‘School Spirits’ Ending, Explained & Season 2 Expectations: What Happens To Janet?

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It would be right to say that the finale of “School Spirits” Season 1 dropped a lot of revelations and gave a twist to the narrative we could have never anticipated. We had started the series thinking that there was something wrong with Xavier, but over time we realized that it was just him trying to deal with a bully for a parent. However, starting from “School Spirits” Episode 7, our suspicions shifted to Mr. Martin, as his annoyance at Rhonda helping Maddie did not fit with what we had learned about his personality so far. It turns out that we suspected right.

The answer comes to us through Wally and Charlie, whose digging reveals the first of Mr. Martin’s lies. It was his own hand that had started the fire that had taken his life. But that was not the reason for Mr. Martin’s guilt and shame. It was the fact that another person had also died with him- Janet. The spirits know Janet as the first one to cross over, but somehow, only Mr. Martin seems to have been witness to that. But once the spirits start discovering his lies and the records he has kept of them, they realize that the conspiracy goes deeper than they could have imagined. Mr. Martin is not just their part-time therapist, but he is also an extremely selfish man who is not above exploiting the spirits for what he wants. He has written down a complete biodata of the spirits, yet there is no mention of Janet anywhere. We don’t know how much the other ghosts have interacted with Janet or if they ever met her, to begin with; otherwise, our first conclusion would be that Janet was another one of Mr. Martin’s lies. But Maddie is proof that she isn’t. She might not know that the spirit she saw was Janet, but once she and the other spirits put the pieces together, it will become clear to them.

Simon’s disbelief in her existence has led Maddie to cry her eyes out in the boiler room. Since he saw Maddie in the video sent by Nicole, he doesn’t trust what he sees anymore. But Maddie’s current situation gives her a sense of “Deja Vu” as she hears noises coming from a room. She had been in a similar situation, crying on the floor after speaking to her mother when she heard noises. That’s when she had chanced upon Mr. Martin in the old lab, but he was not alone. Before Maddie could comprehend anything, a dark figure had run toward her. The dark figure had knocked Maddie’s spirit from her body and taken her place. Maddie had not died in the traditional sense since she still had a functioning body. It was just that somebody else had taken control of her physical being. This is why Maddie’s body had never been found because, technically, she was alive.

In the present day, Maddie repeats her actions, with her memories slowly returning as she does so. The spirits are trapped inside, and neither they nor Maddie is able to figure out how to open the door. The ghosts tell her to beware of Mr. Martin. When she sees him, Maddie knows that all is not well since her memories have returned, and she knows that he might not have good intentions for her. The season ends on this cliffhanger.


What Happens To Janet?

From Janet’s actions, where she stole the body of Maddie, it is fair to assume that she wants to go back to the world of living. Maybe she is a vengeful spirit, considering she has spent years locked up in the chemistry lab downstairs. It is possible that she was locked up by Mr. Martin and is only now savoring the freedom she has gotten. Let us not forget that the ghosts were not able to get out of the room. This means that Janet also must not have been able to come out of there, and that is why she took such a chance with Maddie’s body. Now that Janet has escaped, she might try to find her family or any of her remaining descendants. She would need to come back to Split Rivers at some point for the story to continue. When she does, she will be pretending to be the real Maddie, except with a totally different personality that will raise people’s eyebrows. This is a cliche but an expected one. Naturally, Janet will not want to give up Maddie’s body to her, and that might start a number of elaborate schemes to try to convince her to move on to the afterlife and resolve her issues with whoever. But through this process, we expect some questions to be raised about the value of life itself. What makes Maddie’s life so much better than Janet’s when even the former is left with no prospects after her mother’s betrayal? And say she does have prospects. Why does Janet not deserve to take them since her life was so unjustly taken away from her all those years ago? We look forward to the debates on these questions.


Simon and Maddie’s Other Living Friends

Simon is in the middle of a crisis. Maddie might try to convince him that she is real, or when Janet comes back into Maddie’s body, her behavior might clue him into the truth. There will also be some tension with Wally, Maddie, and Simon. Maddie will not remain a ghost forever, but Wally will. If and when she returns to her body, will she still love Wally, or will she move on with Simon—or maybe someone else altogether? The ghosts are decades old, but every love triangle usually revolves around the same questions, no matter the age of the person. On the topic of love triangles, we suspect something might happen between Nicole and Xavier. Not only will it irk Claire, but the guilt and hypocrisy of the situation are twisted. Nicole has hated Claire for dating her best friend’s boyfriend, but if Nicole does the same, the ick of the situation is just going to get worse.

As for the sheriff, he will be forced to release Roger South now that there is proof that Maddie is alive and well. But once she comes back, some action might be taken against her for leading everyone on a wild goose chase. Finally, coming to Sandra, how will she deal with the return of a daughter who is not interested in taking care of her anymore? Additionally, Janet might not be above manipulating Sandra for her own benefit.


Mr. Martin and The Spirits

At the end of Season 1 of “School Spirits,” we saw Mr. Martin looking at Maddie down the stairs in a sinister manner. Is he planning on locking her up with the rest of the ghosts in the room, or is he finally going to come clean about his true self? He has a lot to answer for, and he must explain to the spirits why he has been keeping a record of their deaths, lives, and overall progress. He also needs to explain about Janet and if he is responsible for keeping the ghosts trapped in the school. Honestly, Mr. Martin could be a good way to explore the biology of these ghosts. They seem to be able to do everything normal humans do, but when it comes to their ghost privileges, how come none of them are able to just pass through the door? We need these answers. We also want to understand whether he is truly an antagonist or just someone who can’t own up to his mistakes. Mr. Martin has been in the background for most of “School Spirits” Season 1, but we would like to see him take on a more prominent role in Season 2.

Season 1 of “School Spirits” was everything we wanted it to be, yet it has barely scratched the surface of a protagonist (Maddie) who promises to be genuinely complicated. As more of the story unravels, we want to see a happier Maddie, one who is not burdened by the weight of her life and is able to laugh more often. We are hoping Season 2 comes soon.


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Divya Malladi
Divya Malladi
Divya spends way more time on Netflix and regrets most of what she watches. Hence she has too many opinions that she tries to put to productive spin through her writings. Her New Year resolution is to know that her opinions are validated.

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