'I thought they were going to go in a romantic direction': School Spirits season 3 star confirms a Maddie-Simon relationship could have happened — but Wally isn't the enemy

Poor, poor Simon (Kristian Ventura). Not only has he crossed over to the afterlife in School Spirits season 3, but best friend Maddie (Peyton List) is hardly talking to him. It doesn't take a genius to see that this might have something to do with Maddie's crush on Wally (Milo Manheim), even though the show's drama is coming thick and fast from all directions.

But it wasn't always this way. When we were introduced to Maddie and Simon back in season 1, they were inseparable, completely intertwined regardless of what was happening around them. Circumstances have always changed, so why is the show choosing to push Simon away now? I spoke to Kristian Ventura about the developments in season 3 to get his take.

His own storyline is coming into its own, but the reasoning feels more than that. It seems that fans online are right – the focus is on giving Maddie and Wally a chance to romantically connect, and that means there's simply no room for Simon.

Not only does this feel like the right decision according to Ventura, but the Paramount+ show could have made Maddie and Simon the endgame… just don't wish for that now.

'Maddie and Simon still can't live without each other'

"I agree that the romance for Maddie and Simon certainly is a different kind of love completely," Ventura tells me. "It's almost competes, but it doesn't because there's only so many hours in the day, right? Maddie has to delegate her time either to one or the other [Wally]. She even prefers the afterlife and doesn't want to return to her friends, or part of her doesn't, at least. To me, it's two different kinds of love.

"But I feel like Maddie and Simon can't live without each other. That's the punch line – without the other person, they don't even know what to think and do. They're so dependent. Simon's the childhood friend that knows her every move, whereas Wally makes life better for her. He makes it pink and funny and full of flowers and jokes. There's value in both. But I did think in season 1, that they were going to go into the romantic direction, quite honestly."

Personally, I'd much rather see Simon go his own way rather than being caught up in the crossfire of Maddie and Wally. As Ventura points out, platonic love is just as important and valuable as romantic love (if not more), but ask Manheim and there's room for Simon in Wally's solo story.

In fact, it's Simon that's making Wally see what's what.

"I think Simon needs needs Wally, and they do develop a camaraderie faster than people think. It's pretty instant," Ventura agrees. "You can call Simon as brave as much as you want, but there's nothing funny about what's under that school. It's so f**king terrifying that you don't even have to act. They built this set, and it's so scary I didn't even want to be in the green room."

Team bromance, if nothing else.

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