Thirteen Secrets From the Set of Chilling Adventures of Sabrina to Get You in the Mood for Part Two
Netflix’s Chilling Adventures of Sabrina took audiences by storm last fall with a delicious spooky atmosphere and surprisingly feminist undertones, but the big finale—wherein Sabrina finally signed her soul over to the Church of Night—left all of us eager to see what was next for the Spellman family and their friends. We got some development during the holiday special that arrived in December, but the real fireworks will start when part two of the adventure drops next week on April 5th.
The Mary Sue visited the set back in November, so here are thirteen chilling teases from that trip.
1. Sabrina is still Sabrina
“Her signing the book was definitely strategic,” Kiernan Shipka, who plays Sabrina, told us. She still sees the flaws in the Church of Night (what with that whole serving the devil thing) and the other misogynistic and problematic aspects of her faith, and according to Shipka, “fights strongly to change that” going into part two.
2. Nick Scratch will be more than a love interest
After revealing herself and breaking up with Harvey (Ross Lynch), Sabrina’s amorous attentions will focus more on warlock classmate Nick Scratch (Gavin Leatherwood), who will emerge as an important ally in Sabrina’s attempts to topple the system.
“He sees how misogynistic and regressive the whole witch community is,” Leatherwood told us. “When Sabrina comes into that, he starts to see that things need to be shaken up a bit.” Nick and Sabrina, according to Leatherwood, “share a similar perspective as far as helping this world progress in a more positive light.”
3. Lupercalia is for lovers
A big shift in many relationships, not just Nick and Sabrina’s, will happen at Lupercalia, the witches’ version of Valentines day. Following the show’s already established holiday traditions, we’ll also get St. Patrick’s Day later, but Lupercalia, where witches and warlocks pair off for some fun, will be an event for everyone, especially Sabrina’s Aunts, as Zelda and Hilda’s relationships evolve.
(image: Diyah Pera/Netflix)
4. … And Love Hurts.
We’ll see much more of Dr. Cerberus (Alessando Juliani) and find out what he is. (We know, but we’re not spoiling that surprise). The reveal and consequences there will actually bring Hilda and Zelda closer as sisters. According to the utterly delightful Lucy Davis, Hilda is “truly devastated” when Dr. Cee “knocks her back,” but don’t fear; Zelda is there, and it’s “the most supportive and most kind she’s ever been to Hilda.” Davis also used the term “Rumpy Pumpy” in the interview, but I can’t tell you the context, and I think it’s better without it.
5. Waiting for a shoe to drop
Speaking of Zelda, she’s the inspiration for one of my favorite details from the set. In the hallway leading towards Ambrose’s room, you’ll see a curious collection of objects displayed on the walls: shoes. These shoes were each selected by the set designer and represent someone Zelda has hexed. Each shoe is labeled with her victim’s name, and the curse won’t end until Zelda removes the shoe.
(image: Jessica Mason)
6. Keep Greendale Weird
With Sabrina now more fully entrenched in the academy of unseen arts, and the overall witchy world, will the relationship between her and the “weird sisters” Prudence, Dorcas, and Abigail change? Maybe, according to Adeline Rudolf (Abigail). The Weird Sisters and Sabrina will continue to have a “frenemy” relationship that swings between help and torture—so, typical high school.
“There’s still, at the end of the day, that grudge against her for her love of mortals,” Rudolph shared. As for the three weird sisters within themselves, Rudolf hinted that there might be some resentment towards Prudence as she makes a bigger play for power as the daughter of father Blackwood.
(image: Diyah Pera/Netflix)
7. Follow the white rabbit
When we toured the sets, we were told to look for white rabbits, and rabbits in general, which you find all over the Spellman house, as well as Greendale high. The rabbits are an allusion to witch lore, where rabbits symbolized witches fleeing persecution. Also, keep a lookout for clocks—the Spellman house is full of them, and they are meant to reference the timeless atmosphere of the show.
(image: Jessica Mason)
8. Portraits of the artists
A new character in part two will be Dorian Grey, joining Daniel Webster in the ranks of classic literary characters in the show. Grey owns a bar, which was briefly glimpsed in the winter special, which was a stop on our set tour. The set is massive, intricate, and of course, filled with portraits. Wondering who’s in those pictures? It’s the crew of the show, all of whom had their pictures altered and rendered into oil to fill out the portrait gallery!
9. Free Ambrose
Gray will enter the show through Ambrose (Chance Pedromo), a breakout audience favorite from part one. In part two he’s beginning to stretch his legs with some of his new freedom, but his loyalty to the Spellman family will continue to be tested, even as he’s drawn to power. We’ll also see more of his mysterious past. “Ambrose’s past definitely comes to haunt him,” Pedromo teased. “If Ambrose’s past is a cauldron it’s starting to bubble.” At least he has a familiar now.
10. Salems: there are lots
(image: Netflix)
Speaking of familiars, on set, we met the real star of the show, Salem, who is actually five cats, only one of which we got to cuddle. The cat was happy to say hi, since the felines have to actually spend most of their time on set away from the cast and crew—because Kiernan Shipka herself is terribly allergic!
11. New love for old friends
While Sabrina is deepening her relationship with Nick, the Weird Sisters, and more, things continue to change and evolve for her friends in the mortal world, as well, especially between Roz and Harvey. For Harvey, “there’s that love that’s always going to be there,” said Shipka. “Sabrina is a fixer, so she doesn’t want the relationship to be awkward,” which translates to her being supportive of Harvey moving on, or at least trying to.
12. Changes for Susie
One character that will go through a particularly interesting journey in part two will be Susie Putnam, played by non-binary actor Lachlan Watson. Susie will continue to explore her own gender identity as she also deepens her connection to the past through her ancestor, Dorthea.
Dorthea even inspires Susie coming to identify herself as Theo and beginning a transition, something that means a lot to Monroe, who sees a lot of Theo’s evolution in Sabrina’s:
“It almost parallels with Susie’s journey, where, with Sabrina, we find out about who she truly is and we found out about these sort of two separate worlds and how they intertwine … in season two, it’s definitely a journey to understand that’s it’s not about the label. It’s not about who you are. It’s about the person inside. It’s about the soul.”
Monroe added that, for them, it’s “interesting to see how that more fantastical storyline relates to something more real like when Susie transitions.”
“People have to get used to seeing though the label.”
13. Hail Madam Satan
While Sabrina goes into part two with a clear plan of action, she—and everyone around her—still isn’t paying close enough attention to the dark lord’s most loyal servant, Miss Wardwell, a.k.a. Madam Satan, played with hilarious vigor by Michelle Gomez.
According to Shipka, “Sabrina feels seen by Miss Wardwell in a way that Sabrina doesn’t even know is happening,” but it’s also “one of the few relationships in the show that Sabrina is a bit oblivious to … and I think that that’s really interesting, and we’re gonna see that play out as the season goes on, but as both of their agendas become increasingly different, it results in some shenanigans.”
Part Two of The Chilling Adventure of Sabrina will be available on April 5 on Netflix.
(featured image: Netflix)
Jessica Mason is a writer and lawyer living in Portland, Oregon passionate about corgis, fandom, and awesome girls. Follow her on Twitter at @FangirlingJess.
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