On the heels of a most perplexing spectacle, Sabrina dives deeper into her newfound power, and Zelda slips into the role of Lady Blackwood.
In 2018, there were 495 scripted shows airing amongst the linear channels and streaming services. The way people are consuming content now is so different than it used to be. It happens according to one's own schedule. As such, there is less necessity to provide ample coverage of each specific episode in any given season from a show. Moreover, it is simply impossible to watch everything. As such, this site is making the move to shorter episodic reviews in order to cover as many shows as possible. With all of that being said, here are my thoughts on the next episode of Netflix's Chilling Adventures of Sabrina.
"Chapter Eighteen: The Miracles of Sabrina Spellman" was written by Christianne Hedtke & Lindsay Calhoon Bring and directed by Antonio Negret
Sabrina surmises that her new powers come from her being a half-witch, half-mortal. She has recently come back from the dead, resurrected two of her fellow classmates, levitated and burned two angels. The students who witnessed those events refer to them as miraculous. Meanwhile, Blackwood and the Witches Council descend on Greendale with a little more skepticism. They aren't ready to believe that a first-year student could already be so powerful. Right now, she would seemingly be stronger than any other witch in history. That represents a significant threat to their power. Some of these old warlocks may be progressive. But they are still old men who are desperate to hold onto their power within this organization. Blackwood won't let anything get in the way of him becoming the next Anti-Pope. He has even cast a spell over Zelda to make her the subservient woman he believes all witches should be. It's startling to watch. It's clear immediately that something tragic has happened to her. It's not a big revelation when Hilda says it out loud. It's mostly just a complication to ensure that Sabrina can't mount a case against Blackwood that would exonerate Ambrose of the crimes he is accused of doing. In fact, the council is hoping to see a miracle during his execution to see if Sabrina truly is a threat to their way of life. Of course, she is already acting as such. She carries out a ton of miraculous acts throughout this hour. She gives Roz her sight back. She turns a rainy day into a sunny one. She moves objects through space and time. She brings Ambrose's familiar back to life to potentially testify against Blackwood. Throughout all of this, Sabrina understands the new power and responsibility it gives to her. She views it as all the evidence necessary to back up her father's beliefs of how the coven should operate in the future. It should no longer serve as a radical idea for witches and mortals to mingle together. She has conducted miracles for both of them. And now, she is hoping word of her power spreads so that she can achieve this vision that her father worked so hard to achieve. Of course, the logic of all of this is tainted because the audience is aware that Sabrina didn't actually see a vision of her father. That was a trick by Madam Satan. Moreover, Sabrina referred to herself as the Dark Lord's Sword when she first appeared with these new powers. As such, there is always the sense that a sinister twist is coming. Hilda cautions her niece from exerting too much power because magic always comes with a price. Sabrina beams with the understanding that maybe that's not the way that it has to be for future generations. Within a day, she can possibly change the world for the better. She even convinces a roomful of loyal servants that the Dark Lord has appeared to drop all the charges against Ambrose. Prudence is the only person who sees through the deception. She continues to follow along with it. It remains unclear where her true loyalties lie throughout all of this. She wants to know what Sabrina is. That curiosity is meaningful. It could possibly strengthen her convictions as well. And yet, Sabrina is horrified to learn that these new powers may not be a gift after all. Harvey and Theo's adventure in the mines seems very tangential at first. But it ultimately reveals itself to be the visual proof that Sabrina is destined to be the Herald of Hell. Again, it's unclear what that actually means. To Sabrina though, it means that she is evil at her core. She won't know how to reckon with that considering all of her acts have been in the name of good trying to help those she cares about.
