School Spirits Season 2 Finale Spoilers Ahead
As a whole, School Spirits Season 2 is a riveting chapter that ensures the show doesn’t fall under the sophomore slump curse. But simultaneously, this isn’t a complete story yet, and while there’s no news of renewal at the time this article is written, there’s no doubt that there’s more to unravel. There’s no narrative wrapped in an elegant bow, and viewers are left with multiple questions that’ll leave them at the edge of their seats.
Cliffhangers like this matter in storytelling, but when we’re in uncertain times where renewals aren’t guaranteed, it can be understandably frustrating. It can also be agonizing because everyone has their favorite characters, and no one wants to see them off their screens. But this isn’t our first rodeo, and we know the tricks.
In addition to all this, the School Spirits Season 2 finale isn’t about moving forward. It’s about finding the answers that only end up bringing up more questions. It’s about the moments in between.
A Thousand Word Silent Goodbyes, But Nothing Permanent—I Hope
Part of the reason School Spirits is an excellent series is because nearly every moment is full of heart. It’s a show about friendships and relationships and how the unexpected can be the very thing to change a person forever. Maddie is inexplicably and undoubtedly transformed by her time as a ghost, and it’s not entirely because of the whole “possession” or “death” part. It’s because of Wally, Rhonda, and Charley. It’s because the four of them were meant to cross paths and stay in each other’s lives. However, while forever isn’t guaranteed, it can be in this scenario—at least for a little bit longer. There’s more to their story, yet this moment still punctures because the performances are superlative in showcasing how deeply they’ve each grown to love each other.
Nick Pugliese and Sarah Yarkin broke me with their performances as Charley and Rhonda try to grapple with the fact that this is it. They’re trying to be strong for Maddie, but through their means to fight back tears, we can clearly see how their hearts are breaking. The score in this moment doesn’t help either, as it elevates just barely to show how heartbreak stretches through the boiler room. And as Maddie hugs them both, Peyton List shows her wounds with such authentic emotions that I went from being teary-eyed to outright weeping.
And then comes Wally, taking the pain that’s already filled the space, he extends it further. There are no words for him—there’s no way for him to summarize how Wally’s time here has changed him. With the same aching desperation he carried in “Anatomy of a Fallout Shelter,” where he tells her that just once, he wants her to stay, he displays the very same reaction in the School Spirits Season 2 finale. Yet, this time, Milo Manheim shows us how hard Wally is fighting against the longing to plead with her. If he opens his mouth to say a word, he’ll beg her to stay. Now more than ever, he’s incapable of letting her go.
So, he doesn’t. He steps forward and hugs Maddie instead, visibly trying to etch every ounce of his love into their embrace. List’s expression is so crushing at this moment as she delivers a full range of emotions to wordlessly utter how heartbreaking this goodbye is. It isn’t the final one—as we learn in a few moments, but the inclusion of these scenes in the episode is exactly what signals that this can’t be the end. Goodbyes are never easy, but sometimes, when the time feels right, it could be less painful. Here, it’s all despair. It’s a desperate, needy desire for a little more time.
Does Wally Cross Over in the School Spirits Season 2 Finale?
The biggest unanswered question in “Fire, Talk to Me” is whether Wally will cross over. The door opens, but he barely even moves. It makes sense for the show to make it seem like he might, but for a main character like Wally, nothing would be stranger than for him to do so without anyone beside him. He adores his friends too much to leave without saying goodbye, and if he did do something of the sort, it’d be an out-of-character decision.
At the same time, he’s too much of a key player to move on without doing any sort of tangible work on himself. He’s allowed himself a chance to fall in love—to be transparent, but that’s not enough to guarantee a character moving forward. If a show like Ghosts hasn’t done it in four years, then I certainly can’t see them doing it with Wally of all characters. Milo Manheim is also too compelling as an actor to only give him two seasons in a show that requires a variety of characters. He’s our softie—who’d want him gone? But this tactic is so common for TV shows like School Spirits that it isn’t shocking they’re trying to make us think it.
Plus, the biggest indication to me that he hasn’t moved on is the fact that the scene automatically—and intentionally—cuts to Maddie in the hospital as opposed to the other ghosts realizing one of theirs is gone. If they felt it with Dawn, they surely would’ve felt it with Wally. And this fade-in cut to Maddie is an even bigger cue that we haven’t seen the end of them.
Where’s Simon’s Body? Is He Really Dead?
It’s hard to imagine that the School Spirits Season 2 finale would repeat a similar narrative with Simon as they did with Maddie, but it’s also possible that the lore between the human and the spirit world can expand. Who would’ve taken over Simon’s body when we can clearly see all the main ghosts who know the act is possible? Still, on the other side of the coin, it’s hard to imagine the show would actually kill Simon off, so the bigger question here is how is this tied to the school being more dangerous than we originally believed? That’s got to be where the answers lie.
It wouldn’t make sense to repeat a mystery we already know solutions for, so if the series does decide to keep Simon in the school, it’d make more sense if it was somehow a real death or one that’s completely disconnected from what happened to Maddie.
Maddie Is Back in Her Body, but How Changed Will She Be?
There’s something so strange about loving a character so much and wanting them to remain in a world that’s essentially away from the living. But we’ve gotten so used to Maddie with the ghosts that it’s hard to imagine the show without her interacting with them. It’s also hard to imagine a romantic relationship for her outside of Wally, so the fact that she’s alive makes their love story far more challenging now. Further, her friendship with the ghosts is too important for this to be the end, even while she’s gotten a chance to say goodbye to each of them. It doesn’t feel right with everything they’ve established, and despite the gorgeous performances, it’s easy to want that narrative reversed.
But what we also learn in the School Spirits Season 2 finale is that Xavier can still see Maddie’s dad’s ghost, which likely means that there’s a huge chance Maddie can see the ghosts while she’s physically at the school. Now, whether that means she could interact with them beyond spoken words, only time will tell, but I’ve read enough paranormal romance novels (shoutout to Ashley Poston) to believe it’s possible. Because ultimately, this story works with Maddie as our entrance into this unique world, so without it, a large chunk of the show would feel otherwise disconnected. And as crucial as Simon is, he isn’t Maddie. She was our in, and as much as this is an ensemble show, it’s one that needs a key character to work.
All two seasons of School Spirits are now streaming on Paramount+. What are your thoughts on the finale? Theories, thoughts, more questions? Let us know in the comments below.
First Featured Image Credit: ©Photo Credit: Ed Araquel/Paramount+.