School Spirits season 2 is back with its fifth episode on Paramount+, and in this episode, Janet finds herself in a tricky situation. Meanwhile, Simon, Xavier, Nicole, and Claire work together to figure out how to lure Janet back to Split River High so that she and Maddie can swap bodies again. Elsewhere, Maddie and the teen ghosts try to learn more about Janet and body swapping.
Spoilers ahead from School Spirits season 2, episode 5!
Who did Mr. Martin swap bodies with?
The fifth episode kicks off with Maddie having a meltdown in the Split River High cafeteria, furious about Janet being inside her body. Then, the episode cuts to Sandra talking to Janet about inviting Simon and the rest of Maddie's friends over to the house so that they can see her. But Janet declines the offer. Sandra even tries to convince her to start seeing a therapist, but Janet remains resistant. Seeing that Sandra isn’t backing down, Janet finally gives in and agrees to have Simon and Nicole over.
After the opening credits, we return to Split River High, where Quinn sits at the bus stop, hoping her instrument will serve as the key to unlocking her scar. However, it doesn't work. In mid-conversation, Rhonda notices Janet's watch (aka Janet's key) on the ground nearby. She picks it up and takes it to the others. Since Mr. Martin had Janet's watch last, they now know for certain that he has left the school by taking over someone's body.
Simon meets up with Maddie and informs her that Sandra has invited him and Nicole to the house to see Janet. Furious, Maddie insists they need to gather the others and the teen ghosts to come up with a plan. They all meet in the school's auditorium and discuss their plan to get Janet back at the school so that she can swap bodies again with Maddie. They agree that to lure her back, they’ll need to learn more about her. Claire suggests that once they get Janet alone, they can try to persuade her to come back by telling her that Mr. Martin is no longer at the school and that Dawn already crossed over. Everyone in the room agrees with this plan.
Later, Nicole shows Simon, Xavier, and Claire a photo of one of Janet's old classmates (Eugene). She thinks that if they can track him down and talk to him, he might be able to help them find a way to convince Janet to return to the school and give Maddie her body back. However, Simon tells Nicole they should just stick to their original plan. Back at Sandra's house, Janet looks through Maddie's things and prepares for Simon and Nicole's arrival.
At Split River High, Maddie uses Janet's key to open up her scar in the boiler room. She thinks by entering Janet's scar, she'll learn more about her. In the scar, Maddie learns that Janet was a very intelligent student, specifically when it came to science. However, it was traumatizing for Maddie to be in the scar. We find out later that the reason Maddie was able to enter Janet's scar is because they basically share the same scar. In the band room, Rhonda and Quinn discuss Rhonda's past and her old friend. Rhonda tells Quinn that her old friend turned on her after she was killed and created a song mocking her death. However, this turns out not to be true.
Rhonda never listened to the whole song, so she thought her friend was talking about her in a bad way. Later in the episode, Quinn listens to the full track and discovers that the song is actually about Rhonda's friend expressing her guilt for not being there for her. Quinn shares this with Rhonda, and they have an emotional moment.
In the school library, Wally and Charley look through Mr. Martin's journals, hoping to find information about body swapping. Yuri approaches them and decides to help. After looking over some of the formulas in the journals, he discovers they're connected to serotonin and dopamine. He believes Mr. Martin used these neurotransmitters to carve out open access points. However, Charley cuts him off before he can finish explaining. In this scene, we also find out how Yuri died. He died from a severe asthma attack while in the school's greenhouse.
At a senior living facility, Nicole visits Eugene to gather information about Janet and the events leading up to the fire at Split River High. The episode then flashes back to the '50s, where a furious Mr. Martin loses control and lashes out at Janet and other students after learning he has been fired from his teaching job. After the flashback ends, Eugene reveals that Mr. Martin barely spoke to Janet after the incident. When Nicole asks if he believes Mr. Martin started the fire, Eugene suggests it was no accident. He implies that Mr. Martin started the fire on purpose.
It's nighttime now, and Simon, Nicole, Xavier, and Claire are heading to Sandra's house for dinner with her and Janet. Simon makes sure to set up a phone at Split River High so that Maddie and the teen ghosts can listen in on the dinner. However, Maddie can't listen to the conversation for long as she quickly becomes overwhelmed with sorrow and frustration over her situation. Wally chases after her. During the dinner, Janet tries her best to act like Maddie even though the others know who she really is. They try to get her to reveal herself by mentioning things that might excite her, like science, but she doesn’t crack. It's not until Nicole mentions Eugene's name that Janet's demeanor shifts.
She quickly makes an excuse to leave the dinner table and heads to the kitchen. Sandra follows her and asks who Eugene is to her. Janet remains tight-lipped, offering little information, and instead asks if they can wrap up the dinner early. Meanwhile, Simon, Xavier, Nicole, and Claire argue about what just happened. Xavier looks over at a nearby table and sees a picture of a young Maddie, Sandra, and a mysterious man. He picks up the photo and looks at it strangely. Could he recognize the man? Sandra enters the room and informs everyone that they're going to have to cut the dinner short because Janet isn't feeling well. Simon asks if he can say goodbye to her before leaving, and Sandra agrees.
Meanwhile, Maddie and Wally share a heartfelt moment in the school's natatorium. After stepping into Janet's scar and uncovering more about her tragic fate, Maddie begins to sympathize with Janet, even questioning whether she deserves to be here more than she does. Wally reassures Maddie that she deserves to be in the living world before they hook up in the pool.
Back at Sandra's house, Simon attempts to persuade Janet to go back to Split River High, but she brushes him off. He assures her that she can trust him, but as he speaks, she reaches into his pockets and finds his phone. Remember, the phone is still connected to the ongoing call with the teen ghosts at the school. In a fit of frustration, Janet throws the phone into a pot of boiling water, cutting off the ghosts from hearing any further conversation. She then demands that Simon and the others leave.
As Simon and the others are about to leave, Xavier asks Sandra about the photo he noticed in the house. Curious, he inquires about the man in the picture. Sandra explains that he was Maddie’s dad. Wait a minute! Wasn’t Maddie’s dad one of the people Xavier saw when he was briefly in the spirit world? I think so! After finishing his conversation with Sandra, Xavier immediately texts Nicole on the online paranormal discussion board as he walks to the car.
When Xavier mentions trying to throw salt on a ghost in his message—a tactic he actually attempted with Janet at dinner—Nicole instantly makes the connection that the person she's been texting is Xavier. Her suspicion is confirmed when she texts back, and Xavier checks his phone immediately.
Back at Split River High, Charley finally musters the courage to ask Yuri out. Meanwhile, Maddie and Wally walk through the halls when they overhear Mr. Anderson shouting expletives in his classroom. They enter the room, and to their shock, Mr. Anderson is able to see both of them. Uh oh! This can only mean one thing... He's the unfortunate person Mr. Martin swapped bodies with!
Then, we're taken back to Sandra's house. Simon, Xavier, Nicole, and Claire sit in a car outside, watching Mr. Anderson, aka Mr. Martin, walk up to Sandra's front door with a book. Mr. Martin tells Sandra that he heard Maddie is back and wants to give her the book. Sandra explains that she isn’t feeling well but still accepts the book. Before leaving, Mr. Martin tells Sandra he’ll return tomorrow to check on her.
The last scene of the episode shows Janet throwing out the trash when suddenly a bag is thrown over her head, and a hooded figure takes her away. Could the hooded figure be Mr. Martin? It seems likely!
School Spirits season 2, episode 6 is set to be released on Paramount+ on Feb. 20.