School Spirits Season 3 is now streaming on Paramount+ with its first three episodes, and, as many fans hoped, it revealed that Wally did not take his door out of the afterlife—which means that Wally and Maddie's relationship still has a chance. Though there's one key hiccup that might see it from ever sticking around: Maddie is now in the land of the living, and Wally remains a ghost in the afterlife.
The Direct interviewed School Spirits stars Peyton List and Milo Manheim, where they talked about Maddie and Wally's "doomed" relationship in Season 3.
Peyton noted that it was "just fun to play that level of like, this is doomed, and this will never be able to happen."
Manheim added that they've "sort of been describing [the situation] as a tragedy." The star teased that he thinks Maddie and Wally's relationship "gets increasingly complex" throughout Season 3, and that "it's a very unique" situation.
Despite how hopeless their love might seem as the story continues, Milo Manheim explained that "they're both being very caring about the relationship," which the actor feels "is healthy for how unhealthy the whole situation is."
More of The Direct's interviews with the cast of School Spirits Season 3 can be read below, and include coversations with Peyton List (Maddie), Milo Manhehim (Wally), Rainbow Wedell (Claire), Kiara Pichardo (Nicole), Spencer MacPherson (Xavier), Sarah Yarkin (Rhonda), Nick Pugliese (Charlie), Ci Hang Ma (Quinn), Jennifer Tilly (Dr. Hunter-Price), and Josh Zuckerman (Mr. Martin).
Milo Manheim and Peyton List on Maddie and Wally's Evolving Relationship in Season 3
"This Is Doom, and This Will Never Be Able to Happen."
- The Direct: "The love story between both of your characters is obviously a key element of the show's narrative. Can you both tease how that relationship is going to evolve throughout Season 3, and kind of how it's going to differ from what we've seen previously?"
Milo Manheim: I think it gets increasingly complex, their relationship. It's very unique. We've sort of been describing it today as a tragedy, the situation. I mean, they are literally in two different worlds, and they're looking at what they want from themselves, from each other, what is possible in this world and their future, what is best...
But I think they're both being very caring about the relationship, which I appreciate, because it's not just like, Let's do whatever it takes, or whatever. It's like, do we want to do whatever it takes? Is this what's best? Which I think is healthy for how unhealthy the whole situation is. But it's definitely a very unique dynamic.
Peyton List: It's so fun to play because nothing feels more epic than falling in love at that age. And so [it's] just fun to play that level of like, this is doomed, and this will never be able to happen.
How Maddie's Relationship With Simon's Changes—And How Wally's Starts
"[Wally] Has This Really Unnecessary Hatred for Simon."
- The Direct: "Simon swapped to the land of the dead. Peyton, for Maddie, how does that affect their relationship and change that dynamic? And then Milo, for Wally, what is that dynamic like in that relationship, and how is that going to surprise fans?"
Peyton List: Simon is now in Maddie's position, but he's alive, and there's so much that can happen to him, and so she's just so worried about him. I feel like he does not care about his own well being, and is just tossing it all aside. So, it's just a really stressful situation for her.
Milo Manheim: While Wally has grown so much and become a much more understanding person as time has gone on, he just has this really unnecessary hatred for Simon, I think, just because of the insecurity and jealousy, the last remaining bit of that left in Wally.
Because he loves Maddie so much, and it's hard for him to see her love somebody so much. And he gets frustrated by it, but he realizes very quickly that it's a completely different types of love situation... And he knows what's best for her.
And I also just loved working with Kristian [Ventura]. We're such different actors, people, and characters. The new dynamic is great. I had no idea that this was gonna be Wally's sort of journey this season. I'm happy it was, yeah.
Trouble Ahead for Charlie and Yuri's Relationship In Season 3
"[We] Really Go Through [the] Downs of Being In Love With Somebody the First Time."
- The Direct: "Yuri and Charlie's relationship is always fun to follow, but Season 3 introduces some road bumps for them to say the least. Can you talk about how these new episodes will kind of evolve their relationship and the journey that they do go on?"
Nick Pugliese: I feel like we've seen him in the first two seasons really deal with being insecure and how that looks internally. And now we get to see how it reflects when there's somebody else who is not responsible for his emotions, but is there to take them... I think it's pretty true to life that sometimes you start to take it out on the people who are closest to you if you have some things that you need to work through. And it was interesting to read those scenes. I was excited to get to yell at Miles [Elliot] a little bit.
Miles Elliot: I think Nate and Megan and Oliver and all the writers created such a nice love story with these two. And I think this season is nothing short of that. I think they write them in a realistic way and in a way that two people who are in love with each other operate and what happens when you find out something you don't necessarily like about your partner, or something you feel insecure about, and how you share those things and move through those things, especially as teenagers who aren't teenagers, I think there's a lot to play with and throughout the entire season... [We] really go through [the] downs of being in love with somebody the first time. And I think that's really beautiful to explore, and it was really fun.
School Spirits Stars Address That Massive Bus Twist
"It's Really, Really Cool How Everything Ties In..."
The first three episodes of School Spirits revealed that Josh Zuckerman's Mr. Martin was involuntarily responsible for the bus crash that killed Quinn and their fellow bandmates—a reveal that recontextualizes some key elements of the show. Zuckerman himself opened up to The Direct's Russ Milheim about how "shocking" that was to him:
Josh Zuckerman: That was shocking. I mean, and I was also very excited, right? Even you read [it] and you go, 'Oh, okay, I didn't know they knew about the kids with the—I knew about the bus, and I was always curious about them, the band out there and how they died. But I just thought, 'Oh, it was the bus crash.'
But it's so interesting how something set up in the first season— It's just like, oh, there's these kooky kids, and they're the band, and they're always playing and they're stuck in a loop, and then they end up being something like a huge, significant plot point, and related, of course, to Quinn's storyline as well. So it's really, really cool how everything ties in and progressively complicates in a way that feels very satisfying.
The full interviews with the cast of School Spirits Season 3 can be viewed below:
