Summary
A wild chain of events makes for a shocking finale of School Spirits. Peyton List polishes off a career-best performance in this final episode.
After weaving in and out of so many people accused of killing Maddie (Peyton List), we have reached the season finale of School Spirits. The battles among the whodunnit are coming from different angles, with Maddie’s mom now in the forefront. Who killed Maddie?
School Spirits Season 1 Episode 8 recap
The episode begins with Maddie sitting atop the school’s roof. Of course, in the background, Simon is doing the dirty work of snooping around her mom’s house to see if he can find anything related to her being the one that killed her.
While digging around the house, Simon found the envelope she had been hiding. Before walking out the door, her mom asked Simon if he had found what he was looking for, and he said yes.
What was in the envelope?
It was a necklace. The necklace that Maddie was wearing, but she didn’t have it on when she came to the afterlife. This leads to Maddie telling Simon to bring her mom to the school because she will know if she is lying.
Nicole, Claire, and Xavier discuss how they will get the janitor out of jail without exposing what they did. Maddie is asking Wally how he would feel if the person who was supposed to protect you ended up hurting you. Wally comforts her at the moment.
The afterlife crew is trying to figure out what happened with Janet, and Mr. Martin is vague about what transpired. The team discovers an old newspaper article that shows she died the same day as Mr. Martin.
READ: School Spirits Season 1 Episode 7 Recap
Simon brought Sandra into the school to accept an award on behalf of Maddie. As he tries to drop subtle questions, she becomes a little overwhelmed and tries to leave.
However, he asks why she had Maddie’s necklace before she could go. All of this is triggering Maddie and her memory. Sandra had arrived at the school after leaving rehab to tell Maddie that she used the money they got for her father dying to buy them a little house. Maddie freaks out because that was her money to go to college.
Did Maddie’s Mom kill Maddie?
No, the mom did not kill Maddie. Maddie confronts her mom about the money and snaps about how selfish she has been since their dad/husband passed away. She ripped off her necklace, telling her to go and never return. So Sandra left with the necklace, and that’s why she had it. At that moment, Maddie says that her mom is telling the truth and clears her name in the murder.
After her mom delivers a speech, Mr. Martin approaches Maddie, and she tells him that she might be ready to write her obituary. Nicole, Xavier, and Claire are camping outside a house, and Xavier and Claire decide to head into the house to investigate.
While that happens, Claire sees someone enter the house, so she rushes in herself. One thing leads to another, and the person gets in the truck, backs into Xavier, and gets away.
Wally and Charley uncover that Mr. Martin was the one that caused the fire. As they unpack all of this, Rhonda reveals she knew all of Mr. Martin’s secrets. However, the trio gets locked into their room at the time.
Simon walks into the gym, and Maddie tells him she wrote her obituary and wants to read it. She breaks down that Simon was the only person ever there for him, and she knows why he is the person she can talk to because he was the only person who gave more than he would take.
In return, Simon shows the reflection of who Nicole saw in the video she took of the getaway driver, and it was Maddie. He tells her he doesn’t understand what is happening but can’t do this anymore. What in the world is going on!?
School Spirits Season 1 Ending Explained
We get a flashback of Maddie crying after her mom left when she overhears screaming. When she opened the door, Mr. Martin was yelling at Janet, who left the room, and the ghost of Janet consumed Maddie. She overhears Rhonda, Wally, and Charley screaming and trying to open the door. They scream out, you can’t trust him, and as she says who, she turns around and sees Mr. Martin.
Is Maddie dead?
Maddie is not dead. The season ends with Janet in Maddie’s body buying a bus ticket to leave town. So the entire season, Janet has been covering the tracks in Maddie’s body in order to pursue a new life as herself as Maddie. What an incredible twist and ending.
What did you think of School Spirits Season 1 Episode 8 and the Ending? Comment below.
I was not expecting that ending at all. It was a shocker. What a cliffhanger for the season finale. I can’t wait to find out more in season 2.
I feel like it was confusing at the ending. I just hope season 2 comes soon an not in 3,4,5 years….
My daughter guessed it was Janet in her body, several episodes ago. I was disappointed with the end as i felt too many unresolved issues. However, the characterization was very well written
But if Janet’s spirit is in Maddies body, how is her spirit also at the school? Does she even know that when the 3 of them of trapped in the room? Does the teacher even know that happened? So confused lol so many questions. I hope the next season isn’t for out.
The situation with Janet occupying Maddie’s body was very confusing. This has been a great thriller/fiction ! I have been interested throughout. I do hope it will return!! There are many possible plot lines to develop.
What a roller coaster. That was just not the ending to the season I was expecting but it definitely kept me at the edge of my seat. I have soooo many questions about Mr. Martin. I really hope they renew for a second season
I called it. With hippie chick talking about possession it seemed right.
The ending was a “WTF!!!”. I can’t wait for S2!!
This was one of the worst season finale episodes I’ve ever seen. It was just dumb. In every way. It creates way too many questions that they won’t reasonably be able to answer. Literally any actual killer would have been better than what we got. Simon’s reaction was completely out of character. And so on. It was awful in every way.
I don’t think I’ll ever bother to watch Season 2 after such a shameless bullshit cliffhanger. I actually hope they don’t get a Season 2, and the writers of the show have to live with the fact that this was how it ended.
I agree with Nick above (or is it below) , the show had me right in its corner, until the last 5 minutes. I’ve been left totally confused and I feel the bottom has just dropped out of the show. Way too many questions. I won’t exactly be counting the days to the next season!
Disappointing ending.
What a rubbish ending! I actually really liked the show up until 3/4 of the way though the final episode when I realized that if they didn’t reveal the killer by then , it was going to either not be revealed until next season or was going to be some crappy explanation where she wasn’t really dead.
Now I’m just confused. How did Janet take over Maddie’s body? Why don’t all the ghosts that don’t really want to be dead so this? How did this send Maddie’s consciousness into the afterlife, where people who are actually dead were? Was Simon ever talking to Maddie or was this whole show basically just his coping mechanism?
It just doesn’t make any sense. I actually didn’t even realize it was left on a cliffhanger until I read this article to see if there was something I missed. Turns out I didn’t miss anything, it was just a very disappointing ending.
WTH I did not see that coming and I loved every bit of it. I can’t wait to S2 so many questions but the biggest is how was Maddie able to see/hear Mr Martin and Janet when she was still alive??? Is she like Simon both can see dead ppl. I love this show!!!
I want to know why Maddie could see Mr. Martin but she couldn’t see Janet before she took over Maddie’s body!
I really hope there is a second season!
It’s been a bit of a slow burner for me but did not see that coming! Hope it’s renewed for S2.
If the others were all ghosts and she happened to be down there to talk to her mum and then a ghost took over her body then how,? What about her blood stains in the boiler room if the ghosts could not affect a living person? I binged watched all 8 shows. At the end I wished I had not. They need to make one more show and clean this up properly. It was just a dumb ending and an offense to the viewers senses. Just annoying.
Sorry, very nad, bad ending waiting to long to watch bull ending.
There were far too many unexplained inconsistencies to properly suspend disbelief and enjoy this show. I originally thought it would be a comedy like the U.S. version of “Ghosts,” which was a rip-off of the far better and funnier British version. I’m sorry they “killed off” Dawn, the most interesting character, by having her “cross over.” How is it that Maddie’s possessed live body was never found? Expecting us to believe that Maddie/Janet was just hanging out “somewhere” alone without food or shelter is ridiculous. This show has d a lot of potential but the last episode was seriously botched. Hoping that they’ll get a second or third season to is just too much.
I loved this series! I actually didn’t know that episode 8 was the season finale and it made me sad that there wasn’t a new episode this week. I can’t wait to see the rest of this story!!! I hope the next season comes soon and not years later ( that’s so mean) I love this show and the actors all do an amazing job. The music hits at the best parts. Amazing story
OK, so I figured out that the big whoosh was Janet jumping into Maddie’s body when she opened the door. But the big question is how was Maddie able to hear Janet and Mr. Martin arguing? I mean they were ghosts! Maddie, at that point, was still a live normal human. 2nd puzzler: Why was Maddie’s blood splattered in the boiler room if she wasn’t hurt when Janet jumped her bones?
I didn’t like the ending at all. It made absolutely no sense . I thought they didn’t hear Janet crossover because she came out of a coma or something and that Maddie was alive somewhere ???? Made a hell of a lot more sense then what your writers came up with! ??