As Valentine's Day approaches, literal sparks are flying between Harvey and Sabrina. This comes with the backfire that, if they kiss, he'll turn into a frog. But since Sabrina's a half-mortal, there's only a 50% chance of that happening.
Tropes:
- '60s Hair: 'The True Love Game' is done like a 60s dating show, and Sabrina and Hilda have the Jackie Kennedy flick. The Harveys have Beatles-esque mod haircuts.
- Act of True Love: Sabrina being willing to cross a rickety bridge over a fire to save Harvey proves that it's true love.
- An Aesop: Three regarding the nature of true love.
- True love can't exist without friendship.
- Infidelity comes in many forms, and a true love wouldn't easily forget about their partner.
- You can't take the safe road, and have to take a leap of faith with relationships.
- Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking: Sabrina is asked if she thinks about Harvey when he's not around, the thought of him makes her happy, and if she's bothered when he chews gum.
- Basement-Dweller: Drell, who we should remember is a government official, was still living in his parents' basement until recently.
- Better as Friends: Sabrina tries to do this to save Harvey, but can't ignore her feelings and kisses him anyway.
- Big Damn Kiss: Harvey and Sabrina kiss at the end of the episode with fireworks going off.
- Call-Back:
- Hilda fails at reassuring Sabrina just as she did in the pilot, with her "I went through high school without kissing" line.
- Harvey #3 compliments #1's sideburns, referencing how Sabrina thought his sideburns were his best feature in "Bundt Friday".
- Chekhov's Gun: Harvey mentions early on that he likes symmetry. Sabrina remembers this detail later to pass the first test.
- Comically Missing the Point: Sabrina asks Aunt Zelda what to do when Harvey shows up wanting to see a movie with her.Zelda: "See Shine. Everyone's raving about it."
- Double Vision: Used in the first test to have three Harveys and Drells in the frame.
- Fairy Tale Motifs: Sabrina lampshades that Harvey turning into a frog sounds like something out of a fairy tale.Zelda: Well they had to get it from somewhere.Hilda: You think they make that stuff up.
- First Kiss: The episode's plot point. Any witch's first kiss with a mortal will turn the mortal into a frog.
- Foil: Drell and Hilda for Harvey and Sabrina. The latter two are true loves, while the former two fail the tests.
- Food Porn: Zak tempts Sabrina with a delicious chocolate cake, and Hilda is later shown with a heap of desserts.
- Foreshadowing: One of the questions for the first test is what Harvey would do if Sabrina were trapped in a tower, which happens in the finale. Fittingly, Harvey #3 is the only one not to answer, and the other two's don't happen in the episode.
- Heads or Tails?: Zelda and Hilda give Sabrina a coin to flip to test the 50/50 chance of Harvey transforming. Sabrina flips it 100 times but gets even results, which doesn't help her at all.
- Involuntary Shapeshifting: Harvey gets turned into a frog by their first kiss.
- It's Not Porn, It's Art: Zelda was previously a nude model and defends the paintings of her as this."And according to the man who was checking me out, a masterpiece."
- Moment Killer:
- Invoked. Salem sabotages Sabrina and Harvey's first kiss to prevent the frog transformation.
- Sabrina herself keeps trying to stop Harvey putting the moves on her once she knows.
- After passing the third test, Sabrina is about to embrace Harvey...only for him to turn out to be a hologram.
- Mr. Fanservice: Zak is a musclebound seducer in a tight red speedo. His actor was a porn star, and no one on the production found this out until later.
- The Power of Love: A loophole in the curse will allow Harvey to be restored to human form if he's Sabrina's true love.
- Realistic Diction Is Unrealistic: Subverted. Sabrina's initial complaint about kissing Harvey is incoherent to her aunts.
- Really Gets Around: That's what the implication is with Hilda. When we see her with Zak, there are loads of desserts surrounding them.
- Secret Test of Character: The second test has an attractive man flirt with Sabrina and offer her a piece of cake. She realises he's trying to make her cheat, and refuses. This passes the test.
- Shout-Out: Zak and Sabrina discuss the Audrey Hepburn movie Sabrina.
- Sorry, I Left the BGM On: Sabrina rushes in with Harvey transformed into a frog just as Hilda is practicing a very intense violin piece. She snaps that the music isn't helping the situation.
- Skewed Priorities: Zelda lampshades that Sabrina happily walked across fire, but is grossed out at kissing a frog.
- Sweet and Sour Grapes: Salem questions why Zelda would let Sabrina risk being turned into a frog herself. Zelda responds that "at sixteen, it's always true love."
- True Love's Kiss: Sabrina turns Harvey human again by kissing him after proving it's true love.
- Valentine's Day Episode: The plot takes place around Valentine's Day.
