Stars: 3 out of 5
Pros: Some funny episodes, mainly in the second half
Cons: Too familiar; weak first half
The Bottom Line:
The final magic
Done in by a slow first half
For the fans only
"Fast Unexplained Exits are Kind of Her Specialty."
I think by this point, it was time to say goodbye to Sabrina
the Teenage Witch, and I think just about everyone knew it. I mean, when your main character is no longer
a teenager but that's part of the title of the series, it's just time to move on, right?
Despite some attempts to changes things around (or because of it),
season seven isn't my favorite, although it does provide some fun moments.
After cramming three years of high school into the first
four seasons, Sabrina Spellman (Melissa Joan Hart) manages to graduate from
college in just two. She and her
roommates/friends Roxie (Soleil Moon Frye) and Morgan (Elisa Donovan) move into
her aunt's house as they try to start their lives by finding jobs. Her aunts?
In the weirdest resolve of the weirdest cliffhanger, they are turned
into teenagers themselves and go back to the other realm. (Never mind that Caroline Rhea has a cameo in
the series finale). That just leaves a
few random bits of magic around the house in addition to Salem the cat (voiced by Nick Bakay).
Sabrina gets a job at a hip trendy magazine called Scorch
and spends much of the first half of the season trying to prove to her boss
that she can do her job. It gives us
plenty of chances to see actors playing musicians, and, of course, spells to go
wrong. She, Morgan, and Roxie join a
singing competition thanks to some magic talent. Plus she switches personalities with a mean
rapper.
Late in the season, Sabrina meets Aaron (Dylan Neal), a
handsome record label owner. The two quickly
fall in love and plan to get married.
The only problem is Harvey
(Nate Rickert) is still in the picture.
Does he still love Sabrina? Will
that stop her from marrying Aaron?
Actually, I find the season picks up once Aaron comes into
the picture. Until then, we've got the
same old same old with a different setting.
Substitute Roxie and Morgan for the aunts, for example. They get many B stories like the aunts used
to get, only these don't involve magic.
And Sabrina still creates spells that get out of hand, only now she
needs Salem and Harvey to point that out to her instead of
her aunts.
My problems with the first half of the season are two
fold. First, Sabrina's desperation at
work just isn't funny, and I never can warm up to Annie (Diana-Maria Riva), her
boss, who is mean to Sabrina for no reason.
Second, watching Sabrina's magic get out of hand and her over react is
funny as a teenager but cringe worthy in an adult. Not to mention, she should have learned how
to control it by now.
Not to say there aren't some very fun episodes here. I enjoy "In Sabrina We Trust" where
the out of hand spell gets the entire city trusting Sabrina. The magical systems check the house undergoes
at the beginning is pretty funny as well.
Her attempts to be perfect in "Present Perfect" are pretty
good as well, and the Wonderland theme in the episode where she first meets
Aaron is lots of fun.
There is a certain amount of overacting from the cast, but
it fits the show and helps make the wacky just that much more believable. The special effects are great, and with all
the magic there are quite a few of them.
Despite what the packaging says, there were 22 episodes in
season seven. The final two were just
aired back to back, and they are lumped together here as well to give us
"21" episodes. They are all
presented in their original full frame and stereo sound. The issues I had with my season six set have
been fixed, and I didn't have any problems with this set.
Which brings us to the special feature. That's right, for the first time in the
series, we actually get one. It's the TV
movie Sabrina Goes to Rome. Don't ask me why we haven't seen the other
two movies released on earlier sets or why this wasn't part of the season 2 or
3 set since that's when it was filmed.
But since it was the better of the two TV movies I've seen, I'll take
it.
This movie finds Sabrina and stowaway Salem
heading to Rome
to try to open a locket. Sealed inside
the locket is an aunt she hasn't heard of before who was banished after revealing
her secret to a mortal. Unfortunately,
Sabrina's new roommate Gwen (Tara Charendoff Strong) is a struggling witch who
gets them noticed by Paul (Eddie Mills), a cute guy that Sabrina has run into -
literally. Paul is a tabloid journalist
who starts getting close to Sabrina to get proof of her secret so he can become
rich. Or will love win?
Like many episodes of the series, the ending of this one is
never in doubt. And yet it's fun. The story draws you in and makes you care.
(Although considering how serious Sabrina was about Harvey at the time, why is there no mention
of him?) The story moves along quickly,
and the acting and special effects are on par for the series. It was actually filmed in Rome , and that makes it feel real and helps
draw me in as well.
Honestly, Sabrina Goes
to Rome is the best part of this collection. Don't get me wrong, there are still some fun
episodes in season seven, but the best of Sabrina
the Teenage Witch was definitely behind us.
I'm glad it ended here.
Season 7 Episodes:
1. Total Sabrina Live
2. The Big Head
3. Call Me Crazy
4. Shift Happens
5. Free Sabrina
6. Sabrina Unplugged
8. Bada-Ping!
9. It's a Hot, Hot, Hot, Hot Christmas
10. Ping Ping a Song
11. The Lyin', the Witch, and the Wardrobe
12. In Sabrina We Trust
13. Sabrina in Wonderland
14. Present Perfect
15. Cirque du Sabrina
16. Getting to Nose You
17. Romance Looming
18. Spellmanian Slip
19. You Slay Me
20. A Fish Tale
21. What a Witch Wants
22. Soul Mates
This comment gets to the heart of it! Maybe a bit too nice ;)
ReplyDeleteThe authors and producers were apparently much too sloppy to create an inherently consistent story.
Well done Mark! And thanks for articulating what I can't express (in English).
I think you did a fine job of expressing yourself in English. And yes, maybe my like of the earlier seasons made me too easy on this season.
DeleteI just finished season six. As the opening of season seven starts I am completely appalled! My disgust becomes greater as the episode goes on. Yes I had my enquiries about some things through out the other seasons but this is just a heart breaker. I understand that the politics behind the scenes call force changes but at least make it make sense! Sabrina falls to pieces and as Harvey walks back in the room she is put back together. That would have made sense but then Zelda in child form takes the credit for Sabrina's revival. And to make things worse there is no explanation nor transition between Hilda's wedding and Sabrina and her female college roommates moving in. You don't even get to see her graduate! And I thought I was mad when Harvey found out that Sabrina was a witch and the show took an abrupt turn. There are so many holes and unexplained parts to Sabrina's stong. And this is how they repay their adoring fans. I will finish the season but from seeing the first 4 seasons as a teenager and adoring Sabrina and MJH through out these years to now knowing how it turned out is a complete disappointment.
ReplyDelete