WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, Part 3, streaming now on Netflix.
Will Hell have to freeze over before we finally get a Riverdale/Chilling Adventures of Sabrina crossover? It’s possible, but Part 3 of Netflix's Chilling Adventures of Sabrina takes us closer than ever before.
Speaking of Hell, this part sees Sabrina take on the mantle of the Queen of Hell in her father’s absence, but it’s not a smooth transition of power. Sabrina is formally challenged by Caliban, a hot surfer-looking man made in the pits of Hell, to a quest for the unholy regalia -- the first to find two out of three artifacts wins. Luckily, Sabrina has her cousin, Ambrose, helping out, and Ambrose does the research that leads them to Riverdale to find Herod’s crown.
On their way into the town where Archie and his pals reside, there’s a shot of the Riverdale sign with graffiti on the back: “Murder capital of the world” is written on top of “JJ wuz here,” which is accompanied by a recognizable crown symbol. Riverdale has been called the murder capital of the world -- an Easter egg itself for the 1987 movie The Lost Boys -- including recently by Josie McCoy in one of the Katy Keene trailers. Meanwhile, “JJ wuz here” is a callback to the show’s first season when Jughead created graffiti that read “Jughead Jones wuz here” with his crown symbol as an extra flourish.
The last known location of Herod’s crown is the Blossoms' backyard, where Sabrina and Ambrose free it from a maple tree. Ambrose remarks, “Clever Blossoms” when they find the much sought after artifact. However, Ambrose and Sabrina also accidentally unleash Herod, who was housed in the tree with his crown. Thankfully, Herod doesn’t rampage through Riverdale -- although given what the Riverdale kids have gone through, it probably wouldn’t phase them much.
Chilling Adventures of Sabrina Part 3 also has a real serpent in it -- a Southside one, in fact. We know he’s a Southside Serpent because he’s wearing the gang’s iconic jacket, which many a Riverdale fan has bought or made for themselves. The hungry serpent goes to Dr. Cerberus’ to have a bite, only to find that he is on the menu. Aunt Hilda has turned into a spider by a Pagan's curse, and she can’t control her appetite.
Dr. Cee doesn’t see this happen because Hilda had sent him to Riverdale to get the juiciest hamburgers and thickest milkshakes she’s ever had. She’s clearly referring to Pop’s Chock-Lit Shoppe here, and Dr. Cee is so sweet that he doesn’t take offense to his lady requesting another store’s burgers and shakes.
Perhaps the most exciting nod to Riverdale involves one of the series' cast members. In the first episode of Part 3, following a New Orleans title card, we see a familiar-looking red-headed woman leading Faustus Blackwood into a room for a drink. For a second, it looks as if Penelope Blossom from Riverdale has appeared on the show, finally giving us a crossover. However, this is not what it seems.
In fact, it’s Prudence using a glamor to get close to Blackwood, who isn’t even the real Blackwood. However, the end credits confirm that the actress who plays Penelope Blossom, Nathalie Boltt, appears in the episode. Perhaps Prudence caught a glimpse of Penelope at some point and filed the image away, although it’s more likely Chilling Adventures of Sabrina is just toying with our emotions.
Chilling Adventures of Sabrina Part 3 gives us even more Riverdale references than in the first two parts, but it’s still only enough to whet the appetite. The Sabrina comics have a history of featuring Riverdale characters, such as Betty, Veronica and Jughead. Who do we have to pray to in Heaven or Hell to make this TV crossover happen?
Chilling Adventures of Sabrina stars Kiernan Shipka as Sabrina Spellman, Ross Lynch as Harvey Kinkle, Michelle Gomez as Mary Wardwell/Madam Satan, Jaz Sinclair as Rosalind Walker, Lachlan Watson as Theo Putnam, Tati Gabrielle as Prudence Blackwood, Chance Perdomo as Ambrose Spellman, Lucy Davis as Hilda Spellman, Richard Coyle as Faustus Blackwood and Miranda Otto as Zelda Spellman. Part 3 is now available on Netflix.