Summary
“Stand Tall” ends with a cliffhanger. A second season doesn’t feel too laboured and fans will surely welcome it.
This recap of Netflix’s Julie and the Phantoms season 1, episode 9, “Stand Tall” — the ending explained — contains significant spoilers.
We recapped every episode — check out the archive.
The opening
The band is plotting away to play at the Orpheum. Willie is helping with their plans — Alex hugs him, stating how grateful he is for his help. The band enters the Orpheum office and they play a video of Julie and the Phantoms to persuade the manager to book them — the band that was meant to play at the Orpheum has ended up 300 miles away after Willie diverted them. Julie gets a call from Tasha from the Orpheum and she books the band in.
Say hi to my mother
Before the performance, Julie asks Luke to tell her mother that she loves her if she’s there when he crosses over. Her brother Carlos overhears the situation. The band get in a circle and do a team talk before Julie heads over. As Julie leaves, Caleb appears and makes the band disappear.
An offer they can’t refuse
Before the show, Flynn asks Julie where the band is. Meanwhile, the band is at the club with Caleb. He tries persuading them all to play for him again and plants the seed that they don’t know if the Orpheum is their unfinished business. He tells them about a life where the band will be admired. The trio goes on stage with Caleb, seemingly accepting his offer. “Stand Tall” gives a hint of betrayal in the dying embers.
Tell me everything is going to be okay
Julie senses that something is wrong and believes that the band wouldn’t have stood her up. She believes they are gone for good this time. Julie runs outside sobbing and speaks to her mother out loud. She tells her that the band was her family. She wants her mother to tell her everything is going to be okay. A woman gives her a flower and she sees it as a sign.
Going solo
Julie decides to go on stage at the Orpheum anyway and do a song dedicated to her mother. She also dedicates the night to the band and calls them “three special friends”. Julie then sings a solo and the crowd loves it. Carrie looks on jealously.
A great performance
The band then appear and they perform together. In the end, the band disappears. Even Carrie acknowledges that Julie’s performance is good. Also, noticeably, Bobby, Carrie’s father, is visibly taken back seeing his old band on the stage — he must know they are ghosts.
Feeling stronger
Julie gets home and enters the studio and lets out a huge sigh — she thanks the band in the dark but then realizes that they are all there. All three of them are in pain — the Orpheum wasn’t their unfinished business. Julie begs them to go to Caleb’s club but they don’t think music is worth doing without her. Julie hugs Luke and realizes that she can feel him and wonders why. Luke realizes that he feels stronger. All four of them hug and they all feel the same power. This was a weird ending — it provides no reason to why all their problem is fixed.
Nick heads over to Julie’s house with flowers but before the door is answered, Caleb takes over his body. When Julie answers, Nick (Caleb) gives her flowers. Julie and the Phantoms Episode 9, “Stand Tall”, ends with a cliffhanger. A second season doesn’t feel too labored and fans will surely welcome it.
