Friendly warning, witches: We’re about to break down Chilling Adventures of Sabrina‘s Part 4 premiere. Don’t want spoilers? You know what to do.
Darkness is the magic word in Chilling Adventures of Sabrina‘s final eight episodes, and it’s uttered approximately 10,000 times in the first hour alone.
The Darkness, as it turns out, is one of eight Eldritch Terrors that Father Blackwood — sorry, make that “Reverend Lovecraft” — has unleashed upon an unsuspecting Greendale. (When will this town learn? Always. Be. Suspecting.)
And as darkness so often does on supernatural teen dramas, it manifests in forms both metaphorical and physical. In addition to the arrival of some murderous miners, Sabrina and Ambrose also discover a goopy pit of literal despair deep within the mines. Frankly, we’re just glad to see that Malivore is getting some work while Legacies is on hiatus.
When it becomes apparent that Sabrina isn’t powerful enough to stop the Capital-D Darkness by herself, she turns to a face that couldn’t be more familiar: her own! Sabrina Morningstar — who has fallen head over hooves for Caliban, by the way — offers her services without hesitation, despite the inherent danger of the two Sabrinas spending any prolonged amount of time together. According to Ambrose, the results could be “catastrophic.” And as you’ll see in later episodes, he’s not exaggerating.
Alas, even The Power of Two™ fails to generate enough light, so the Sabrinas turn to their aunts — and to Hecate, the latest source of the coven’s power — at the Academy of Unseen Arts. (Question for the group: How many different deities has this coven pledged its allegiance to over the years? If those students knew what was good for them, they would transfer to literally any other magical institution in existence. May we suggest the Salvatore School for the Young and Gifted?)
With this first Eldritch Terror behind them, the Sabrinas can rest easy… but not for long. From resurrected enemies and twisted new foes to multiple weddings and unexpected musical numbers (get ready to rock, you guys!), there’s still plenty of fresh hell awaiting our favorites in the show’s fourth and final chapter.
Also worth discussing…
* Part 4 finds the titular teenage witch single and ready to mingle, with two potential love interests presenting themselves in the premiere alone. Though she initially turns down offers from both Carl and Melvin, Sabrina has a change of heart by the end of the hour, ultimately asking both boys out on separate dates. And can you blame her for wanting to get back in the game? With everyone else in her life now paired off — Harvey and Roz, Theo and Robin, and now Nick and Prudence — she’s becoming something of a third wheel.
* WICCA’s petition for a sex education class at Baxter High results in the first of several Riverdale references in Part 4. “At Riverdale, they have condom machines in the bathroom!” Roz informs her fellow group members. We’ll have more on those references — as well as the large-scale crossover that we would have seen in Part 5 — in the coming days.
* This premiere sets the tone for what is easily the show’s darkest run of episodes yet. Major events go down in these final eight hours; relationships change forever, fan-favorite characters die, and if you thought the mythology was dense before… heaven help you.
How do you feel about the setup for Chilling Adventures of Sabrina‘s final episodes? Grade the premiere below, then drop a comment with more of your thoughts. (And if you’ve seen beyond Episode 1, try not to spoil anything for those who haven’t.)
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