Summary

  • Janet's mysterious disappearance on School Spirits was revealed to be a possession, not a crossing over.
  • Maddie uncovers the truth about Janet through recovered memories and a bomb shelter discovery.
  • School Spirits Season 2 will explore how Janet managed to possess Maddie and the aftermath of the revelation.

What happened to Janet on School Spirits began as a mystery, but after the Season 1 finale, it became more clear. Janet is a character that is never shown in the first seven episodes but is mentioned. When Maddie arrives at the spirit support group, she asks if one of the seats is taken. She's told that it used to be Janet's seat, but the series doesn't clarify what happened to her. Maddie is still on a mission to remember how she died and who killed her. She's questioned everyone from her ex-best friend to her mother.

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Maddie couldn't remember anything from when she died but recently was able to bring up a memory of her mother yelling at her, making her think her mom may have gotten angry enough to kill her. Maddie's friends from her support group try to help her remember her death by hosting an Anti-Séance, and Dawn tries to trigger memories by telling her how she died. When Dawn can let go of what happened, which revolved around her finding out her friends were talking badly about her. She crosses over. However, her experience is different from Janet's.

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Everyone Thinks Janet Crossed Over In School Spirits

The characters of the support group on School Spirits believe that Janet has crossed over, and that's why she's no longer with them. The show doesn't initially reveal much about her character, though after Dawn crosses over, it seems Janet's storyline could be much more significant. When Dawn crosses over in School Spirits, she's illuminated by bright lights, giving her a heavenly glow. The lights in the school then begin to flicker, and the whole room goes white before returning to its normal lighting. The characters say they have chills from the experience.

The teen spirits then note that that didn't happen when Janet crossed over, which confuses them. They don't say anything else, but they're clearly questioning if Janet crossed over or if something else happened. This gets addressed in the Season 1 finale of School Spirits, though the teenage spirits remain largely in the dark compared to the audience.

School Spirits Season 1 is also available to watch on Netflix.

Dawn's Ascension Means Something Else Happened To Janet

Dawn  (RaeAnn Boon) wearing a '70s headband and looking distraught in School Spirits.

It seems obvious Janet did not cross over like the other school spirits thought she did. Mr. Martin also witnessed the lights flickering with Dawn's ascension and appeared bewildered. If he really witnessed Janet cross over, he wouldn't have been surprised at all. As it turns out, TikTok user francineh had an interesting - and correct - theory for just what happened to Janet.

Maddie initially wanted to use hypnosis to recover her memories but was warned it could lead to a spirit taking over her body. The TikTok user speculated this is precisely what happened. According to the theory, Janet's spirit pushed Maddie out of her body so that she could take over. The fan believed the hooded figure in the woods with Nicole and Simon could be Janet in Maddie's body. This theory explains why Maddie had such a difficult time remembering her death. Subsequently, the School Spirits finale revealed Janet possessed Maddie, and she hadn't actually died.

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What Really Happened To Janet On School Spirits

Maddie Nears' falling back during her possession in School Spirits season 1

While Maddie worked to solve her own murder, her fellow school spirits were doing research on their own. They discovered a bomb shelter beneath the school where items they had with them on the days of their deaths were stored. Also stored there were notes taken by Mr. Martin, the same teacher who had been trying to get them to all move on from their lives to supposedly cross over.

As Maddie slowly recovered pieces of her memory on her last day, she remembered hearing voices in the same bomb shelter that the other teen spirits had been exploring. Those voices belonged to Mr. Martin, who had been acting suspiciously toward Maddie all season, and Janet. Janet didn't hesitate to run straight at Maddie and inhabit her body.

The cliffhanger for Season 1 of School Spirits didn't reveal just how Janet was able to do that, or why Maddie could see and hear the spirits before her own spirit was outside of her body, but it did reveal Janet-as-Maddie buying a ticket to get out of town. School Spirits Season 2 will have to reveal just how Janet pulled off her trick and how Maddie will move forward knowing the truth.

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.

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