| “ | Well, I have had a glorious day. And productive, let me tell you. I plumbed the depths of their tiny minds, plucking all sorts of juicy tidbits. No, not only Sabrina's friends. Her family, too. Never hurts to have a sharpened blade handy. In case someone makes a nuisance of themselves. In the coming war, Stolas, no one can be trusted. Well, the Dark Lord taught me that Himself. And who knows? If the Apocalypse is upon us, even His plans might go awry. In which case all Hell would break loose and it would be every woman for herself. | ” |
"Chapter Fifteen: Doctor Cerberus's House of Horror" is the fourth episode of the second part of Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, and the fifteenth episode of the series overall.[1]
Synopsis[]
Sabrina, Theo, Roz and others attempt to navigate the lines between fact, fiction and fate when a mysterious stranger sets up shop in Cerberus Books.
Plot[]
Dr. Cerberus and Hilda meet Mrs. McGarvey
Hilda enters Dr. Cerberus's bookshop on a wet, rainy day. She thinks they could spend some time alone since they're not expecting a lot of customers today. Just then, a gust of wind blows the door open and a lady named Mrs. McGarvey enters the store seeking refuge from the rain. Dr. Cerberus invites her to sample some of her spare wares, but she says she has no cash. However, she offers to do a tarot reading in the store.
Sabrina meets Mrs. McGarvey
Sabrina and Nicholas then enter the store, having just come from the movies. Hilda asks Sabrina if she is alright. Sabrina confides that she has been feeling weird about Nick since Lupercalia. Hilda suggests a tarot reading for clarity Mrs. McGarvey then offers to do a tarot reading for Sabrina, which she accepts. Sabrina explains that Nick lied and is a bit of a "bad boy." She fears that she is walking down a "darker path" with Nick and does not know whether to trust him. Mrs. McGarvey presents a card showing a handsome magician and explains that the cards tell her that Nick is a handsome trickster which few women can resist. She presents a second card and says that three swords pierce his heart. The third card shows an upside down tower.
The Weird Sisters flirt with Nick
Sabrina has a vision. In this vision, Sabrina greets Nick as he is flirting with the Weird Sisters, Prudence, Agatha, and Dorcas at the Academy of Unseen Arts. Prudence asks Sabrina if they are taking part in the Academy's talent show. Nick explains that they hold a talent show each year to blow of some steam. He tells her that he is thinking of being a magician this year and asks if Sabrina would like to be the magician’s assistant. Prudence offers to lend her some fishnet stockings. Nick tells her to shut up, but Prudence responds that she was not the one who killed his familiar Amalia and didn't fulfill Lupercalia tradition by having sex.
Sabrina questions Nick about the Weird Sisters
At Dorian's Gray Room, Sabrina asks Nick if he told anyone else about killing Amalia and that they didn’t have sex on Lupercalia. Nick reminds Sabrina that the Weird Sisters are telepaths. Sabrina asks Nick how long did he date the Weird Sisters and if he is cheating on her with them, but he denies having other girlfriends. Sabrina does not believe him and storms off, adding that she also won’t serve as his magician.
Nick asks for Dorcas and Agatha's help
At the talent show, hosted at the Desecrated Church, Nick discovers that his audience consists solely of adoring female fans. A frowning Sabrina is watching in the background. For his first act, he picks Agatha and Dorcas as volunteers. Nick gets Agatha to lie in a box which is then sawed in half. When he opens the box, Agatha, to the horror of everyone, is sawed in half, with her guts spilling out. However, Nick and Dorcas soon reveal this was a trick and Agatha steps out of a large box.
Prudence assists Nick
For his second act, Nick picks Prudence and asks her if she has traveled beyond the astral realm into the feared Other Realm. He asks if she will dare to venture there. Nick places her inside the cupboard and chants an incantation. Nick opens the door and finds that she has disappeared. He asks if she can hear him. Prudence says she doesn't like it and tells Nick to bring her back. He chants an incantation but she doesn't reappear. Prudence panics and tells him that something is troubling here. Sabrina panics but Prudence reveals that this was all a trick and that she bi-located.
Sabrina freezes to death
For his third and final act, Nick calls for the bravest lady in the room. Sabrina volunteers for this trick. Nick asks her if she has experienced true weightlessness and tells her to trust him. In private, Nick whispers that he will not do anything to hurt her. Nick uses a magic trick to levitate Sabrina into the air. However, he struggles to control his powers. Sabrina initially thinks that the Weird Sisters are behind this. While Nick struggles to find a spell to bring her down, Sabrina floats through the roof into the sky. Unable to control the spell, Nick accuses the Weird Sisters of sabotage. Sabrina finds herself floating through outer space, completely frozen.
Mrs. McGarvey tells Sabrina not to fear Nick
Sabrina awakens from her vision conjured up by Mrs. McGarvey's tarot cards. McGarvey claims that they don't read the cards but that the cards read them and whisper secret truths. She warns Sabrina that it is not Nick nor the Path of Night that she needs to fear. Nick reappears and tells Sabrina that he has found a book of Houdini’s stage tricks.
Theo seeks guidance from Mrs. McGarvey
Theo visits Cerberus Books and is startled by Mrs. McGarvey. She claims that her tarot cards can provide answers to his questions. So he looks into the cards, they look back into him. The first card depicts a knight. Mrs. McGarvey tells him that he is on a quest to seek the grail that is just out of reach and find himself. Theo asks if he will get there. Mrs. McGarvey presents a card showing a compass; the wheel of fortune tarot.
Theo breaks into the Spellman house
Theo experiences a vision of himself in his room. While coming to terms with his new masculine identity, Theo is visited by his aunt Dorothea, who tells him that Putnams do not settle. Theo says that no doctor in Greendale who can help him. Dorothea suggests turning to the witches and taking what he needs. Theo sneaks into the Spellman household in the late hours of the night and steals a "gendered spell of metamorphosis." He mixes the ingredients into a paste and applies it over his body. Theo is unsure whether the spell will work, but Dorothea tells him to sleep and dream of the boy that he will become. The following day, Theo is awakened by the alarm clock and finds himself having more masculine characteristics.
Theo's arm is turning into wood
At Baxter High, Theo is praised for his sporting prowess by Billy Marlin, Carl Tapper, and the other basketball players in the locker room. When Theo is alone, he notices that his right hand and arm are turning into wood. Theo returns to the Spellman household and confesses to Hilda that he stole one of their spells. Examining the situation, Hilda tells him that his flesh is petrifying into wood and that plant-based spells can be tricky. Theo asks if there is a way to stop it. Hilda says she can either reverse the spell's effects or just cut off his infected arm. She tells him that it is a "Sophie’s choice." Theo refuses to give up his new body. Before ling, his dad arrives with an ax and asks his son if he is sure about it. Hilda gets Theo to bite on a piece of rubber while Joe chops of Theo’s infected right arm. Later in bed, Hilda reassures him that he will be better. Theo finds that his legs have turned to wood.
Theo is horrified by his vision. Mrs. McGarvey reassures him that it is a warning not to steal. She counsels him to seek help from others that can help him reach the prize that he covets. Theo thanks her and take his leave.
Mrs. McGarvey knows that Roz is a Cunning woman
Rosalind enters with her father guiding her as she has gone fully blind. He tells her to wait while he goes to the bank. Mrs. McGarvey visits Rosalind and offers to read her tarot card. Rosalind admits she is blind. McGarvey tells her that she is a "cunning" woman. She reads in the cards that Rosalind feels guilty about something that has not yet come to pass but is about to. Roz tells her that she has a decision to make about an operation which she feels is not worth the cost. McGarvey shows her a card with Lady Justice wielding a sword.
Roz gets her sight back
In the vision, the doctor tells Reverend Walker that the operation is difficult and expensive. He warns that it is not entirely successful. Rosalind says that it is okay if they cannot afford it. Her father says he supports any decision she makes. Roz consents to the operation. Following the operation, Roz can see her dad and all her friends. She is embraced by Sabrina, Harvey, and Theo.
Rosalind returns home. She makes out with Harvey in the kitchen. Harvey asks her if everything is okay. He is happy for her and praises the doctor as miracle worker. Reverend Walker responds that God is the only miracle worker. He tells her to be grateful to the congregation for their prayers and donations.
Harvey advises Roz to pay it forward
Later, at the school library, Rosalind apologizes for her dad's behavior. Harvey understands given his relationship with his father. Harvey sense that Roz is sad, and she confides that she has struggled with her faith for a long time. She tells him that she doesn’t have issues with God but that she doesn't believe in her dad. Roz explains that her dad got the church to pay for the operation. Harvey says they raised money for the operation but Roz expresses concern about the influence that her father has over the church, saying that the church gave him money to buy a new car or to pay off for their house. Roz says that she thinks her dad takes money. Harvey reassures her she can see again and suggests that she try to pay it forward.
Roz meets Audrey
Rosalind toys with volunteering at a home for the blind. She visits a blind girl named Audrey, who is blindfolded. Roz offers to read or keep her company. Audrey says she's only been there a couple of weeks. Roz asks Audrey how she became blind. Audrey turns her head and tells Roz that she stole her eyes. Audrey angrily replies that Roz stole her eyes and removes the blindfold. Roz' father paid Audrey's father with the church money and took here eyes. She demands back her eyes.
Rosalind decides to postpone the surgery
Rosalind panics, and Mrs. McGarvey reassures her that her fate is not fixed and that she still has a choice to make. When her dad returns, Roz tells him that she does not want to take money from the church to pay for her operation. Reverend Walker counters that it is expensive and that without the church, they won't be able to pay for it immediately. Roz says that patience is a virtue. He respects her decision and the two leave together.
Mrs. McGarvey wins over Zelda
Zelda visits the shop. She rebuffs Dr. Cerberus's greetings and demands to see her sister. Zelda chides Hilda for not being at home where Father Blackwood was waiting to taste the seven wedding cakes she had offered to bake. Zelda is frustrated that she is trying to derail their wedding. Hilda suggests that Zelda do a tarot ready with Mrs. McGarvey. Zelda is initially hostile, but McGarvey comments that the former is a powerful woman and wins her over. After picking the High Priestess card, McGarvey tells Zelda that an obstacle stands between her and the altar; a secret. McGarvey shows her a card of a female hermit.
In the vision, Hilda is dressing Zelda in a black wedding gown. Zelda says that she can't marry Father Faustus without telling her the truth about what she did with baby Leticia by hiding her with Dezmelda. Zelda believes she can make Faustus understand.
Dezmelda ate Leticia
She visits Dezmelda to fetch Leticia. She is greeted by a young Dezmelda, who tells her that the Goddess of Youth blessed her and made her young again. Dezmelda turns out to be 400 years old. She explains that the Goddess blessed her after she consumed the marrow of an infant witch. Zelda is horrified that Dezmelda consumed the baby and became young again. Dezmelda demands that Zelda invite her to the Black Wedding in return for keeping her secret.
Zelda demands that Faustus stop kissing Dezmelda
At the wedding, Zelda is congratulated by Agatha and Dorcas. She asks them about the whereabouts of Father Blackwood, but they don't know. Ambrose and Prudence tell Zelda that Blackwood is inside his office. Zelda finds Father Blackwood caressing Dezmelda. He claims that Satanic law allows him to snog as many women as he wants on his wedding day. Zelda demands that she stops but, Blackwood demands one good reason to stop. Several wedding guests laugh from the outside.
Zelda agrees that some secrets are better kept
Zelda is upset and dismisses it as a filthy trick. McGarvey warns her that some secrets should remain secrets.
Harvey visits Mrs. McGarvey and asks if she tells fortunes. She shows him the card of a fool. Harvey remarks that the figure in the card looks like him. Mrs. McGarvey tells him that he hangs between two futures; one in Greendale and one in Rhode Island. She then displays the Hanged Man card.
Harvey is confronted about Art school
At the Baxter High library, Harvey is drawing a hanged man when he is confronted by Rosalind and Theo. The former has experienced a vision and learned that Harvey has received an invitation to a summer internship in Rhode Island. He doesn't want to leave Roz behind, but she pushes him to attend. In his quarters at the Arkham Colony for the Arts, he is greeted by his roommate Howard. Harvey is impressed by his horror art. Howard tells Harvey that he keeps strange hours as he starts to unpack.
Harvey awakens to Howard painting demons
Later that night, Harvey wakes up to find Howard communing with demons. Howard tells him to go back to sleep. Harvey sees Howard’s demonically-inspired paintings including one of the Dark Lord. Howard is angry that Harvey is looking at his work. Harvey tells him that he saw the Dark Lord and asks what are the creatures in his drawings. Howard claims that he is visited by Harbingers of the Void (demons and gods) and that his closet is a portal to the demonic underworld. He warns Harvey that the demons are planning to emerge. By painting them, Howard thought he could bind them.
Howard paints demons
Mrs. McGarvey warns Harvey he will suffer for his art
Harvey asks what the vision means. Mrs. McGarvey tells him that he will suffer for his art, but that he does not need to leave home to do so. She tells him that he will dig deep to unearth his true calling and shows him a card of the Ace of Pentacles. Harvey realizes that his true calling is in Greendale and thanks Mrs. McGarvey.
Ambrose visits the shop, and Mrs. McGarvey tells him that many questions hang over him. Ambrose disagrees and says he is blessed with talent, good looks, and a hot boyfriend. Ambrose's boyfriend, Luke Chalfant, is away on business, he explains as she draws the Hierophant from her deck, followed by The Devil card.
Father Blackwood and Ambrose forge a weapon
In the vision, Father Blackwood tells Ambrose that he wants to induct him into a secret brotherhood known as the Judas Society in return for absolute loyalty. First, Blackwood requires some assistance in the desecrated church. On that night, he claims that he will forge Ambrose's future with sacred and arcane metallurgy and alchemy. He tasks him with crafting a tool that will unlock his full powers. Ambrose forges a tool while Father Blackwood tells him his secret agenda to reverse Edward Spellman’s damage to the Church of Night. Father Blackwood offers to mold Ambrose in the Dark Lord’s image in return for correcting his aunties and his cousin Sabrina. Father Blackwood gives him the forged weapon and tasks him with putting his house in order.
Ambrose kills his family
Ambrose returns to the Spellman household. He is greeted by a growling Salem. Ambrose kills Zelda first. He runs into a startled Hilda and ends her as well, leaving her body in the hallway. Ambrose then enters Sabrina’s room and kills her. A blood-stained Ambrose returns to Father Blackwood at the Academy of Unseen Arts, who inducts him into the Judas Society and pins a badge on his jacket.
Ambrose realizes that Luke is dead
Ambrose realizes that Luke was not in his vision. Mrs. McGarvey tells him that in this case not knowing the truth is better. He demands that she shows him that card, but she refuses. So, he takes the card, and when he sees what Luke's fate entails, he leaves the store, bumping into Dr Cerberus on the way out.
Mrs. McGarvey leaves the shop
Mrs. McGarvey thanks Dr. Cerberus and Hilda. Hilda says she hasn’t had her reading yet, but Mrs. McGarvey says that she has to leave. She is pleased to see Cerberus and Hilda as a couple.
At the Spellman mortuary, Nick asks Sabrina what is on her mind. Sabrina asks if he is her boyfriend. Nick affirms his love for her. Sabrina tells him to stay away from the Weird Sisters. Nick asks if she trusts him. Sabrina says she trusts him but that she does not trust the Weird Sisters. He agrees, and the two of them kiss.
Father Blackwood asks Ambrose to join the Judas Society
Ambrose enters Father Blackwood's office and demands to know whether he would harm the Spellmans. Father Blackwood reminds Ambrose that not only is he marrying Zelda, he also liberated Ambrose from house arrest. Blackwood tells Ambrose that Luke died in service to the Dark Lord. Ambrose looks at the card of Death, taken from Mrs. McGarvey. Blackwood tells Ambrose that Luke was a true warlock and asks Ambrose if he will take his place in the Judas Society.
Lilith is Mrs. McGarvey
Mrs. McGarvey returns home and is greeted by Stolas. McGarvey reveals that she is actually Lilith and tells Stolas that she has been manipulating Sabrina, as well as her family and friends. Nobody can be trusted in the coming war,she explains. Lilith talks about the coming Apocalypse and all hell breaking loose, adding that it's every woman for herself. As the fire burns in the fireplace, Lilith gazes at a card of the Empress, hinting at her ambition of supplanting the Dark Lord.
Cast[]
Starring[]
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Guest Starring[]
Co-Starring[]
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Trivia[]
- Harvey's reading has many ties to H.P. Lovecraft's stories, from the setting and the theme of madness caused by alien demons up to Harvey's roommate's name, Howard.
- During an argument between Sabrina and Nick, it's revealed that she's annoyed by him still flirting with both witches and warlocks alike while dating her.
- Sabrina explicitly describes Nick as "an equal opportunity flirt."
- From this episode, Roz's dad is renamed "Thomas Walker", and credited "Reverend Walker".
Gallery[]
Promotional Images[]
Screencaps[]
