Netflix has an unfortunate track record when it comes to shows that aren’t immediate hits. We all know that Stranger Things and Bridgerton will always bring in massive streams, but there are smaller shows with dedicated fanbases that don’t have the same amount of luck. The Midnight Club was one of those shows.
Based on a book of the same name, The Midnight Club was a horror series that focused on a group of teens living in hospice care. While bonding over their shared trauma and illnesses, the group started meeting at midnight every night to tell spooky stories while also unearthing some dark secrets about the house they live in. The club also came up with a pact: whoever dies first must try to reach out to the rest of them from beyond the grave. It was… dark stuff!
The show had some heavy moments and dealt with many unappealing topics, like, uh, kids dying of terminal illnesses, which could be one reason why it was not as big as some of Netflix’s bigger hits. But it also left some loose ends that were supposed to be addressed in the second season. Unfortunately, Netflix canceled the show before producer and co-creator Mike Flanagan could tie everything up. But Flanagan gave the fans something pretty unique instead.
In a lengthy Tumblr post, Flanagan confirmed that the show would not go on for another season, but he also updated fans on the plotlines that were meant to be explored in season two.
The first few episodes of season two would continue Amesh’s relationship with Natsuki while slowly succumbing to his glioblastoma. He would be eventually claimed by the Shadow, a representation of death, and a new patient would be brought into the series. Of course, their nighttime storytelling would still continue, with the same cast acting out their elaborate stories.
Not everyone would have a sad ending. Thanks to those great ’90s medical advancements, Spense’s HIV would no longer be terminal, and he would be allowed to leave the hospital. So there’s one good plot point that wouldn’t have viewers sobbing alone in the dark!
Other major reveals in Flanagan’s Tumblr post: the fact that Dr. Stanton was the daughter of a Pagan cult leader, hence all of the weird symbols shown throughout the house; and the thing where more of the group would eventually die, including Kevin, followed by Ilonka.
The big final reveal was going to be that the Shadow isn’t really death after all — it represented the unknown. Death itself is instead represented by the janitor that the kids all see before they die. So it could have had a semi-happy ending, maybe, kind of, had they been given the chance to actually make it happen!
Flanagan finished by saying, “Well, that’s it… that was what we had in mind. It’s a shame we won’t get to make it, but it would be a bigger shame if you guys simply had to live with the unanswered questions and the cliffhanger ending.” At least the story is now complete… unlike some other streaming shows.