After signing her name in the Book of the Beast, Sabrina Spellman is at Satan’s mercy. Chilling Adventures of Sabrina part 2 shows us a new, darker side to Sabrina, as her personality begins to shift.

Chilling Adventures of Sabrina part 2 doesn’t hit Netflix until April 5, 2019, but we’ve had the opportunity to watch the first five episodes and, without a doubt, can tell you that there is no need to be worried about the quality of the show dwindling.

While we, obviously, cannot give away too much about the upcoming season, we’ve compiled a list of the best aspects of the season, thus far, and have our (spoiler-free) review below.

On March 18, Netflix dropped a great new trailer for Part 2. Check it out below:

A darker tale

Chilling Adventures of Sabrina part 2 has tackled an oft-failed task and has shifted the tone, and the writing, of the series to match the events of the finale. More on that later. However, it’s just as important to acknowledge that the story the series is telling is becoming darker, too.

Sabrina signing the Book of the Beast had many more consequences than she intended, which is the focus of part 2. What did Sabrina sign herself up for when she agreed to be at Satan’s will?

With his plans for Sabrina, it isn’t just Madam Satan testing Sabrina and her abilities now. Satan is coming to collect on his new signee’s vow to him and Sabrina has to determine whether she’s willing to go down her dark path, as she still isn’t fully committed to her witch life.

Less of the mortals

For those hoping Sabrina’s mortal life at Greendale High would continue with ease, think again. Unfortunately, Sabrina’s time at Greendale High, and with her friends, in limited, though one more so than another.

The Weird Sisters have a bigger role in the season, or rather they’re around more frequently, than Sabrina’s other friends.

There’s an interesting relationship developing between two of the mortals. Someone is undergoing a serious transformation into the person they want to be. It’s a really beautiful story and it’s interesting to see through their eyes, as well as their friends’ perspective. And another is faced with a tough reality, though not entirely unexpected.

(Also, I’m not hating the two new couples of the season. While I know they aren’t meant to last, it’s bringing out some really serious and intriguing sides to the characters.)

Post-Christmas blues

It’s kind of strange how different the Christmas episode is from the episodes of this season. The tone of the Christmas special was, well, off, because of the events of the part 1 finale and making it fit with, and not spoil, the tone of the next episodes.

Now that we’re fully diving into Sabrina’s new full-time life in the witch world, we’re seeing a shift from the good girl she was before, which is paired with her new relationship with a certain guy from school.

It’s a lot of change at once, considering we’ve only seen 11 episodes of these characters, but it really works. The short time frame we’ve had with Chilling Adventures of Sabrina is what helps the change of tone work; had the writers opted to put off Sabrina’s signing of the Book of the Beast until the part 2 finale, it would have been harder to cope with the necessary changes in the show.

Now that we’re past that Christmas episode, time is moving ahead and we get to see at least one new witch tradition explored: Valentine’s Day. The coven calls it something else, but I can say it’s a much lustier take on the holiday (which is hard to do).

Reflection

Although I’ve only seen five out of the nine new episodes, I can already say that the quality of Chilling Adventures of Sabrina part 2 is on par, if not better than, part 1. I’m leaning toward better, since the series doesn’t have to continue to introduce their characters and life can just move forward.

However, I miss Sabrina’s mortal life a bit, which is my only complaint. We went from a pretty fair balance of focus between Sabrina’s witch and mortal lives and jumped entirely into the witch world, so there’s just a bit of whiplash when the season begins.

Considering the events of the finale, though, I can’t truly say I’m surprised, and I trust the writers know what they’re doing and where they’re taking the story. (Also, there’s much more magic in these episodes than we saw before! Sabrina’s closet rampage is only the beginning.)

Chilling Adventures of Sabrina part 2 drops April 5, 2019, on Netflix. Will you be watching?