Summary

  • Maddie's mysterious death was finally unraveled in the School Spirits finale, but the twist was unexpected.
  • Janet possessed Maddie's body and is now on the run, leaving Maddie's spirit separated from her own body.
  • Maddie and her friends will have to find a way to track down Janet and retrieve Maddie's body in School Spirits season 2.

Warning: Spoilers for School Spirits ahead.

Maddie finally uncovered her mysterious death at the end of the School Spirits finale, but the identity of the person who killed Maddie in School Spirits wasn't who she thought it would be. Maddie had several potential culprits on her list, including Mr. Anderson, her ex-best friend Claire, and even her own mother. Maddie's mother deals with alcoholism in School Spirits, which makes Maddie's life even harder. However, after going with Simon to confront her mother, Maddie could tell her mom wasn't the one to kill her. It turns out a moment from episode 7 was significant to Maddie's disappearance.

During School Spirits episode 7, Dawn crossed over. The character died from electrocution after finding her friends talking badly about her behind her back. Dawn carried that pain with her until Maddie told her what happened wasn't her fault, and she was finally able to forgive herself. When she crossed over, a bright light illuminated her like the light of heaven, and the lights in the school flickered. Wally, Charley, and Rhonda noted that this didn't happen when a different student named Janet crossed over, suggesting that she might not have actually crossed over and could still be lingering around.

Related
What Happened To Janet On School Spirits?
Dawn's experience with crossing over on School Spirits appeared different to everyone from when Janet crossed over, so what happened to Janet?

Nobody Killed Maddie — Janet Possessed Her Body

Maddie Was Never Dead In School Spirits

Peyton List as Maddie Nears with friends at a gate in School Spirits

What happened to, and who killed Maddie in School Spirits? It turns out Maddie didn't actually die and head to the School Spirits' afterlife. This was hinted at throughout the first season, as she had a very difficult time remembering how she died while the other spirits had memories of their deaths.

The reason Maddie's spirit isn't in her body is that Janet possessed her so that she could get another chance at life. This was also hinted at when Maddie said she wanted to do hypnosis to remember how she died but was warned against it because it could lead to a spirit possessing her body. Mr. Martin was starting to look suspicious, and it turns out he was as guilty as he seemed.

While he didn't kill Maddie, he knew the whole time that Janet was using her body. The series concludes with Janet in Maddie's body buying a ticket to skip town. With her far away, it will be difficult to track her down so that Maddie can get her body back and return to her life. While the ending was unexpected for most, TikTok user Francineh_ predicted that Janet had possessed Maddie after episode 7. However, the fan didn't connect the dots around Mr. Martin's involvement.

School Spirits has been renewed for season 2 on Paramount+. The first season of the series is available to stream on both Paramount+ and Netflix.

How Can Maddie Get Her Body Back?

School Spirits Season 2 Has A Major Question To Answer

Maddie is going to have to work hard with her friends in order to get her body back in School Spirits season 2. If Janet really does leave town with Maddie's body, it'll be difficult for them to track her down since most of them can't even leave school, never mind their neighborhood.

However, it's likely Maddie will use hypnosis since it was previously suggested it could lead to someone taking over her body, so it might also allow her to return to her body. The biggest School Spirits mystery remains: how will Maddie and her friends track down Janet, so Maddie can start living again?

Watch on Paramount+

School Spirits TV Poster
School Spirits
TV-MA
Drama
Mystery
Supernatural

Based on the graphic novel, School Spirits is a supernatural mystery-drama series set in a high-school setting focusing on the afterlife. When teenage Maddie finds herself in the afterlife, she spends her idle time trying to investigate why she went missing. However, her high-school sleuthing leads her down a path that only yields more questions and uncovers a more sinister plot underneath her own demise.

Cast
Kristian Flores , Milo Manheim , Spencer Macpherson , Kiara Pichardo , Sarah Yarkin , Nick Pugliese , Rainbow Wedell , Josh Zuckerman
Release Date
March 9, 2023
Seasons
1
Writers
Nate Trinrud , Megan Trinrud , Oliver Goldstick

  • School Spirits TV Poster
    School Spirits
    Cast:
    Kristian Flores, Milo Manheim, Spencer Macpherson, Kiara Pichardo, Sarah Yarkin, Nick Pugliese, Rainbow Wedell, Josh Zuckerman
    Release Date:
    2023-03-09
    Seasons:
    1
    Main Genre:
    Mystery
    Genres:
    Drama, Mystery, Supernatural
    Summary:
    Based on the graphic novel, School Spirits is a supernatural mystery-drama series set in a high-school setting focusing on the afterlife. When teenage Maddie finds herself in the afterlife, she spends her idle time trying to investigate why she went missing. However, her high-school sleuthing leads her down a path that only yields more questions and uncovers a more sinister plot underneath her own demise.
    Website:
    https://www.paramountplus.com/shows/school-spirits/
    Studio:
    Awesomeness Studio, Paramount+
    Creator:
    Nate Trinrud, Megan Trinrud
    Distributor:
    Paramount+
    Rating:
    TV-MA
    Writers:
    Nate Trinrud, Megan Trinrud, Oliver Goldstick