5 Wildest Theories About What Happens In School Spirits Season 2

Spoilers are ahead for School Spirits season 1.

Summary

• Janet might have accidentally possessed Maddie’s body and didn’t know what she was doing, opening the door to an unexpected team-up between the two characters.
• Mr. Martin may be manipulating Janet, positioning him to be the main villain of School Spirits.
• There may be more to Sandra Nears than meets the eye, and tying her intot the show’s central supernatural story would make a lot of sense.

Given the show’s season-one finale twist, it seems like only the wildest theories about what might happen in School Spirits season 2 could be true. The Paramount+ series, which has recently found a second life on Netflix, centers on Maddie Nears (Peyton List), a teenager who finds herself inexplicably stuck in the afterlife. With the help of other teen spirits who’ve yet to move on, Maddie learns the ins-and-outs of being in the afterlife, all while trying to solve her (apparent) murder. However, unlike the other spirits, Maddie can be seen by Simon (Kristian Flores), her still-alive best friend. Clearly, there’s something special about Maddie’s circumstances.

Still, the supernatural mystery keeps viewers guessing until episode 8, “Madison’s Body.” When School Spirits finally explains what happened to Maddie, it’s completely unexpected: her body has been possessed by a spirit she hasn’t met. School Spirits introduces Janet, Maddie’s possessor, as a spirit who’s made peace with her death and moved on. Of course, that isn’t quite the case. After having an argument with her mom in the school’s boiler room, Maddie stumbles upon Mr. Martin (Josh Zuckerman), a kind of spirit mentor, and Janet. The latter of the two runs at Maddie, causing the supernatural phenomenon that serves as the show’s core season 1 mystery.

5 Janet Had No Intention Of Possessing Maddie’s Body

Janet Hamilton is shrouded in mystery. The spirit that previously claimed the now-vacant seat at the afterlife support group’s sessions, she allegedly found closure and moved on. Later on, another spirit, Dawn, is able to accept her own circumstances and pass on, which causes a surge in energy that all the spirits feel. Suspiciously, that never happened when Janet moved on. When it’s revealed that Janet is hijacking Maddie’s body, she’s positioned as the antagonist. However, it would be much more compelling if Janet accidentally possessed Maddie and didn’t know what she was doing. It would also open the door to an unexpected team-up between the two characters.

4 Mr. Martin Is Actually Manipulating Janet In School Spirits

To that end, if Janet accidentally possessed Maddie, School Spirits needs a different antagonist. After all, in a heated, emotionally vulnerable moment, Janet ran at Maddie, leading to the possession. It’s entirely possible a frustrated Janet was just trying to scare Maddie off and had no idea what would happen. Mr. Martin, the only adult spirit at the school, seems primed to be the series’ main villain. Not only has he manipulated the teen spirits into sharing the deepest secrets by posing as an afterlife counselor, but he was clearly invested in afterlife research well before his own death.

It has been established that Mr. Martin and Janet had a preexisting relationship: she was one of his students before a classroom fire killed them both. At first, Mr. Martin claims he was alone during the fatal 1958 fire and that a student had accidentally started it. However, when the School Spirits sleuths discover incriminating evidence that puts Janet in the classroom and names Mr. Martin as the fire starter, things take a turn. So far, that thread remains unresolved, but it’s possible Mr. Martin purposefully killed Janet or, at the very least, is using the late bystander for his scheme.

School Spirits season 1 is now streaming on Paramount+ and Netflix.

3 The Spirits’ Meaningful Items Provide A Link To The World Of The Living

In School Spirits season 1’s ending, it’s revealed that Mr. Martin is lying — and he seems to have his eyes set on Maddie. While the details of the late teacher’s scheme aren’t quite clear yet, his lies seem to be just the tip of the iceberg. Throughout the course of his time as a faux-afterlife mentor, Mr. Martin has been collecting information about Split River High School’s teen spirits. Thinking they can trust in him to assist with their journeys toward closure, the teens clue Mr. Martin in on their deepest secrets, most personal memories, and more ahead of School Spirits season 2.

Most perplexing of all, the fire-starting teacher is also amassing items associated with the teens’ deaths, from Wally’s (Milo Manheim) football to Rhonda’s (Sarah Yarkin) college acceptance letter. These personal effects, combined with the years of notes he’s taken, provide Mr. Martin with a ton of useful information. How these things will be useful, of course, remains to be seen. It’s possible that knowing about the teens’ most emotional, vulnerable moments and collecting items associated with their deaths will help Mr. Martin thin the veil between the afterlife and the world of the living, as he seems fascinated by the concept.

2 Janet Will Help Fix Maddie’s Broken Spirit In School Spirits Season 2

Learning how everyone died in School Spirits makes for a thrilling first season. When it comes to Maddie, of course, there’s no death to be revealed. The show indicates that Janet was able to possess Maddie by virtue of being in an intense emotional state. Janet might just be a saddened spirit looking for a way out of the afterlife; her Maddie mix-up might just be a convenient twist of fate. Episode 8 also reveals that Maddie’s mom broke her spirit, leading her to be in a fragile place of her own. Needless to say, Janet and Maddie might become allies in future seasons of the hit show.

Following its success on Netflix, School Spirits was renewed for a second season in December 2023.

1 Maddie’s Mom Is Actually Janet’s Still-Alive Sister

It seemed like Maddie’s mom, Sandra Nears (Maria Dizzia), was destined to be her daughter’s killer. While episode 8’s School Spirits’ Janet twist clarifies that the mother-daughter duo had a non-murderous, heated blow-out before Maddie’s disappearance, it’s evident that Sandra and Maddie have an incredibly strained relationship. Sandra is definitely dealing with some unresolved trauma and feelings, and it would be smart of School Spirits to tie her past into the present storyline. It would be fitting if Sandra Nears is actually Janet Hamilton’s sister, a sibling who still hasn’t confronted the sudden loss. The twist would make School Spirits season 2 a real family affair.