[Editor's note: The following contains spoilers for Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, Season 4, Episode 5, "Chapter Thirty-Three: Deus Ex Machina.”]

ABC’s Sabrina, the Teenage Witch was a pretty significant part of my childhood and likely contributed to my excitement for Chilling Adventures of Sabrina on Netflix. If you’re in the same boat, “Chapter Thirty-Three” was probably quite the payoff because that’s when Kiernan Shipka’s Sabrina comes face to face with Beth Broderick and Caroline Rhea, the ABC show’s Aunt Zelda and Hilda.

Given the audible reaction I had to seeing them pop on screen (before their involvement was revealed via that promotional clip), I had to ask Shipka about her first reaction to finding out they were involved. Here’s what she said:

“When the script was written, I don’t think we knew that we had confirmed the aunties, so it was like, ‘Sabrina walks through the mirror and sees two familiar faces that she might know.’ [Laughs] And I was like, ‘Is this what I think it is?’ And everyone was kind of whispering and rumbling throughout set, ‘Oh my god, I think we’re really gonna get the aunties. Are we actually gonna get them?’ And then they showed up and it was the most surreal thing ever. I’m so happy we got to do that! I mean, our show wouldn’t exist without the passion for the original show so I’m happy we got to loop it all in.”

While Broderick and Rhea’s return is certainly quite the treat for Part 4, the new season does have a bittersweet tinge to it knowing that the show is coming to a close. But really, nowadays you never know. While there’s been absolutely nothing to suggest this will happen yet, we have seen canceled shows saved by other networks or streaming services, and then there are others that are revived years later and, in some cases, particular characters can live on through crossover series. While hanging on to that sliver of hope, I asked Shipka if she thinks Part 4 gives a firm conclusion to Sabrina’s story or if it leaves the door open for more. Here’s what she said:

“I think it’s probably both at the same time. I think that we approached the finale as a finale finale, and I’m happy we did that because I think the fans deserve that kind of closure. Having said that, I don’t think that Greendale would ever not be exciting. I doubt that Sabrina’s life would be anything but filled with lots of highs and lows, and Greendale is not just gonna become a chill place. So there’s always room to come back. But at the same time, I think that we gave people a ton of closure.”

What could be better than getting the best of both worlds in this respect?

If you’d like to hear more from Shipka and Leatherwood on their experience working on Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, click here to hear all about their most vital lessons learned over the course of the show’s four-season run.