually displayed throughout the season as a facet of her character instead of just defining her solely for that quality. That said, I hope the show explores that part of her life further as she tries to understand herself better.

Any guesses on who briefly voiced Madame Satan's raven (I forget his name) and Satan? Neither of them were listed in the credits. The fact the raven briefly had a voice gives me hope that Salem will talk beyond meows in the next season.

 

Susie could see the 13 as well, and her grandmother.

It's unclear if the 13 were supposed to be invisible to everyone, since Harvey could tell something was going on when they were trying to get through his door, but maybe he could just 'feel' something (unnatural cold or whatever) or was responding to signals from Nick. Also Dr. C seemed totally oblivious to the banging at the school entrance. I suspect she'll be able to see any ghost, in the end, or maybe any ghost she 'has a personal connection to'. No way it'll be limited to just blood relatives.

 

Just finished it. The ending gives me hope Salem might speak in Part 2, if it gets renewed.

 

I think I read they were already filming season two.

 

Yup, another ten episodes, although I've seen some interviews refer to it as the second half of the first season.

Something I forgot to mention before: I was thrilled to see Alessandro Juliani and L. Scott Caldwell pop up in recurring roles. A pity Caldwell's character died, but who knows, maybe she'll return as a ghost and help guide Susie?

 

Oh, dear. Netflix is being sued by The Satanic Temple.

How's that for irony? We all know where the best lawyers end up. Netflix is screwed.

 

I saw that yesterday. Seems like a silly thing to get to upset about, especially as Satanists.

 

They understand that Baphomet existed before copyright, yes? And that 19th century drawings of him have pretty much the same basic design as that statue. And that the sabrina statue doesn't actually look like a copy of their statue at all, any more than Hans Holbein's Portrait of Henry VIII looks like a copy of Joos van Cleve's portrait of Henry VIII.

 

Watched episode 3 this morning.
The stuff at the trial was interesting, and it didn't end the way I thought it would. I was wondering how they were going to have her at the Unseen Academy and keep her mortal friends around.
It was nice to get an explanation for why everyone was so determined to have Sabrina sign the book.
I'm curious if Harvey having seen "The Dark Lord" in the mine is going to end up being significant? That feels like one of those things that starts out minor, but ends up being a huge deal later on.
I wasn't real clear on one thing towards the end, is Roz's deteriorating eye sight a curse from Miss Wardell or is she just taking advantage of the situation?

 

The eye thing is explained later on.

 

OK, good to know.

 

Just finished Episode 7. Human sacrifices, orgies, and cannibalism. Oh my! Not to mention a reference to attempted clergy abuse. This series really pushes the envelope when it comes to the themes and storytelling elements.

What an interesting revelation about Prudence's parentage,

Spoiler

that she was in fact Blackwood's illegitimate daughter and Lady Constance wanted her out of the picture.

Did anyone catch another reference to Riverdale?

Spoiler

Ben, the guy who committed suicide and who had been playing an RPG with Dilton Doiley and Ethel Muggs, was the same guy who delivered the pizza to Ms. Wardwell.

I had read this spoiler before but didn't know which episode it referred to.

 

Riverdale is mentioned by name in the finale.
I wouldn’t say it pushes the evenlope on anything. It felt very tame to me.

 

I just finished watching Part I (up to Episode 10), and although the finale was anticlimactic, overall this was a good series. The devious and manipulative Ms. Wardwell devised a plan that led to Sabrina ultimately signing the Book of the Beast. She had to do it in order to vanquish the 13 resurrected witches and the Red Angel of Death threatening magic folk and mortals alike in Greendale. I wonder if this act is will be reversed or somewhat negated in future episodes and presumably liberate Sabrina from the Dark Lord's influence. Still a young witch, she has done a few dark things but mostly for the sake of the people she loves.

Most of the cast members gave great performances, particularly Shipka, Gomez, Davis, and Otto. Looking forward to the second part!

 

We won't have to wait for the second season to see more adventures because there will be a holiday special on December 14.