Riverdale excited fans when it was revealed that Kiernan Shipka would be reprising her Chilling Adventures of Sabrina role, Sabrina Spellman, on the CW mystery. But, if viewers were looking for Sabrina to play a significant role in the events of the Rivervale five-episode series, they were sadly mistaken.
Sabrina Spellman’s return is brief as she only appears in the last ten minutes of “The Witching Hour(s).” When she does show up, Sabrina’s role is limited to helping with a body-switching spell.
Those who watched Chilling Adventures of Sabrina understand Sabrina’s long journey to embracing the full extent of her powers and identity. However, Riverdale skips all of that. While Ambrose is quickly mentioned, “The Witching Hour(s)” does not even manage to answer one of the biggest questions about its guest star.
Last fans had left Sabrina Spellman; she had died. Although Sabrina references that she had returned to the land of the living somehow, it is not explained if her family and friends resurrected Sabrina or if she found a loophole from beyond. Those moments also leave the question of if Sabrina’s boyfriend, Nicholas Scratch, had been brought back to the living world as well, as last fans had seen him, Nick had died to join Sabrina.
Sabrina’s return may also be considered underwhelming because it occurs in Riverdale’s shadow town, Rivervale.
Sabrina only interacts with Cheryl, and even that is not entirely accurate. “The Witching Hour(s)” reveals that Cheryl was never indeed Cheryl Blossom at all, but Abigail Blossom, a woman who had been cursed to have immortality and took up different identities to keep her secret.
Having Sabrina’s appearance this way isolates her from the rest of the characters. Had Sabrina made her appearance in Riverdale instead, she could have interacted with the versions of the characters audiences have been familiar with.
Overall, while it is always entertaining to see Sabrina Spellman, she was not used to the fullest extent of what could have been possible, especially considering all the hype surrounding Sabrina’s appearance during the five-episode event.