“School Spirits,” a Paramount+ original series, recently concluded its second season after nearly a two-year hiatus.
The series debut follows high schooler Madison Nears (Peyton List) as she comes to terms with her recent death and, with the help of a few decade old ghosts, tries to figure out the truth about her speculated murder.
The season concludes with a chilling reveal that while Maddie’s spirit is trapped within the confines of the school, her body is possessed by Janet (Jess Gabor), a ghost from the 1950s who was previously thought to have crossed over to the other side.
With a stacked cast, original plot and a fitting soundtrack, the supernatural drama has something for everyone, which may have led to the 104% increase in viewership since the first season.
After the season finale, fans are left wondering what’s in store, because while most of the beloved characters may be dead, that’s not exactly a promise that we won’t be parted from them.
Let’s look at a few storylines left unfinished after season two, and where they could be heading in a third season.
Teen heartthrob Milo Manheim portrays Wally Clark, yet another dead football player who’s in love with a blonde girl, wildly reminiscent of his character in the “Zombies” franchise.
Season two left Wally’s fate up in the air, with the character seeing the white light at the end of the football field, which serves as his own metaphorical tunnel.
Despite this, Manheim’s name remains in the cast list revealed for the upcoming season, which in my opinion, was not a surprise at all.
Along with List, Manheim is one of the most recognizable names in the cast, and with much of the audience watching the show purely for his presence, the showrunners cannot afford to lose him, no matter how fitting it is for his character.
Fans can expect Wally to team up with the rest of the undead breakfast club to figure out what to do with Mr. Martin (Josh Zuckerman) who revealed himself as the main antagonist at the end of season one. This potential storyline is eerily in line with Janet’s, who also refused to cross over to help her friends and restore their friendship.
Despite Simon (Kristian Ventura) serving a more prominent role in the series, his character is often heavily overlooked in favor of the rest of the characters, and we rarely know anything about him.
While the ghosts trapped in Split River High are ghosted by every member of the student body, Simon serves as the exception, and is the only one who can see Maddie’s spirit.
The show has yet to disclose why this is the case, although there are two theories being highly circulated by fans: that the two best friends’ bond is so strong they are able to surpass the boundary between the two realms, or that Simon is in the midst of dying himself, whether he knows this or not.
With Simon being one of my favorite characters, I want to believe that his character’s “Sixth Sense” ability doesn’t lead to his untimely demise. However, going by this logic, this would imply that the rest of the ghosts have never had a worthwhile relationship, which based on Rhonda (Sarah Yarkin) and Charley’s (Nick Pugliese) past, doesn’t seem to be the case.
Leaning into the first and last stages of grief, I do have to admit that the second theory makes more sense. Fans have pointed out that throughout multiple episodes, Simon is seen holding his head in pain or stumbling to the ground, a possible sign of a tumor. Additionally, the season two finale reveals that Simon and the rest of the ghosts are now able to converse with each other, despite none of them having met before.
Simon’s possible death would be perfectly timed with Maddie’s return to the land of the living, and as tragic as it would be, it’s one way for the characters to continue to interact with each other.
Simon reveals one of Split River High School’s numerous scandals, like an embezzlement scheme, but none are more striking than the whopping 20 deaths since the 1950s — although students and faculty are seemingly unbothered by how absurd this is.
Many fans believe that the ghosts as a result of these deaths are simply to fill the cast list, but the writers have stated that every move is intentional. Additionally, Mr. Martin alludes to a reason why so many deaths have occurred on the grounds.
While it is possible that Mr. Martin’s numerous experiments have led to his support group’s demise, I personally believe that the structure of the school itself is haunted or cursed, sort of like Hill House in “The Haunting of Hill House.”
The show has multiple questions that still need to be answered, which can be accomplished in the recently announced season three. This alone will cause fans to tune in weekly, or just to see if Milo Manheim’s character is still dead and kicking.
