We Need to Talk About Madam Satan Because I Have A LOT of Feelings

Not to be dramatic, but Madam Satan is ruining my life.

The absolutely iconic character in Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, played by Michelle Gomez, has my feelings all in a knot. Am I supposed to hate her? Am I supposed to love her? I'm not sure and I'm confused. 

In an effort to sort through the complicated mess that is the Mother of Demons, keep scrolling to read what I really think about Madam Satan because I have a lot of feelings.

Madam Satan comes in hot at the very beginning of the Sabrina series, impersonating a young and distraught girl in order to stab the real Ms. Wardwell in the neck and take over her body. Since that's the first time we really see Madam Satan's true colors, it's pretty obvious that she's evil and should not be trusted.

But then, that knowledge gets thrown out the window once we see the new and improved Ms. Wardwell at Baxter High. First of all, she totally upgraded the old Mary's look from drab to fab, complete with plenty of fashionable dresses and heels worthy of the Mother of Demons. That doesn't even begin to cover what she did to her hair. Seriously, can we get an entire montage of this transformation process, including the exact products Madam Satan uses to get all that volume in her roots?

(Chilling Adventures of Sabrina via Netflix)

But her physical appearance isn't the only reason Madam Satan is appealing. In fact, it's not any one thing at all—it's just her entire vibe. She walks around like she owns the place, never even stopping to think about how her confidence and poise may look to other people. Her totally unapologetic attitude is completely mesmerizing, making it hard not to fall in love with her character.

Beyond that, she's outspoken about her feelings of comradery for women. On more than one occasion, she questions the authority of men, stating that they're driven too much by their desire for power to be logical, which is precisely why women should be in charge. She's the embodiment of strong female values, making us fall in love with her even more while simultaneously making her a role model of sorts.

But then, there's the problem of her actual motives in the show. She is, after all, Lilith—a devout foot soldier for Satan. She only appears in the series because she's trying to manipulate Sabrina into signing the Book of the Beast—a task she ultimately succeeds in.

(Chilling Adventures of Sabrina via Netflix)

Her list of murders is long—Ms. Wardwell, the pizza boy, Principal Hawthorne and Susie's uncle were all added to her list of kills over the course of the ten episodes. In addition, she wreaks havoc on the town, releasing the Greendale 13 and potentially dooming mortal residents and witches alike, all to force Sabrina into signing her soul over to the devil. She plays the long-game, slowly separating Sabrina from the mortals who are most important to her, including Harvey, Roz and Susie.

While all of that is enough to establish her as evil, she also does quite a bit of good in the show. She protects Sabrina from many a disastrous situation and consistently encourages her to tap into her power and use it for her benefit, unlike everyone else who demands that Sabrina serve the Dark Lord or no one at all.

At her core, Madam Satan is evil—there's no denying that. No matter what good she did for Sabrina, each action was in service of her own motives and her desire to eventually rule alongside Satan as the Queen of Hell. She's rotten at her core—an unquestionably dedicated follower of the Path of Night.

(Chilling Adventures of Sabrina via Netflix)

But, like most characters in Sabrina, she's not all one thing. Her evil qualities don't detract from the genuine mentorship she provides to Sabrina, nor do they lessen her standing as a powerful and opinionated woman. She tells Sabrina time and again that her role isn't to serve, it's to control her own power, a thought that she, herself, embodies in her quest to sit beside Satan and declare herself as his equal rather than his servant.

Basically, what I'm saying is, Madam Satan is an evil character who will undoubtedly provide more turmoil for Sabrina as the series continues, but I'm still going to love her good qualities for what they are, even when they don't outshine the bad. And I'm still going to search for hair products that will give my hair that kind of lift.

 

Curious about more of our opinions on Chilling Adventures of Sabrina? Click HERE for a definitive ranking of every notable character from the series.