WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Chilling Adventures of Sabrina Season 2, streaming now on Netflix.
Chilling Adventures of Sabrina has been overt in its feminist messages from Season 1. While Season 1 was focused on Sabrina figuring out her identity while questioning the Church of Night’s beliefs and rituals, Season 2 appears to be devoted to dismantling structural misogyny. Of course, Sabrina still questions the Church any time she feels it's complicit in “murder and cannibalization of young witches.”
By the end of the latest batch of episodes, in both Greendale and in Hell, women ascend to positions of utmost authority. Zelda Spellman becomes High Priestess, while Lilith controls Hell. Tracking both of their arcs this season makes for an interesting commentary on how women have had to push back against the patriarchy to feel empowered in their relationships and their careers.
Zelda Spellman
At the beginning of Season 2, it’s clear that Father Faustus Blackwood is using Zelda since he’s getting everything he wants without giving her a label -- a classic jerk move for men afraid of commitment. When she puts her foot down and says that she’s not doing anything, flagellation or otherwise, until he makes them legitimate, it’s a win for everyone who’s been in that situation.
Mind you, this is where Zelda’s arc begins this season. As we learn, Zelda is using Blackwood as well for her own personal gain. When they get married, she takes his name but hyphenates it with hers as Spellman-Blackwood. In a series where names are so significant -- “my name is Sabrina Spellman, and I will not sign it away!’ -- it’s telling that Zelda holds on to her Spellman identity. Blackwood likely picks up on her independent nature (it’s pretty obvious, to be fair), so when we see Zelda post-wedding, there is a huge red flag.
The red flag is Zelda defers to Blackwood, saying “my husband knows best in these matters” with an inane grin on her face, and even worse, wearing a silk floral dress. Something is clearly wrong with her. Indeed, it took Blackwood putting a spell on her to make her into this Stepford Wife ideal he has. This is not who Zelda is, but it’s what Blackwood and misogynists want women to be: dutiful, quiet and pretty to look at.
Hilda and Sabrina break the spell over Zelda, and she’s disgusted with what happened (and also her dress). She acts like she’s still under the spell to get information on what Blackwood is plotting for the coven, and it’s bad. Blackwood poisons the members of the Church of Judas, and Zelda and the Spellmans teleport them to their home to heal them. This is when Zelda assumes leadership as High Priestess of the coven.
Clearly, Zelda deserves this position. Not only is she knowledgeable, but she has also proven herself shrewd enough to protect her coven’s members, particularly the witches who would’ve suffered under Blackwood’s new tenants (“As Lilith served Satan, so must witches serve warlocks”? No thank you). She was able to act like a lobotomized version of herself for the greater good of her family and her coven. If she protects the coven as she has always done her family, they will all be in capable hands.
Lilith
Whereas Zelda knew she didn’t really love Blackwood, Lilith has definitely loved Lucifer Morningstar (aka the Dark Lord). We see her story told via Blackwood’s play, who made her less capable, but it still rang somewhat true for Lilith. Watching the play made her emotional because of the love she once felt for him. It also was a handy reminder he didn't keep his promise all those years ago to make her queen.
Lucifer is the King of Hell and non-commitment. He has kept Lilith under his thumb for years, promising her a seat next to him but continuing to use her to do his bidding in the meantime. As a result, Lilith as Mary Wardwell has a negative view on marriage. In her own words, it’s “an obliteration of a woman’s personhood” and “takes everything from her.”
Of course she’s going to think this when her boyfriend for these millennia is an utter tool. The Dark Lord is a toxic, controlling boyfriend to the extreme. When Lilith finds some semblance of happiness with Mary’s returned fiance, the Dark Lord tricks her into eating him! He repeatedly tells her that she belongs to him, and the woman can’t even take a personal day without his interference.
We have to question why Lilith stayed loyal to him for all this time, and as she tells the Spellmans, it’s because it’s all she’s ever known. It’s hard for her to break out of that cycle of abuse, but with the Spellman’s help she finally does. The Spellmans, the Academy members and Sabrina’s mortal friends all work together to trap the Dark Lord.
After two seasons of plotting against her and trying to kill her a couple of times, Lilith grants Sabrina two gifts: Giving back her powers and her favorite teacher, Mary Wardwell. This is a huge change for Lilith, but a development that’s natural for this character. After all, she finally has what she’s always wanted: The ruling seat of Hell. This would make anyone more benevolent -- er, malevolent.
Rather than going to Hell and back, Lilith goes back to Hell, which is exactly where she wants to be. Both Zelda and Lilith have been done wrong by male characters, and they’re not going to let it happen again. With women at major seats of power at this point in the show, it will interesting to see how they use their power and how the rest of witchkind will react.
Netflix's 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, Chance Perdomo as Ambrose Spellman, Tati Gabrielle as Prudence Night, Adeline Rudolph as Agatha, Abigail Cowen as Dorcas, Gavin Leatherwood as Nick Scratch, Richard Coyle as Father Faustus Blackwood, Lucy Davis as Hilda Spellman and Miranda Otto as Zelda Spellman.