School Spirits Season 2, Episode 7, “Anatomy of a Fallout Shelter” Spoilers Ahead
As people continue to argue that intimacy isn’t necessary on TV, we’ll keep championing more of it. Intimacy matters. Romance matters. Consensual sex scenes that, yes, elevate the plot (and even if they didn’t) matter. We wrote about it for Severance’s “Attila,” and now it’s important to address it in School Spirits‘ “Anatomy of a Fallout Shelter.”
At a time when people’s rights are being stripped left and right, it’s easy to appreciate the fact that TV is still doing a beautiful job of reminding viewers how important human connections are. And in “Anatomy of a Fallout Shelter,” it’s not just about the moment of intimacy we get between Wally and Maddie, but Yuri and Charley. The idea of second chances is an ongoing theme in School Spirits, and in the same way that we see it in “Ghost Who’s Coming to Dinner” plus “Ghost Pointe Blank,” we watch it come to life today, too.
For Yuri and Charley, it’s about all their lonely days turning into something bigger. It’s about choosing to embrace the fact that they no longer have to hold on to the pain from their past, and they can embrace what’s before them instead. They can seize the chance to do the things they may not have the rights to while they were alive. It’s about deciding that their time here is valuable, and they can ensure that the purgatory they’re trapped in isn’t solely a reminder of everything they’ve lost but all the love they’ve gained.
School Spirits Season 2, Episode 7, “Anatomy of a Fallout Shelter,” isn’t about romance—it’s about learning the truth behind Mr. Martin and Janet’s choices. It’s about understanding what comes after the mistakes that are made. With this, it’s important to note the beginning of the episode isn’t part of the mistakes. They’re the better choices—the heartwarming decisions characters make because they want to love and be loved. For an episode that ends with a lot of questions undoubtedly arising, it’s beautiful to know that Yuri and Charley don’t have to question what they have. They can fully embrace it. They can believe that in a time where everything else is shaky, their relationship is right and true.
With Maddie and Wally, however, there are barriers still. There’s the lingering uncertainty of what she’ll do if or when she has the opportunity to go back to her body. There’s no denying how real their love is, and where fated mates are concerned, there’s also no denying that the timeline of events that led them here is part of their equation, too. There’s also the fact that Wally could never be selfish, but still—dead or alive—he’s human at the end of the day, and human beings have contradicting emotions. Human beings can be both selfish and selfless, and today, for the briefest instant, Wally choices to understandably be greedy by saying that he wishes Maddie could stay.
It’s hard not to want that either from an outside point of view when we can see how right they are for each other and how seamlessly they fit together. The way their scenes pan out this week and the glow that shapes them is deliberate in revealing the comfort that they have with each other—the safety, and the trust, and the passion they’ve fortified during their time together fuses gorgeously in School Spirits’ “Anatomy of a Fallout Shelter.” It proves that they can be good together—they can make this work and be each other’s forever choice.
Now streaming on Paramount+: What are your thoughts on the moments of intimacy in School Spirits Season 2, Episode 7, “Anatomy of the Fallout Shelter?” Let us know in the comments below.
First Featured Image Credit: Photo Credit: Ed Araquel/Paramount+.