School Spirits is a series on Paramount+ that follows Maddie Nears, a teen girl who finds herself to be dead without explanation and subsequently stuck in her school with other ghosts. There will be spoilers in this article, along with the predictions.
Recap
The first season was centered on Maddie and the other ghosts investigating why she ended up at the school, and how she “died”. It turns out, she may be a ghost, but she isn’t dead. Season two uncovers the mystery behind Janet, Maddie’s bodysnatcher, and Mr. Martin, a teacher-turned-ghost who may be orchestrating things beyond the living.
Thoughts
The series does a great job of telling stories in an interesting way. In learning about all of the ghost’s pasts and deaths at the school, the audience is transported to different eras using such great attention to details that add to viewing experience and believability. There’s also such innovative use of light throughout the series, symbolizing death and “crossing over”. The added touch of an “exit” door being used to cross over to the bright light is so clever, and the part of the ghosts getting closure that they didn’t have in their life is a comforting sentiment that helps to balance out the morbid topic of death in the show.
The Script
The creators, Megan and Nate Trinrud, do an excellent job of keeping up with the continuity of the story and having well-thought out rules of the ghost world in this universe. The recurring bit of the ghosts being able to touch things until they “reset” is humorous but also gives the ghosts some real obstacles in interacting with the living.
Another consistent element is the layered characters; both alive and dead, they all have complex backstories as any real person would. As more is revealed, the audience’s view of the characters changes drastically. This nuance is such a special feature of the show and gives the audience more reason to root for these characters as they face the supernatural. The writing team deserves their roses for this aspect of the show and so much more.
This season, we got to know Janet and witness significant character development. She went from a scared girl trying to steal Maddie’s life, to a confident person, willing to confront the past. Janet found her voice and her power, something she was never able to do in her life – I think it’s a powerful idea to leave the audience with. Not only for comfort, but to consider how the theme relates to their own life – what can we do now that someone like Janet, Rhonda, Charlie or Wally wouldn’t have had the opportunity to do?
Wally and Maddie’s relationship has become a core piece of the show. It’s something that started off so subtle and had time to build on itself. Their meeting came out of an unexpected circumstance, yet their connection held a lot of depth. We got to see their relationship blossom in season 2, easily making them the fan-favourite pairing of the show.
Wally & Maddie (“Mally”)
One of the best choices the writers made was how easy and secure the relationship was between Maddie and Wally. There was no unnecessary drama between the two of them, there was no silly miscommunications or any fights that resulted in them breaking up. There are a lot of toxic patterns exhibited in relationships on television, even after a long buildup (ex: Luke and Lorelai in Gilmore Girls). The conflict in School Spirits was outside of their relationship, not the relationship itself, and if anything, they were able to help each other and support each other in their afterlives.
Seeing Wally and Maddie be so affectionate this season has made me see a new side to them, but mostly Maddie. She finally got a break from the worries of her life or lack thereof. Wally is like a breath of fresh air for her. The writers did a great job conveying this in the span of eight episodes. Simple, sweet moments of them together added to the tragic irony of Maddie going back to her life.
Wally’s Finale
Wally’s ending was emotional and bittersweet. He was able to get closure and face the fear he felt reliving his death. He got to help Maddie and have the peace of mind that she would go back to the life she was meant to live. We even see Charlie score the goal that Wally intended to make – telling us that his game is now “complete” and he ‘won’.
Predictions
The finale answered some questions for Janet, but the audience was left on a note that sparked even more questions and theories. The following predictions are my own, and are simply from an audience member’s perspective after watching and thinking about the series.
Mr. Martin and The Afterlife
My prediction is that as Mr. Martin accidentally set fire to the lab (with Janet in it, as he explains in the final episode of season 2), he had unintentionally created some sort of purgatory for himself, trapping Janet with him also. Mr. Martin’s pain could have been so palpable to the spiritual world that the fire created the in-between afterlife.
Another theory I have in the same realm is that Mr. Martin opened up a purgatory, but not by accident – and not for himself. Mr. Martin could have very well wanted Janet’s father out of the picture, and created a purgatory for him – reconciling that ‘it’s not killing, it’s only torment’. Her father is a reverend, and something he may have preached about (maybe hellfire) could have inspired Mr. Martin. While he is a man of science, the whole afterlife at Split River High goes against the rules of science anyways, so maybe the truth about this afterlife is not solely backed by something that can be calculated.
The History of Split River High
The only thing that the ghosts all have in common is that they died on school property and they cannot leave, which causes me to wonder if something sinister happened prior to any of their deaths at the school. We could get a glimpse into an even more distant past that left something to be reignited by Mr. Martin.
Wally’s Future
Wally’s ending stirs up a lot of emotions for the audience, as we want to see him at peace, but don’t want to let go of a character that we’ve grown to like quite a bit. It’s possible that Wally did not cross over, as we don’t see him actually walk through his “exit” door filled with light, we only see him look in awe at it. If he does cross over, I wonder if he will be able to communicate with the ghosts or Maddie in her life, through the use of lights or a symbol of some kind to let Maddie know he’s there.
Simon’s Soul in the Bounds
With Wally’s unconfirmed state of crossing over comes another soul moving between the planes – that being Simon essentially switching places with Maddie. This is seen in the flashing lights at the end of the finale. If Simon entered the scar (the room of Mr. Martin/Janet’s death) at the same time Wally crossed over, what happened to Maddie could have happened again. Simon entering the scar could have closed Wally’s exit and stopped him from crossing over.
If Simon is now a “ghost” as Maddie was, it begs the question – where is his body? Could someone else have stolen his body?
Characters With Clairvoyance
As for Maddie, there are so many possibilities, but first and foremost, she’ll want to adjust back to her normal life – or as normal as it can be from now on. Her being alive makes me wonder if she’ll be able to see her ghost friends anymore, or if she’ll be able to see Simon. In the case that she is not able to see Simon, I see Xavier playing a major role in this storyline, though his clairvoyance will likely be important in the third season regardless. He has already seen Maddie’s dad – whom I believe we’ll be learning more about next season as well.
Crossing Over Possibilities
Finally, it’s possible that Janet will get her closure and cross over, but I doubt that Rhonda or Charlie will be crossing over with all the conflicts season three will have. The writers and showrunners likely want to keep the main cast on for however long they can, in parallel with where they are in their character arcs. The series has surprised me many times before, the script takes a plot twist and flips it on its head, so there’s no telling what the future holds for this series.
Images Courtesy of their respective owners.
Have strong thoughts about this piece you need to share? Or maybe there’s something else on your mind
you’re wanting to talk about with fellow Fandomentals? Head on over to our Community server to join in
the conversation!
