Welcome to the Ending Explained for The School of Good and Evil, the latest film by Netflix that adapts the novel of the same name written by Soman Chainani. The novel is part one of a series of novels that tell the story of the students of the School of Good and Evil. A school that teaches the princesses, princes, and villains that end up being the protagonists of the stories that transform the world. The story has a very conscious message about the power of storytelling as a tool to improve people’s lives.
The film adaptation comes across as a big blockbuster, the kind that studios were making after the success of franchises like Harry Potter, Twilight, and The Hunger Games. Most of these trend followers didn’t manage to reach the success of the original pioneers, and Hollywood stopped adapting those books for quite a while. However, Netflix has produced this film in the hopes of having a new franchise under its belt. The film is quite entertaining, even when it has some hiccups here and there on a technical level. If Netflix has or not a new franchise, only the viewer numbers will tell.
The following paragraphs contain spoilers for The School of Good and Evil. Read at your own risk.
Why Did Sophie And Agatha Get Into The Wrong Schools?
The film begins with the introduction of Sophie and Agatha, two very different girls who have found comfort in each other and in their friendship. You see, Sophie thinks she is meant to be something important, but she is trapped in the small town of Gavaldon. Agatha suffers the same, as most people in the town believe that she and her mother are witches. The girls hate the town, but thankfully, their friendship helps them to overcome the bad times and smile every once in a while.
Sophie discovers the existence of a legend called The School of Good and Evil. In that school, the princesses and the villains of the fairy tales are trained to have their own adventures that will then inspire the lives of the people. Meaning that people like Snow White were students at the school, but so was the Evil Queen. Sophie writes a letter wishing to go to the school of good to become a princess. Sophie promises Agatha she won’t leave her, but she lies. Agatha catches up to her and when a big bird grabs both of them, they are taken to the school of good and evil.
However, the big bird does something unexpected. She throws Sophie into the school of Evil, while it throws Agatha into the school of Good. Both girls find the bird’s decision a mistake, and they implore their new teachers that something must be done. However, even the School’s Master says that there are no mistakes at the school and that they are where they are supposed to be. However, if Sophie proves that she is good by having a true love kiss, then she can change schools.
Agatha swears that she will help Sophie find true love and her kiss so that they can return to their town together. They are forced to assist to classes, and there they start to discover that there is something wrong with the way the school functions. Agatha is forced to wear pink dresses and smile, while Sophie is forced to be ugly and not care for others. While working in her classes, the girls meet Tedros, the best prince in the school, and Sophie marks him as her true love.
Who Is Rafal, And What Does He Want?
Before Sophie and Agatha’s story begins, we are introduced to two characters, twins, brothers, and magicians, as they fight. One of them represents good and the other evil. They are the founders of the school. However, as the fight continues, we see that Rafal, the evil twin, dies. This seems to be a lie because a ghost of Rafal appears before Agatha, warning her to not get too close to Sophie. He also appears in front of Sophie in one of her classes. One of the teachers sees this as a sign that Sophie has been chosen to mark Rafal’s return.
Meanwhile, Agatha tries to get to know Tedros, so he can fall in love with Sophie, but the opposite happens. It is clear that they have feelings for each other. However, Agatha thinks about Sophie first and pushes her and Tedros to date. The couple becomes a scandal, and they are forced to prove that their love is genuine by passing a test. Agatha goes to help even when it is forbidden, and she ends up saving Tedros life. Tedros sees that Sophie’s love for him is not real and leaves. Sophie gets mad at Agatha and leaves as well.
It is here, at her lowest moment, when Rafal reveals himself to Sophie. He promises her that he will love her as he has always done and offers her the ability to control blood magic, a very dangerous and forbidden type of magic. Sophie accepts, and she uses this new power against the school, forcing the students to change schools, making the good bad and the bad good. Agatha and Tedros convince Sophie that she is being used by Rafal, who is only using her to acquire ultimate power.
However, Rafal manages to kiss Sophie and acquires ultimate power. Agatha remembers that the only thing Evil is incapable of is true love, so Rafal tries to kill her, but Sophie pushes her and gets hit instead. Rafal is destroyed in the process, but Sophie dies as well. Nevertheless, knowing it to be true, Agatha kisses Sophie, her true love, and Sophie comes back to life. The school goes back to normal and the girls can finally return home, knowing that they don’t need a prince to be happy.
The film ends with one of Tedros’ arrows opening a portal to Galvanon as she is looking for Agatha, his true love.
