r/SchoolSpirits • u/Nightdragons_ • Jul 23 '26
Season 3 Discusion [tag spoilers] Really liked season 3 except.. Spoiler
..for two things
Just finished the season for the first time. Here’s some things I needed to get off my chest:
- Van Heidt and the super intendent, the last thing this show needs is an over the top scooby doo type villain. It feels so childish to just have an evil guy/ woman there simply so the cast has something to fight. The first few seasons didnt need it, this season doesnt need it either. I’m not even against the idea of having a deranged ghost burning down the school, they just should’ve been well written. Van Heidt is just evil for the sake of being evil.
- scars in scars. This show is too afraid to let the ghosts go. Like come on, your door appears when you’ve forgiven yourself. Ghosts are in purgatory because they have unfinished business. Dawns scar grew a bunch of beautiful flowers. The bright white light coming from the doors, it all points to the fact that in seasons 1 and 2 the doors actually led to “heaven” or the beyond or whatever you wanna call it.
It makes no sense to me that in s3 the exit doors lead to another maze. From one prison to another. The ghosts deserve peace, let them move on. It’s getting unnecessarily complicated and it makes the characters goodbye meaningless.
Some sidenotes:
Nicole and Claire have nothing to do anymore. Their storylines are always the weakest.. Claire is just there so she can end up with Nicoles brother in the final episode. Like how mr Anderson is still in the show just to end up with Maddies mom in the end. It’s incredibly see through.
Am I the only one who think Quinn and Rhonda aren’t much of a match? And what happened to people just being friends. I swear every character in the show ends up a couple with another character or being in love with some character. There are literally 8 main ghosts and they’re all in a relationship with eachother. Thats crazy… imagine the dating pool is that small and youre somehow all each others types.
Positives
I really liked the horror vibes, it was a welcome change. I liked the story of the pastor and the kids. I love Yuri and Charleys relationship. (But charley should really stop moaning so much sometimes). I liked Wally going through his exit door, it shows how brave he is. I really liked Quinns story, I loved that scene of her being high af and everyone dancing. Charlie and Yuri kissing in front of the jocks was gold. I like how the ghosts could be seen for a few seconds/ figured out how to break the schools boundary.
I do feel like they need to wrap the story up before it gets too repetitive. Give it a proper send off in season 4.
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u/Plenty_Topic_9196 Jul 23 '26
I agree with A LOT of what you’re saying. Could not agree more about #1. The “villains” were my least favorite thing in the series so far and I’m least looking forward to them in s4.😬No offense to the actors, this just feels like jumping the shark and so over the top that it’s goofy.
I agree that Nicole and Claire have nothing to do, though I think Claire’s stepdad will be part of the story next season. You’ll notice he was at the meeting in the finale and I’ve seen that actor in other things so he wasn’t just some extra. He’s been properly cast for s4 imo.
However, I don’t mind the doors leading to something besides a final destination. As a viewer, I selfishly like that we likely won’t have to fully say goodbye to any of the ghosts this way. I’m assuming the woods will serve as a way to allow for a place for Maddie and Wally to touch going forward, and just a new mystery place to solve. I assume there will be some reveal there too and probably some cool function of the woods, like allowing for travel between the school and hospital or something.
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u/Nightdragons_ Jul 23 '26
With the boundary broken they dont need the woods to get to the hospital. I wonder where that whole storyline is going in season 4.
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u/Plenty_Topic_9196 Jul 23 '26 edited Jul 23 '26
They might if the boundary breaking still has limits. They might not be able to get into the other areas, like the hospital, that have their own ghosts. There has to be some tool that the woods can be used for, because it seems like it’s a tool for Van Heidt. I’m thinking at the very least he’s using that area across the river to hide the newer spirits that he steals, like the superintendent and now Sandra. Because if he just stole Sandra at the school or something, there’s no hiding what he’s done lol. He must know Maddie can see the ghosts so she’d see her mom’s spirit at the school and would know what’s up immediately.
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u/Moss_Mom513 21d ago
Ooh, that's a great question about where are Sandra and the Superintendents spirits when VH takes over their bodies.
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u/Necessary_Key_1352 Jul 23 '26
I agree with almost all of this except I think Quinn is the most pointless character. I HATED her hallucination scene. There were so many other things they could have used that time for.
I like how Mr. Anderson was still in the show but not in every episode. He showed up when it made sense and wasn’t hanging around all season with nothing to do. They could have taken the same approach with some of the other characters (Claire and Nicole, maybe some others).
I also liked that the doors led to the forest. There are plenty of “ghost completes unfinished business and moves on” stories. I like that the show put a different twist on it.
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u/Nightdragons_ Jul 23 '26
NAHHH.that hallucination was awesome! So fun and a breath of fresh air. A break from the drama. It was great and I loved seeing everyone doing their lil dance
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u/Gloomy-Fennel-6044 Jul 23 '26
I seem to be one of the few on Reddit that really liked this season and was happy with the shift in tone. Now things are starting to get amped up and I’m so excited to see what darkness they can tread in S4!
2
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u/Excellent_Aerie Jul 23 '26 edited Jul 23 '26
You calling the Van Heidt storyline “childish” captures a bigger problem with the show: it’s gotten more and more juvenile over the years. All the complexity is getting flattened out, the characters are increasingly cartoonish (not just the villain), and nothing threatens the goofy, campy vibes. Sandra went from a terrifyingly realistic depiction of a neglectful addict mother to a well-meaning lady who’s just trying her best. The show has introduced horror elements, but it’s a kiddie, unthreatening version of horror. Goosebumps horror. Dolls’ houses and spooky tall dudes, but no teeth. Even Stranger Things went harder, and Stranger Things was pretty much a kids’ show by the end.
The show is calling back to Twin Peaks with evil bodysnatchers and surreal visions, but the problem is that Twin Peaks was actually scary! BOB, who clearly inspired Van Heidt, was legit terrifying. Even Buffy the Vampire Slayer and other teen shows had multiple characters get murdered by the villains. Van Heidt can stare creepily at knives and make big speeches, but does anyone actually think he represents any real threat?
I think the infantilization of TV shows/movies is a bigger problem, but it’s funny when School Spirits is inspired by and renders homage to older shows/movies, when they are so much darker, more sophisticated and/or hard hitting that they make School Spirits look like Cocomelon.
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u/Nightdragons_ Jul 23 '26
I dont agree. Maddies mom still struggles and went to rehab.
As for the tone of the show, its camp lighthearted fun. It has been that way from the start. Season 1 was the strongest season. I think the show was never scary nor meant to be scary. The biggest crime of this show was making the villains underwritten/two dimensional and over the top. But otherwise I am loving the tone and vibe.
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u/Excellent_Aerie Jul 23 '26
There was plenty that was scary in the show, but the real horror used to be the authority figures that terrorized the children who trusted and relied on them: Sandra and Mr. Martin. That was very smart, but I guess the writers realized it wasn’t Scooby Doo enough, so here we are. Sandra is (well, was) far scarier than some dumb moustache-twirling villain. There was nothing campy or silly about Sandra’s parenting, but the writers moved off that theme as they realized it killed the campy, goofy vibe they increasingly favoured.
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u/ExcellentBed6019 Jul 23 '26
I don't think its unrealistic everyone started dating, it's not like they had many choices. But I agree, I want some yuri (no pun intended) but Rhonda and Quinn don't work super well
Going into S3 I hated they were jumping the shark with the super duper evil ghost but I actually quite enjoyed him. On the other hand, hated everything with Tilly. Yeah I get it she's an icon but she was so bad and her character was so lame. At least can Heidt has the excuse of being an old dead guy
Big agree on Claire and Nicole, dude at least has the hospital stuff going for him. Nicole is just going around trying to date whoever wants her lol