After the first part of the first season of Sabrina, I not only wrote a review, but I also focused on how it shows the relationships of women and organized religion. It was one of those texts which writing gave me enormous fun. Therefore, in the second part of the first season I will do exactly the same. The following text is not a review of the series but a return to reflection on what production is trying to tell us about women, men, church and patriarchy. Well, as in the case of Sabrina - this text is like the second part of the previous one, which you can find here: https: //steemit.com/series/@anaerwu/satan-was-alsoa-a-man-sabrina-feminism-and-institutionalized -religion. The post as an analysis, of course, includes spoilers.
Looking at the continuation of Sabrina, it is very clear that the writers decided to write two main theses on their numerous female protagonists. The first is that society requires sacrifices from women, promising them in return a reward - which will not necessarily appear. Second, that the church can not be reformed from the inside, moreover - the more reforming measures are adopted, the more likely it is that the mechanism of the "besieged fortress" will work and the rules will be tightened. Of course, the victims will mainly be women. Both these reflections, though written with the use of anti-papacy, Satan and black magic, definitely go beyond the fantastic framework in which they are played and present in places a very bitter look at the relationships between men and women and the possibility of changing the existing order.
Dedication of women in the name of the expected prize is common in the series. Sabrina enters the magical world by signing - not necessarily completely in accordance with her will, the black book. She was persuaded by Lilith - who, shifted in the first place, talks about the first sacrifice, in exchange for the promise of power and an almost equal position in the future Kingdom of Lucifer. Her memory of the past - whether observing this act of the first genuflection in a gesture of submission, indicate to us that although the protagonists of the series live today, certain social mechanisms are virtually unchangeable. Sabrina's revolt against the order takes place after repeating the first mistake - making that first promise - to write down the soul for the Devil. Aunt Zelda also decides to sacrifice herself, who, like Sabrina's reforming ambitions, has a more traditional way of acting. While the young sorceress rebukes her foot, her aunt refers to the oldest pattern of female advancement - she decides to marry the main priest. Zelda sacrifices her independence by making a marriage oath, in the hope that it will be a small opportunity - a bit like Lilith to co-ordinate the church (although of course at completely different levels). However, despite the promises - men do not intend to simply share power. Lilith gets nothing, Sabrina is just a pawn in a bigger game and Zelda is trapped in the role of Stepford's wife. At the end, Prudence can also be added to this group. Here, the heroine for the promise of her father's name, and thus the promise of influence and position, decides on absolute loyalty, which leads her to a place where she is ready to torture her boyfriend, abandon her friends and become the main guardian of the patriarchate.
Looking at the heroines associated in any way with church institutions, only one does not sacrifice anything - Aunt Hilda. Why? It seems that in her case the lack of ambition is decisive. Not any ambition, but no desire to reform or even deeper participation in the church. She is opposed to Sabrina's abandonment of her "human school", and she is not impressed with her sister's wedding. Hilda does not have to sacrifice anything because she does not play the game whose rules are set by men - her lack of ambition is her power. At the same time - interestingly enough - thanks to the freedom which she gained while distancing herself from the church, she can do things that probably other characters would not decide so easily. Speak in front of the High Council of priests and remind them that they act only for their own benefit, or - not wanting to sacrifice for the cause (and agree to harassment on the part of one of the priests) ultimately to break off their relationship with the church. In my previous post I wrote that Hilda is a bit like an atheist and I have the impression that it is getting deeper here. This is a character who can not be caught up in a game in which women are out of a losing position. At the same time, you can not get the impression that Hilda would have a worse life because of that. On the contrary - without sacrificing yourself, you can find love and courage to act when you need it.
Well here we go to the second main thread. After all, apart from the female dedication and masculine (or devilish) reluctance to fulfill the promises, the topic of church reform appears. Sabrina, trying to change the rules around her exactly as if the teenager wanted to do it. She is idealistic, but her actions are not really effective at all. Whether or not she will be elected as a school council is irrelevant (moreover - the system will successfully defend herself against her temptations), showing her father's anti-pampered texts will not magically change the wizardry community. In my opinion, the Sabrina action fiasco illustrates well that changing the prevailing social relations is not simple and good intentions and self-confidence are definitely not enough. In turn, Aunt Zelda, who has enormous ambitions and devotional attachment to the church, wants to carry out reforms from the inside thanks to the influence gained. And as I mentioned - it will also fail. What's more - it is these actions that lead to an exacerbation of moods. Many people criticize the fact that Blackwood - the high priest of the church - is becoming from one episode to another an ever-larger misogynist. However, it seems - observing many churches in the world, that this is the characteristic reaction to the reforming tendencies. The loop does not relax, it tightens more and more.
It is also worth mentioning that the series strongly emphasizes that not only men stand guard over the patriarchy (moreover, these committed boys fall out here the least, although in total looking at how little young people would need to radicalization - there is some sad truth in this) also women. On the one hand, we have Prudence - who wants to be accepted by her father, that she will undermine other women and help him in introducing new rules (which indeed shows that certain things can not be introduced without the involvement of women). On the other hand - what seems more interesting to Lilith, who is still waiting and serves Lucifer - from time to time opposing him. Lilith is a perfectly written character, because it shows how toxic are relationships between women and men, how difficult it is to escape from what you know. Well, it seems that the most important dialogue in the series is the one in which Sabrina asks Lilith why for so many years she helps Lucifer, despite not getting the promised reward. When Lilith says she did know nothing else, Sabrina states that this is a very weak argument. I have a feeling that this is a fairly good comment on the support of patriarchy by women - which is sometimes not ideological but is on the run. If it was always done, why not suddenly stop. Just because you do not know another reality does not mean that it always has to be like that.
Anyway, when it comes to the topic of Lilith, I really liked Adam's thread. Adam is the perfect man - what is different from Lucifer. His ideality is not based only on the beauty, or on the fact that he can wonderfully massage feet or make a good meal. Adam is perfect because he is ready to sacrifice something for his beloved. Stop traveling around the world and settle with her in one place. What's more - although he wants to marry, he does not push, does not force her to put on a ring. Of course, a perfect man can not exist, so Adam will end miserably. Besides, to some extent, both Sabrina's admirers fit into the dream of a perfect man. Both Nick and Harvey do not ask for anything that Sabrina would not like to give them. They do not make her sacrifice. Although here it must be pointed out that, of course, it is not so beautiful - Adam asks Lilith if she will go to Tibet with him (but he does ask for it!). Nick turns out to hide the truth about where his interest in Sabrina came from. The series, quite clearly divides what can be forgiven, from what exactly the heroine ties in an unequal relationship, in which they are always in a losing position. Anyway, when analyzing the relationship between Sabrina and Nick, I have several times found that we have some reversal in their case. Here Sabrina still needs something from Nick and he sacrifices himself for her (though not only for her and not on a clear request) - which makes one wonder whether a relationship is possible without sacrifices.
The first season does not leave us without hope. So ultimately, the solution to the main problems turns out to be sacrifice, but this time neither the woman is sacrificed, and the dedication itself is selfless. At the time of the final attempt, loyalty to patriarchy is less important than seeking help there among other women - which, as all are similarly wronged, have some kind of communication platform (which they had previously lacked). The second issue is the question of church reform. The series has no doubt - you have to demolish the old order and build it again in its place. Perhaps it is impossible to remove the patriarchal impulses from church institutions, but always to pack suitcases and start working on your own. Since Lucifer never fulfills his hopes and only takes a little in return, maybe it is worth considering the cult of Lilith who knows everything about sacrifice and feminine frustration. What is interesting, because the series shows Sabrina's absolute defeat as a reformer - in fact, nothing itself has changed. Among other things, because it is never as easy as it may seem to a teenager. Even if, somewhere along the way, she turns out to be the daughter of Lucifer himself. What's more, it's a nice topic to discuss (the protagonist is constantly identifying her awareness by whose daughter she is, which is well reflected in the Prudence story). If we had more time at all, there would be plenty to discuss (because here in the background there are quite a lot of fantastic threads like Nick and his werewolf caretaker, whose sacrifice is not rewarded either, because another woman appears. And this woman is Sabrina).
I have met with accusations that the series too deeply outlines the gap between the place of women and men in the world of religion, it antagonizes both sides too much and is flat in this. In the meantime, I get the impression that not so much production asks a question - how often from women sacrifices are required in the name of some rewarding and how often they never receive this award. How often the men's reaction to the emancipation of women is aggression and tightening of the rules. How often the guards of the existing order are women who are hoping for a better place in a world that they can not rule by themselves. How much the implementation of women's ambitions becomes dependent on compliance with the rules set by men. How much reform efforts can be ineffective and how difficult it is to opt for a revolution. It is not necessarily that many series directed to young people analyze how great is the weight of men in traditional societies when it comes to the awarded items - especially those related to the name and such a traditional hierarchy. Such a series is very clear in its message but considering the potential viewer and not necessarily so popular topic (we do not watch the ”Handmaid Tale” in my opinion, it does an interesting and at least slightly different thing.
As I wrote - I do not discuss all the issues here - I really liked the Theo plot - especially showing frustration and rage as a response to persecution. This is one of those things that is not necessarily shown, and here I think it perfectly complemented the already well-written thread. On the other hand - I can agree with the voices that with such unambiguously and interestingly outlined themes in the fantasy world, those from the more real world remained on the margins - and did not necessarily correspond with the main thoughts of the series. Perhaps because if the creators are happy to comment on some patterns of action in the fantasy world - probably feeling absolute freedom (after all, if Dorian Gray is given drink everything is possible) showing us the world of American teenagers are a bit more restrained. But who knows, maybe it will become the subject of the next season. And you know what I have one more reflection. Well, sometimes I have the impression that when the series in genre and stylistic is more transgress, it is immediately classified as stupid. Because if it was wise, the presented world would be primarily characterized by internal cohesion. In the meantime, I do not have the impression that the creators of Sabrina would put this internal consistency in the foreground. They play against the rules, but not because they do not know them or do not know how to use them, but because they know the expectations (which they put themselves). It may absolutely not please, weary or not play. But it is not necessarily stupid. Sabrina is certainly not a perfect series, it has many flaws and threads that can be played better. But it is not a stupid series. And certainly not the one who has nothing to say.
#tv #series #blog