Why Chilling Adventures of Sabrina Part 2 was so much stronger than the first part

When watching Chilling Adventures of Sabrina Part 1, I was disappointed. However, the second half of the season has been much stronger and here’s why.

I’ll admit that I may have had higher expectations for Chilling Adventures of Sabrina than I should have. This wasn’t because I’m a fan of Sabrina the Teenage Witch either. I accepted that it was a completely different show and was excited about that. Yet, the first half of the season disappointed me.

By the Midwinter special, I wondered whether to just give up. Well, I’m glad I didn’t, because the second half of the season was far stronger than the first.

Storylines were more focused

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Chilling Adventures of Sabrina Part 2 was an excellent binge-watch. All nine episodes were on-point, telling a bigger tale with some time for the odd “monster-of-the-week” format. Instead of being mostly procedural like the first half, it felt like the writers were more comfortable with the story, the characters, and the universe.

The second part built up from the first, from the point of Sabrina signing her name in the Dark Lord’s book. We got the initial minor storylines with a slow build to the bigger event in the final couple of episodes.

The first part had too many “monster-of-the-week” storylines. And they didn’t seem to connect with a bigger story arc. There are some shows that this would work well with, but not Chilling Adventures of Sabrina.

During the second part, we got this bigger story arc that actually began with the Midwinter special. It started with Sabrina accepting her destiny by signing her name in the Dark Lord’s book and then developed into her purpose in the final couple of episodes. When there were the standalone episodes, they still somehow fit into the overall purpose.

The only episode that didn’t fit completely into the overall story was when Lilith pretended to be the old seer woman. She showed the characters the darker and deadlier paths, making them decide not to follow through with something they were planning on doing. I’m still not entirely sure why that episode was there and it felt like Lilith was just bored with her life up to that part, but it worked with the placement, especially since so many other episodes were plot focused.

The need to see more

Each episode ended with some sort of cliffhanger, leaving us with far more questions than answers. And they weren’t the “what the hell are you doing?” questions that the first half of the season had, either. They were “what the hell are you going to do now?” sorts of questions. Those that made you need to watch the next episode.

What was originally a show for me to put on in the background became a show that I had to sit down to watch. I couldn’t wait for each episode after. The second part pulled me into this world and made characters I despised throughout the first part more likable – yes, I’m talking about Zelda Spellman. I actually worried about her fate, especially when she found out she had been entranced by Father Blackwood.

Better character development

The only thing I was disappointed in at first was the lack of use of Prudence. She spent so much of Chilling Adventures of Sabrina Part 2 in the background. But this actually made the season strong. This was built up for the finale, with Prudence finally choosing the Spellman family.

And Prudence’s wasn’t the only storyline that had this slow buildup off to the side. We got it with Nick’s and Ambrose’s, with Theo’s (Susie’s in the first half of the season), Harvey’s, and Rosalind’s.

It’s always hard with a new show. The writers have to introduce the characters, make us feel for them but set up the world and the main storyline at the same time. Chilling Adventures of Sabrina struggled with all that for me at first, but Part 2 certainly delivered.

What did you think of Chilling Adventures of Sabrina Part 2? What do you hope to see in the second season? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Chilling Adventures of Sabrina Season 1 is now available on Netflix.