Spoiler Alert: This summary and review contains spoilers.
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With it being around Thanksgiving, Ms. Wardwell decides people should know their history better. Which, for Sabrina and Harvey, is a history of much bloodshed.
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| Network | ||
| Netflix | ||
| Director(s) | Viet Nguyen | |
| Writer(s) | Oanh Ly | |
| Air Date | 10/26/2018 | |
| Introduced This Episode | ||
| Nana Ruth | L. Scott Caldwell | |
| Dezmelda | Brenda McDonald | |
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Meet The Grandparents: Harvey, Tommy, Nana Ruth, Susie, Roz, Sabrina
Well, it seems there might be some complications between Harvey and Sabrina in the future. If only because we learn his family was witch hunters, generations ago. In fact, that is how they got the mines. They murdered and stole it from witches. Something Sabrina doesn’t really want to acknowledge nor accept that maybe Harvey is capable of killing witches like his ancestors. After all, it is one of her greatest fears that he’ll kill her. Also, he didn’t act well when she did tell him. Had to erase his memory and all that.
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But, things get interesting when we meet Nana Ruth, Roz’s grandma, who also speaks of witches. Specifically how her family was cursed by them for outing them. Hence the women being struck blind but gaining cunning. Which, for them, gives a certain 6th sense which, strangle, leads to Nana Ruth calling Susie a gentleman and further pushes the idea that Susie has quite an adventure ahead of her.
Commentary
Oh, the secrets we learned about and the need to wonder if anything will come of them. On one side we got Harvey’s family of witch hunters, which Agatha and Dorcas seemingly will handle, then we got Roz’s family who apparently caused the death of many a witch. Now, Sabrina may see that all in the past but let’s remember she is but 16. The other witches? Who knows how old they might be. Prudence, for what we know, could be 40 or beyond at this point. Maybe not old enough to have been one of the witches ran from the hills but a generation or two separated.
Plus, considering how Prudence and company were ready to kill Harvey and company on the spot, imagine what they would do to Nana Ruth and her people? They may not have slaughtered them directly but indirectly they did.
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On a side note, completely unrelated, do witches go through menopause? I know that comes out of left field but thinking about how long witches live, the grudges passed down from generation to generation, it leads you to wonder if they just look young or are they able, into their 70s and beyond, still able to have kids? You know, to pass down hatred to.
The Feast of Feasts: Sabrina, Zelda, Father Blackwood
As long established, being a witch isn’t that advantageous. A warlock, yes, unless you take things as far as Ambrose, you’ll rather enjoy your life. However, for women, at least in Zelda’s coven, there are so many sacrifices. Take, for example, the Feast of Feasts, a Thanksgiving adjacent holiday where 14 families put up one of their women and they may get to be queen. An honorary title to celebrate one young witch sacrificing herself so her fellow witches could live to see another day. Something, hundreds of years later, still done – meaning they practice cannibalism.
Now, for reasons I don’t understand, Sabrina is able to partake despite her not being baptized and her family only still in the coven due to blackmail. Also, despite the troublemaker she is, Father Blackwood lets her participate and Zelda doesn’t snatch that girl up by her neck during the choosing ceremony. Leading to her, Sabrina, fortunately for Zelda, who was willing to sacrifice herself, not being chosen to be the queen. Instead, she is chosen as a handmaid.
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Commentary
So much about witch tradition makes no sense. The harrowing repeats the torture and execution of witches. The Feast of Feasts celebrates one witch’s sacrifice by eating a witch, rather than feasting on the splendor they are now allowed because of her sacrifice. I’m starting to believe the reason witches supposedly don’t go to hell is because they make their own lives seem like hell. Can you imagine? Being a girl in a coven seems like the most dangerous thing. You got to deal with the Feast of Feasts, 13-month pregnancy, and we’re still in the introductory stage. I bet you we’re going to learn about how witches get into arranged relationships to increase the covens numbers unless they become midwives or something else.
Thank The Handmaiden: Prudence, Sabrina, Ms. Wardwell, Dezmelda, Father Blackwood, Constance, Hilda, Zelda
If Sabrina is the handmaid, or shepherd, who is the queen, or also named the lamb? Well, Prudence. The orphan Prudence who relishes in the idea of being the queen – even though it means not only her death but being devoured by the coven. Something she romanticizes by talking about the honor in being in all witches who devours her and being in the heart of the Dark Lord. Thus pushing Sabrina to try to get her to come to her senses.
Something she pulls Ms. Wardwell into who doesn’t so much help in making the feast of feasts seem ridiculous but does plant the seeds the high priests don’t always represent the Dark Lord. Take Dezmelda. As a child, she was to be crowned queen but the high priest of the time made it seem she had to be initiated beforehand. Which, in the context presented, makes it seem like he had to have sex with her. Keep that in mind for what comes next.
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As one final push to get Prudence to understand there is something amiss, Sabrina brings up Constance mentioning Prudence and her sisters. Talking about doing something to them because they conspire against her children. Naturally, after everything, Prudence is suspicious but with the last supper featuring Hilda’s truth cake revealing the truth, Prudence learns Constance pushed the box to have her chosen.
Yet, that isn’t the only reveal. As shown with Ambrose and Nick, who participate in an orgy Prudence has, and Nick being fine with being Sabrina’s sidepiece, warlocks are sluts. Father Blackwood no different for we learn Prudence is his daughter. On top of that, the reason she is an orphan is Father Blackwood rejected her mom and she killed herself. Thus throwing Prudence off. Now, whether or not it rocked her faith is a whole other thing. But, in an effort to shut down the whole feast, as Edward did, Sabrina tries to blackmail Father Blackwood. However, with another witch offering herself, Sabrina fails.
But, in all this, she does gain the knowledge that, despite her conviction, Zelda would never let harm come Sabrina’s way. Father Blackwood may claim coven over any individual witch but Zelda draws the line at family. Especially considering the Spellmans we see maybe all that is left.
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Commentary
One of the reasons Constance was threatened by Prudence, and her assumption that Prudence’s sisters were also Father Blackwood’s kids, was because one becomes the high priest by birthright. Boys before girls, so it seems. Now, as for whether Sabrina is eligible? I wanna say I believe so but witch’s law is very confusing so let’s put an asterisk on that. It isn’t clear, considering what her father did, and with him now dead, if Sabrina has a right to either challenge Father Blackwood or throw her hat in if he dies or retires.
What is clear though is with that person inheriting the title, the school, and also quite a bit of political power, she would not clear that obstacle as easily as we’ve seen her do others. But, speaking of power, it leads you to wonder something. This show pokes at Catholicism, and Christianity, quite a bit. So taking note of past high priest trying to assault children, in the name of the Dark Lord, and being false prophets, was that supposed to be another criticism? Maybe I’m seeing something which isn’t there but it seemed like it.
Leading you to wonder, with Ms. Waldwell being the Dark Lord’s true servant, why didn’t she just reveal the truth? Also, you have to wonder, in terms of the selection process, how could Father Blackwood follow Edward? They seem to be completely different and be it the Dark Lord or a voting process, just Edward becoming the high priest seems more strange by the episode. Especially considering we got cannibals in the coven. How they ripped that one witch apart was ridiculous.
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But, with that happening, you have to wonder if Sabrina is opening anyone’s eyes or not. She has repeatedly exposed how twisted, if not corrupt, at least the current administration is. So is she changing hearts and minds or just seems like a troublemaker who gets away with far too much? Just not enough to make a voodoo doll for.
Highlights
- The traditions and lore of witches, I must say, though there is a certain shock to them, a lot of it is rooted enough to make sense. If only because Sabrina is the only one shocked and everyone else looks at her as if she has been told everything for years but is just now realizing what is happening. As if turning 16 allowed her to have critical thinking skills.
On The Fence
- Sabrina’s handling of her boyfriend being the descendant of witch hunters for it means Roz being the child of those who snitched on witches likely won’t lead to much.
- In the long run, Sabrina didn’t stop the Feast of Feasts but came damn sure close. All thanks to blackmail which perhaps has been used more than any spell thus far said.
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