Chilling Adventures of Sabrina Ending Explained
This article contains major Chilling Adventures of Sabrina spoilers.
When we last see Sabrina Spellman, she is walking through the Academy of Unseen Arts with new BFFs the Wyrd Sisters by her side. Her face, completely devoid of the light and humanity that has defined it this entire season, gives Nick and uncharacteristic wink in a moment that feels like it was purloined from Mean Girls.
Is the Sabrina we love gone forever? Well, obviously no. But man, it sure feels that way right now.
After Ms. Wardwell (aka Madame Satan) manipulated Sabrina into signing her name in Satan’s book, our young heroine was forced to finally choose between her witch and mortal sides in order to save the entire Greendale. But, as Zelda warned her earlier this season, everything comes with a price.
And just when things were looking up for ‘Brina too. Her friends now know about her witch heritage and, with the help of Nick Scratch, Harvey truly understands that Sabrina’s intentions with keeping the truth from him were good…as were her attempts to resurrect Tommy, even if it resulted in chaos and despair.
Somehow Harvey found the humanity to forgive Sabrina for these transgressions, because that’s the type of genuinely good character that he is. He is ready to put this all behind them and start a new, honest future with her.
Alas, it is too late.
When Sabrina released the hellfire that caused the 13 witches and the Red Angel of Death to turn to ash, she tapped into some inner darkness that she found utterly terrifying. She now longer thinks that maintaining her mortal ties is safe for the humans that she loves more than anything, and honestly, this is the clearest Sabrina has been thinking in ages. She already potentially put Harvey’s life in danger by resurrecting Tommy. Self-protection may enter into the equation as well: Even though Harvey isn’t a witch-hunter, the other Kinkle men seem more than capable of commiting atrocities, and there is still the matter of who killed the Kemper boy and why.
Will Sabrina return to Baxter High? It looks as of now unlikely. With production of Chilling Adventures of Sabrina Season 2 already underway, we know that these characters will be back, but the narrative thrust of the next season could be anything from Sabrina embracing her dark destiny to her friends trying to get her back on track — something that feels likely given the emergence of Susie and Roz’s own supernatural powers. (Which will doubtlessly be further explored next year).
Now that Sabrina’s name is inscribed in blood in Satan’s dark book, he can come calling on her at any time. Expect this to happen sooner rather than later. Even though she seems firmly Team Satan right now, she is still at heart a good character and will eventually get back to her mission to bring him down. And what better way to bring Sabrina back into the light by discovering that witches were behind her parents’ demise? Remember, Sabrina saw her mother stuck in limbo, ranting about she was taken away from her. The mystery of Edward and Diana’s death was backburnered this season, but their storyline could be that one that helps snap Sabrina back into her original plan of action.
further reading: Complete Guide to Chilling Adventures of Sabrina Horror and Archie Easter Eggs
Elsewhere in the episode, we see that Ms. Wardwell has revealed her horribly kept secret that her actual form is that of the monstrous Madame Satan (much to Principal Hawthorne’s dismay). Her familiar suggests that maybe the Dark Lord is grooming Sabrina to be the “future queen of hell” instead of her, and pays the ultimate price for voicing such blasphemy…true though it may be. Madame Satan will not let anything or anyone stand in the way of her ultimate goal, and with Sabrina not realizing that she is a villain (open your eyes, kid) expect more manipulation-packed scenes between the two.
Poor Cousin Ambrose. He’s finally not as cooped up in the Spellman home and he is in a relationship with Luke. But his new boyfriend transported him away from the Spellmans when they needed him most, and Ambrose strikes us as having no time for toxic masculinity bullshit, regardless of if the word “love” is thrown around or not. Another potential problem is Luke’s secret plan to revamp the Church of Night with Father Blackwood. We know already that Blackwood likes to embrace the darker, less-progressive aspects of their faith, so Luke probably shares his mentor’s desire to undo everything Edward did during his time with the church. (If you listen closely, you can hear the “Edward is Obama/Faustus is Trump” thinkpieces being written right now).
further reading – Chilling Adventures of Sabrina and Salem: Witch’s Familiars Explained
Then there are Sabrina’a aunts. Hilda is now seeking some independence from her cruel sister as she continues to explore a life as a witch who is excommunicated from the church of night. She even is beginning a relationship with Doc Cerebus. But a evil-looking flash in his eyes as he bid Hilda goodbye suggests anything from him secretly being a warlock or demon to perhaps even a witch hunter himself. So it would appear that Hilda’s love life has some rocky moments ahead.
As does Zelda’s. With Lady Blackwood now out of the picture, Zelda is free to continue her illicit affair with the High Priest…even though she has kidnapped his daughter with plans of raising it safely and in secret. There’s nothing like a crying baby to kill the mood in a flagellation session…
Will these two begin a serious relationship? Or will Father Blackwood want to sow his unholy oats now that he is single again? Will Prudence decide to pursue her birthright, resulting in some truly bizarre sibling rivalry? We will be shocked if these, and all of the above, questions aren’t answered next season. The wait until then though will be unholy.
Chris Cummins is a Philadelphia-based writer, producer, and comics historian. Read more of his work here. You can find him on Twitter at @bionicbigfoot and @scifiexplosion
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