Chilling Adventures of Sabrina – Netflix Season 3 Review

Episode Guide

Chapter Twenty-One: The Hellbound Heart – | Review Score – 3.5/5
Chapter Twenty-Two: Drag Me To Hell – | Review Score – 3.5/5
Chapter Twenty-Three: Heavy is The Crown| Review Score – 3.5/5
Chapter Twenty-Four: The Hare Moon – | Review Score – 3.5/5
Chapter Twenty-Five: The Devil Within – | Review Score – 4/5
Chapter Twenty-Six: All of Them Witches – | Review Score – 4/5
Chapter Twenty-Seven: The Judas Kiss – | Review Score – 4/5
Chapter Twenty-Eight: Sabrina is Legend – | Review Score – 4.5/5

As a fan of the original Sabrina the Teenage Witch, when Netflix announced its darker and more teen-orientated approach to this story it had me intrigued. The first two seasons were a pleasant surprise and given the cliffhanger last time out, many fans (myself included) eagerly awaited the third part. With less filler episodes and agenda-driven character writing this time, The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina returns with a much-improved third season, full of twists, new characters and interesting lore surrounding the world of the Spellman’s.

The story begins with Sabrina determined to save Nick at any cost. With the help of her friends, she faces some difficult challenges to get him back as she heads down to fiery depths of Hell. Early on some important changes shape Sabrina’s life, forcing her into making a difficult choice as new enemies cause havoc for everyone around her. As the season progresses, Sabrina is forced to juggle her teen drama with tragedy and some surprising twists keep things interesting. The series ticks along at a decent pace and ends on an expected cliffhanger too, ready for the next part in the adventures of our dark witch.

One of the more interesting and compelling parts of Sabrina comes from its world-building and lore. The dark tone and magic continues and this season the introduction of new legends and characters keeps things feeling fresh. This series spends quite a bit of time in Hell too, offering up a much more serious feel to the proceedings.

Last season felt quite heavy-handed with the way it dealt with agenda-driven character writing and at times felt a little on-the-nose. Thankfully this time around it’s toned down quite a bit although there are a few moments that sink back into that socially-charged area. In its stead however, Sabrina grabs hold of the recent musical trend and doubles down on song renditions. Although well choreographed, hearing Run DMC’s ‘It’s Tricky’ cut up and spliced into a Glee-esque record is one of the things we could have done without this season. To be fair though, some of the other numbers performed were more serious and melodious to listen to, adding another flavour to this dark cocktail.

With each episode clocking in at around 60 minutes a pop, the pacing is much-improved with a more stream-lined narrative to boot. With some big cliffhangers at the end of each chapter, Sabrina is an easy show to watch across the weeks ahead although to be honest you’ll more than likely binge-watch a lot of these back to back.

The main cast do a great job with their acting, especially Hilda (played by Lucy Davis) who has become one of the favourites of the show. The costume and make-up design is equally as appealing and this time around there’s a splash of practical effects used for some of the Hellish creatures too. It adds an extra layer of realism to proceedings and like its predecessors, most of the scenes are dark and revel in the atmosphere of the show. By contrast, one of the episodes depicts witches in white and flowery attire which offers an aesthetically pleasing change of tone.

Netflix definitely made a big gamble ordering 5 seasons of The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina but after this third part it’s one that appears to be paying off for them. The show manages to keep the right magical balance of dark humour, teen drama and tense plot twists throughout, with this third part juggling that more harmoniously than ever before. With some great world-building and fresh new ideas, the third part of Sabrina is an improvement over the last two that should be a sure-fire hit with fans.

While the show does end with a suitable cliffhanger at the end of the 8th episode (which Netflix have assured us isn’t the final one), most of its sub-plots receive answers and satisfying resolutions. The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina conjures up a bewitching spell during this third part which should entrance its audience when the show hits Netflix this Friday.

Chilling Adventures Of Sabrina Part 3 is available to watch on Netflix from 24/01/2020. Feel free to click here and sign up now to check this show out!

Click Here To Go Back To Our TV Shows