Besides having at least one article for each week, on a Saturday, there will be times when I will add extra ones for special occasions. And in this case, to start, I’m doing it for Valentine’s Day. No, I didn’t see Cupid and, while I’ve heard positive things about it, I couldn’t bring myself to watch A Ghost Waits either. I didn’t watch any horror movies themed around Valentine or Romance on Valentine’s Day celebrations. Somehow I just wasn’t feeling it. What I did do, however, was watching the 4th part of Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. A show I love that also happens to have a part that does celebrate Valentine’s Day. So, that’s what I’ll be talking about.
SPOILERS ALERT! If you want to avoid spoilers, you can stop reading right now.
 |
| Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (2018-) |
Its 4th part, which I don’t even want to call “the last part”, came as a shock to me. Yes, they did call it “The Final Chapter” on the trailer. But still… I refuse to believe it and I am in denial. I mean, yes, I’m aware that this is indeed a thing that happens with Netflix original shows. That they rarely ever have a lifespan longer than 4 seasons no matter how remarkable and acclaimed they are. Because of something, something, money comes first, something, something, business strategy. And I’ll just have to accept that. But oh, how I wish it would go on regardless.
It’s no secret that I’ve been drawn to witches and anything related to them since I was a little child. So, as you could guess, I also happened to watch Sabrina, The Teenage Witch. On cable TV, while it was being aired in the 90s. And I cherished it so much that I was reluctant to watch Netflix’s version. Salem, the indisputable star of the show, doesn’t even speak here? What is this nonsense? It actually took recommendations from people who knew me well for me to decide to give it a shot. And I am so glad that I did!
I was easily hooked. It took some getting used to the new actors and the differences in the characters and the story but, after a while, it’s intriguing and exciting to see what was or wasn’t changed - and how. I’m a sucker for the spooky-yet-fun aesthetics, so that was something that kept me around for the ride. But it’s not just that. Chilling Adventures of Sabrina is an amazing world of magic that easily pulls you in if you have a witch in you. And you want to get to know it, and even live in it.
I am going to be 100% honest with you. I don’t like it when movies and shows focus so much on representation and inclusivity that it’s as though they merely had a checklist to tick woke boxes off, put it all in a blender, and called it a day. And yet, although Chilling Adventures of Sabrina does include and represent diversely, it pulls it off fantastically. The Asian boyfriend, the black cousin, the bisexual aunt, the transgender friend, and many more. I wouldn’t have them any other way. They weren’t forced in there. They belonged there! I hope you get what I mean because it would take long essays for me to explain it. And that’s homework for another time.
It also looks at and explores various kinds and types of relationships. So many that I can’t count them all in one sitting. But with Sabrina, we see a number of her bonds and links to different people in her life. And how her situation creates, strengthens, weakens, breaks, and/or destroys them.
 |
| Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (2018-) |
Family
Maybe Sabrina has the so-called “Daddy Issues” and her attachment to others is influenced by this. She had never met her father, the spouse of her mother, but put him on a pedestal and looked forward to learning more and more about him. Proud of him, I bet. Imagine my heartbreak when she finally met him, as one of The Returned, and he belittled and rejected her, far more preoccupied with his work. Of course, I’m going to think that The Devil himself, The King of Hell, is Dad of The Year after something like that. But to be fair, we did get to see a better side of him as the story progressed and he ceased being the main antagonist. And he did care for Sabrina. Or at least, the Sabrina that reigned beside him. Not so much the one hanging with the mortals on Earth, whom he referred to as a fake. Guess I’ll take any fatherly love for poor Sabrina.
 |
| Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (2018-) |
Friendships
She had good friends, but there came a point where she couldn’t be sure where she stood with them anymore. Being a witch, getting into so much trouble, CAUSING so much trouble, and no longer fitting in like she used to. Yet, you can’t really blame them for it. Everyone has their own life to live. And people may grow together or grow apart. And it’s nearly impossible to consistently be side by side at every stage of it.
 |
| Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (2018-) |
Romance
I didn’t start watching this show for romance, but it gave it to me to then brutally take it away. So, that was it? A line of failed romantic relationships and then you die alone, Sabrina? That was your fate all along? I get that, with everything going on, there’s little room in Sabrina’s life for a stable, long-lasting, romantic relationship, but this was just sad. By the end of it, she was so desperate that she almost used magic to manifest a significant other. And you know what? I hated that she changed her mind about it. Don’t give me that “love yourself, you don’t need anyone to complete you” crap. Which is the message that seemed they were aiming to convey. As if I haven’t seen it countless times already whenever a female character doesn’t have typical wife-material traits. At least a magic-made boyfriend would have kept her company for a while even if it later proved to be a mistake that taught a lesson. But no, Sabrina needs to learn to be alone, even if it makes her miserable. Right. Nick, however, was really great, even if it didn’t work out between them. And part of why I’m most fond of Part 2.
Despite my frustrations and disappointments, I appreciate how she came to be known as “Cheerleader by day and Queen of Hell by night.” As well as how her challenges and struggles, both external and internal, were portrayed as she tried to maneuver through and around them. Maybe she didn’t get everything she wanted, but she certainly got chilling adventures. And maybe that’s what she needed the most. Although, you know, it did kill her in the end.
You might have noticed how she starts out filled and brimming with joy and how that joy begins to fade, weighed down by heavier emotions, so that, even when she’s happy, she can’t fully be happy anymore. That’s realistic. That’s what hardship and misfortune do to you. Call it growing up or the loss of innocence. But it bothers me that that’s how it turned out.
 |
| Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (2018-) |
So, is Sabrina an Extravert or an Introvert?
I had to wonder. It’s safe to say that Sabrina extraverted plenty throughout all of it. But let’s not forget that it’s called Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, not Chilling Contemplations of Sabrina. Plus, almost everyone is spunkier when younger. She could as well be more on the introverted side despite the circumstances drawing out her extraverted side. And besides, it’s not like they’d repeatedly make us watch long scenes of Sabrina recharging either. Nevertheless, she was indeed somebody outgoing and outspoken. Overbearing at times. Self-centered, too. And thankfully, although irritating, not completely insufferable.
I still can’t believe it’s over. Chilling Adventures of Sabrina may always hold a place in my heart.
Have you watched it? What did you love about it? What are your feelings on it?