Season two of The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina was released on April 5. I binged the season within three days and I was not disappointed, in fact, I was pleasantly surprised. As I was watching, it was clear that the show had a focus on female empowerment, inclusion and feminism. The show confronts misogyny and other issues that women struggle with. Sabrina Spellman shows us that women are just as powerful (if not more) as men and that we can always stand up for what we believe in.
In the very first episode, Sabrina decides to run for the role of “Top Boy”. The role has always been solely male and Sabrina’s actions bring to question the standards that have been previously set. The only other person that is running for the position happens to be her love interest, Nick Scratch. As the contest unfolds, it is clear that something or someone is messing with her and she suspects that it may be the High Priest of her school. This conflict sets the stage for the plot of the rest of the season.
In the middle of the season, we see Sabrina express her sexuality in a way we haven’t seen in this show before. We often see her portrayed as a powerful woman who stands up for her beliefs and friends. Around Valentine’s Day, the witches have their own traditional ceremony where they are paired up with a warlock. In this episode, Sabrina is inevitably paired up with Nick. Throughout the ceremony, we see the two do things a little differently. Instead of following the rule, Nick takes into account Sabrina’s wants and ensures that she feels respected at all times. We see Sabrina assert her dominance without seeming powerful all the time.
As the season goes on, we see not only Sabrina, but her aunts, friends, and classmates confront the past misogynistic standards set in place. Specifically, we see Sabrina’s aunt, Zelda, struggle with desire for power and her own standards. Zelda decides to marry the High Priest, Father Blackwood, who enforces and believes that women are meant to be servants to men. The only reason that Zelda would marry him is so that she could have more power within the school and community. After their marriage and honeymoon, we see a change in Zelda. Her once powerful and commanding presence is replaced with a dainty and obedient woman wearing bright colors, and we later learn that Father Blackwood has put a spell on Zelda to make her his servant instead of a wife. Sabrina and her aunt, Hilda, break the spell and Zelda decides that she has had enough. They decide to confront Father Blackwood and the other members of the lawmaking community (who all happen to be men).
While this is happening, Sabrina’s mortal friends are also confronting norms. Sabrina’s friend, Susie, decides to try out for the basketball team, however, the only basketball team at their school happens to be male. At tryouts, with a little help from Sabrina, Susie impresses everyone. After making the team, Susie tells her friends that she would like to be called Theo and identifies as he. Greendale is a small conservative town and Theo’s actions lead the other members of the basketball team to question his abilities. The team begins to play pranks on Theo and bully him. As the season progresses, we see Theo confront the team and he eventually gains their respect.
Throughout the series, we see Sabrina start to figure out who and what she truly is. In this season, she gets new powers that are more powerful than the ones she, or anyone, has had before. We see her save members of her community from angels and resurrect two people. We also see her restore eyesight to her best friend and start to collect followers. These powers end up coming from her father, Lucifer. Through these powers, she also inadvertently starts the apocalypse. She decides that she isn’t going down without a fight. She comes up with a plan to kill Lucifer and stop the apocalypse. To do this, she combines her witch friends and her mortal friends.
At the end of the season, her plan fails and Nick traps Lucifer in his body. To be safe, Nick is taken to Hell. While there are many people wounded, many women survive the battle and are taken in at the Spellman’s house. It is alluded to at the end that the Spellman aunts will start their own coven of all women and will further oppose previously set standards. Sabrina also decides that she will fight to get Nick back and enlists the help of her mortal friends, who turn out to have their own abilities.
The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina confronts problems that are still prevalent today. It not only focuses on feminism and female empowerment, but also the idea that everyone is welcome. The show introduces many conflicts surrounding women and shows how even a single person can change little things that lead into big things. This show is good, but not for the faint of heart. Happy watching, witches.