The Unicorn Scale: Chilling Adventures of Sabrina

As a 90s kid, I grew up looking forward to Fridays on ABC, spending time with characters like Cory and Topanga, Steve and Laura, and Sabrina and Harvey. Sabrina the Teenage Witch (1996-2003), based on the 1960s Archie Comic of the same name, was a show about a quirky high school student who is attempting to live a “normal” life while also being a bonafide witch. In the 90s edition, she often finds herself in comedic conundrums, teen drama, and disagreements with her two witch guardian aunts.

So when Netflix announced its original series, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, in 2018, I was immediately intrigued.

Revamped first as a new Archie Comics series, this edition of Sabrina is set in Greendale — the same universe as Archie, Jughead, and the crew of Riverdale — and adopts a much darker tone. It is a thoughtful show about identity that explores this theme with a bold, yet playful, approach. 

And now, fair warning: SPOILERS ahead. This review will briefly examine Chilling Adventures of Sabrina in regards to its treatment of bisexuality and the surprising ways a show about witches, warlocks, and magic can capture the internal struggle often felt by those who identify as bisexual. Also feel free to check out our Unicorn Scale refresher. 

What I Liked:

Sabrina is a series that revolves around the question, “Who am I?” Born to a warlock father and mortal mother, and raised by her witch aunts, Zelda and Hilda (Miranda Otto, Lucy Davis) — following her parents’ tragic death during her infancy — Sabrina (Kiernan Shipka) must choose between her witch life and her mortal life on her 16th birthday. She is expected to abandon one and commit to the other. Though not directly related to bisexuality, this “pick a side” struggle may feel familiar: Are you straight or are you gay?

To this dilemma, Sabrina (not so) simply says, yes. I am a witch and I am mortal. When she is among her mortal friends — Roz (Jaz Sinclair), Susie (Lachlan Watson, whom we come to know as Theo in Part 2), and boyfriend Harvey (Ross Lynch) — Sabrina is still a witch. When she studies among witches and warlocks at the Academy of Unseen Arts, Sabrina remains mortal. 

The show captures how it feels for bisexual people to be in a constant position of proving ourselves to the world around us, as well as the false dichotomy that is set up for bi folks to “choose” one orientation or another. As Part 1 ends, Sabrina determines that she does not need to, nor will she, make a choice. She accepts that to be true to her identity is to embrace all of herself, witch and mortal, both at once.

Various identities are highlighted through different characters in Sabrina, including gender, sexual orientation, familial belonging and ancestry, and vocation. Although bisexuality is not explicitly discussed on the show, it is displayed through a few key characters. Ambrose Spellman (Chance Perdomo), Sabrina’s housebound cousin and self-proclaimed pansexual, is enamored with a fellow warlock, Luke (Darren Mann). But upon Luke’s mysterious disappearance, Ambrose finds comfort in the devious witch, Prudence (Tati Gabrielle), who also appears to be non-discriminating in her sexual preferences. In one episode we stumble upon several witches and warlocks in the midst of a ceremonial, pre-sacrifice orgy of which both Ambrose and Prudence are a part.

What I Didn’t Like:

Outside of these two secondary characters, however, straight, heterosexual couplings appear to be the norm. So while the show is not entirely heteronormative, the relationships tend to be. In other words, bisexuality, or queerness in general, is more restricted to the sexual interactions and relationships of the characters, rather than shown in an emotional or romantic aspect.

In a brief discussion of polyamory, Father Blackwood (Richard Coyle), high priest of the Church of Night, mentions the odd expectation of monogamy that mortals hold, as opposed to the non-monogamy embraced by witches. But even this takes place in the context of straight relationships.

Nicolas Scratch (Gavin Leatherwood), a warlock who becomes Sabrina’s romantic interest in Part 2, also plays with the bounds of monogamy when he discloses his relationship with the Weird Sisters (a trio of witches that includes Prudence). He also challenges a monogamous norm when he confronts Sabrina about her romantic ties to Harvey and himself. She has two natures, he says, so why not two relationships? This could be extrapolated into a discussion of bisexuality and the fictitious “choice” that we’re asked to make when selecting a partner, but as it is presented in the show, it is still about two hetero pairings.

The Rating:

Nevertheless, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina is a show that captures the fluid nature of identity and sexuality, and captures it well. Identity and sexuality are portrayed as questions that are asked as an either/or, but answered with a both/and. We see bi characters as part of normal everyday life. We see sexuality as something that forms an important part of a person’s identity — a part that is to be celebrated and enjoyed (see the Chapter 14 episode, “Lupercalia”). Sabrina accurately captures what it’s like to be bisexual in a heteronormative society, even if it does not use sexuality explicitly as a means to engage these feelings.

As Part 2 ends, viewers are finally given a glimpse of what or who Sabrina is destined to become. In short, we learn she is exactly who she was born to be in her life’s messy, complicated, sometimes mysterious form. Isn’t this true for all of us, bisexual or not? We need not choose between one gender or another. We simply choose to be exactly the person we are.

Luckily for some of us, that includes being bisexual. And that is magic.