Tarot Reading
After the third episode, Sabrina slows down for a bit of a filler episode, injecting some mischievous fun into proceedings and allowing the actors to really embrace a different side to their personas. A woman claiming to be a tarot reader arrives at the shop Hilda works in. Setting up shop, she begins reading the fortunes of the various main characters of the show. Sabrina is up first and with seeds of doubt over Nick in her mind, the tarot reader conjures up surreal images for our teenage witch to fester in. As Nick performs magic tricks on the weird sisters, he turns his attention on a confused Sabrina. Levitating her above the stage, Prudence interjects, casting another spell that levitates her up to space where she freezes to death. As Sabrina realizes this is all a vision, Theo steps forward for her reading. She wants to know if she will eventually become fully transitioned into being a male which the reader indulges as she places the cards on the table. In the vision, she goes to the Spellman’s to create a spell to transition Susie fully into Theo. With the spell seemingly complete, she wakes up a he and sees her arm turned to wood. At this point he has a choice – give up his new body or cut off his arm. Unable to give up on who he really is, he chooses to get rid of his arm, only to wake up and see his legs are now wooden too. After Theo’s vision, a blind Rosalind steps forward to have her reading told. She has to make a decision about having an operation to regain her sight but the consequences come from the overwhelming financial cost of this operation. In her vision she agrees to have the procedure and it seems to have worked. However, it comes at a cost as a blind girl accuses her of stealing her eyes. This prompts Roz not to follow through with the procedure. Preying on Zelda’s insecurities about the wedding, the tarot reader gives her an ominous reading regarding Blackwood before turning her attention on Harvey. In his vision, he’s accepted into an art colony for the Summer where he meets Howard, his roommate who paints in the middle of the night. Howard explains to Harvey that he sees demons and paints them, but when Harvey awakens in the morning he finds Howard hung from the ceiling. The final prophetic reading is reserved for Ambrose who asks the reader to talk to him about his relationship with Luke. In his vision, Father Blackwood talks to Ambrose about a private brotherhood – The Judas Society. He wants him to join and defy the Spellman’s which he does, killing Zelda, Hilda and Sabrina. As the visions end and Ambrose learns that Luke has died, the tarot reader reveals herself to be Mrs Wardwell who gleefully reviews all the information she now holds on Sabrina’s friends and family. Despite some decent work stylistically and keeping the themes of the show running strongly, the fourth episode does feel like a bit of a filler episode. The segments involving Theo continue to push the agenda-driven narrative forward although the twist at the end involving the reveal of the tarot reader is certainly a nice touch. Ultimately, this episode serves as a stop-gap for what’s to come, a proverbial deep breath before Sabrina plunges into the heart of the drama.
