"Chapter Twenty-One: The Hellbound Heart" is the first episode of the third part of Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, and the twenty-first episode of the series overall.[1]
Synopsis[]
Sabrina recruits Roz, Harvey and Theo for an emotional mission. Prudence and Ambrose travel to New Orleans. Ms. Wardwell returns to Baxter High.
Plot[]
Sabrina finds Nick in Hell
Sabrina searches for Nick through the depths of Hell. She finds him trapped within a wall. Nick warns Sabrina to leave before the Dark Lord returns. Instead, Sabrina chants an incantation to free Nick, and the two of them escape through Hell’s gates with the Dark Lord chasing after them. The gates to Hell close, locking the Dark Lord inside. Sabrina embraces Nick only to realize that it’s actually her father. Sabrina then awakens from what was merely a bad dream.
Zelda announces to the Church of Night that it's time to reopen the Academy
Sabrina joins the coven downstairs for breakfast. It’s been a month since the Church of Night collapsed at the hands of Faustus Blackwood. Sabrina takes a seat next to Elspeth, Melvin, Agatha, and Dorcas, as her aunt Hilda prepares the meal. Zelda announces that it is high time to reopen the Academy of Unseen Arts and resume worship in the Desecrated Church, where she will serve as Directrix.
Alone, Hilda asks Zelda who will say Black Mass and who they will say it to. "Not the Dark Lord.", Sabrina interjects. She regrets allowing Lilith to take Nick to Hell with Lucifer trapped inside of him. As Sabrina leaves for school, Hilda informs Zelda that Sabrina leaves the house early every morning to presumably cry at the gates.
Sabrina tries to open the gates of Hell
In actuality, Sabrina has been attempting to open the gates to Hell. She is accompanied by Harvey, who worries that his dad might catch them. On their way to school, Harvey asks Sabrina what they will do with Nick after rescuing him from Hell. Sabrina explains they’ll find a new prison to put her father in. Harvey points out how good-hearted Sabrina is to rescue Nick despite him previously betraying her. She explains how witches are indebted to the Dark Lord and how difficult it is to tell him no. As they meet the road, Jolly Frost’s Ice Cream truck passes by, gaining their attention given the time of year.
While cleaning out Faustus’ old office and preparing for a new school year at the Academy, his phone rings, and Hilda answers.
Theo, Roz, and Harvey are concerned about Sabrina
At Baxter High, Harvey, Roz, and Theo express concern over Sabrina’s well-being and her obsession to free Nick. Harvey suggests that she join their band, and Roz recommends she sign up for cheerleading as "it can't be all Hell, all the time.", but Sabrina turns them both down. Ms. Wardwell enters the class. Billy and Carl question her return. Wardwell explains that she’s merely returning as a teacher, no longer the school's principal. She shares with the class how she’s found herself drawn to Dante’s Inferno, detailing the poet’s epic journey to Hell.
Hilda interrupts Zelda from destroying Faustus’ statue to inform her that the Council called. They’re convening an important meeting, and it’s Father Blackwood’s turn to host. The Council is unaware of the events that have transpired within the last month and should they find out what the Spellmans did to the Dark Lord, they’ll all be punished.
Ms. Wardwell has been having nightmares of demons and hellscapes
Sabrina checks in on Ms. Wardwell, who can’t account for the last three months of her life. The doctors are unable to offer any explanation. Sabrina questions her sudden interest in Dante’s Inferno. Ms. Wardwell has been having nightmares of demons and hellscapes. She’s turned to Inferno literature as a form of therapy. Wardwell explains that some of the world’s greatest artists have used Hell as their subject in such an authentic way that it feels as if they have been there. Through her conversation with Ms. Wardwell, Sabrina comes up with an idea on how to rescue Nick from Hell.
Dorian agrees to allow Sabrina to use his portal to Hell
Sabrina rushes over to Dorian's Gray Room in search of help from none other than Dorian Gray. However, he’s more concerned with the pimple that’s appeared on his face. He hasn’t had a pimple since Basil painted his portrait. Given that Dorian’s an art collector, Sabrina questions if he has any paintings of Hell that are also portals. Dorian admits to having one, which he is willing to allow Sabrina to use so long as she brings him back a flower from Hell. It’s the only flower that grows there. In the Forest of Torment. La fleur du mal. The original flower of evil that inspired the poet Baudelaire. Its nectar can rid Dorian of the pimple. Should Sabrina bring it back, he'll arrange safe passage.
Harvey, Roz, Theo, and Sabrina prepare to go to Hell
Sabrina arrives at Harvey’s to find Harvey, Theo, and Roz practicing in the garage. She tells them that it’s time for "Operation Handbasket." Meaning, they’re going to Hell to save Nick. While humans aren’t allowed in Hell, Sabrina explains that there are ways around that. The Fright Club, as they've named themselves, bathe in ghastly water to keep the demons from smelling them. They also have to wear dead people’s shoes for only the dead may walk the paths of Hell. Salem wishes to join them, but Sabrina fears that he would bring every hound of Hell down upon them, from Barghest to Old Shuck.
Zelda and Hilda pray to Lilith
Dorcas, Agatha, Melvin, and Elspeth take knee at their bedside as Zelda leads the coven in prayer. Afterward, Zelda confides in Hilda. She’s having difficulty praying to the Dark Lord, who wished for their enslavement. Hilda proposes they tell the coven the truth and pray to Lilith moving forward. However, Zelda can’t bring herself to do it. Besides, they have a more immediate problem with the Council’s arrival. Hilda claims that she has the perfect recipe for them.
The Fright Club reaches the portal to Hell
Dorian takes Sabrina, Harvey, Roz, and Theo to the hellscape. He reminds them just how dangerous the Inferno can be and advises them to make their way to the City of Pandemonium as quickly as possible. Also, the incantation he gave them to transport them back to Earth will only work if they’re holding his flower. With that, Sabrina tells her friends that she loves them before passing through the portal.
Caliban tells Sabrina, Roz, Harvey, and Theo how to get to Pandemonium
Sabrina, Harvey, Roz, and Theo arrive on the Shores of Sorrow. They take notice of the souls of the damned, who are trapped in cages on the shore and drown over and over for eternity as the tide comes in. They cross paths with a man named Caliban, who informs them that all blood flows to Pandemonium. Follow the blood-red road where it flows and there, they will find Lilith. Lastly, he warns them to never wander from the road.
Prudence stabs Faustus
New Orleans. Faustus Blackwood has taken up the companionship of Ms. Dubois. Once inside, Ms. Dubois removes her glamour, revealing herself to be Prudence. And behind Faustus stands Ambrose. Prudence demands to know where to find Judas and Judith. Should he refuse to answer, Ambrose assures him they can extract the information from his corpse using necromancy. Faustus pleads with Prudence, but she stabs him with her sword, killing Faustus. Unfortunately, who she initially believed to be her father was merely one of his Judas boys wearing a glamour.
The Fright Club finds Uncle Jesse
Sabrina, Harvey, Roz, and Theo arrive at the Field of Witness. Where souls have been strung up on crosses and tortured; eyes picked out by the crows. Theo discovers that his uncle Jesse is one of the tortured souls. She strays off the road to free him. Jesse reveals that Lilith sent him to Hell. Theo pleads with Sabrina to help him. Sabrina places a protection spell on Jesse and vows to free him.
Lilith learns of Sabrina's arrival in Hell
As she sits upon her throne in Pandemonium, Lilith learns from her demon minion that Sabrina and her friends are in Hell, following the blood-red road. Lilith surmises that Sabrina’s come for Nick, who she has chained up at the feet of her throne after having removed his tongue. With Sabrina’s next destination being the Forest of Torment, Lilith asks if the Woodsman is well-oiled.
At the Academy, Zelda and Hilda prepare for the arrival of the Council. Hilda is using a glamour to disguise herself as Faustus. She’s also baked a honey cake to influence the Council.
Roz and Sabrina find the flower of evil
Theo is stuck with the image of his uncle Jesse tied to a post and being eaten alive by birds. Before long, they arrive at the Forest of Torment. Before passing on to the City of Pandemonium, they have to find Dorian’s flower of evil. Sabrina and Roz go one way and Harvey and Theo head in the opposite direction in search of the flower. Sabrina and Roz hear what sounds like someone singing. They find the flower of evil, which is responsible for the ethereal singing they hear. Sabrina brings advises Roz to be careful around the thorns. Should they break her skin, she will go to sleep and never wake up.
The Woodsman attacks Harvey
Harvey and Theo hear screams and repeated chopping of wood. They cross paths with the Woodsman, resembling a tin man with his heart-piercing out his chest. He attacks Harvey as Theo rushes off to find Sabrina and Roz, who have safely recovered the flower of evil. Meanwhile, Harvey fends off the Woodsman with a pickax. Harvey is no match. Luckily, Sabrina arrives and performs a spell to rust the Woodsman. He’s frozen in place, and Harvey realizes that the Woodsman is his brother, Tommy. He asks Harvey why he killed him and tells him that he’s been waiting for Harvey to join him. Sabrina then shoots the Woodsman, explaining that it wasn’t actually Tommy.
Upon discovering that Sabrina and her friends have escaped the Woodsman, Lilith devises a plan to teach them a lesson by bringing in some "old friends."
Prudence comes up with an idea to find Blackwood
No matter how close Prudence and Ambrose have gotten, Father Blackwood has managed to elude them at every turn. Ambrose recalls that Faustus is a master of the mystic arts, and they were merely his students. Everything they know about witchcraft, he taught them. Prudence proposes they use a different type of witchcraft. A form he didn’t teach them.
Mambo Marie doesn’t do "watered-down New Orleans vodou, hoodoo bullshit."
Prudence and Ambrose enter a voodoo shop in search of real "hoodoo vodou magick", where they make the acquaintance of Mambo Michele Marie Le Fleur, who upon first glance, recognizes them as real witches, as opposed to tourists. She introduces herself as Priestess of High Haiti, daughter of Tiano people, faithful to Guinee. She makes one thing clear; that she doesn’t do "watered-down New Orleans vodou, hoodoo bullshit." They’re in a Haitian house, and the vodou practice is a way of life. She refers to them as New England witches. Prudence and Ambrose explain that they need her help in tracking down someone. Mambo Marie informs them that they’ll need a world map and something that belonged to Blackwood. Prudence offers her blood as she is his daughter.
Principal Hawthorne captures the Fright Club
On the blood-red road, Harvey struggles with whom he believes was his brother that Sabrina killed, though Roz assures him that it wasn’t. Sabrina, Harvey, Roz, and Theo are suddenly faced with a brick red door labeled Baxter High. Inside, they come face-to-face with Principal Hawthorne, who is much more demonic in appearance as opposed to the last time they saw him. He demands that they take a seat, and when they do, they are locked down to their desks. Hawthorne introduces his special guest; Roz’ Nana Ruth. She claims Roz was the death of her. She blames Roz for using her cunning gift to help witches. Hawthrone decides to start with Roz for their "anatomy lesson."
Lilith orders her Demonic Minion to retrieve Sabrina
Lilith is informed by her demonic minion that the Plague Kings have returned. She refuses to have her sovereignty challenged by them yet again. However, this time around they’ve brought the Hordes of Hell. Between Sabrina infiltrating Hell and the Plague Kings attempting to dethrone her, Lilith devises a plan to kill two birds with one stone. She orders her minion to tell the kings they will be heard before the day is out and to bring her Sabrina, safe and alive.
Hilda poses as Faustus
Zelda offers the Council members honey cake as Hilda, posing as Faustus arrives. They wish to discuss Faustus’ absence from last month’s intercoven meeting. There is one other point of order as well. Some of the members of the wider council have reported a loss of power. They question if Faustus has experienced such symptoms. Hilda says that she hasn’t and suggests that they pray to the Dark Lord for guidance. They explain that they have, one even claiming that he spoke to the Dark Lord just that morning despite the Spellmans having him imprisoned. Afterward, once the Council has left, Zelda and Hilda discuss the matter in which the Council lied and claimed to have spoken to the Dark Lord. If Zelda is to rebuild the coven from the ground up, then she must tell them the truth about the Dark Lord.
Roz begs for help
Roz screams for help and begs for mercy as Principal Hawthorne prepares to use her for their anatomy lesson. Sabrina, Harvey, and Theo watch helplessly. However, before they can start, Lilith’s demon minion interrupts and informs them that Lilith no longer wants for the children to be tortured, but instead for Sabrina and her friends to be brought to her.
Agatha, Dorcas, Melvin, Elspeth, and the remaining members of the coven take a knee at their bedside as Zelda and Hilda announce that they will be praying to Lilith rather than the Dark Lord, alarming the coven.
Nick and Lucifer fight for control
From Hell, Lilith can hear the Church of Night’s prayer to her. Not long after, Sabrina, Harvey, Roz, and Theo arrive. Sabrina finds Nick chained to the feet of Lilith’s throne. Lilith informs Sabrina that certain protocols must be followed. As for Nick, who seems to be incognizant, Lilith explains that he and the Dark Lord are struggling for power on the inside. Meanwhile, inside Nick’s head, he and Lucifer wrestle for control. Lucifer demands that he submit, but Nick refuses.
Sabrina and Lilith make a deal
Lilith invites Sabrina, Harvey, Roz, and Theo to take a seat at the dinner table. Roz advises her friends from eating the food as she can see what it truly is through her cunning; rotten and maggot-infested. Sabrina questions why Lilith still looks like Wardwell, to which Lilith replies that she’s grown comfortable in Wardwell’s skin. She offers to show them her real face, her green one, but Sabrina declines. She only wants to free Nick and Jesse. Sabrina assures Lilith she'll find a different prison for her father. Lilith agrees to allow Sabrina to take Nick under one condition. The hierarchy of Hell is in a state of turmoil. The Infernal Kings refuse to recognize Lilith’s authority because she’s not a Morningstar. But it would calm the dark waters if Sabrina publicly crowned her the Queen of Hell to legitimize her seat. Sabrina reluctantly agrees.
Prudence and Ambrose use blood magick to perform a locator spell on Father Blackwood. Prudence cuts her hand with Mambo Marie’s knife and bleeds onto a map, which indicates that Father Blackwood is in Scotland. Loch Ness, to be exact. Prudence and Ambrose then proceed to have sex.
The Plague Kings recommend that Caliban take the throne
Lilith introduces Sabrina to the underworld community as Sabrina Morningstar, daughter of Lucifer Morningstar. In his absence, Sabrina has come to declare Lilith the official Queen of Hell. Beelzebub, Asmodeus, and Purson, the Plague Kings, object, claiming that Lilith is a concubine, not a queen. The realms are in chaos. The Earth, the Pit, the Heavens, and the Cosmos all reject Lilith's claim. The Plague Kings propose that Caliban, Prince of Hell take the throne. He’s been molded by the clay of the pit itself. Native son of the inferno. Since the Dark Lord’s desertion, the Nine Circles of Hell have been breaking down, and Caliban seeks to restore stability, conquer the earth, remake it as their tenth circle and enslave the tribes of mortals and witch.
Lucifer advises Sabrina
Lucifer pulls Sabrina into Nick’s mind so that they can talk. Although, she betrayed him, he needs her to claim the crown, however, Sabrina refuses. She simply wants Nick back. Lucifer explains that only she can restore the balance in Hell. When the balance is off in Hell, so it is off in Heaven and on Earth as well. To preserve the realm, Sabrina must preserve them all. He also informs Sabrina that the "old ones are coming." Also, Lucifer informs Sabrina that only a true queen has the authority to liberate Nick, and the Kings will never declare Lilith queen, so if Sabrina wants Nick back, she’ll have to claim the throne. Nick appears and advises Sabrina against it. He tells Sabrina to forget him and move on. Lucifer interrupts to remind Sabrina of what must be done; either claim the throne or lose Nick.
Sabrina claims the throne
Sabrina returns to her body and claims the throne for herself. Harvey, Roz, and Theo watch on as this occurs. Sabrina then takes her seat at the throne. The Plague Kings denounce Sabrina as queen as she lives on Earth and is a child. Nevertheless, Sabrina insists that she will rule with Lilith as her regent. Caliban disputes Sabrina’s claim to the throne, reasoning that monarchs rule by divine rights, and Sabrina is half-mortal. As Caliban prepares to challenge Sabrina for the throne, Lilith reminds him that there are rules to be followed, such as him needing a certain number of signatures. Sabrina’s eyes turn white as she warns Caliban to back off. As queen, Sabrina dismisses the Infernal court. Harvey, Roz, and Theo support Sabrina's claim to the throne. She then informs Lilith that she’s ready to take Nick home, as well as Jesse Putnam, who Lilith releases and sends off to Heaven. Lilith warns Sabrina that while she may have bought herself some time, the Kings and Caliban will return to challenges her.
With the evil flower in hand, Sabrina, Harvey, Roz, and Theo return to Earth with Nick. After giving Dorian his flower, they take Nick to the Academy and lock him in the dungeons with chains forged from Damascus steel and a circle of salt.
The Fright Club discusses Sabrina’s claim to the throne
Sabrina, Harvey, Roz, and Theo reconvene at Cerberus Books, where they discuss Sabrina’s claim to the throne. Sabrina insists that she’s not moving to Hell, but her friends aren’t so sure. Sabrina admits that she’ll have to play the part for a while, but her heart is with them. Moreover, she agrees to sign up for cheerleading with Roz. A strong gust of wind suddenly blows the front doors open, though Sabrina, Harvey, Roz, and Theo don’t pay it much attention.
Just on the outskirts of town, the old ones ride into Greendale on a horse carriage.
Cast[]
Trivia[]
- The episode title is a reference to Clive Barker's 1986 horror novella of the same name.
- Barker was mentioned by Ambrose Spellman in Part 1 and a Brother Barker is mentioned in Part 2. Moreover, some of his paintings are aligned on the walls of the Academy of Unseen Arts.[2]
- The novella also inspired the Acheron Configuration.
- Nathalie Boltt, who plays Penelope Blossom in Riverdale, guest-starred as "Miss Dubois", an appearance assumed by Prudence to trick her father in New Orleans.
- Miss Dubois is a reference to Blanche DuBois from Tennessee Williams' 1947 play A Streetcar Named Desire.
- The song that Fright Band rehearses is The Knack's debut single, My Sharona.
- During the quest to Pandemonium, there are many references to The Wizard of Oz, such as the red trial of blood being a reference to the yellow brick road. Also, certain characters occupy the roles in that story; Lilith as the Wicked Witch of the West, her minion as a flying monkey, Caliban as the Scarecrow and Tommy as the Tin Man.
- This episode marks the first time Lachlan Watson and Gavin Leatherwood are promoted to "Starring" cast members.
Gallery[]
Promotional Images[]
Screencaps[]
