Sabrina's Riverdale Cameo Gave CAOS A Much-Needed New Ending
Her story wasn't really over.
Sabrina Spellman had a lot to do on her long-awaited trip to Riverdale (well, Rivervale). Not only had her crossover appearance been hyped for years, ever since Chilling Adventures of Sabrina began in 2018, but also, the cameo also occurred almost a year after CAOS aired a particularly controversial series finale. So, not only did Sabrina bring her witchy ways to the town with pep, she also had to address that shocking ending. Spoiler alert: this post contains spoilers for the Chilling Adventures of Sabrina series finale and Riverdale Season 6, Episode 4. Thankfully for fans, Sabrina’s Riverdale cameo explained her CAOS death at long last, although it was still a little confusing.
Shortly after Sabrina’s appearance on Riverdale was announced, CAOS fans pointed out a confusing issue with it: She’s dead. The series finale of Chilling Adventures of Sabrina saw the teenage witch sacrificing herself to save the world, ending up in the afterlife with her boyfriend Nick. The grim ending was... not exactly well-received. So, of course, Sabrina had to explain herself when she suddenly showed up in Riverdale’s “Rivervale” event to help Cheryl Blossom cast a powerful transference spell.
Honestly, the specifics of the spell are too confusing and nonsensical to get into — the important bit came afterward when Sabrina confirmed she had returned from the dead. “There is no death for witches, only transformation,” Sabrina told a perplexed Britta. “I mean, I died and came back.”
While she didn’t explain how exactly she was able to return from the dead, the statement is confirmation that Sabrina isn’t wallowing in the Sweet Hereafter for eternity. Showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa himself confirmed he had plans to resurrect Sabrina if CAOS continued, having explained a cut scene from the finale in which Zelda makes a deal with the voodoo god of death to bring back her niece.
Sabrina made another winking remark about the CAOS finale while in Rivervale, knowingly stating, "Happy-sad endings are the best." That series finale definitely fell much more on the sad side, but now fans have a happier sendoff for everyone’s favorite teenage witch.
