School Spirits has always focused on the unique connection that its main characters, Maddie (Peyton List) and Simon (Kristian Ventura), share.
When the series started, it was revealed that Simon could see Maddie's spirit in the afterlife—something the other ghosts at Split River High had never seen before. But why?
Well, according to the series, the reasoning behind it all was their strong personal connection. Not only are they best friends, but it's clear they are each other's true soulmates.
The Direct sat down with star Kristian Ventura, who helped to explain in his own words why Simon can see Maddie.
Why Exactly Can Simon See Maddie?
"It Comes Down to the Types of Love That Are Out There."
- The Direct: "It's long been established that Simon can see Maddie in the afterlife, obviously, but as Season 2 unfolded, it just becomes even clearer how rare of a connection that is. Can you kind of explain, in your own words, with the these first two seasons that have unfolded, just why exactly is Simon's connection so special that he is able to see Maddie where, like 99.9% of the rest of existence never gets that interaction with anybody, even close people that die with them."
Kristian Ventura: I guess it comes down to the types of love that are out there. You meet a lot of people in life, and you say you love them, but their love, to me, is just, it's at the top. It's the kind of love where you let loyalty decide the day for you.
I don't mean to be ambiguous, but it's like, when you're bounded by loyalty, things get decided that way. Oh, I don't like that you did that. Well, I'm still going to be your friend. That's needed. In a relationship... or a marriage, it's I hate that you screwed me over, but till death do us part, honey and that is what that commitment is. Now, are they married? They're not, not yet. Maybe he wants that, I don't know...
What am I trying to say with their love? It's that there are too many moments where Simon runs in the dark for her. I remember in Season 1, he saw some figure in the forest, and he just ran, and he knew it was the killer. And I was like, I watch all these YouTube videos of what it looks like when people rob a store, and as soon as the shooter enters the liquor store, everyone backs. Why is Simon charging? Why does this guy charge?
And I think it's because he needs her, their conversations, the way they walk, the everything that they do, they just fit. There's a twin flame. And I think she needs him, certainly on a practical level, getting all these things done for her and bringing Janet to the school. But my last example is as he's looking at the phone and saying, I have proof that you're alive. Get away from me. And she goes, You're not crazy. In Episode 1, you're not crazy. I'm here.
This guy literally has to deny his own mind in order to believe her, and he does. He chooses his heart over evidence, and that is the definition of insanity. And to me, that's the definition of love because it has nothing to do with your brain. I'm going to deny all this evidence because I love you. Yeah, that's love. You go crazy for it. So it has nothing to do with choice or intelligence. It's just loyalty and old, ancient, archaic romance, yeah?
Maddie and Simon's Cut Backstory, Explained By Kristian Ventura
School Spirits Season 2 Almost Revealed More of Their First Meeting
- The Direct: "You mentioned that they cut out some of Maddie and Simon's backstory. I had to ask about that. What don't we know? How did they meet? Can you say anything about that?"
Kristian Ventura: There was a monologue where Janet was standing on the edge of the dock, and Simon was looking at her and had to convince her to go back to the school because everything needs to end. Now it's over. And the way he was trying to do that is just to appeal to her emotion.
He brought up the story of how he and Maddie first met. And you know what, there were a couple of rewrites. One of those things was, one of the rewrites was she saw a book that he was reading, and it was some, like, obscure, weird, Gothic historian thing, and they were in third grade. And then she was like, Really? I already finished that one. And he's like another human has read this book? They just connect like that.
But then I also think they changed it in the sense that Simon, as a young kid, had nowhere to go. A group of people are in the room. He's in the corner. They're playing dodgeball, he's the last one, He was just kind of pushed around and didn't really have anyone. But, you know, Maddie had such a good heart that the only person who wanted to talk to him was her.
And then ever since then, they kind of just made an agreement, you're my friend. Okay, you're gonna be my friend. And it was cute, but, yeah, I don't know, it was something like, it happened early, and it never broke even for a second because they needed each other.
What Would Simon Have Done If Massive Never Got Her Body Back?
"Season 3 Would Still End Up With Simon In the Afterlife..."
Warning - The rest of this article contains spoilers for School Spirits Season 2, Episode 8.
One key element of the School Spirits Season 2 finale is how Kristian Ventura's Simon is desperately trying to keep his friends (who The Direct spoke to previously about their crazy time in Episode 5) from moving Maddie's body—which is unoccupied by any particular soul.
Simon knows that if they move her across the school property line, Maddie will be lost forever if her soul doesn't make it back now. Despite that, every persists, worried that the body itself will die without help.
- The Direct: "Now, I can't imagine, just even watching the scene, I was like, What are you guys doing? The frustration that Simon [must have] had trying to convince everyone to stop moving Maddie. Obviously, this isn't what happened, thankfully for Maddie, but how vindicated would he have felt if like Maddie missed that window to return, and it was all because they kept moving the body, and you were like, we know this is bad."
Kristian Ventura: If Maddie never got her body back, Season 3 would still end up with Simon in the afterlife because the dude would off himself. He'd— right there on the spot. Oh, she's gone. I'm gone. He has no idea how life functions without her. And I wish we see a [few] more moments of the friendship before all the craze. Because that's the thing that we root for, because we know where it's all coming from.
But yeah, they cut some of the backstory with how they first met, but yeah, I mean, those paramedics were leaving him. He knew what the stakes were. He knew she needed to be right there in that school. But yeah, I remember when they filmed that scene.
All the ambulances were in one take because it was the last week of filming, so it really felt like the season finale. And then I remember when he's holding her body, and they're telling everyone, saying that her pulse has gone cold and that they need to move her. They picked the most PG version of what I did.
Ventura continued, explaining how he had actually tried a much more intense performance on the day, which ended up being dialed back:
Ventura: Oh, my God. What if I'm holding someone's dead body, I'm in shock. But instead, they picked this take where he's just kind of holding her. That was the fifth take. The first four takes Russ were, I mean, there was snot on Peyton's eye... Her mouth is open like this, snot in her mouth.
No, I was just, I was really going for it, and they kind of toned it down. And I don't know why they did that. I guess some of it maybe doesn't make sense in the cut, whatever they cut to, but yeah, so I'm sorry. I hope I convinced audiences in the finale because I want to bring it all the way to the 150th percent level with intensity.
But then when they drag you down, often audiences are like, Huh? Well, I wonder why they didn't take it there. It's like, I wanted to take it there. They didn't let me.
School Spirits Season 2 is now streaming on Paramount+.
