Warning: Major SPOILERS ahead for Chilling Adventures of Sabrina season 4.
Kiernan Shipka has strong feelings about her character's fate in The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina finale. Shipka has starred as Sabrina in the Netflix reboot since 2018 when the show debuted. Despite its popularity among viewers, Sabrina was canceled this year, surprising fans and stars alike. Part 4 of the show, which is its final season, was released today.
Unlike the early aughts sitcom starring Melissa Joan Hart, Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa's show takes on a much darker tone. Like the former show, Sabrina Spellman is a half-witch, half-mortal high school student who lives with her two aunts (and now cousin), all of magical origins. But the witchcraft in the Netflix show is often evil, and Sabrina finds herself increasingly involved with Satan, hell, and her own inner darkness. Part 4 has Sabrina and her allies face off with their final Big Bad, the Eldritch Terrors, an ancient force that threatens to destroy all things mortal and immortal. When she fails to capture the Void using Pandora's Box, it becomes apparent that the only way for Sabrina to protect her friends and family and save the world is to sacrifice herself.
Shipka was just as shocked by her character's tragic demise as many Sabrina fans will be. Speaking to ET Canada about Part 4, Shipka admits that she was "surprised" by the finale when she first read the script. She concedes that the choice to end the story tragically certainly amounts to a "dramatic ending." Shipka understands how difficult it can be to process the loss of a protagonist after growing attached over the course of a show—even she didn't believe Sabrina would really get killed off:
I was very surprised. I think I sort of had the same mentality as everyone else, which was Sabrina can't die. She is Sabrina. She can't die. And then I was like, "Oh, there's no more pages [in the script]. I think that’s it."
Despite her initial disbelief, Shipka clarifies that she was more surprised by the finale than disappointed. While Sabrina's death is a tough pill to swallow, sacrificing herself is exactly what her character would do in that situation. She suggests Sabrina might have ended up in the sweet hereafter to live happily ever after with Nick, who follows her into the Void out of love:
I think that what it represents is she is truly a selfless soul, and she sacrifices herself for the greater good which is very hefty. And I think it hit me emotionally quite a bit. It's not an easy ending to just digest. There is a lot of meaning and impact behind it and how we wish to read into that. But above all else, I was completely surprised.
Shipka admits she harbors some hope that Sabrina eventually "gets back" to her hometown. The actress has a few ideas about how her character could make another appearance:
I will say I think she’s pretty savvy and could find her way back to Greendale if she chose to. And I think just because I love her so much, that’s what I want to think happens. I hope that other people feel like it's not the end of Sabrina, but just the next phase of whatever kind of crazy life or afterlife she may lead. Anything is possible in the world of Sabrina. So, that’s sort of where I sit with it. I hope that she gets back.
Of course, The Chilling Adventures is a supernatural show, and this isn't the first time Sabrina has "died." But without another season on the horizon, this death feels more final. Though it may be emotional, viewers will ultimately have to accept that Part 4 is the official end of The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. Still, one can't help but think of the possibilities afforded by Riverdale, a TV show within the same universe that's still airing. Sabrina already crossed over to the gloomy town once on her show, leaving the door wide open for another crossover on theirs.
Source: ET Canada