School Spirits’ epic season 2 finale was filled with endless twists, turns and surprises — leaving Us with way more questions than answers.
The series, which premiered in 2023, follows 17-year-old Maddie (Peyton List) as she tries to investigate her own mysterious disappearance from the afterlife. Stuck in the place her body was last seen — her high school — she teams up with fellow ghosts Wally (Milo Manheim), Charley (Nick Pugliese), Rhonda (Sarah Yarkin) and the only living person who she can still contact, her best friend Simon (Kristian Ventura), in order to find answers.
While season 1 revealed that Maddie had been body snatched by one of the ghosts, Janet (Jess Gabor), season 2 revolves around her trying to get back to the living while falling in love with Wally and bonding with her new ghost pals. Simon, meanwhile, enlists the help of his and Maddie’s living friends, Xavier (Spencer MacPherson), Clare (Rainbow Wedell) and Nicole (Kiara Pichardo), to help answer the ominous secrets that exist within their town.
“We started the series and people were polarized because of Maddie’s disappearance. … There was such distrust in the first season,” showrunner and executive producer Oliver Goldstick exclusively told Us Weekly. “And I think when we came into season 2 [with] the idea of they’re [all] now bonded, because you can’t unknow. And they all start having experiences that let them realize there might be a world beyond what we can see.”
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The show has been lauded for its “Breakfast Club”-like structure and relatable characters. Creators Nate and Megan Trinrud told Us they intentionally pulled from legendary filmmakers like John Hughes in hopes of creating heightened emotional moments and relationships that felt believable to the audience.
“The show poses a big question, which is, ‘What would you do if you were in this situation?’” Nate explained. “How would you react if you had to deal with this crazy thing? And so we’re quite literally dropping the audience into issues of these characters to have to feel all of those big feelings.”
All episodes of School Spirits are available to stream on Paramount+. Keep scrolling for the answers to every burning question from the season 2:
Why Didn’t Janet Cross Over?
While Janet — now back in her body and aware that Mr. Martin started the fire that killed them both — worked through her scar in the finale and found her way to the “light,” she ultimately chose to stay with the other ghosts instead of crossing over.
Despite how the season ended, Goldstick revealed that the initial plan was for Janet to move on, like Dawn (RaeAnne Boon), but that ultimately changed.
“[With] the Janet of it all, we thought Janet was crossing over,” Goldstick told Us. “We just felt that was going to be satisfying, it was inevitable. She deserved it. But we didn’t expect to love this actor [Jess Gabor] so much. It also felt like this person came into her own and could help the other ghosts. So we decided to not let her crossover. We thought maybe we need her in our world a little longer.”
The showrunner noted that it’s important to always be “open” when it comes to creating a story, despite having “clear ideas” from the start. “That’s what a writer’s room is about and you have to see how things evolve and they do,” adding, “They reveal themselves when you start shooting, too.”
Why Were Yuri and Quinn Added to the Ghost Scooby Gang?
After Wally, Rhonda, Charley and Maddie’s bond was solidified in season 1, the writers wanted to “mix things” up with the ghost group in order to give the characters “avenues to explore other kinds of feelings.” Enter Yuri (Miles Elliot), the 1970s “Russian pottery” ghost mentioned in the first season — who does speak English, after all — and Quinn (Ci Hang Ma), the early 00’s band ghost who wakes up after Rhonda loses her cool.
“We always sort of love this idea of the ghost who doesn’t wanna join [the core group]. Dawn was sort of that thing, too, and we lost Dawn. [We want to have] these characters who weren’t sort of under Mr. Martin’s thumb but also are struggling in their own different ways,” Nate explained of expanding the spiritual Scooby Gang.
“And then to have Charley be able to have Yuri be a confidant but also [a] romantic interest, it speaks so much to the progress Charley’s made from season 1 with Emilio (Andres Soto),” he continued. “And moving forward beyond that and learning, like, ‘Oh, just letting go of somebody isn’t always all you need to be ready for a new relationship.’ Charley didn’t do a lot of introspection about his own feelings about himself.”
So … Did Wally Crossover?
If you thought you were getting a straight answer on this one — come on, you know better than that! The EPs did tease the reason why Wally saw “the light” in his scar in the final moments of the finale, though, and what could be ahead for a potential season 3.
“It was definitely ambiguous on purpose, because you know, we live [for] cliffhangers and to also devastate people,” Nate said with a laugh before hinting at what may come next. “But you know, there’s a lot of questions that come along with that. Like, what does it mean to really lose somebody? But also, do you ever lose anybody?”
Eagle-eyed viewers remember that Wally saw Maddie walking away from him in his scar, a new image that was never there before she returned to her body, and according to Nate, there are a few other clues that could point to what lies ahead for everyone’s favorite football-loving ghost.
“All I can tell you is that there are a lot of clues in the finale that I think if you look closely at you can sort of see where this might be going,” he said. “But yeah, that’s a big question mark.”
OK, but did he cross over?! “All we can say is, look, Janet was able to leave and she chose to stay, so who knows what could happen,” Nate teased. “Anything could happen.”
Why Was Wally the 1 to See ‘The Light’?
Season 2 of School Spirits saw a lot of the ghosts working through their trauma, but it was Wally who ultimately saw the (literal) light at the end of the tunnel.
“I think it’s a testament to how much work Wally has done on himself,” Megan said. “I think that part of what we want to reiterate is, like, this is a person who came from a very toxic time in a lot of ways and has been able to grow and change in death in a way that a lot of people aren’t afforded when they’re alive. And it’s so important to have been exposed to all of these people around him and instead of just holding on to his generational trauma, Wally opened up to all of these people and I think that even on a small level it’s important to recognize that Wally really did some work.”
Wally’s personal progress was particularly highlighted in episode 6, where he — and viewers — realized that he had been a bully during his life, especially toward queer kids, causing him to spiral before apologizing to Charley for the harm caused by his past mistakes.
Nate added that Wally learning to stand up and be a leader, instead of a follower, was also a big lesson for the character in the second season — in all aspects of his life.
“Wally in season 1, in his scar we sort of are exposed to this, but this is a guy who’s really trying to please a lot of other people,” Nate explained. “He’s making a lot of decisions for the happiness of others. I think that’s such a beautiful thing sometimes, but it’s also really detrimental. One of my favorite parts of season 2 is in episode 7, Wally for maybe the first time in his life, or afterlife, says what he wants: he wants [Maddie] to stay.”
Wally ultimately confessed to Maddie after they slept together that he wished she’d stay a ghost so they could remain together. Despite knowing she ultimately couldn’t do what he asked, it was important for the character to be able to express that desire.
“Finally Wally knows what he wants and he is so clear about it and he’s advocating for himself and it’s not about other people. And he knows he probably can’t get it, but he really does have that kind of breakthrough, and I think that’s so important for that character’s growth,” Nate continued.
Why Was Xavier Picked to See Ghosts?
The season 2 premiere followed Xavier as he briefly died and found himself amid ghosts in the hospital before being revived — and episodes later, he realized one of those ghosts was Maddie’s late father. The season 2 finale revealed that Xavier could still see those ghosts when he began communicating with Maddie’s dad.
Goldstick told Us that out of all the (living) teens, Xavier made the most sense to bestow the supernatural ability due to his “near death experience” in the season 1 finale.. And while it lined up logically, it also helped the character evolve past the “brooding bad boy” he is when viewers first meet him — and gave MacPherson a chance to showcase his range.
“[Spencer] himself started to evolve for us as well. He’s so gifted, I think we realized if Xavier could straddle both worlds, wouldn’t that be fascinating as well?” Goldstick asked. “Wouldn’t that give us a lot of story? So once we knew he was in a near death experience, it was clearly the most organic way to go.”
While season 2 ends by making it clear Xavier can see ghosts, how will that play into season 3? Goldstick was determined to stay mum: “We know how we’re gonna use it, [but] we can’t tell you or we’ll be killed. We’re not allowed to talk!”
Will Xavier Be Able to Connect Maddie to Her Dad?
While details on how Xavier will use his new gift remain under wraps, he did tell Maddie in the episode’s final moments that he can see ghosts, including her father. That dynamic will be further delved into in a potential season 3.
“One of the fun, the fun parts of the show is clearly we like messy undefined relationships,” Nate explained. “We really like to complicate how people are connected to one another. And the idea that Maddie’s cheating ex-boyfriend who is the murder suspect in her disappearance, who now we’ve watched really try and show up and do right by her ends up being maybe the person that can communicate with her dead father? That is so messy and complicated in the way that really makes these people have to look at each other differently. And I think that is what’s so exciting about the show.”
Were Xaiver and Simon Always Destined for a ‘Bromance’?
One of the undeniable fan favorite dynamics of the show’s second season was the friendship that blossomed between Xavier and Simon, and Nate told Us that the duo’s fun dynamic was both by design and thanks to MacPherson and Ventura’s organic chemistry.
“What’s funny is that our actors are all really good friends with each other,” he said. “The show is, like, the best version of summer camp, where you just see your best friends and hang out and you all have to make something together really fast. So they all have chemistry, and we get to see it on set every day. And it’s funny because a lot of our actors are never in scenes with one another —the ghosts are rarely in scenes with the living kids —so it was so fun to get to cross those worlds.”
Nate said one of the best things, he feels, about School Spirits is how it “blurs” the lines of “contemporary relationships between people, friendships [and] romantic relationships,” which is what they aimed for with Xavier and Simon.
“I think it’s important to get to see two young straight guys having a platonic friendship that’s based on vulnerability,” Nate explained. “We just don’t get to see that, and they’ve both been through hell. These boys are going through crazy shit. So to get to watch them confide in each other, rely on each other and lean on each other was really, in the writer’s room, something that was important to us.”
Is Simon Dead? And Why Can He See the Other Ghosts?
Simon showing up in Janet-slash-Mr. Martin’s scar in the finale — and being able to see every ghost after two seasons of only seeing Maddie! — was a gigantic twist for season 2, and while the EPs wouldn’t divulge if Simon is living, dead, or anything in between, they did explain why they felt it was the right next step for the character.
“What we are really excited about with Simon is, like, this is a character we watched for two seasons show up for Maddi nonstop. He has put his life on hold,” Nate explained. “He’s maybe risked his own future to try and help and save and show up for his best friend. But there’s a cost to that. And what does it mean?”
Nate cited a conversation between Janet and Mr. Martin from earlier in season 2, adding, “[They ask], ‘What does it mean to lose yourself in somebody else or in trying to save somebody else and what is the cost?’ And so I think that thematically, there’s a lot to really uncover there. And then, like, in the lore, in the supernatural world of this, it’s a new expansion. We’re learning more about what can happen and what might be possible for everyone else.”
What Were Those Flashing Red Lights, Anyway?
As Maddie made the gigantic leap back into her body during the season 2 finale’s big climatic moment, both the ghosts and living teens were shocked to see flashing red lights throughout the school. While red has historically meant “very very bad” for the series in the past, the EPs said the twist factors into a larger mystery they hope to explore in the future.
“I think the big thing is there’s still a lot of mystery left to uncover —not just Split River High but Split River,” Nate revealed. “Something is going on in this town and I think we see in that big culmination as Maddie’s making that run, whatever they did in those scars, did something to the school. We watch Xavier and Claire and Nicole see it lighting up.Something happened that night.”
Will the Ghosts Ever Be Able to Break Out of Their Designated Areas?
The short answer? Maybe!
“Certainly our minds are very curious about [answering the question], ‘How do you expand this world to see what the real lore of this place is?’” Nate teased. “So I can’t give any hard answers, but what I can say is that there are so many possibilities.”
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Nate called the end of season 2 a “moment of discovery,” telling Us, “We’ve got people who are finally uniting and who know more than we did before. And when you come equipped with information and you band together, big discoveries can happen.”
Is There a Connection Between Wally and Maddie’s Necklaces?
Viewers have speculated if fan favorite couple Wally and Maddie have a secret connection by way of their similar necklaces. Those questions reached a fever pitch during the finale when Maddie realized her necklace was her key to getting inside her scar.
The EPs teased that there were no major plot points you should be holding out for involving the two jewelry pieces, however, that doesn’t mean it’s not a signifier of the pair’s deep connection.
“I think what we can say is that sometimes we’re connected by things we don’t even realize,” Nate told Us. “And maybe that is just a beautiful accent about how the two of them [are connected].”
