Mike Flanagan's new series The Midnight Club, about a group of terminally ill young adults living in a hospice, is Netflix's latest sensation. Based on the Christopher Pike book of the same name, it is equal parts sweet and scary with its heartfelt message and record-breaking number of jumpscares. But even for a series built on mystery and suspense, nobody could've prepared viewers for its ending.
In true Flanagan fashion, it is shocking, and fans have questions. Who is Dr. Stanton (Heather Langenkamp)? And who are the ghosts that haunt Ilonka (Iman Benson) and Kevin (Igby Rigney) throughout the show? Here we answer those questions and more in an attempt to tie up The Midnight Club's (many) loose ends. But first, a recap.
The Midnight Club follows Ilonka, a teenage girl who learns she's terminally ill in episode one. Instead of undergoing trials and treatments, Ilonka decides to go to Brightcliffe Hospice after hearing about a girl called Julia Jayne (Larsen Thompson) who left the hospice miraculously cured back in 1968. At the hospice, Ilonka meets Dr Stanton, the hospice founder; Shasta (Samantha Sloyan), a hippie who lives nearby and owns her own naturopathic company; and her fellow patients, who invite her to join their Midnight Club, a club that — as the name suggests — gathers at midnight in the library to tell stories and "create ghosts."
In the hospice library, Ilonka comes across a diary that reveals details about a cult called the Paragon, which operated in the building in the 1930s. Ilonka is intrigued by the Paragon and comes to Shasta with her findings. Shasta, who is spiritually inclined and sports a Paragon tattoo on her wrist, distances herself from the cult, claiming it "went off the rails" and that she represents "something older" (referring to the Paragon's origin as a group of people interested in naturopathic alternatives to science-based medicine). She then teaches Ilonka about the five Greek goddesses or sisters of healing. With this new knowledge, Ilonka encourages her friends to perform a ritual to save her roommate, Anya (Ruth Codd).
The ritual fails, but Shasta assures Ilonka of Brightcliffe's healing properties. Ilonka hears a patient is no longer terminally ill and believes it is her. After she finds out the patient is actually Sandra (Annarah Cymone), she is devastated, but Shasta — who reveals herself to be Julia Jayne, the girl who left Brightcliffe miraculously cured — says she can save her. In the penultimate episode, Shasta reveals her true colors when she encourages Ilonka and three other women to perform a ritual that she claims will cure Ilonka but is actually set up for her own benefit: Shasta is sick again. Shasta gives the four women tea laced with poison, however, Ilonka, suspicious of Shasta at this moment, doesn't drink the tea. She's interrupted by Dr Stanton, who performs CPR on the other three poisoned women as Shasta makes a break for it.
Who Is Shasta?
Shasta reveals she is Julia Jayne in the ninth episode, though viewers who were paying attention might've realised sooner. For an outsider, Shasta certainly knew a lot about Brightcliffe, including information about Dr Stanton and where to find certain books. Another clue was her obsession with natural remedies and Greek mythology, not to mention the Paragon tattoo she convincingly explained away.
The final episode reveals what happened to Julia during the week she went missing from Brightcliffe and returned cured. Julia, who was suffering from cancer, tracked down Paragon founder Regina Ballard (Katie Parker) — who calls herself Aceso after the Greek goddess of healing — to ask for help. She learned about Regina through Regina's daughter Athena's diary (the one Ilonka finds in the library). Julia asks Regina where Athena (Emma Tremblay) is now, and Regina replies bluntly, "We don't speak." Episode five revealed that Athena called the police on her insane mother long ago, leading to the latter's detainment. The question of Athena's whereabouts remains a mystery (but not for long). Regina grants Julia her wish — we don't know how she cures her exactly — and the two concoct a story about her absence. Shasta is a believer of the original Paragon cult after all.
Who Is Dr. Stanton?
It turns out that Dr Stanton isn't as shady as Shasta led viewers to believe, though she does have many secrets. Dr Stanton knows more about the Paragon than she lets on, though that's obvious from her reaction to Ilonka finding Athena's diary (she confiscates and burns it). What isn't so obvious is that she herself is Athena, the estranged daughter of Paragon leader Regina. Granted, this is strongly hinted at as opposed to confirmed outright and raises some unavoidable questions about Dr Stanton's age (if Athena was born in 1924 and the series is set in the 90s, why does Dr Stanton look to be in her fifties?).
In the final seconds of The Midnight Club, it's revealed Dr Stanton has been wearing a wig this whole time, and under it, on the back of her neck, is a tattoo of the Paragon's hourglass symbol. Episode five revealed that the only two people who have the symbol tattooed here are Athena and her mother; ordinary members have the symbol on their wrists. The same episode revealed Regina, like Dr Stanton, also wears a wig, suggesting whatever condition Dr Stanton has is genetic. But unlike her mother, Dr Stanton is good at heart and rejects Regina's teachings. She represents science, whilst Regina and Shasta represent spirituality. She teaches the teenagers to make peace with death, whilst the latter teach (and use) immoral methods to fight it. Ultimately, Dr Stanton's belief is shown to be the right one, as thanks to her, Ilonka ends the series finally ready to accept her fate. And as depressing as that sounds, it's better than her sacrificing a bunch of people to change it.
Who Are the Ghosts?
Throughout the series, Kevin and Ilonka are haunted by the ghosts of an elderly man and woman. They are the only Brightcliffe residents who see these ghosts, and it's unclear why. The finale leaves this question unanswered but at least reveals the ghosts' identities. Near the end of the episode, the camera lingers on a framed newspaper clipping from 1898 which depicts the original owners of Brightcliffe: Stanley Oscar Frelan and Vera Frelan. And what do you know, they look exactly like Kevin and Ilonka's ghosts.
In Pike's book, the elderly ghosts represent past members of the Midnight Club, and speaking of these ghosts, Rigney (who plays Kevin) told TheWrap, “I think the main theme with that idea is rebirth and the idea of soulmates or people who are meant to be together. Hopefully that’s where that’s going."
What Is the Significance of the Statue?
A requirement of the Midnight Club is that when a member passes they must send a sign from beyond. In the final episode, Rhett (Daniel Diemer) comes to collect a box of Anya's things, including an old ballerina statue which had its leg broken when, in an argument with Rhett, she threw it. The leg that broke is the same leg Anya eventually lost to cancer. When Ilonka gives the box to Rhett, he notices the statue is fixed, almost as if it was never broken. Ilonka is stunned and takes this as Anya's (very metaphorical) sign from beyond.
Viewers were also shocked, as until now, most supernatural goings-on had logical explanations. Sandra wasn't cured by the ritual, she was misdiagnosed before it; Shasta isn't cured either, she's sick again; Spencer (William Chris Sumpter) didn't hear ghosts through the intercom, it was Sandra, and even Kevin and Ilonka's ghost sightings are put down to shared delusions. Anya's message from beyond raises some important questions we can only hope another season tackles.
The Midnight Club is available to stream on Netflix.