30 greatest Thanksgiving episodes of all time
By Reed Gaudens
29. Sabrina the Teenage Witch
Episode: Season 4, Episode 9, “Love Means Having to Say You’re Sorry”
What’s on the menu: You don’t think Hilda and Zelda are about to work in the kitchen for hours preparing a mortal Thanksgiving dinner, do you? Not in Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, and definitely not in Sabrina the Teenage Witch. These witches only go all out for Halloween. In the TGIF sitcom’s rare observance of Thanksgiving, Hilda and Zelda conjure a pair of pilgrims to help prepare a traditional dinner, which in retrospect seems kind of problematic and historically inaccurate. But we can acknowledge its weaknesses and still revel in the ’90s nostalgia.
In “Love Means Having to Say You’re Sorry,” Sabrina discovers that Harvey will be spending the holiday with Colette, a character so minor you probably don’t even remember her. Naturally, Sabrina gets all bent out of shape, but she had it coming since Harvey caught her kissing Josh. As their relationship hits this almost irreconcilable fork in the road, Sabrina searches for an appropriate apology to win Harvey back and spend the holiday together.
Why we’re thankful for it: It’s hard to be thankful for an episode that now seems so cringe-worthy when looking back. Hilda and Zelda conjure pilgrims to make Thanksgiving dinner? Yikes. But at the very least, looking at the episode through a modern lens offers a teachable moment, even if the use of the common trope wasn’t meant to be harmful but family-friendly. Also, Season 4 was very much the beginning of the end for Sabrina and Harvey, as evident by their holiday hangups, but turkey day gives them and the viewers a much-needed second wind.