Sabrina/Salem Witch Trial

To: All
From: Deborah
Date: 14 May 1997
Time: 14:00:18

I was most impressed with the show Sabrina, The Teen Age Witch's
handling of an episode involving Salem and the witch trials last Friday
night. For those who did not see it, the class went on an overnight
field trip to "Old Salem" where they were each given a card with either
"witch" or "townsperson" written on it. They they got into costume, did
the chores and "walked the walk" of the people living back in that time
period. Nobody knew who had the "witch" card(s), so everybody was
looking around to see who it might be.

One girl was jealous because another girl got partnered up with a boy
that the first girl wanted to be with, so she staged a fake "witch
attack" by saying that "Goodie Jenny's" spirit had flown through the
window, pulled and braided her hair and thrown her shoes out the window
into the street. Her proof? Her hair was indeed braided and her shoes
had indeed been thrown into the street. And two of her best friends
backed her up by saying that they had seen it too. So needless to say,
there was a trial. The three girls said that she was pinching them and
pulling their hair as she walked in the room... and they started to act
like they were cold and said she was making them cold and so on and so
forth. Sabrina tried to stand up for her friend and was also branded a
witch during the trial and had to stand trial at the same time.

The subplot was that Sabrina didnt want to go to old Salem anyway and
her witch aunts made her. She was scared of being discovered and didnt
want to face it. Her aunts made her and wouldnt come pick her up when
she was accused but told her to learn from the experience.

The three in the witness box also started saying that Sabrina was doing
things to them. Jenny maintained her innocence. Sabrina confessed to
being a witch. Sabrina was told to sign a paper and go her merry way and
Jenny was (I believe) sentenced to "time served"? The head accuser was
outraged that they had gotten off so lightly and was forced into
admitting that she had lied about the whole thing, at which time the
court sentenced her to stand in the stocks until the schoolbus was ready
to leave.

At the end of the thing, the teacher who had started the whole exercise
told the students that there were in fact NO witch cards, that everybody
had gotten a "townsperson" card and that the whole thing had been a
demonstration of "human nature" (at its worst).

Not bad for a sitcom huh? <GGG> Who knows... maybe one day.....

To: Deb
From: Iuna
Date: 14 May 1997
Time: 19:44:57

I missed this episode, but I have been impressed by the several other
eps I've seen. The aunts are delightful characters, and not perfect, but
not the saps some sitcom adults are.

The episode closest to the end of October had Sabrina attending a
costume party...I thought, "Of course." But, I was overwhelmed when the
cast wished everyone a happy holiday before the credits rolled, the way
other shows have seasons greetings for Christmas and Hannukha. Zowie! It
was a *serious* wish, too, not at all silly or disrespectful.

To: Deb
From: Jenny
Date: 15 May 1997
Time: 07:09:08

Wow!! That is *terribly* impressive! I like the fact that they noticed
that nobody who confessed at Salem died. Unfortunately, if the sitcom
was true to life, poor old Goodie Jenny would probably have been hung. But
still, it sounds like the show made a fantastic point.

I may have to check Sabrina out in the future...

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