Original subtitles

Previously on Skull Spirits. I don't think Maddie slept in her bed last

night. And I don't know where she is. I'll look for her. Oh, you're bleeding.

I'd sooner die again than set foot in that school.

Didn't Simon tell you that Don crossed over? I also promised that I'd give him

proof. What? Well, if you want Janet back here, you're gonna have to dig up

something. Maybe they're all connected.

It's a path.

This is the way into Don's scar.

I wish you would be stuck with me here forever.

Found ya.

Janet?

Janet!

Shit.

Janet!

What's going on? I can't find her. Oh no.

Janet!

Janet!

Where the hell is she? If I knew that, I wouldn't be yelling to the fucking dark.

Janet!

Janet!

how do they know your name

what

have you told them you know you can't trust them janet

you wouldn't have gotten on this boat with me if you did

wait somebody didn't run away it was just her body yeah claire what you're

telling me is insane okay we do not have time for this Please, I held out my end

of the deal. Now I need you to drive.

I'll drive.

But I got some questions for the road.

Smile, Janet.

We did it.

I know that this isn't exactly...

The version of getting out that we had imagined. But we now have a second

chance at life.

The future you always wanted.

But this isn't my body.

This isn't my life.

But it can be. It will be.

You should go.

You don't need me to escape.

Alone?

It's been doing me for 66 years trying to figure out how to cross over. We

couldn't.

But this, this, maybe this is even better.

Look, you know, I always said we need more time.

Well, now we have it.

In a way that counts.

You know, think of the difference we can make.

We deserve this.

Dawn crossed over.

She figured it out. It's not about that anymore.

And even if it were, do you even know where you'd be crossing over to?

Don't say that. You know, I saved you from making bad decisions in the past,

and I'm going to keep helping you do that. You're leaving. No.

You don't forget, Janet.

You owe me.

Ergh!

There were so many flowers.

You wouldn't have believed it.

It really was that beautiful, huh?

Yeah.

It wasn't scary.

It was... I don't know.

Peaceful.

Could it really be that simple?

You just walk through a door with an exit sign above it?

I mean, I haven't seen a door like that in any of the other Scars.

Have you? I definitely didn't see one in mine, but maybe there's a way to make

it, I don't know, up here.

Hey.

I'm sorry that I missed your reunion.

Oh, it's fine. If I'm going to take you on a date, I definitely want it to be at

a spot that's much nicer than that, so...

Like this.

So that's what this was all about?

Taking me on a date?

I just figured it couldn't hurt for you to get away for a couple hours.

You know, take your mind off everything.

Did you ever go to any of these places?

In real life?

No.

I did go to Minnesota one time for an away game.

It makes me sad that we couldn't have gone to any of these places together.

What do you mean?

We're here right now.

And suddenly the only thing I saw was you

I

didn't know the half of it

And suddenly I had everything to lose

Sorry.

I was really smart.

Okay, wait, sorry, one thing.

Yeah?

I'm just, I'm really happy right now.

Watching people pretend to sleep is considered socially unacceptable

behavior, you know.

What's wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?

I found something.

It's bad.

It's really bad.

What happened?

When... When my mellophone didn't get me into my scar...

I thought it was worth it to keep trying to find my key.

You found it.

It's my field marker.

I completely forgot about it.

I had left it in my uniform jacket.

Quinn, did you go inside?

Are you okay?

Um... It was... It was predictably horrible.

I guess I don't know what I was expecting, but... Not that.

Do you want to talk about it?

The thing is, it wasn't just the scar.

I found this inside the bus.

What are you thinking about?

Just everything waiting for me back at home.

Mom?

Dad?

It's also kind of hard not to think of everything waiting for me here.

I know.

I can make pancakes for you when the sun comes up.

You like pancakes?

Yeah. Well, I do too. I'm a big fan.

I can make you pancakes every morning.

I can make pancakes for you forever.

Well... I know.

I know.

I know this is probably selfish, but... I just want to say it one time, please.

Just say it one time.

Maddie, I want you to stay.

I really wish you would stay.

In this world, can I have blueberries in my pancakes too?

Yeah, I'm more of a banana guy myself, but you're the boss.

Oh, God.

I'm going to need you to peel yourselves off each other and come down to the

library. Stat.

What are we looking at?

Remember the missing page from Janet's journal?

Turns out our sweet old Janet had a sadistic streak.

She was going to lock us up, torture us, as an experiment.

That was their endgame.

So, what, you found this in the bus stop's car?

Inside the bus, yeah.

They must have hid it in there thinking me and the band would never get in.

Never find it.

She wanted to use us to get her and Mr. Martin out.

While we stayed here, caged inside a cage.

For her own gain.

And Mr. Martin's.

She's a monster.

Yeah, and if you two swap bodies, then that means that we're gonna be stuck

here with that monster for eternity.

Fuck.

Janet! Let's give her a few last...

Moments to be alive. Simon, I swear to God... I don't need you making me feel

any worse, okay? I was just... I don't know, I was trying to be a decent human

being. Janet!

Hey, let's keep yelling! We haven't done that enough. Whoa, okay, chill out,

aggro. Yeah, chill, savior. Thank you, Nicole. I'm not on your side either.

And I bet you're glad I brought my taser now, right?

Janet?

Take me to the school.

Now.

This is insane, right?

Which part?

Maddie might get her body back.

Yeah.

That's a sentence I never thought I'd hear.

You know, I kind of wish I could still write to Shredhead99 and tell him, well,

you and everything that's happened.

Me too.

What was that fisherman thing about?

In your last message, you said you saw... I saw Maddie's dad.

What? At the hospital.

When I flatlined.

I didn't put it together until I saw his picture at Maddie's house, but I mean,

it was definitely him. I messaged you because I didn't really know. You can't

tell Maddie about this.

Why? Well, if we want her to come back to us, you'll just be giving her more of

a reason to want to stay there, wherever she is. Nicole, I don't think it's that

simple. No, please, don't bring it up.

You'll just freak her out.

Did he ask about Maddie?

No.

He just asked me if I was staying.

What did you say?

Did you want to?

Good.

For the record, I'm glad it was you two.

No way I'm taking out the trash.

The bugs out there are the size of my head.

Janet?

What were you doing out there on the water?

Nothing.

The... blood.

Are you hurt?

I'm not just going to leave you guys here with someone who wants to lock you

all up. I'm sorry, isn't the whole point of getting her back here so that we can

get you back into your body? Yeah, we don't even know how that works. We don't

even know if we can do it. We're going to figure it out, okay? We will deal

with Janet.

If the opportunity presents itself for you to get back into your body, you have

to take it.

Right, Wally?

Hello? Hey, uh, Matty.

You're gonna want to come to the cafeteria.

Hi. Welcome back.

Oh.

You're all here.

How can she see us?

I guess technically she's still a ghost.

She can also hear you.

You can speak to me directly.

What happened to her?

Why is there blood on her hand?

She won't say.

You have some explaining to do.

Let's start with this.

I was hoping you'd never find that.

God, I can't believe I actually ever defended you.

Turns out you've been lying to us all along.

Hell, you even lied about how you died.

Why'd you lie about your death, Janet?

We didn't want anyone to know.

Know what?

That it was me.

I started the fire.

What? The fire that burned down the chemistry room?

I'm the reason why we are both trapped here.

I killed Mr. Martin.

Maybe twice.

It was an accident, the fire. At first I was overwhelmed with guilt, but...

Mr. Martin was kind and forgiving, so we tried to make the best of all the new

time we had in our afterlives.

Mr. Martin was the first to discover our hidden space.

He was hesitant to show me, but he took me in, and it was terrifying.

We wanted to understand what it meant, why it was there.

We wanted answers.

But for five years, we couldn't make sense of any of it.

Everything all right?

Fine, so we just kept ourselves busy the best we could oh geez Janet we get the

lights, please

And

the feeling of contentment and safety

it all ended that day did you feel that

we suddenly weren't alone anymore.

It was you, Rhonda.

And you looked so scared.

And I just, I wanted to help.

Are you okay?

Who are you?

What's happening?

Welcome.

To the Splendid River High afterlife.

I'm, uh, I'm afraid you've died.

I'm sure this is quite overwhelming, but it does get easier.

We're dead, too.

We... I am Everett Martin, a teacher here, and this is Janet.

Hi.

You see, I arrived here first, and Janet joined me a

couple of years later.

What happened to you?

She... She had a bad fall down a flight of stairs, didn't you, Janet?

Mm-hmm.

He lied to protect me.

And I allowed it.

Because a weight had been lifted.

We take care of each other here.

You don't need to see this.

Let's go.

I'm certain it feels like everything's changed.

But, as you'll see, part of the comfort of the curse is that nothing's changed.

Here.

Come along this way.

It's only natural.

It needs some adjusting time.

So then you just started stealing our keys right out from under our dead

bodies? We didn't know they were keys until that moment.

When we stumbled upon our personal hell, we had no idea what triggered it.

And then we saw Rhonda's letter and something just snapped into place.

We came to the conclusion that Mr. Martin and I must have a shared key.

His wristwatch.

He was holding it when he died.

So, like our shared key, we kept sharing the lie about

our death.

He was protecting me. So, all those years, in that circle together, you

couldn't trust us with all of this? With the truth?

Mr. Martin convinced me to keep it all a secret.

The keys, how he died, everything.

Now, what other secrets are you keeping?

Where is everyone?

Simon?

Xavier? Nicole?

This is bad.

I'll try calling her again.

Yeah, good luck with that.

Xavier?

Simon? Come on.

Nicole?

Simon?

Jesus!

Oh, Nicole.

I can't find him. Who, Simon?

No, no, Simon went to take Janet back to the school, and then Xavier went to take

out the trash, and now he's gone.

Shit.

Nicole, I saw Anderson in the parking lot when we stole Fabier. What? He had

to be heading up here.

Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey.

Freaking out is not going to help anyone, okay? We just need to find

Xavier and get out of here.

What if something's already happened to him? Like, what if he's out there and-

There's no way that Anderson beat us here, okay?

I'm sure Xavier's fine.

We just gotta find him first.

Okay, what about group? Was there even a point of sharing all of our personal

shit? What?

It was never a support group.

It was a control group.

That was just part of the experiment, too.

As the years went on, more students died and more rooms appeared. But there were

variables.

Things we couldn't control.

You okay?

Of course, I'm fine.

Dawn, thank you.

Was it really bad?

I saw you go in.

Seen you go in a bunch of times and finally went into my room too.

Pretty freaky how it gets everything so right.

Even down to the smell of the coffee.

How did you... People never think I'm paying attention, but I really am.

I saw the lights going bonzo and wanted to figure out why.

Why is that, you think?

What? The electricity.

Why does it go bonzo whenever someone's inside one of those creepy rooms?

You really went in it?

Weren't you scared?

I guess.

But high school was pretty scary, too.

So I always think about what my mom used to tell me whenever I had to do

something scary in school.

Like public speaking.

Or badminton.

She said...

Just close your eyes and pretend you're in a field of flowers.

I always picked your marigolds personally.

That conversation...

led me to this.

This theory. As well as mistakes.

What mistakes?

Pain is power.

What she said about electricity.

The lights.

I realized that the rooms, the scars,

they were fueled by trauma. That's what makes them exist.

That's what makes those objects stay and not reset.

How the hell did you go from flashing lights in clay pots to locking up all of

your friends in a nightmare on Elm Street?

I fucked up. I should have gone with him. I'm sure he's fine.

What was that?

Xavier!

There.

I think I saw him out there.

How the fuck did he get out there?

Go.

Me? You're on the swim team.

When do we get to the part where she says something even remotely meaningful?

Chill out, Rhonda, okay? We're all trying to get to the truth here. Don't

snap at me. I'm not the reason we're sitting around listening to a bunch of

half-hearted excuses.

Okay, what have you done for this conversation? Guys! Would you just shut

up? You said earlier you wanted to find a way out of here for everyone.

If that's true, then why did you keep it a secret?

She had to.

Whose side are you on?

Once a subject knows it's being observed, it changes its behavior.

Is that a real thing?

It's the Hawthorne effect.

How do you know that?

I've read about it.

And honestly, it sounds like Mr. Martin was using it on her as much as she was

using it on you.

Okay, but none of this explains your evil plan.

How did it go sour so fast?

Another variable.

So?

Who wants to share first?

Sure, I will.

Well, usually we would go to church for Christmas Eve and then we go to my

grandmother's for oyster stew.

Ew.

It's an acquired taste.

What a lovely memory.

Do we really have to do this, Mr. M?

I mean, it's the same song and dance every year.

We just talk about traditions and then we steal stale cookies from the

teacher's lounge and then we just go off and we feel miserable about ourselves.

Why miserable?

Isn't it nice being able to celebrate together?

All it does is remind us where we aren't tonight.

Home. With our families.

If our families are even still around.

Well, stale though they may be, I am off to get the cookies.

Janet, would you like to help me?

Sure.

Merry Christmas to you, Charlie.

Okay.

Give me that.

They're right, you know.

This tradition does make everyone sad.

Feelings are useful, Janet.

Even the negative ones.

You should know that more than anyone. You read it?

Does it make sense?

It's a fascinating hypothesis.

Trauma is energy.

I'm just a bit oversimplified, but it does have a nice ring to it.

We know that going into these rooms creates an energetic surge.

And we've been hypothesizing for years that the fence around the school that

keeps us from leaving is a sort of electromagnetic barrier.

So, if one enters these strange spaces, aggravates that energy, maybe if one

activates all of those spaces, all at the same time, creating an unbelievable

amount of power... We could overwhelm the hypothetical system, get beyond the

barrier, past the fence.

Maybe even make it disappear.

This is brilliant work, Janet.

It's truly very clever.

So, now all we have to do is figure out how to get them all in there at once.

What do you mean?

Your plan.

Oh, no, no, Mr. Martin. That's not a plan. It's purely theoretical.

Well, I didn't know.

But isn't that how all experiments begin?

We can't just lock them in there. That would be torture.

We're scientists, Janet.

Do you think Jonas Salk would have eradicated polio if he stopped to

consider the cost of discovery?

But we live with these people. We celebrate holidays with them. You just

told them that you are grateful to them. Control and experiments lead to greater

good.

And maybe the answer to crossing over is outside this building.

If we could get beyond the school grounds, we could go back to our

families. We could sit at their holiday gatherings.

They wouldn't see us.

But we could see them.

And maybe...

Finding the clues to resolve whatever's holding us from moving on to the next

plane, from crossing over. Mr. Martin, this... Didn't I promise you I'd get you

out of here?

Hmm?

Ho, ho, ho!

Time for refreshments, merry travelers!

What did you think was going to happen when you wrote it? I don't know what I

thought. I just...

I stopped trusting myself.

I lost myself in my partnership with Mr. Martin.

Our shared loss, our shared secret.

I never thought I could lose myself in a person like that.

But I did.

Well, where is he going?

Wait, where did Quinn go?

You're ignoring me. You're not even looping.

So what?

I'm so confused. What are you doing?

Everything's a mess now. And it's because of me. Quinn, this has nothing

to do with you. It does.

I found that page. I brought it to you. And now you're turning on each other. I

basically blew you all up. Quinn.

I've done this before, you know.

I joined the marching band.

So that I could feel like I was part of something.

And not feel so alone.

But pretty soon, I was causing tension in the brass section.

And before you knew it, the woodwinds hated me.

Because I pointed out that...

They were overpowering the xylophone.

But I had to say something because of the xylophone.

And then we all died.

And I died knowing that everybody was mad at me.

Quinn, you didn't blow up anything.

I just wanted to connect.

I didn't have that in life.

And it feels like I'm not gonna have it in death either.

That's why I went back to the marching band.

You don't feel anything when you're looping.

Listen to me.

You aren't alone, Quinn.

You never have to be alone again.

Look, I know that feeling.

Never quite... connecting.

But somehow... I've let you in.

So you can't just leave me now.

What are you doing?

What are you doing?

I brought her here.

Just like you asked. We're just sitting around talking.

What's the hold up?

I need to protect my friends.

Excuse me?

Your actual friends?

Your living, breathing ones are out there trying to help you.

And they might be in danger.

And there's no way for me to communicate with them because I'm stuck here trying

to help you.

Do you not... Do you not want to come back?

It's not that simple.

Is this because of Wally?

What?

Is this about Wally?

Unbelievable.

Look, Maddie.

I'm happy you found someone.

I really am, but... I miss you.

I miss our normal life.

Stupid fucking simple real life.

You don't think I miss you too?

I know how hard it's been on you.

On all of you.

But these people...

They don't have anyone else.

You know?

I have to think about their futures.

Okay, what about my future?

Hartman's about to suspend me.

And I basically gave up any shot at getting into Northwestern when I tanked

that interview because I was trying to help you. Yeah, I didn't ask you to mess

up the interview.

I was there trying to stop you. You just couldn't hear me.

I would never ask you to throw away your future, Simon, and I can't believe you

think I would.

You know what? If you want to go, fine.

Leave.

You've reached the Office of University Admissions.

Our office is currently closed.

Please leave a message after the beep.

Hi, this is Simon Elroy.

We met a couple weeks back. I'm sorry that I'm calling you this late.

Hoping you get this first thing Monday morning.

Look... I wanted to call you because I'd like to redo my interview.

I lost a friend recently, and it's been very hard.

So if you could call me back at your earliest convenience.

I don't want to lose this opportunity because it means a lot to me. So please

call me back.

Thank you.

Oh my god, Xavier, are you okay?

Help me.

Come on.

He's here.

Edison's here. Yeah, we figured.

We need to leave.

Don't move.

Not a single word, or this goes straight into his jugular. No, don't. I don't

want to hurt anyone.

Just give me your car keys.

That's it.

Do not follow me.

Were you just waiting to take all of our

keys the second we died?

And were you just waiting for another person to die? How many people were you

going to let die so that you could figure out your research before even

letting us help you, telling us the truth?

You good?

Yeah, man.

I'm fine.

How do you think you were protecting us by... You know she's doing this for you,

right?

What?

She's considering being here for eternity because of you.

Are you really okay with that?

Come on.

Was it me?

Was it something that I said or did that made you unable to trust all of us? No.

Charlie, it had nothing to do with you.

Nothing.

Okay, okay.

You said you wanted to stop Mr. Martin.

Right? Is that what happened the night of your birthday?

Rhonda heard you guys arguing. You were upset when you opened his gift.

That wasn't a gift.

That was a threat.

He was trying to remind me of what was at stake, of all the years of hard work.

That night, I knew that I couldn't convince him to abandon the plan.

But I was hoping that he would settle for a slight change of course.

I convinced him we could start small.

Rather than put everyone in their scars at once.

What if I just went into mine for greater periods of time more often

We

told you I crossed over to avoid

outside exposure anything that could impact our results

I'm not sure I can do this anymore.

But after a while, I didn't feel like a part of the experiment.

I felt like a prisoner.

I know, I know.

Please!

It seemed that the entire thing was going to be a failure.

Until one moment.

Mr. Martin was certain that my stoking of the energy hadn't impacted the fence

around the school, but it had very briefly thinned the veil between the

living and the dead inside the school.

And there was no stopping him.

Are you telling us you volunteered to go in there?

I did.

At first.

But then everything changed.

Once Mr. Martin realized that it was kind of working, I felt like there was

no way out.

And the only thing that was allowing me to get through it was knowing that it

was happening to me and not to any of you.

It was my burden.

It was my idea.

And if I was in there, it meant that you guys were safe.

And then... And then you showed up, Maddie, and I... I

needed to get out.

Okay? I wasn't trying to hurt anyone.

I just needed to get... Out!

Give her the key, Maddy.

I'm sorry that happened to you.

I know you can't take it now, but it's here when you're ready.

So you can get into your scar.

Once we do the swap.

You still think I have a chance at crossing over?

The only way out is through.

I wouldn't blame you if you never wanted to go back in there again.

I was there. I know how bad it is.

The charred walls.

Chaos.

And that woman.

Who is she?

What woman?

I don't know.

She was definitely from your time.

And she kept trying to tell me something, pointing out the watch.

No, there was never any woman.

Nor charred walls. Nothing you're describing sounds familiar.

But your scar is in the Fallout shelter, right? That's where the old chemistry

lab burned down?

Where you died.

Yes.

That's where Mr. Martin died, too.

Wait, you... You don't... I didn't go into Janet's scar.

It was Mr. Martin's.

No way.

Maybe.

You have to go. You have to go.

Maybe he didn't have his wristwatch on when he was dragging me inside.

A subject needs to have their key on them in order for the door to open.

So if that's not your key...

It's Mr. Martin's.

Oh, my God.

So, what's Janet's key?

Can it be a person?

Yes! Yes, I got bars.

Hello? Oh, thank God. Hey. Hey, it's me. Xavier, are you okay?

I've been trying to call you all night. Simon, yeah, yeah, we're fine.

Sort of. But listen, Anderson was here. Are you okay?

He threatened us. It's a long story, but we lost him and he took Diego's car.

Shit. Yeah, shit. Now we're stranded in dead freaking nowhere.

Okay. I don't think I could get you guys. What if he comes back here?

Fuck, fuck, wait. What do you mean you can't come get us? Simon, is Matty back?

Did it work?

No. No, not yet.

Long story.

Look, I need you guys to get here as soon as possible, okay?

I gotta tell Matty that we lost him.

You gotta find a way to get here.

Simon? Maddie, we need to talk.

No, listen, I'm sorry.

I'm so, so sorry. The truth is... Yes.

It is about Wally.

But it's also not just about Wally. It's about everything that's happened here.

Everything we've been through.

I know I've asked too much of you. I know that. But I need you to bring Mr.

Martin back here.

He's Janet's key.

She needs him to cross over.

If we can get him back here, she'll give me my body back.

It may be too late.

It's all about the devil, and I've learned to hate him so.

She said he causes trouble when you let him in the room.

He will never, ever leave you if your heart is filled with gloom. So let the

sun shine in.