‘School Spirits’ season three episodes 1-3 set up for another twisted season

By Amelia Morris

The series “School Spirits” merges the genres of murder mystery, rom-com and the afterlife together into a deep story with endless nuances. The release of the first three episodes of season three will surely be no different this time around.

Split River High School, the setting for the series, harbors the spirits of students and teachers alike who have failed to move on from the circumstances of their deaths. 

Among the ghosts are Rhonda, Wally, Charlie, Mr. Martin and many others. Each ghost has their individual story of how they died and why they cannot “cross over” to eternity. Much like the catholic’s belief in purgatory, the ghosts cannot move on to the next step until they have made peace with their deaths.

Maddie Nears’ case is different. The circumstances surrounding her death are unknown. Maddie and her friends attempt to uncover the mystery of why she is trapped.

The first two seasons center around Maddie and the inner workings of the afterlife at Split River High. Maddie and the ghosts are unable to leave the school property, their only way out is to eventually cross over, which almost no one has been able to do.

Simon, Maddie’s living friend who can somehow see and hear her while she’s a ghost, is her only window to the outside world. With his help, along with Maddie’s living friends and the ghosts, she uncovers the truth behind the mystery of her entrapment.

After season two’s cliffhanger, season three follows Maddie as she comes back to the land of the living now that she has her body back.

However, the ghost realm is not done with her yet – Simon is now stuck in the Split River afterlife. 

Simon’s situation is a lot different from Maddie’s. When Maddie was in the afterlife, her spirit was there but her body was not. For Simon, his body and spirit are both there yet he is still unable to break free.

As someone who has been following the series since the first season, I am excited to see where the rest of this season goes. As the series begins to center around Simon, I am curious to see how Maddie deals with being the one in the land of the living.

So far, the first three episodes have been exposition heavy, allowing the show to lay the groundwork for what is to come. I have no doubt that as the season progresses it will have intense twists and turns. 

The acting in all three seasons has been stellar. For the ghosts, each one embodies the decade they are from each forming a deep friendship with Maddie. For the living, Maddie’s friends and her mom all have to convey ranges of emotions from deep sadness to frustration to overjoyed. Each actor grows in their character despite less than a school year passing throughout the course of all three seasons.

In the beginning, the characters are hard to keep track of because of the sheer number of them. The ghosts and their differing personalities and backgrounds versus the story unraveling in the world with Maddie’s living friend group are a lot to balance. Eventually, it all comes together and the series does take it slow with the viewer.

The costumes in the series are very intentional. Each ghost wears outfits based on their time period and personality. The ghosts are unable to change clothes permanently and are stuck in the same clothes they met their tragic fates in. 

The fashion draws attention to the time period each ghost is from.

I love how many layers this series has. There are no loose ends and it all ties together. The series takes cliffhangers to the next level and is jawdropping. The rules of this fictional afterlife, while complex, take us along as Maddie journeys through high school in a very abnormal way. 

I have really enjoyed the series as a whole and I am looking forward to what this next season’s twists will be.

‘School Spirits’ is currently streaming on Paramount+, with new episodes releasing every Wednesday.

Photos courtesy of Awesomeness. 

Amelia Morris is a freshman journalism major and writer for Cedars A&E. She loves reading, writing and being in nature with her dogs.