“Sabrina,” season four… wait, season two part two, wait, part four, wait… anyway. “Sabrina” starts this series(?) with lead Kiernan Shipka bummed out everyone else has a partner and wants to do partner things instead of ghost-busting—witch-busting—things. Human ex Ross Lynch is happily dating Shipka’s best friend, Jaz Sinclair, warlock ex Gavin Leatherwood is hooking with Shipka’s former mean girl now ally, Tati Gabrielle; even Lachlan Watson has a steady boyfriend now (Jonathan Whitesell). She could go to Hell and visit the other Sabrina (also Shipka), but she’s having a great time with former foe Sam Corlett. Not even at home can Shipka escape happy couples—visiting witch Skye P. Marshall is romancing Miranda Otto. So what’s Shipka to do?
Well, based on some questionable advice from aunt Lucy Davis, create some supernatural trouble in order to bring everyone together.
At the same time, former witch academy headmaster and current fugitive from Hell Richard Coyle is setting up his new Eldritch Terror worshipping church near Greendale, right under the cast’s noses. Who finds him? In a bold “we don’t know what to do with the character” move has newly resurrected prim schoolteacher and suffering from PTSD thanks to her run-ins with Shipka and family Michelle Gomez joining Coyle’s church. She’s gone from Christian lady to Lovecraft lady.
Coyle’s bringing the Eldritch Terrors, starting with the Darkness, which comes to attack the town in the form of phantom miners. So while Shipka and company are going on her snipe hunt, the very real danger of Coyle and his phantom miners is lurking in the shadows.
The resolution’s going to take both Sabrinas, which leads to some very fun Parent Trap moments with Shipka, and it’s actually pretty dramatic for the first episode of the season. Or part. Or series.
The supernatural subplots takeover all the stuff for the teens—it seems like there’s going to be a “bring sex ed to the high school” thing (Sinclair introduces it) but it goes nowhere—but Otto has time for a subplot about re-dedicating the witch academy to Hecate (Goddess of Witches), changing from Lucifer. It’s a nice subplot for Otto.
The resolution establishes there are going to be seven more Eldritch Terrors—one for every episode of the season—and it’s good enough setup for that big plot. It just doesn’t seem like there’s enough for Shipka to do in her own show.
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