School Spirits is a show that I constantly want to recommend, but I don’t necessarily have the right audience to do so. As a millennial, I find the show has a lot in it to relate to, considering it has kids from across many years: the 80s, 60s, 70s, and, of course, present-day kids. But it is still a teen drama that does tend to deal with a lot of juvenile concepts, which I find pretty great. But now that the third season has rolled in, and the actors are older, the themes are also starting to mature. I do fear it might be a symptom of the “strangerthingsification” of supernatural teen dramas, but I also think School Spirits is unique in many different ways.
The thing that makes School Spirits worth watching is not just the supernatural ghost elements, though; it’s also the people, the characters, and their trauma. The show is very specifically focused on trauma, but in a unique way. Why are there spirits in Split River High? Because they have unresolved matters that are tying them to the place. But now, there’s also something very evil, something scary, keeping them there. What is this evil? Where did it come from? Why is Mr. Martin afraid of it? These are the immediate questions you have as you watch the new season.
I’ve watched the first 3 episodes of season 3 that premiered together, which started off quite slow, all things considered. I’m not going to lie, School Spirits is a show that always has so much going on, you never know who you have to focus on next. Sometimes it’s one of the living characters, and other times it’s the spirits. But always there’s something interesting to learn. The 3rd season is now finally focusing on Simon, though. Simon, who has been with us for the longest time, but Simon, whom we don’t really know much about at all. All we know is his love for Maddie and the beautiful friendship they have together. It’s definitely interesting to see Simon crack again after all this time trying to be there for Maddie. He’s already a little bit annoying, but he’s also desperate, so it’s totally fair.
On the other hand, there has been a pause in Maddie’s personality development. She has been dead and come back, so I know it’s fair, but she’s also losing the plot a little bit. Her relationship with Sandra is at an all-time low, which is so ironic considering both these people are genuinely trying to do better now. There is a moment in the 3rd episode that’s quite shattering but also realistic, but I’m not sure what the recovery process from here is going to be like. Still, this is the season where this relationship needs to fix itself, or I’m going to get a little bit annoyed by where the show is going.
Meanwhile, in the spirit realm, things are getting more intense. Mr. Martin is public enemy number one right now, but will the kids need him again? What are they going to do to help Simon? Will Simon get on everyone’s nerves too much? Additionally, there is one big new thing revealed in this episode, which I guess has been hinted at so far but never actually mentioned. This reveal is definitely hugely shocking. It’ll get your cogs turning for sure, but we can’t really tell what it means for the titular group. This is the new “conflict” of season 3, and it’s going to need a lot of exploring for us to really get into it. I worry it’s going to turn into something basic and swerve away from everything we love about the show, so this is my warning, not just to you but to myself, so I don’t end up disappointed.
The first 3 episodes have great pacing. There’s definitely something in there for everybody, and the sense of friendship in both groups, living and dead, is getting deeper and stronger. I love what’s happening with Nicole’s character, and can’t wait to see where it goes from here. Still obsessed with the titles of each episode, which makes the show that much more interesting to watch.
I think 3 seasons is a sweet spot for shows like this one, and it’s the perfect place for them to end on a high note, but most of these shows end up being at least 5-6 seasons long, which tends to kill the spirit a little bit (no pun intended). The writing becomes repetitive, there’s nothing new to tell, or things are so new they don’t fit in the universe we’ve loved for so long (yes, I’m looking at that one show we’re all thinking about). So, I did say I want this to be the last season of School Spirits. But, having seen the first 3 episodes of season 3, I can immediately tell this is a story that will be expanded further, so I guess we should get ready for more to come.
While the ghost logic of this show has some big flaws, we forgave them for the originality of the story. I’ve always loved Peyton List, and she really puts her all into this show. Love to see her name in the producer category. Having said that, it’s especially nice to see the actual plot expanding to other characters rather than being stuck on Maddie alone; it really makes all the difference for a teen show, because all of us have unique personalities and may relate to different kinds of people. There’s still a lot to learn about this story, and things can go either way. I’m eager to see where the writing takes us from here on out. Even if it ends up not being up to the mark, I still find the show highly entertaining, and I’m already invested in these characters, so I can’t wait to see what they have in store for us. So, I think you should definitely tune into season 3 of School Spirits, because it’s certainly going to get crazy real soon. I’ll give the first 3 episodes 3.5 out of 5 stars.
