School Spirits Cast Reacts to ‘Death' and Betrayal in Long-Awaited Season 2 Premiere: ‘Yeah, That Sucks' (Grade It!)
The Paramount+ drama returned Thursday with the first three episodes of its long-awaited sophomore season, picking up in the immediate aftermath of that bonkers Season 1 finale, which revealed that Maddie isn't actually dead — her body was merely hijacked by a vengeful spirit named Janet! Because why not.
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As a thank-you to fans for their patience (it's been nearly two years since that finale aired!), School Spirits delivers a similarly jaw-dropping twist in the Season 2 premiere, which ends with Xavier temporarily crossing over to the other side before watching a team of doctors bring him out of his coma. It's the ultimate out-of-body experience, one that signals 'an incredible evolution of the character and the lore of the show,' according to actor Spencer MacPherson.
'First, to realize that there are these different ecosystems of the dead that exist is really cool,' MacPherson tells TVLine. 'On top of that, what this means for Xavier moving forward is really exciting to play. It's the catalyst for this huge character growth and development that he has this season, which is awesome.'
Less awesome was having to pretend to be unconscious in a hospital bed for the entire premiere; MacPherson even admits to grabbing a nap during a scene… or two. He recalls series creators Megan and Nate Trinrud explaining their plan for the premiere, telling him, 'Listen, we have some good news and we have some bad news, OK? The bad news is that you're not in the first episode, but the good news is that you get this awesome sequence at the end.'
So, what made Xavier the right character to go full Sixth Sense? As Nate Trinrud explains to TVLine, 'A lot of our show is about redemption. It's about people who make mistakes and how they recover from them. Xavier was very much a suspect in Season 1. He was sort of the cliché go-to, the edgy boyfriend. But the more you get to know him, you see that he does want to help. He does want to solve this mystery. I think people will be really excited to see where that character goes this season.'
Adds Megan Trinrud: 'And Spencer is just such a great actor. He's so much fun to watch, and he's so good at doing all the different tones. He's super funny, but he can also do that kind of dark, a little bit scary, you-don't-know-what-he's-thinking thing.'
Another premiere twist comes courtesy of Rhonda, who admits to selling out Maddie to Mr. Martin, their shady ghost teacher. And if you think you're disappointed in Rhonda, try being the actress who plays her. 'Yeah, that sucks,' Sarah Yarkin tells TVLine of her character's betrayal, summing up her initial reaction as: 'I was just like, girl, what?!'
'I knew [Rhonda] went down to the boiler room and found their stuff, but I didn't know that she saw [Maddie and Wally] kissing and that it made her sad. All of that was new information, and it actually connected some things for me about what she was going through. She can't just open up, so seeing them connect so easily made her feel all these ways.'
Ultimately, Yarkin believes there's 'something really beautiful' about Rhonda's confession. 'She's admitting to Maddie that she can't keep these things anymore and she wants to work together,' Yarkin says. 'It's a jumping off point for the rest of the season for her.'
OK, let's talk: Was your return to Split River High worth the wait? What are your early impressions of Season 2? How about all those new faces? Grade the premiere in our poll below, then drop a comment with your full review.
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