By the sixth episode of a first season, a show has usually announced its tone loud and clear. But things took an interesting turn during Sabrina‘s sixth episode, titled, ‘An Exorcism in Greendale.’ As the title suggests, things got a bit spooky, and a certain horror classic was referenced more than a handful of times. The result: the best episode yet of this already-solid Netflix series.
In this installment, Sabrina becomes interested in trying to save Susie’s uncle, who, you’ll remember, saw some sort of demon in the mines and has been in a state of lunacy ever since. Sabrina turns to her aunts for help, but there is tension between Hilda and Zelda, based on the former’s excommunication from the church of Satan. Not to mention, we soon learn that witches are not permitted, or even thought to be able to perform, exorcisms. But, as we’ve learned by now, Sabrina is not one to step down from a patriarchal challenge.
This story thread is truly wonderful, furthering the plot at just the right pace and providing great character-driven moments that help develop the characters perfectly. While the emotional beats are far from surprising, it helps make the flow of the series feel more logical, and keeps the entertainment value high. Both of Sabrina’s aunts are likable in there own ways, but it’s nice to see that the series won’t spend too much time building their relationship back together. We, as an audience, know where it’s heading: it’s better that we just get there.
This subplot also eventually brought in Ms. Wardwell, which was a fun development seeing as Michelle Gomez has consistently been a high point of the season. But her involvement in the subplot leads to one of the season’s best surprises. Episode six’s ending sets the stage for the remaining four episodes, and makes things genuinely suspenseful. It’s also worth noting, of course, that the episode includes many Easter eggs directed at fans of The Exorcist, and they all work wonders.
But things didn’t just stop there: Harvey, Susie, and Rosalind are haunted by a demonic entity that resembles the former’s uncle, who pokes at their biggest fears and causes them to confront some serious issues they’re facing. These moments are genuinely creepy and unsettling. They also led to a terrific scene between Rosalind and her father that gave one of Sabrina’s friends some much needed development, packed together with a well-executed jump scare.
That being said, it is a little frustrating that the show introduces some interesting social justice content (Rosalind’s atheism, Jesse’s homosexuality) without the chance to develop them at all. For a show that has made social justice such an important part of its DNA, these two moments could have used more examination.
Despite technically being a horror series, Sabrina has mostly just been a fun, campy series. But Episode 6 makes for a welcome turn of events. There is a lot of genuine horror, as well as a lot of fun to be had for fans of the genre. The rest of the season is suddenly looking a lot spookier… and more exciting.
Overall rating: 9 out of 10
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ybKUX6thF8Q
