Paramount+ premiered the first three episodes of the new season of School Spirits. Let’s recap the first three episodes (which will contain SPOILERS) and share our review of what the season will bring. Going down the purgatory lore.
“It’s A Wonderful Afterlife” Recap
The episodes opens with the energy from going through all the scars sends red lights pulsing throughout the school. Nicole, Claire and Xavier search frantically for Simon. Nicole finds Simon’s fallen headphones on the floor. Wally makes the decision to close his door. Janet discovers Simon in Mr. Martin’s scar and after taking him out she tries different theories to recreate the same events that thinned the veil that allowed him to step into their world. It will hopefully return him to the human one.
Maddie learns that Xavier sees her dad at the hospital. That his ghost is still there. After leaving the hospital, Maddie impulsively runs back to the school. Having to find out if she can still see Rhonda, Charley, Quinn, Yuri, Janet, and Wally. Only she can’t see them until she gets to the auditorium. Stepping into the ley lines she realizes she is still able to see them.
Maddie returns to school determined to help Simon get back to the land of the living. The school’s district superintendent Dr. Deborah Hunter-Price announces that the school will be shutting down. They will build a new school across town and the senior class will be the last ones to walk the halls of Split River High. After the assembly, Maddie is marked by Livia. Who we learn is also Dr. Hunter-Price’s daughter.
Maddie and Wally decide to let their relationship continue between the veil. A moment that gets recorded and shared with the internet. Janet makes a decision to go through her door as an experiment to help Simon. It doesn’t help him leave ghost world. While looking for Maddie’s dad another ghost, Kyle approaches him asking for his help. Maddie’s is having visions that lead her to her own “door”. Simon confronts Mr. Martin about his secrets and snow starts to fall. Yuri stands in front of his scar looking at the note Janet left, yet he can’t make himself go in.
Mean Ghouls
Maddie doesn’t know what her visions means as she tries to navigate returning back to the human world. Nicole and Claire try to protect Maddie as much as they can. Since she’s doing what she needs to do in getting Simon back. Primarily, Claire tries confronting Livia head on but it doesn’t yield any results. The ghosts makes a plan by seeing if they can recruit any of the other ghosts in the school to help but Quinn refuses to talk to the band kids and runs out of the library. It also happens to be graduation photo day. Eventually, Charley calls out Yuri for staring at some random human guy. Yuri admits to Charley’s he’s not interested in that kid. He admits he think that he might be his grandson. Simon tells Maddie that his older sister Sabrina found him.
Xavier learns from Kyle that there was never a Quinn in band. Which has the others wondering what else Quinn hasn’t told them about. Rhonda refuses to believe Quinn deceived her and searches for answers. Simon becomes unsettled after going into Quinn’s scar to search for them. Witnessing the aftermath that happened. After Maddie gets caught in the boiler room by Principal Hartman, they talk in his office. She confesses to leaking the video as a means of giving everyone what they want. However, that information is overheard by another student. Livia decides to turn Maddie’s senior photo into a modern day Carrie. She decides to face the deliberate humiliation with determination and continued taking her picture.
Wally learns Livia is the one that leaked that video of Maddie. Nicole makes a decision to infiltrate Livia and her group to see what she knows. Quinn reveals what their life was like before the crash and why they changed their name after Rhonda woke them up. Simon lets Mr. Martin out of his scar and he tells them about the night of the bus crash.
The Halls Have Eyes
Simon wants to check out Mr. Martin’s story about the place under his scar. Maddie’s mom threatens to take her away from the school and town. Xavier lets Maddie know that Kyle found her dad. To be sure Nicole knows who she is up against Claire coaches her on how to infiltrate Livia and the cheerleaders. Xavier, Claire, Maddie and Nicole get Saturday detention as punishment and can’t take the Senior Field Trip. Meanwhile, Charley asks Yuri to reciprocate on being vulnerable with him. Yuri confides in Charley about the learning about his ex being pregnant and how it led to his death. In contrast, Charley lets his insecurities continue to get in the way and doesn’t react in the best way. Especially after Yuri admits that he never went into his scar.
At the same time, Rhonda comes up with the idea to help Quinn take a yearbook photo. Consequently, to make up for the one they missed when they were alive. Livia invited Nicole to her house for a party. Following talking to Mr. Martin, Wally weighs out the benefits to going under the scar versus not going. While Simon plays lookout, Wally journeys into the hole. As soon as he goes under, everything is dark around him. He ends up being pulled into the same body of water like Mr. Martin. When he appears out of the scar he is standing as if he just came out of the lake drenched in the library. Resurfacing and almost killing Mr. South, the janitor. This time Quinn and Rhonda take the watch from Simon to stop him from going again.
Nicole is nervous after she gets to party and starts to drink to gain more confidence on her mission. Despite Livia and the other girls best efforts to find out what happened with Maddie that night at the school. Nicole blurts out that she has a crush on Jason. Before she can make things worse, then she hightails it out of the room. She hightails it out the room and happens to hide in Dr. Hunter-Price’s office after calling an Uber, she learns that she her plan for Split River High is.
Nicole rushes to tell Maddie about the superintendent’s plan to bulldoze the school and put in a high rise. Maddie helps a hungover Nicole get into Diego’s car. Maddie confronts her mom about tracking her and everything she’s been holding in about her mom’s drinking and how it has affected her. After forgiving Mr. Martin, Quinn admits to Rhonda they don’t want to change their style. Rhonda tells Quinn they don’t have to change their look. Rhonda tells them the story of meeting Joyce Ball (Lizzy McAlpine) and how it made her want to be the person she wanted the world to know. She wanted that for Quinn too.
Review: School Spirits
School Spirits is more than just a teen mystery. It puts a mirror up to being a teenager. It’s a commentary on the effects of grief, loss, pain, trauma, growth, healing and forgiveness. This series does phenomenal work because it’s not trying to be perfect or get everything right. It’s not afraid to be messy and show the imperfections when you experience the things all the characters have gone through. It continues to raise its bar.
The camera work and visuals this season has been incredible to experience as a viewer. You can see the shift in how the season is going forward. It adds to the anticipation. The pacing is just right. It gives each character their time to shine while not making it seem as though anyone is left behind.
Furthermore, School Spirits is a must watch that should be added to your weekly routine. This show has the perfect mix of suspense, teen romance, and mystery that will keep you on the edge of your seat every time.
