Chilling Adventures of Sabrina Season 2 Review

April 4, 2019 at 8:25pm
By Jason Stettner

This is a Netflix Original Series that has swiftly returned as the first season wrapped up not too long ago. This second season is being titled "Part 2", but for simplicity I'm just calling them seasons, which they basically are. In this additional selection of episodes we see a more powerful, god-like Sabrina Spellman (Kiernan Shipka).

She's confident, and fully engaged in the role to once again deliver an excellent performance. You see a shift in the cast as the side characters get more time, and further development. This is also a much, much darker season and it embraces that entirely. I thought some of the initial episodes this season weren't quite as strong, but then there's a major shift where everything changes.

It gets wild, and it adds more of a purpose to the large group of individuals that are present in the series. Certain big names get shifted, the world grows in scale and we get a glimpse of the fires below. It ends on a rather strange note, but it does so well and that adds towards an exciting time. It's great to see the battles and perhaps some miracle moments.

Tonally things have become darker, and many of the same themes that were explored in the past do continue here. That's in regards to what some of the side characters are doing, and Sabrina in trying to find out just who she is. There's also more of a split between her two worlds, with the darker side taking more of a focus. Most of these questions do get some sense of completion and this season aims to completely adjust where things will be going forward.

There was of course lots of drama, some standalone episodes and a general overall narrative that gets a conclusion. At this point, you can certainly think of the first season being concluded with this one. Just in terms of the story that was setup, and the many minor elements that occurred along the way. I'm glad they embraced the darkness fully as it led to some rather unique moments. To the side of that, I felt some parts were a bit rushed towards the ending.

I won't mention them as that spoils elements of the show, but they were gone through fairly quickly. I'm sure we'll see certain things appear again, but this is very much a fresh start for the series going forward. It's partially exciting as it's a mystery, but at the same time perhaps the true darkness is now behind us.

The Conclusion

The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina Season 2 is an improvement over the first season and one that's certainly darker. If you wanted a show that leaned into the wild; unhinged version of Sabrina, then you'll see that here. The themes that were present in the first season get developed further and played out here. The characters all get some additional growth and there was more screen time for those that aren't the core lead.

This worked out well for some side stories, and to add additional meaning to those that surround this lead. Hopefully we get to see more of the darkness and those extra powerful sections again as the series continues with further parts. That aside, there are standalone episodes though for the most part there's an overall tale. Some portions felt a bit rushed, but that's largely due to the quick pacing that is present here. Things certainly change with this season and you'll definitely be surprised by what occurs.

Chilling Adventures of Sabrina Season 2 Review at Home with Streamed Viewing
Screening was Provided by Netflix

Rating Overall: 8.5