THE MIDNIGHT CLUB Producer Mike Flanagan Reveals Story Details For The Canceled Season 2 — GeekTyrant

AMESH

Season 2 would open with Amesh, his glioblastoma advancing rapidly. He would inform the primary story of the season, however can be struggling to make it by. We’d give attention to his love story with Natsuki for these first few episodes because it turns into clear that Amesh’s loss of life is imminent.

Meanwhile, Ilonka is attempting to reconcile how she was fooled by Julia Jayne, all whereas falling additional in love with Kevin, and he or she realizes he could also be fading sooner than he lets on.

Ilonka begins a serialized story in an effort to encourage him to “stay alive a little longer,” like he did in season one. And the story she tells is… REMEMBER ME.

This was the factor I used to be most enthusiastic about for this season.

REMEMBER ME is one in all my all-time favourite Pike books – it tells the story of a teenage woman who’s pushed off a balcony, and awakens as a ghost. She has to navigate being a spirit whereas attempting to unravel her personal homicide. We would have stretched this story out over 5 episodes. We had been going to make use of it as a car for Ilonka to attempt to come to phrases with the truth that she goes to die, and to start to attempting to wrap her head round being a ghost… however that is the good half… the lead character of Ilonka’s story would not be performed by Ilonka. She’d be performed by… Anya.

Because that is how we dwell on, is not it? In the minds of these we go away behind. And Ilonka would use REMEMBER ME as a approach to think about her pricey pal Anya, waking up as a ghost, navigating the afterlife. And this units up top-of-the-line mechanisms of the present – even when a personality dies, so long as they’re remembered by members of the membership, they dwell on of their tales.

As the story begins to select up steam, although, the group should cope with the loss of life of Amesh, which he greets with grace and bravado.

In his remaining moments, he sees somebody in his room – the Janitor from the primary season, as performed by Robert Longstreet, who says comforting issues to Amesh though he cannot reply.

In his remaining, remaining moments, the SHADOW descends upon Amesh, and he’s engulfed into it, which reinforces the concept the Shadow is DEATH…

With Amesh’s loss of life comes one thing that upends all the factor: a NEW PATIENT. We did not work out an excessive amount of about who this may be, however it will be a brand new roommate for Ilonka. Someone taking Anya’s previous mattress. Ilonka would discover herself being initially chilly to her – simply as Anya was when Ilonka arrived. Even feeling like this new woman should not essentially be ushered into the Club. But after all they’d develop a wonderful friendship over the course of the season. The new woman joins the membership, the place one thing else thrilling is occurring – Cheri is telling a narrative. We hadn’t determined which one, however I believe it might need been MONSTER.

Natsuki can be the following to die, which might be heartbreaking. And once more, she would speak to the janitor simply earlier than it occurred… and once more, the Shadow would come within the remaining moments.

For Spence, although, issues would take a distinct flip.

The developments in HIV remedy within the late 90’s would come into play, and we might see his prognosis change. The HIV cocktail got here out in Dec 1995, and we actually wished to discover that.

Spence would trip the swell of antiviral developments, and by the tip of the season, he’d not be categorized as terminal. In the finale of season 2, Spence would depart Brightcliffe identical to Sandra did in Season 1, heading off to handle his illness and dwell the remainder of his life.

But onto the BIG MYSTERIES of the season one… listed here are some solutions: What is up with Dr. Stanton’s tattoo and bald head? Well, just a few issues. First, Dr. Stanton is definitely the daughter of the unique Paragon cult chief, Aceso. Her nickname was Athena, she wrote the Paragon journal that Ilonka present in S1. She turned on her mom and helped the youngsters escape, however as a result of she was a part of the cult in her teenage years, she had the tattoo.

It was her initials that Ilonka discovered carved into the tree in season 1 (her maiden identify was Georgina Ballard, therefore the G.B. that Ilonka finds carved within the tree).

She hated what her mom grew to become, and the atrocities of the cult. She reclaimed the property after her mother was gone, and wished to alter it into a spot that celebrated life. She was attempting to undo her mom’s legacy and go away one thing behind that was stunning. She is sporting a wig on the finish of S1 not due to a sinister purpose, however as a result of she is present process chemo. Dr. Stanton has most cancers. Having helped so many individuals cope with illness, she now has to cope with it herself.

Her remedy would achieve success, and he or she’d go into remission, however having to face that – whereas caring for the terminal youngsters at Brightcliffe – was going to be a really introspective arc for Stanton.

What in regards to the Living Shadow? It’s Death, proper? Well… no.

At the tip of the season, Kevin will die… adopted shortly by Ilonka. And as she is dying, two issues will occur. First, she’ll discover herself speaking to the Janitor, performed by Robert Longstreet… and he or she’ll make a discovery.

HE is Death. And nothing to be afraid of. It seems nobody else ever noticed this character. Stanton has a cleansing service, and the Nurse practitioners make up the rooms – the one individuals who ever noticed this mysterious Janitor had been the sufferers. He is Death, and gives them sort phrases earlier than they die. Then what was the Shadow?

This is an concept we take straight from the guide REMEMBER ME, and we’ll see it play out within the remaining moments of Ilona’s remaining story. In Pike’s guide, Shari is pursued by a darkish entity known as The Shadow. When it lastly catches her, although, it seems it isn’t a nasty factor in any respect.

The Shadow is THEMSELVES. It’s the Unknown. As it engulfs somebody, within the final second of their life, it takes them by a spot of understanding and catharsis, getting ready them for the following step.

THIS is what occurred to Anya in S1 when the Shadow lastly reached her – that is why she fantasized a life past Brightcliffe, which finally let her discover acceptance of her loss of life. It seems totally different for everyone, relying on their mind-set – as a result of it’s merely an extension of themselves.

The Shadow is simply the ultimate catharsis, a return to our authentic kind – it’s a second of true understanding, and as soon as we expertise it, we transfer on to the following place.

We see the Shadow in full impact when it lastly comes for Kevin. KEVIN DIES with Ilonka at his facet, and it results in the most important reveal of the season:

Who had been the Mirror Man and the Cataract Woman?

They had been Stanley Oscar Freelan and his spouse, who constructed Brightcliffe (enjoyable trivia, he’s named after the real-life Freelan Oscar Stanley, who constructed my favourite lodge in America – the Stanley Hotel. The Stanley can also be the inspiration for THE SHINING!).

But greater than that… there is a purpose that Ilonka solely sees Stanley within the mirror, and sees the Cataract Woman every time she checked out Kevin. This is one thing else we took from Pike’s authentic guide… these aren’t ghosts, however glimpses of PAST LIVES.

Ilonka WAS Stanley Oscar Freelan, and Kevin WAS his spouse. They’ve lived many lives this fashion, and are true SOUL MATES – they at all times discover one another, and so they at all times fall in love. In this life, they knew it will be a brief one, in order that they agreed to seek out one another in the home they constructed. They’ve been “remembering” who they’re, and glimpsing their former selves in reflections, and generally once they take a look at one another. This can also be why Ilonka’s very first phrases to Kevin in S1 had been “Do I know you?” and why Kevin thought she was acquainted as properly. They are two souls who at all times discover one another, repeatedly.

The story is that this: Stanley was dying, and constructed this cliffside residence hoping that the seaside air would assist him. It did, and he far outlived his prognosis (that is additionally true of the real-life Freelan Stanley). However, his spouse started to succumb to dementia.

She would wander the halls, on the lookout for him (“Darling!”) and would even neglect to feed herself (“I’m starving…”) and he or she finally refused to go away the basement. Heartbroken for her, Stanley painted the partitions to resemble the woodland view, and the ceiling to resemble the evening sky, in order that it will be somewhat extra stunning for her.

He additionally painted a labyrinth on the ground, which was a method used to attempt to curb the consequences of dementia. She’d stroll the sample of the maze and it was believed it might assist her cognition. Eventually, she developed horrifying cataracts, however Stanley cherished her by all of it.

They had been soul mates.

So whereas they appeared scary in season 1, that was simply how Ilonka and Kevin’s thoughts had been attempting to recollect their pasts. We even had their faces distorting in methods per how recollections degrade over time.

When the Shadow comes for Ilonka, and provides her this understanding – this “remembering” – she realizes she has nothing to worry. She and Kevin will shed these personas and be reborn, and have the enjoyment of discovering one another one other method.

The Shadow comes for her, Death takes her gently, and Ilonka goes off with Kevin again into the cosmos, prepared for his or her subsequent incarnation.

The collection would finish with Cheri telling this story to a complete new desk of sufferers, together with our new collection leads. Most of our authentic forged now would exist as tales, a narrative informed to the following “class” of storytellers on the desk, all of whom we could have met by the tip of the season. A narrative known as “The Midnight Club.”

Well, that is it… that was what we had in thoughts. It’s a disgrace we cannot get to make it, however it will be an even bigger disgrace in case you guys merely needed to dwell with the unanswered questions and the cliffhanger ending. I cherished making this present, and I’m so happy with the forged and crew. Particularly our forged, who attacked this story with unbelievable spirit and bravado every day.

But for now, we’ll put the fireplace out, and go away the library darkish and quiet. To these earlier than, and to these after. To us now, and to these past.

Seen or unseen, right here however not right here.

I’ll at all times be grateful that I acquired to be a part of this Club.