“The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina” is a popular Netflix series that has taken audiences by storm. It is a reboot of the popular 90’s show, “Sabrina the Teenage Witch.”
Many kids born in the 1990s remember watching “Sabrina the Teenage Witch” while growing up. The popular series was a fun sitcom about how a teenage girl, Sabrina, tries to live a normal life while hiding the biggest secret of her life – she was half witch, half mortal. Sabrina constantly tried to cover up her double life, landing herself in a series of quirky circumstances.
Like any other 90’s kid, when I first saw that the series was making a comeback, I internally screamed with excitement at the thought of reliving a past childhood experience. Uncertain of what to expect, I turned on the first episode of the Netflix series, ready to watch whatever was to come. Needless to say, I finished the entire first season in one day. The Netflix series has almost nothing to do with the original series, which I surprisingly loved. “The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina” took a very dark twist on the light-hearted show, “Sabrina the Teenage Witch,” making it both spooky and entertaining to watch.
As Sabrina approaches her 16th birthday, she comes closer to choosing which world she wants to belong to. Caught between staying mortal and giving her soul to Satan – yes, I said “Satan” – she must go through trials and tribulations to determine where she wants to be and who she wants to be. Wanting to be a part of both worlds, Sabrina fights to be the exception to generations of rules.
The series puts a very heavy emphasis on Satanic worship and mimics some of the traditions found in Catholicism. Much like Catholicism, Sabrina must become baptized to prove her faith in Satan and her willingness to serve him eternally. I know that this show must sound like a nightmare- – literally – but it surprisingly isn’t as horrific as it sounds. Despite the fact that Sabrina is basically part of a Satanic cult, she has a tremendous amount of love and compassion for everyone around her.
Not so deep beneath the surface, the series tackles issues concerning homosexuality, religion, race, transphobia, bullying, hazing rituals and male patriarchy. The show is pretty much Harry Potter with a much more political agenda. It covers a lot of real-life issues and finds a way to work them into the seams of the plot. Normally, I wouldn’t be into a show that tries so hard to convey so many different messages in it, but I’ve got to admit, I don’t hate it. The show brings to life a part of us that we all wished we had – power. Whether it’s the power to do good or the power to do evil is entirely up to us.
I’m extremely excited to see what season two of “The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina” has to offer. There has been no set release date yet, but we have been informed that they’re already in the process of filming, and that it will take place on Halloween 2019 in the town of “Greendale.” Until then, prepare to be bewitched by this show’s chilling horrors that await us all.
