I love this show. I love the characters, the gothic themes, the humour, clever dialogue, the sexual innuendo, mystical spell casting etc etc.
But this one was just all over the place. I agree with a previous reviewer that I feel bad for the actors. I think they all do a great job, and gave their performances every effort with a frightening storyline/script. The musical element at the end of Season 2 was fine...because I'm a big opera fan.
But with the subsequent musical scenes... especially with cheerleading - watch 'Bring it on' before attempting something unrealistic and cringe-paged (I also doubt that 'new cheer girls' would get centre stage, I know it's Sabrina, Queen of Hell, but the rest of the school doesn't know that.) I had to warn my partner in advance that there would be some painful singing coming up. If you're going the musical route - do it properly so that it's entertaining to anyone i.e. so the 'non-musical' folk are not silently gagging.
The season's 'drama' was too much. It completely desensitised me when I should have been awed and nervous. When you go too hard too fast, you lose effect i.e. When you keep up with the 'end of the world' 'everyone dies forever' 'the devil isn't all that scary', you lose impact and power over your audience. I was justifiably terrified of 'The Dark Lord' in season 1, this dwindled toward the end of season 2, and was absolutely non-existent in season 3. The new contender for Hell's throne was starting to seem like a plot line worth pursuing from a romance perspective but he just went to dust without any climax or worthy scene. (I predicted he found a better gig midway so the writers just wrapped his character up)
Even Sabrina, the teenager, is completely self-determining and just knowing she can do what she wants, how she wants, just takes away from any realism since there are no rules for her. She does not listen to her Aunties, she angrily chastised them in season 1 (when they had good reason to lie) and made them promise 'no more secret's and all she does Is lie to them and let them find out in the worst ways. And even when it turns to crap, she doesn't apologise or have any awareness of what she is playing with - it's always a defensive 'well, I did it because I had a good reason...' not a remorseful 'ok, I thought it was a good idea but I can see you were right and I had no idea and should never have done it'. Whether on Earth, or in Hell, she just does what she wants and to Hell with the consequences, she'll just cry about it later and try to make it right in her righteous way, forgetting she is the cause of it all.
The academy of unseen arts - wonderful title. But I thought it was a long standing academy, like a smaller Hogwarts, and from the end of season 2 we are left with an average of 10 students. I was underwhelmed by this. The same goes for Hell - you can't tell me after a zillion years you only have a party of 12 hovering around to grumble about a lack of king. And all the other witches summoned in the land equates to... 4 or 5? I know extra faces are expensive, but I'm sure there was enough budget for a few more extras or scenes to make the season look like more than a stage-play amongst extended relatives. The only setting which really nails this is Baxter high, and I was actually surprised enough to comment that there appear to be students in the corridors and it actually looks like a high school. Unfortunately, most of the action happens off School grounds.
Prudence was always a dignified and sharp-witted character. Now she irrationally flips on Ambrose for things beyond his control (and who ironically has more reason to flip on her when she was happy to have him executed knowing he was innocent and 'honourable').
Please, for the love of Satan/Sabrina/Callahan/greenman, revert to the structured ways of season 1, and the same equation every other successful series utilises that guarantees longevity (like CSI, Supernatural, etc etc) - let the characters deal with one problem/theme/issue at a time, per episode (e.g. the episode - Dreams in a witchouse was one of my favourites). The lead's issues can simmer away in the background. It keeps us entertained and keeps us interested. It keeps us coming back for the next dilemma to be solved or disaster to be averted. Save the real disasters for the season finales and deal with them properly.
The 'go two separate ways sabrina' logic makes no sense - they are both still SABRINA. So unless they are planning to switch now and then, it wouldn't work. And where/how/what the hell did the second Sabrina come from the get the jump on Callahan ? I may not have paid enough attention because I'd lost interest.
There is of course so much more to say but I will end my lengthy criticism there. I am only this critical because I love this series and I am terrified that season 3 has destroyed chances for a continuation.
But this one was just all over the place. I agree with a previous reviewer that I feel bad for the actors. I think they all do a great job, and gave their performances every effort with a frightening storyline/script. The musical element at the end of Season 2 was fine...because I'm a big opera fan.
But with the subsequent musical scenes... especially with cheerleading - watch 'Bring it on' before attempting something unrealistic and cringe-paged (I also doubt that 'new cheer girls' would get centre stage, I know it's Sabrina, Queen of Hell, but the rest of the school doesn't know that.) I had to warn my partner in advance that there would be some painful singing coming up. If you're going the musical route - do it properly so that it's entertaining to anyone i.e. so the 'non-musical' folk are not silently gagging.
The season's 'drama' was too much. It completely desensitised me when I should have been awed and nervous. When you go too hard too fast, you lose effect i.e. When you keep up with the 'end of the world' 'everyone dies forever' 'the devil isn't all that scary', you lose impact and power over your audience. I was justifiably terrified of 'The Dark Lord' in season 1, this dwindled toward the end of season 2, and was absolutely non-existent in season 3. The new contender for Hell's throne was starting to seem like a plot line worth pursuing from a romance perspective but he just went to dust without any climax or worthy scene. (I predicted he found a better gig midway so the writers just wrapped his character up)
Even Sabrina, the teenager, is completely self-determining and just knowing she can do what she wants, how she wants, just takes away from any realism since there are no rules for her. She does not listen to her Aunties, she angrily chastised them in season 1 (when they had good reason to lie) and made them promise 'no more secret's and all she does Is lie to them and let them find out in the worst ways. And even when it turns to crap, she doesn't apologise or have any awareness of what she is playing with - it's always a defensive 'well, I did it because I had a good reason...' not a remorseful 'ok, I thought it was a good idea but I can see you were right and I had no idea and should never have done it'. Whether on Earth, or in Hell, she just does what she wants and to Hell with the consequences, she'll just cry about it later and try to make it right in her righteous way, forgetting she is the cause of it all.
The academy of unseen arts - wonderful title. But I thought it was a long standing academy, like a smaller Hogwarts, and from the end of season 2 we are left with an average of 10 students. I was underwhelmed by this. The same goes for Hell - you can't tell me after a zillion years you only have a party of 12 hovering around to grumble about a lack of king. And all the other witches summoned in the land equates to... 4 or 5? I know extra faces are expensive, but I'm sure there was enough budget for a few more extras or scenes to make the season look like more than a stage-play amongst extended relatives. The only setting which really nails this is Baxter high, and I was actually surprised enough to comment that there appear to be students in the corridors and it actually looks like a high school. Unfortunately, most of the action happens off School grounds.
Prudence was always a dignified and sharp-witted character. Now she irrationally flips on Ambrose for things beyond his control (and who ironically has more reason to flip on her when she was happy to have him executed knowing he was innocent and 'honourable').
Please, for the love of Satan/Sabrina/Callahan/greenman, revert to the structured ways of season 1, and the same equation every other successful series utilises that guarantees longevity (like CSI, Supernatural, etc etc) - let the characters deal with one problem/theme/issue at a time, per episode (e.g. the episode - Dreams in a witchouse was one of my favourites). The lead's issues can simmer away in the background. It keeps us entertained and keeps us interested. It keeps us coming back for the next dilemma to be solved or disaster to be averted. Save the real disasters for the season finales and deal with them properly.
The 'go two separate ways sabrina' logic makes no sense - they are both still SABRINA. So unless they are planning to switch now and then, it wouldn't work. And where/how/what the hell did the second Sabrina come from the get the jump on Callahan ? I may not have paid enough attention because I'd lost interest.
There is of course so much more to say but I will end my lengthy criticism there. I am only this critical because I love this series and I am terrified that season 3 has destroyed chances for a continuation.