In this op-ed, writer Taylor Crumpton explains the ways in which Chilling Adventures of Sabrina fell short with its characterization of Prudence Night, and unpacks the harmful tropes inherent in Prudence's storyline.

Chilling Adventures of Sabrina is not a reboot. Yes, the new Netflix show features the same characters as the cheery ‘90s sitcom, but it has been updated to reflect our darker, more malevolent times. The show also aims to be progressive, with storylines that speak to marginalized communities and a diverse cast of actors in almost every scene.

But despite great intentions, the show falls short in its portrayal of its black women characters, specifically with the character of Prudence Night (Tati Gabrielle), the head witch of the Academy of the Unseen Arts and leader of the Weird Sisters.

In this iteration, we are asked to follow half-witch, half-mortal Sabrina Spellman, who navigates through the complexities of her dual life and stands against the forces of evil that threaten the people she loves. As the series’s most overt protagonist, Sabrina (Kiernan Shipka) is portrayed as the “good witch” who utilizes her magic to fight for what she views as right. In her role as Sabrina’s foil, Prudence, embodies the “bad witch” who delights in her power and beliefs. As a devoted follower of the Dark Lord, Prudence has every reason to instantly mistrust Sabrina, an outsider who has not grown up in her world. Yet because she is wary, the show positions Prudence as the angry Black woman who attacks the misunderstood, small, blonde, white girl. It’s a harmful conflict viewers simply did not need to see, especially when the cards are so clearly stacked in Sabrina’s favor. Prudence never stood a chance.

While Sabrina lives with her two aunts and cousin and has built a life outside the Church of Night, Prudence is completely devout to it, even when it becomes clear that the High Priest thinks of her as little more than a pawn. The complexities of Prudence’s life mirror Sabrina's — they are, notably, both orphans — yet Sabrina is afforded every opportunity, while Prudence must simply deal. It’s not that she should even want Sabrina’s life — more that she isn’t ever given consideration or choice to begin with.

The most troubling aspect of the conflict between Sabrina and Prudence occurs after “The Harrowing,” a pledging ritual that simulates the horrors experienced by the 13 witches during the Greendale Witch Trials. The last step in the ritual process mimics the hangings of the original witches by the mortals of Greendale; as Prudence leads Sabrina to the tree, Sabrina emphasizes the importance of the Academy as a safe space of community and inclusion for witches who have been subjected to violence by mortals for centuries. While in the tree, Sabrina calls upon the power of the dead witches and warlocks to effectively lynch Prudence and the Weird Sisters, and declares the end of “The Harrowing.”

The show did not issue a trigger warning for an image of a lynched Black woman in 2018; it comes on suddenly and in close-up view. To do so without warning was tone-deaf: It feels rare to go a day without seeing some news story about brutality against Black people. Showing it on a fictional TV show as one storyline of many felt like needless insult to injury, and it’s a telling marker of whose trauma is considered legitimate, and under what circumstances. The historical evils of lynching is not as distant a memory. Where was the consideration that such an image could be considered triggering, especially from a network that ostensibly knows better by now? (Teen Vogue has reached out to Netflix for comment.)