Almost a year after School Spirits became one of Paramount+’s best original shows, it also dropped on Netflix, and that’s when I found it. I began binge-watching the show per my housemate's recommendation on the legacy streamer, and I was quickly swept into the mystery of Maddie’s (Peyton List) murder. Between learning about the ghosts who are stuck in her high school, adapting to Maddie’s new life with the spirits, and attempting to solve the mystery of her supposed murder with her living loved ones, I was enthralled with School Spirits. Now, with Season 2 on the way, all I can think about is the cliffhanger ending and how it will impact the upcoming episodes.
With all that in mind, and because the show has been renewed, let’s hop into how Season 1 of School Spirits came to a close and all the questions surrounding it that will 100% impact the series moving forward.
School Spirits Season 1 Ending: Maddie’s Not Really Dead…And Mr. Martin Is The Reason Why
So, to recap, at the end of Season 1 of School Spirits, we learn that Maddie actually wasn’t murdered. Instead, Mr. Martin’s (Josh Zuckerman) old student Janet ran into Maddie’s body as she tried to escape him. Therefore, their spirits switched places. As Peyton List’s character lives as a ghost stuck in the high school, Janet is in Maddie’s physical body running presumably away from Mr. Martin, who had been keeping her holed up in the basement for who knows how long.
While this solved the mystery of Maddie’s disappearance and supposed murder, and the twist made School Spirits one of the best whodunnit TV shows, it also created way more questions than answers.
What’s Mr. Martin’s Deal? Why Was He Keeping All Of This A Secret?
All we know about Mr. Martin is he’s the reason why Maddie is not currently in her body.
In the finale, the ghosts, Wally (Milo Manheim), Charley (Nick Pugliese) and Rhonda (Sarah Yarkin), figure out that their oldest friend and the leader of their support group was responsible for the deaths of students during the fire that also killed him. They also learn that Mr. Martin has files on all their deaths, and he has been studying them as if they are experiments.
While this answers the question of Maddie’s disappearance, it poses tons of new questions about the ghosts and why Mr. Martin was doing this. Was he trying to figure out why these people were stuck in this school? Is he attempting to find a connection between all of them, other than they all died in the school? Has he been manipulating them this whole time so they can’t pass on?
The questions are endless, and I think that Season 2 will address them, because Mr. Martin is being set up as the obvious big bad.
How Will Simon, Xavier And Nicole Help Save Maddie, When Only Simon Can See Her, And He Currently Thinks She’s Fake?
With the revelation that Janet has taken over Maddie’s body, the alive kids, meaning Simon (Kristian Ventura), Xavier (Spencer Macpherson) and Nicole (Kiara Pichardo), realize that their friend is still alive. However, they don’t know that she’s not actually Maddie; it’s Janet in Maddie’s body.
Since Simon is the only one who can see Maddie (he can see no other ghosts, he can only see her), the other living folks have no idea she’s there. By the end of Season 1, after they all see who they suppose is Maddie driving away and very much alive, Simon loses faith. He confronts the real Maddie who is stuck at the school as a spirit, and he convinces himself that this is all in his imagination.
This means the ghosts need to figure out how to convince Simon that he’s not crazy, so they can tell him that Maddie’s body has been taken over by Janet. However, I have absolutely no idea how they’re going to do that. Our protagonist’s physical body is somewhere far away, so they can’t use that. Plus, at the end of Season 1, Simon was feeling very hopeless.
Overall, getting the ghosts and the living on the same page is an uphill battle. However, the ghosts are super resourceful, and Maddie’s persistence and determination is unmatched. So, somehow, they’ll get Simon to believe again. While my theories are admittedly out there, I feel like they’ll find a way to possess Maddie’s body or use the artifacts from their deaths to prove to Simon that they’re there.
Going into Season 2, this means there is no bridge between the spirits and the humans. We still don’t know why Simon could see Maddie and everyone else couldn’t. Maybe if we can answer that question, and the ghosts can get Simon to believe again, then Xavier and Nicole will eventually be able to see her – and all three of them will finally realize that their friend is not dead.
How Will The Ghosts Grapple With The Terrible News About Mr. Martin?
I think this is easily the saddest question on this list: How will these ghosts deal with the revelation that Mr. Martin has been using them? It’s important to remember that Wally, Rhonda, Charley and all the other ghosts, except Maddie, have been stuck in this school for decades. They’ve been stuck as spirits longer than they were alive.
Therefore, one of their strongest relationships was with Mr. Martin. He served as a mentor, teacher and confidant for these students as they grappled with their deaths. They’ve all shared deep and dark secrets with him and the support group.
These relationships between the ghosts that span decades are one of the reasons why School Spirits is a great high school drama. Now, since one of the most important ones has been blown to pieces it’s bound to make things complicated in Season 2.
Plus, considering that Wally, Rhonda and Charley all have wildly different personalities, their modes of coping with everything that’s happened will be different. Wally will likely be confused, Charley I’m assuming will feel more betrayed and confounded than anything, and Rhonda will likely turn her aggression into action.
The remorse and betrayal these ghosts feel, along with their relationships with Maddie will likely push them forward in the second season.
In the end, the Season 1 finale of School Spirits flipped everything on its head, and it really set some dangerous stakes for Season 2. Will Maddie get her body back? Can they take down Mr. Martin? Will Nicole, Xavier and Simon figure out their friend is trapped in the school? These are all questions I need answers to ASAP!
However, we won’t get them for a while. So, if you are late to the party like me, and you want to re-watch and ponder all these queries, you can stream School Spirits with a Paramount+ or Netflix subscription. Then, make sure to stay tuned to the 2024 TV schedule, so you are ready for Season 2 of the ghostly show when it drops for those with Paramount+ subscription.
