With a cropped blonde bob, a pleasant smile and strong values, Sabrina Spellman is on the path to success. She’s bright, has a kind boyfriend, true friends and a family that loves her. And now on her 16th birthday, she must sign her name in the Book of the Beast and become an officer of Satan himself.
Netflix’s dark, teen drama Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (CAOS) comes on the heels of the successful CW series Riverdale, both of which are loosely based off the Archie Comics series. However, this isn’t the first time the story of young Sabrina has captivated screen audiences. The lighthearted 1996 series starring Melissa Joan Hart was a favorite of many who grew up watching it (myself included.)
On paper, CAOS is a teen drama, but the deeper themes include the importance of choice, identity, belief systems, discrimination and feminism. Sabrina Spellman is played by Kiernan Shipka, who is the perfect fit for the character. She had practice playing a bright, rebellious child and teen on Mad Men. There’s something about her demeanor — kind, humourous, genuine — that makes this series work. She’s a protagonist you want to root for, even when she makes daring and dangerous decisions.
Sabrina is half mortal (her mother) and half witch (her father). Her dad, Edwin, was a high priest in the Church of Night, and sacrificed everything to marry a mortal. Sabrina was raised by her aunts Hilda (The Office’s Lucy Davis) and Zelda (Miranda Otto from Lord of the Rings). They serve as the sort of tiny angel and devil on Sabrina’s shoulders, with Hilda encouraging Sabrina to follow her heart and Zelda encouraging her to continue the rich Spellman legacy within the Church of Night.
While it initially appears Sabrina leans more toward continuing her life with her mortal friends and boyfriend Harvey, she eventually finds a balance between going to Baxter High and the Academy, studying subjects like demonology and spell casting. Sabrina must undertake challenges to become who she is meant to be. She also struggles with her identity as a witch, fearing prosecution and losing her first love.
But like the fictional heroes and heroines before her (Luke Skywalker, Harry Potter and many more), Sabrina is forced to make a hard choice. In order to reach her ultimate power, Sabrina must disassociate from the mortal world and completely embrace the Church of Night and its values. If she chooses to honor her mortal side, she will be disowned by the witches and warlocks she seeks to learn from. The writers do an excellent job of pacing these choices throughout the season, leading up to the hardest decision Sabrina will have to face.
One of the things I value most about this series is the varied spectrum of female characters of different ethnicities, sizes, backgrounds and ages. Sabrina faces some nasty witches and female demons, but she also makes questionable decisions that make us contemplate whether someone who is ruthless and reckless is really a “nice girl.”
The costumes and settings are spectacularly gothic. The cinematography is dark and ominous, and it’s fairly sexually provocative for a teen drama, featuring scenes with orgies, and even allusions to BDSM.
Overall, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina is a worthwhile watch. It’s a story of dual natures, and also about balancing where we come from and who we want to become. It’s got drama, suspense, tension and humor. Most importantly, it forces viewers to think about their own identities and what they might risk or sacrifice to save the ones they love.
