School Spirits Season 1 Ending Explained: What happens to Maddie?

The final episode of School Spirits resolved most of the plot threads and revealed the answers to several mysteries. Maddie had previously believed that her mother was responsible for her death, and she faced emotional turmoil as she tried to accept this possibility. 

However, in the finale, she and her friends ruled out other suspects, such as Claire and Mr. Anderson, and continued their investigation. The main challenge was that Maddie had no recollection of the circumstances of her death and did not know how to retrieve her memory.

This detail was essential for revealing the truth about Maddie’s death, which was disclosed in the finale. Another important clue was in the previous episode when Dawn’s crossing over caused some anomalous electrical effects with the school’s lights. Wally, Charley, and Rhonda noticed that this did not occur when Janet crossed over, and they questioned if Janet really did cross over. 

Mr. Martin dismissed their concerns when they confronted him, but by the end of the episode, the reason for Janet’s lack of electrical effects became clear, along with many other mysteries.

1. What happens to Maddie?

It turns out that Maddie never died after all, despite the efforts of everyone to uncover the truth about her death. There were several clues throughout the season that indicated she might still be alive. 

One of them was when she was advised against using hypnosis to try and recall her death because it would expose her to a spirit possession. This is apparently what happened to her while she was still alive.

After a conflict with her mother, Maddie took refuge in the boiler room. She heard an argument and followed the voices to a door. When she opened it, Janet, who evidently did not cross over, emerged and took over her body. 

Mr. Martin was the one arguing with Janet, showing that he knows more than he admitted to. Another clue was when Maddie attended the support group and occupied Janet’s chair, implying a link between the two.

2. How can Maddie speak to Simon?

A significant mystery in the show concerned Maddie’s ability to speak to her friend Simon. The other spirits can only communicate with each other, and anyone alive cannot see them or talk to them. 

No one comprehended why Maddie could talk to Simon, but Charley hypothesized that maybe Simon was struggling to cope with Maddie’s disappearance, so it activated his ability to see and hear her.

The actual reason was that Maddie was not dead. Her spirit could communicate with him because even though she was separated from her body, her body was still alive and being manipulated by another spirit.

3. What happens to Janet?

Episode 7 generated a lot of uncertainty around whether Janet actually crossed over. The School Spirits finale clarified things. Janet never really did cross over. Instead, she took over Maddie’s body. 

This is why when she departed, she did not cause any electrical problems like Dawn did. The other spirits had never witnessed anyone else cross over before Dawn, so they would not have been able to detect that Mr. Martin was deceiving them about Janet crossing over.

The teacher was involved in her taking over Maddie’s body and also involved in Janet’s death. According to documents the spirits discovered, Janet died in a fire in Mr. Martin’s class, and her parents suspect the teacher was accountable for igniting the fire, though he gives a different account.

4. Why did Maddie’s mother have her necklace?

When Simon discovered the necklace Maddie was wearing the day she disappeared in her mother’s drawer, they were convinced her mother had some involvement in her disappearance. 

However, while questioning her, Maddie had a flashback of what actually occurred. Maddie’s mother struggles with alcoholism, and the day Maddie disappeared, she went to the school to look for her daughter.

She told her she was sober and had just purchased a cabin for them to live in using the money Maddie’s father left behind. Maddie had intended to use the saved-up money for college and was angry her mom took it and used it for herself. 

Maddie blamed her mother for taking away everything her father gave her and removed the necklace from her father and handed it to her mother as one final thing to take.

When Maddie came back to the present moment, she realized her mother did not kill her and only had her necklace because of the conflict they had. Maddie was relieved to find out her mother was not a killer but still hurt from the incident and all the suffering she faces because of her mother’s addiction.

5. The Mystery Behind Mr. Martin’s Death

Mr. Martin appeared suspicious throughout School Spirits and was determined to help the other spirits move on from what happened to them instead of re-experiencing their trauma. During the finale, Mr. Martin disclosed the reason he advocates for everyone to move on is that he finds it too distressing to look back.

The teacher confessed he died in a fire that he believes was his fault because he was not attentive to his class, and because of his negligence, a fire ignited. He says he was able to rescue everyone except himself, and he feels guilty that the living students have to live with the memory of witnessing the fire and seeing their teacher die.

However, there are some inconsistencies in Mr. Martin’s story that emerge when the spirits discover the reports of Janet’s death and that her parents suspect that Mr. Martin caused the fire. Mr. Martin’s real reason for not wanting to revisit the past could be because he feels guilty about igniting a fire that claimed Janet’s life.

He also might be fearful that someone will uncover the truth about what really occurred on the day of the fire. Unfortunately, none of this is addressed in the School Spirits season finale. The positive news is that it leaves an intriguing storyline open, making it very probable that the series will return for a second season.

6. About School Spirits

School Spirits is an American supernatural teen drama created by Megan Trinrud and Nate Trinrud that premiered on Paramount+ on March 9, 2023. The series is adapted from the forthcoming graphic novel by the Trinruds and Maria Nguyen.

Maddie is a teen girl stuck in the afterlife investigating her own mysterious disappearance. She goes on a crime-solving journey while adjusting to high school in the afterlife. But the closer she gets to the truth, the more secrets and lies she discovers.

The TV show stars Peyton List, Kristian Flores, Milo Manheim, Spencer Macpherson, and more. The entire first season is available for streaming.