A training session turns into a real-life emergency on ABC’s Station 19 season six episode 10. “Even Better Than the Real Thing” will air on Thursday, March 16, 2023 at 8pm ET/PT.
Season six stars Jaina Lee Ortiz as Andy Herrera, Jason George as Ben Warren, Boris Kodjoe as Robert Sullivan, Grey Damon as Jack Gibson, and Barrett Doss as Victoria Hughes. Jay Hayden plays Travis Montgomery, Danielle Savre plays Maya Bishop, Stefania Spampinato is Carina DeLuca, and Carlos Miranda stars as Theo Ruiz.
“Even Better Than the Real Thing” Plot: A simulation fire training goes dangerously wrong. Maya tries to make amends, and Bailey encourages Carina to listen. Meanwhile, Jack’s sister shows up at the station with a friend, an injury, and an attitude.
Josh Randall in ‘Station 19’ season 6 episode 10 (ABC/James Clark)
Station 19 Description, Courtesy of ABC:
Station 19 follows a group of heroic Seattle firefighters as they put their lives and hearts on the line. The latest series from the executive producers of Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal, and How to Get Away with Murder takes us inside the tough, tight-knit and sometimes heartbreaking world of the city’s bravest first responders.
Rob Heaps and Jaina Lee Ortiz in season 6 episode 10 (ABC/James Clark)A scene from season 6 episode 10 (ABC/James Clark)Carlos Miranda in season 6 episode 10 (ABC/James Clark)Carlos Miranda, Barrett Doss, and Jason George in season 6 episode 10 (ABC/James Clark)Boris Kodjoe, Jaina Lee Ortiz, Josh Randall, and Johnny Wactor in season 6 episode 10 (ABC/James Clark)Barrett Doss, Boris Kodjoe, and Carlos Miranda in season 6 episode 10 (ABC/James Clark)A scene from season 6 episode 10 (ABC/James Clark)
It’s up to the team to stop an international scandal on ABC’s The Rookie: Feds season one episode 18. “Seeing Red” will air on Tuesday, March 21, 2023 at 9pm ET/PT.
Niecy Nash-Betts stars as Simone Clark, Frankie R. Faison (White Chicks) is Christopher “Cutty” Clark, James Lesure (Las Vegas) is Carter Hope, Britt Robertson (Big Sky) is Laura Stensen, Felix Solis (The International) is Matthew Garza, and Kevin Zegers (Transamerica) is Brendon Acres.
“Seeing Red” Plot: After a group of robbers steal a diplomatic pouch, Naomi and the Feds work to prevent an international counterfeit scandal. While Garza reconnects with an old friend, Brendon’s sponsor relapses, and he rethinks his relationship with Antoinette.
Juani Feliz and Niecy Nash-Betts in ‘The Rookie: Feds’ episode 18 (ABC/Raymond Liu)
The Rookie: Feds Description:
From the executive producers of flagship series The Rookie comes The Rookie: Feds starring Niecy Nash-Betts as Simone Clark, the oldest rookie in the FBI Academy. The spinoff was introduced as a two-part event during the fourth season of The Rookie, where Officer John Nolan (Nathan Fillion) and the L.A. division of the FBI enlisted the help of Simone Clark when one of her former students was a suspect in a terror attack.
Niecy Nash-Betts and Juani Feliz in episode 18 (ABC/Raymond Liu)Felix Solis, James Lesure and Elya Baskin in episode 18 (ABC/Raymond Liu)Niecy Nash-Betts, Juani Feliz, Britt Robertson, and Kevin Zegers in episode 18 (ABC/Raymond Liu)Niecy Nash-Betts and Juani Feliz in episode 18 (ABC/Raymond Liu)Jackie Jacobson, Kevin Zegers, and Genevieve Aitken in episode 18 (ABC/Raymond Liu)Britt Robertson and Kevin Zegers in episode 18 (ABC/Raymond Liu)
Jason Segel and Harrison Ford star in ‘Shrinking’ (Photo Courtesy of Apple TV+)
Apple TV+ has given the popular comedy Shrinking a season two order before season one even wraps up. “We have loved the engaging, touching, and hilarious world of Shrinking since the beginning,” said Matt Cherniss, head of programming for Apple TV+. “It has been wonderful to watch as audiences around the world continue to connect with these big-hearted characters.”
Jason Segel co-created the critically acclaimed series and stars opposite Harrison Ford, in one of his first series regular roles. The season one cast also includes Jessica Williams, Christa Miller, Lukita Maxwell, Michael Urie, and Luke Tennie.
Season one premiered on January 27, 2023, and will wrap up with episode 10, debuting on March 24.
Emmy winner Bill Lawrence (Ted Lasso) and two-time Emmy winner Brett Goldstein, loved by millions as Roy Kent in Ted Lasso, co-created Shrinking with Segel and all three serve as executive producers and wrote the first episode. Additional executive producers include Neil Goldman, James Ponsoldt, Randall Winston, Jeff Ingold, and Liza Katzer.
The Plot, Courtesy of Apple TV+
Shrinking follows grieving therapist Jimmy (Segel) who starts to break the rules and tell his clients exactly what he thinks. Ignoring his training and ethics, he finds himself making huge, tumultuous changes to people’s lives … including his own.
The official trailer for Showtime’s Yellowjackets dropped two weeks out from the premiere of the much-anticipated second season. The new trailer starts with an introduction by the cast and features Florence + The Machine’s new cover of No Doubt’s “Just a Girl.” It also includes screaming, chanting, and Shauna reluctantly admitting she is a murderer.
“I’m such a huge fan of Yellowjackets and this era of music, and this song especially had a huge impact on me growing up, so I was thrilled to be asked to interpret it in a ‘deeply unsettling’ way for the show,” stated Florence Welch about “Just A Girl” and Yellowjackets. “We tried to really add some horror elements to this iconic song to fit the tone of the show. And as someone whose first musical love was pop-punk and Gwen Stefani, it was a dream job.”
Yellowjackets season two will be available on demand and via streaming on Friday, March 24, 2023. It will premiere on Showtime on March 26, 2023 at 9pm ET/PT.
Season two stars Emmy nominee Juliette Lewis as Natalie, Critics Choice Award winner Melanie Lynskey as Shauna, Emmy nominee Christina Ricci as Misty, and Tawny Cypress as Taissa. Sophie Nélisse is Teen Shauna, Jasmin Savoy Brown is Teen Taissa, Sophie Thatcher is Teen Natalie, Samantha Hanratty is Teen Misty, and Courtney Eaton is Teen Lottie.
The cast also includes Liv Hewson as Teen Van, Steven Krueger as Ben Scott, Warren Kole as Jeff, and Kevin Alves as Teen Travis.
Yellowjackets newcomers Lauren Ambrose (Servant) and Simone Kessell (Obi-Wan Kenobi) will be season two regulars. Elijah Wood (The Lord of the Rings trilogy) is on board in a season-long guest-starring arc.
Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson created the award-winning thriller and serve as showrunners along with Jonathan Lisco. Lyle, Nickerson, Lisco, Ameni Rozsa, Sarah L. Thompson, Karyn Kusama, and Creative Engine’s Drew Comins executive produce.
Nuha Jes Izman, Samantha Hanratty, Alexa Barajas, Sophie Nélisse, Courtney Eaton, Nia Sondaya, Sophie Thatcher, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Steven Krueger and Liv Hewson in ‘Yellowjackets’ season 2 (Photo Credit: Kailey Schwerman / SHOWTIME)
Yellowjackets Season 2 Plot, Courtesy of Showtime:
Yellowjackets is the saga of a team of wildly talented high school girls soccer players who become the (un)lucky survivors of a plane crash deep in the remote northern wilderness. The series chronicles their descent from a complicated but thriving team to savage clans, while also tracking the lives they’ve attempted to piece back together nearly 25 years later, proving that the past is never really past and what began out in the wilderness is far from over.
In season two, two months have passed since Shauna gave Jackie the cold shoulder – to disastrous results. In the face of their deepening hunger and fear, the tension among our Yellowjackets has only grown worse. The harsh conditions of winter are intensifying by the day, and the psyches of our survivors are deteriorating just as fast. Threatened by the darkness of the wilderness – and the haunting memories of it in the present – our former state champs will be forced to make impossible decisions.
As they confront the horrible truth of what survival entails, the real nightmare for each of them will be to figure out who they are – and what they are willing to sacrifice in order to stay alive.
Helen’s continuing to adjust to her new bizarre secret life on CBS’s True Lies season one episode three. Directed by Anna Mastro from a script by Matt Nix, episode three – “Separate Pairs” – will air on Wednesday, March 15, 2023 at 10pm ET/PT.
Steve Howey stars as Harry and Ginger Gonzaga stars as Helen. The season one cast also includes Erica Hernandez as Maria, Omar Miller as Gib, Mike O’Gorman as Luther, Annabella Didion as Dana, and Lucas Jaye as Jake.
“Separate Pairs” Plot: Henry and Helen go undercover as billionaires when the Omega Sector team gets an opportunity to bring down a weapons dealer. Helen struggles to separate her home and new work life.
The Season One Plot:True Lies follows Harry Tasker (Howey), a first-class international spy for U.S. intelligence agency Omega Sector, and his wife, Helen (Gonzaga), a language professor bored with her daily routine, who makes the shocking discovery that her seemingly ordinary husband is leading an extraordinary double life.
With the secret out, Omega recruits Helen, who impresses everyone with her formidable skills (thanks to Tae Bo and yoga), and she joins Harry and his team of top-notch operatives, embarking on covert missions around the globe and an exhilarating life of danger and adventure – all while keeping their adventures a secret from their children. The renewed bond between them adds much-needed sizzle to the Taskers’ emotionally distant marriage and upends the top-secret world of Omega Sector.
But, as Harry says, if you’re going to save the world, you might as well do it for the ones you love.
The Scream franchise was meta before meta was cool. And with Scream 6, one of the franchise’s best entries, it manages to out-meta itself in surprisingly fresh ways – especially given that the first Scream arrived way, way back in 1996. That’s 27 years and four dozen-ish Ghostface kills ago.
Look, no one cares about Scream reviews. Is there a single fan who isn’t going to check out a sequel based on what a critic writes? The odds of finding someone who does that are about the same as the odds of the next Ghostface turning pacifist.
So, with that in mind, this review is going to be short, simple, and completely spoiler-free.
2022’s Scream stars Melissa Barrera, Jenna Ortega, Jasmin Savoy Brown, and Mason Gooding reprise their roles as Sam, Tara, and twins Mindy and Chad. The foursome moves to New York only to discover that putting thousands of miles between them and Woodsboro doesn’t stop Ghostface from hunting them down. All it does is give the mask-wearing psycho a nifty new location to conduct his/her slash-and-dash killing spree.
And holy cannoli, Ghostface takes advantage of everything NY has to offer.
Mindy lays out the basic Scream/Stab rules but then throws in a few new ones based on sequels, prequels, reboots, rip-offs, etc., etc., etc. Most notably, Mindy reminds everyone that legacy characters are no longer off-limits. Dun dun duuun! Anyone can die.
Any good Scream fan knows not to count out a character just because they’ve been stabbed dozens of times. Also, Scream fans know not to assume a gaping chest wound is fatal. With those rules in place, Scream 6 lets its freak flag fly and relishes in gory, gruesome, and gloriously entertaining mayhem.
Unlike some Screams, Scream VI or 6 – for those who despise Roman numerals – actually manages to keep things scary for the full length of this iteration of Ghostface’s reign. And it’s not just jump-scares and nervous laughter, there’s full-on horror and tension in director Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett’s second film of the franchise.
The core four are terrific, and the acting throughout is of a higher caliber than most slasher films. Courteney Cox’s Gale Weathers provides the requisite connection to Scream’s history, and Hayden Panettiere’s return helps fuel the badass women vibe.
Scream 6 is not just a worthy addition to the beloved horror franchise. I’d place it in the top three offerings of all Scream films, right after the original Scream and 1997’s Scream 2.
GRADE: B+
MPAA Rating: R for language throughout, brief drug use, and strong bloody violence
The Cure announced they’ve added a North American leg to their “Songs of a Lost World” tour. The band will kick off their North American dates on May 10, 2023 at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans. They’ll hit cities including Dallas, San Diego, Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, and Atlanta before wrapping up on July 1st in Miami.
The Cure’s just-announced leg includes 30 dates spread out over May and July. The Twilight Sad will join The Cure as the opening act on all North American shows.
Tickets will be available via Ticketmaster’s Verified Fan Sale (and we all know just how well that worked for Taylor Swift). The sale begins on Wednesday, March 15 and you’ll need to register to access the site. Per The Cure: “We have priced tickets to benefit fans and our efforts to block scalpers and limited inflated resale prices are being supported by our ticketing partners.”
With the exception of a few Hollywood Bowl charity seats, there will not be any “platinum” or “dynamically priced” tickets on this tour.
The Cure North American Tour:
MAY ’23
10 NEW ORLEANS, LA SMOOTHIE KING CENTER
12 HOUSTON, TX TOYOTA CENTER
13 DALLAS, TX DOS EQUIS PAVILION
14 AUSTIN, TX MOODY CENTER
16 ALBUQUERQUE, NM ISLETA AMPHITHEATER
18 PHOENIX, AZ DESERT DIAMOND ARENA
20 SAN DIEGO, CA NICU AMPHITHEATRE
23 LOS ANGELES, CA HOLLYWOOD BOWL
24 LOS ANGELES, CA HOLLYWOOD BOWL
25 LOS ANGELES, CA HOLLYWOOD BOWL
27 SAN FRANCISCO, CA SHORELINE AMPHITHEATRE
JUNE ’23
01 SEATTLE, WA CLIMATE PLEDGE ARENA
02 VANCOUVER, BC ROGERS ARENA
04 SALT LAKE CITY, UT VIVINT SMART HOME ARENA
06 DENVER, CO FIDDLER’S GREEN AMPHITHEATRE
08 MINNEAPOLIS ST. PAUL, MN XCEL ENERGY CENTER
10 CHICAGO, IL UNITED CENTER
11 CLEVELAND, OH BLOSSOM MUSIC CENTER
13 DETROIT, MI PINE KNOB MUSIC THEATRE
14 TORONTO, ON BUDWEISER STAGE
16 MONTREAL, QC QC BELL CENTRE
18 BOSTON, MA XFINITY CENTER
20 NEW YORK, NY MADISON SQUARE GARDEN
21 NEW YORK, NY MADISON SQUARE GARDEN
22 NEW YORK, NY MADISON SQUARE GARDEN
24 PHILADELPHIA, PA WELLS FARGO CENTER
25 COLUMBIA, MD MERRIWEATHER POST PAVILION
27 ATLANTA, GA STATE FARM ARENA
29 TAMPA, FL AMALIE ARENA
It’s happening, people! Maggie is ready to deliver on ABC’s A Million Little Things season five episode six. “mic drop” will air on Wednesday, March 15, 2023 at 10pm ET/PT.
The cast includes David Giuntoli as Eddie Saville, Romany Malco as Rome Howard, Allison Miller as Maggie Bloom, Christina Moses as Regina Howard, Grace Park as Katherine Kim, and James Roday Rodriguez as Gary Mendez. Stephanie Szostak is Delilah Dixon, Tristan Byon is Theo Saville, Lizzy Greene is Sophie Dixon, and Chance Hurstfield is Danny Dixon.
“mic drop” Plot: With the impending arrival of their baby, Maggie wraps things up at work while the guys help Gary set up the nursery. Regina’s efforts to help Dustin cause a rift with Rome. Katherine plans a surprise for Greta’s birthday.
Allison Miller and James Roday Rodriguez in ‘A Million Little Things’ season 5 episode 6 (ABC/Jeff Petry)
The Season 5 Plot:
As Rome Howard says, “Life isn’t just about the moments, it’s about who you share them with.” And as the fifth and final season of the beloved ABC drama series A Million Little Things unfolds, we’ll watch through laughter and tears as we bring this incredible journey to its conclusion. Along the way, we’ll explore the depths of friendship, love, and sorrow as we bid this special family of friends goodbye, once again proving that friendship really is a million little things.
Cameron Esposito in season 5 episode 6 (ABC/Darko Sikman)James Roday Rodriguez and Romany Malco in season 5 episode 6 (ABC/Jeff Petry)Colin in season 5 episode 6 (ABC/Jeff Petry)David Giuntoli and Romany Malco in season 5 episode 6 (ABC/Jeff Petry)Cameron Esposito and Grace Park in season 5 episode 6 (ABC/Darko Sikman)David Giuntoli in season 5 episode 6 (ABC/Darko Sikman)Grace Park and Cameron Esposito in the “mic drop” episode (ABC/Darko Sikman)
Mr. Anderson’s stalking behavior places him on the suspect list as Paramount+’s School Spirits episode three begins. He refuses to tell Simon (Kristian Flores) why he was lurking in the auto shop, and Simon’s spidey sense is tingling like crazy.
Maddie (Peyton List), on the other hand, refuses to consider Mr. Anderson a suspect. He bent over backward to help her out when she was alive and seemed to genuinely care about her, not just as a teacher but as a human being.
Angry mom Sandra heads to Sheriff Baxter’s house and demands to know why he’s called off the searches and only has one deputy assigned to Maddie’s case. She believes it’s because he’s worried about his upcoming election.
Xavier (Spencer Macpherson) heads off to school while at Split River High, Simon and Maddie debate Mr. Anderson’s status on the suspect list. Mr. Anderson has booted Xavier from Simon’s #1 spot, but Maddie insists he isn’t capable of her murder.
Simon’s gotten better at pretending to be on the phone, but he still finds himself apologizing to whoever’s in earshot when he says something weird out loud. Maddie reveals she’s locating new spots for them to talk by lingering in an area and checking to see if Simon notices her. The bus stop is the newest addition to the “Simon can see dead people” locations list.
Maddie promises she won’t check him out in the bathroom.
A flashback reveals a little more about Maddie and Mr. Anderson’s relationship. He’s a good listener and understands more than most teachers about what she’s going through with her mom. He also had an alcoholic parent and empathizes with her situation.
Back to current events and Xavier’s not welcomed back to school with open arms.
Simon asks Nicole (Kiara Pichardo) if she thinks it’s weird Mr. Anderson gave Maddie his number, and she’s not nearly as suspicious as he is. Nicole mentions that it looks like Mr. Anderson sleeps in his car, and Simon drags her along to distract Mr. Anderson while he searches the teacher’s desk for his keys.
Maddie attends a therapy session and since she’s a little down, Mr. Martin suggests a field day. “Everybody needs exercise, and as you’ll come to learn, we ghosts occasionally need to exorcise a few demons too,” he says to assorted cheers and groans.
Maddie doesn’t do sports and Wally (Milo Manheim) brings up American Gladiators. No one has a clue what he’s talking about, and he chooses not to be insulted by their lack of knowledge.
Simon looks around Mr. Anderson’s filthy car and finds the phone piece in his glove compartment. He didn’t take it to the police, and Simon tells Maddie that Mr. Anderson may be trying to tamper with evidence. He’s hiding something for sure.
A flashback shows Mr. Anderson helping Maddie in the middle of the night after a car crash. Simon had no idea Mr. Anderson rescued her and is upset that she still has secrets. They get into an argument and Maddie storms off, declaring she’ll solve her murder on her own.
Wally spots her and convinces Maddie to jump behind the wheel of a golf cart and race around school. They can run over anything they want, and it doesn’t matter since the living won’t see the damage.
Wally has her drive to the athletic fields and helps her crash into barrels full of water stacked up like a pyramid. The rest of the ghosts are also wreaking havoc on the equipment, and Wally reveals field day is actually “destroy the field” day. The ghosts get all their aggression out on the equipment. Even Mr. Martin gets in on the demolition.
After going full-on Tanya Harding on school equipment, Maddie tells Charley (Nick Pugliese) she’s upset over fighting with Simon about Mr. Anderson. Charley suggests that she speak with Rhonda since an adult she trusted is the one who killed her.
Maddie does as suggested and Rhonda (Sarah Yarkin) reluctantly opens up about her death. She describes Mr. Manfredo as the nicest man she had met…until she was accepted to Berkeley. Something inside him snapped and they argued about her leaving town. He murdered her and ultimately died in prison.
Elsewhere, Nicole freaks out when Maddie likes one of her photos. She immediately texts Simon and tells him she thinks she knows where Maddie is.
Nicole races over to an old, deserted factory full of graffiti. She calls out for Maddie but, of course, there isn’t any response. She looks out the window to the view in the photo Maddie liked and remembers when she and Maddie first found this cool hangout place. They both added their own graffiti to the building, and Maddie couldn’t stop praising Nicole’s artistic skills. Maddie was sure Nicole’s going to become a great artist.
Nicole is stunned when Xavier shows up and claims not to have any idea what she’s talking about when she brings up Maddie liking a photo. She thinks Xavier lured her to this secluded place to kill her – like he killed Maddie!
Xavier finally admits he followed her because he thought she found a clue. That still doesn’t explain who liked the photo using Maddie’s account. Xavier suggests it might have been Maddie’s mom using Maddie’s laptop.
Nicole and Xavier have a heart-to-heart conversation, and Nicole’s convinced they need to prove Maddie’s still alive to get everyone to stop talking crap. They agree to team up to search.
Simon confronts Mr. Anderson about the piece of Maddie’s phone, and Mr. Anderson confesses he doesn’t trust the people in charge. He’s not taking the piece to the police until he knows who he can trust.
Rhonda’s description of her death gives Maddie an idea. She looks through Rhonda’s yearbook and discovers Ms. Fields’s room – where she can talk to Simon – is where Rhonda died. So that means she can speak to Simon any place there’s been a death at the school.
Simon realizes that when the custodian told him the school has scars, he must have been referring to the multiple deaths on campus.
Maddie apologizes for how she acted earlier and admits he may be right about Mr. Anderson. She may have had a blind spot about him since he was her favorite teacher. Maddie thinks they should look around his classroom for any potential clues now that they’re a team again.
While searching, Simon asks why she didn’t call him about the car accident. She begs him to let it go and he agrees, but then she tells him the truth anyway. She didn’t crash the car; her mom did. Mr. Anderson helped her cover it up. Simon understands why she didn’t say anything.
They hear Mr. Anderson approach and Simon hides. Actually, so does Maddie, even though she doesn’t need to. Simon realizes that and as Mr. Anderson’s pacing while talking on the phone, Maddie leaves her hiding place so she can hear the conversation.
Meanwhile, Nicole, Xavier, and Maddie’s mom head out into the dark, scary woods to search for Maddie, armed with bear mace and flashlights. Nicole finds Maddie’s ticket to Night of the Living Dead, which has a big shoeprint on it. Sandra confirms it matches Maddie’s boots.
Mr. Anderson’s engaged in a heated conversation with someone. “You know what I shouldn’t have done? I shouldn’t have given Maddie the f**king money!” snarls a clearly frustrated Mr. Anderson.
Maddie has no idea what he’s talking about and claims she never asked him for cash. Simon points out Mr. Anderson thinks she did and maybe that’s why he killed her. Maddie spots something that looks off. It turns out Mr. Anderson has a secret compartment in the wall and inside is, as Maddie describes it, “a sh*tload of cash.”
Paramount+’s School Spirits episode two picks up with Maddie (Peyton List) shocked that Simon (Kristian Flores) can see her. Charley (Nick Pugliese) is equally surprised and says, “Holy f**k,” after witnessing the exchange. (Simon can’t see Charley, just Maddie.)
Being able to talk to the living has never happened before in the history of Split River High School. All three have a million questions, and Maddie immediately clears up the mystery of her phone. Simon doesn’t understand why Xavier was texting Claire, and Maddie explains they were secretly hooking up.
Nicole (Kiara Pichardo) barges in and can’t see Maddie. Simon doesn’t admit he’s talking to a ghost, and Maddie prompts Simon to go with Nicole to search for her body because they all need answers.
As Simon’s leaving the classroom, he turns back but can no longer see Maddie. Maddie’s confused, but Charley isn’t any help since this is brand-new territory. Charley thinks it might have been just a one-time thing.
Maddie runs outside to join the search party, hits the property line, and is sent sprawling back into the boiler room.
Charley suggests she keeps the fact she can talk to Simon to herself for now. The other ghosts might try and make her into a messenger service.
Over at the Baxter house, Xavier’s dad thinks his son should stay home from school. Xavier (Spencer Macpherson) believes that will make him look guilty. Sheriff Baxter confirms the DNA results are in and it’s definitely Maddie’s blood in the boiler room.
Meanwhile, the ghost support group meets and we learn another Split River High School ghost rule. The dead can eat food and drink.
Maddie interrupts their argument about food and asks if anyone’s talked to a living person. Charley tries to change the subject, and Mr. Martin (Josh Zuckerman) believes Maddie needs to start trying to let go. He thinks she should write her obituary, but Maddie thinks death is a good excuse not to do homework.
A janitor suggests to Simon that they should look under desks rather than in dark, scary places outside.
Xavier ghosts Claire.
Mr. Martin finds Maddie alone and looking out toward the water tower. He still insists she should try writing her obituary, and Maddie confesses she’s not looking for closure. She wants to continue investigating her death, and she’s worried about how her mom is taking her disappearance. It will probably break her.
The following morning, Maddie wakes up with Rhonda (Sarah Yarkin) in the teachers’ break room as the teachers arrive for school. Rhonda loves this time of day since there’s lots of gossip and juicy stories. Maddie learns from the teachers that her DNA matches the boiler room blood stains. The teachers seem to genuinely miss Maddie, but Rhonda suggests they’ll be over it in a week. Maddie’s adamant that she won’t be turned into a footnote.
“Simon wouldn’t let them,” says Maddie, rushing out of the room.
Xavier follows his dad’s orders and stays home. He also continues to ghost Claire.
Over in the cafeteria, Nicole (Kiara Pichardo) momentarily surprises Simon by talking about Maddie popping up out of nowhere. However, it turns out she’s just talking about in photos – not in ghost form. Nicole’s hanging onto the idea that Maddie’s still alive. In fact, she’s going to buy her a ticket for HorrorCon that weekend. Maddie would never miss a chance to listen to the director of The Babadook. (Maddie has excellent taste in horror.)
Maddie rushes into the cafeteria and Simon’s still the only person who can see her. He hurries away from Nicole at the table, and to everyone in the cafeteria, it appears as if he’s talking to himself. Maddie has him take out his phone so it doesn’t look weird.
Maddie admits it’s possible Xavier killed her, and Simon’s happy she’s finally come around to his way of thinking. She still doesn’t remember much from that day, and Simon fills in one gap in her memory. Her mom never found her when she came to school to see her on the day of her murder.
Maddie has a flashback to lying on the boiler room floor with her own blood dripping off the boiler onto her face. In the flashback, she stands up and looks at the blood and then has a vision of walking through the hallway, trying to talk to people, but no one responds.
Simon narrows the time frame down to between her leaving study hall (when she saw Xavier in his truck) and 8th period. Simon’s sure it was Xavier, and maybe Claire helped him – or maybe he killed Maddie to prove to Claire he loved her. Simon recalls Xavier skipped classes and wasn’t in 8th period.
They need to find some actual evidence.
Claire shows up uninvited at Xavier’s home, and he explains he can’t even look at his phone. It’ll look bad if anyone knows that she’s visiting him, and he confesses he’s scared of them finding Maddie’s body.
“Hey, we’re going to be fine,” says Claire. Xavier doesn’t respond. (Xavier + Claire = the killers? It’s looking that way.)
Simon searches Xavier’s locker and drawers at school and doesn’t find anything.
Sheriff Baxter arrives home with the news Maddie’s phone’s empty, so maybe it’s not actually her phone. Xavier’s dad wonders if his son’s keeping secrets and knows something about why this phone has nothing on it. He’s working hard to protect his son and needs him to tell the complete truth before things escalate.
Charley and Maddie watch the janitor clean her blood off the boiler. Maddie’s confused why Simon can only see or hear her in certain locations around school.
Later that day, Maddie rushes into Ms. Fields’ classroom and tells Simon the cops are in Principal Hartman’s office and have figured out it wasn’t really her phone. Simon requests a restroom break and meets Maddie in the old auto shop where Xavier used to hang out. Simon glances around and describes the auto shop as a perfect place to dump a body.
Maddie and Simon look for clues while discussing Maddie’s attraction to Xavier. Maddie has a flashback of making out with Xavier in an old car and being freaked out by a rat. Even though she asked him not to, Xavier dropped a large brick on the rat and killed it – while laughing.
Simon finds pieces of the back of what’s most likely Maddie’s real phone on the floor. They take a break from the old auto shop to get coffee, and Maddie thinks Simon should call the store and get her phone’s serial number.
Mr. Anderson (Patrick Gilmore) joins them and assures Simon that he won’t give up hope that Maddie’s still alive. He also reveals Maddie’s final essay blew him away. Maddie thinks Simon should give him the phone parts because he’s the only person they can trust.
Simon’s reluctant but finally agrees and shows Mr. Anderson the parts.
Rhonda, Wally (Milo Manheim), and Charley hang out by the school’s pool during swim practice. Maddie joins them and stares as Claire helps coach. They debate whether Claire killed Maddie on her own or did it with Xavier.
Maddie’s barely listening to their conversation and is fixated on Claire. Suddenly a swimmer’s in trouble and Claire dives in without hesitating to save her. It looks like the ghost crew will expand by one for a second, but Claire performs CPR and revives the girl.
Officers show up at school with search dogs to sniff around the football field. Simon watches it go down from Mr. Anderson’s class and thinks it’s just for show. They won’t find anything.
An officer and a dog arrive in the classroom and the dog reacts to something on Mr. Anderson’s desk. Anderson claims it’s Maddie’s essay that the dog smells and says nothing about any phone parts.
Xavier visits Maddie’s mom, Sandra, and confesses that he hurt Maddie by lying to her. But he denies having anything to do with her disappearance. He asks if Sandra has Maddie’s phone and informs her the police have a phone, but it’s not Maddie’s.
Simon tells Maddie he thinks Xavier’s father is covering up for Xavier and Claire. He also believes the dogs did a very superficial search, and the boiler room was cleaned up way too quickly. After seeing Claire save that girl, Maddie no longer believes she has it in her to kill someone.
Charley continues to hide that Maddie can speak to the living, even though Mr. Martin appears to be catching on.
Maddie and Simon check out the old auto shop late at night, searching for more clues. Maddie seems to have changed her mind about Xavier’s involvement, and Simon warns her she needs to see people for who they really are.
They find another piece of the phone on the ground and as Simon bends over to retrieve it, Mr. Anderson sneaks up behind him. Mr. Anderson thinks Simon should let the people in charge figure out what happened to Maddie.
Mr. Anderson is now vying for the top spot on the suspect list.
