The School for Good and Evil is a fantasy drama that focuses on two normal girls, Sophie and Agatha, who are introduced to a magical school that maintains the balance between good and evil in the world. The film is now streaming on Netflix.
Warning: This article contains heavy spoilers
Plot summary
Rhian and Rafal are two brothers who established a school for good and a school for evil that maintains the balance in the world. One day during a regular sparring session, Rafal wants to continue fighting but Rhian isn’t too keen.
Rafal attacks his brother and then exhibits forbidden magic. Rafal is about to kill his brother but Rhian manages to fight him off and Rafal falls to his death over a cliff.
Years later, in a town called Gavaldon, Sophie and Agatha are two regular girls living ordinary and miserable lives. Sophie lives with her rude stepmother and family while Agatha lives with her mother and they’re both accused of being witches.
The only thing that keeps them going is reading books and stories with Sophie, especially enjoying fairytales of old. The bookkeeper tells them about the rumoured school that is responsible for the stories in these books.
Sophie begins to dream of attending the school for good and writes a letter to the school and leaves it in the wishing tree. She wants to leave her boring life in Gavaldon but Agatha doesn’t want her best friend to go.
One night, Sophie decides to run away from home and Agatha tries to stop her. They are first pulled away by a smoky entity and then carried by a giant skeletal bird.
They see the school in view but Sophie is dropped off at the school for evil while Agatha is dropped off at the school for good. Sophie is adamant that she was dropped in the wrong school while Agatha just wants to get out of there.
They are welcomed by the dean of the two schools, Lady Lesso and Professor Dovey who insist that there are no mistakes made at the school. They even meet with Rhian, the School Master and he says the same thing.
He tells the girls that if Sophie is to prove that is truly good, then she must achieve a true love kiss. Sophie and Agatha agree to make that happen while continuing to learn at their respective schools.
Meanwhile, they also have glimpses of Rafal who says that he has special plans for Sophie and warns Agatha to stay away. Agatha keeps pointing out the hypocrisy and shallowness of the school for good while Sophie is slowly corrupted by Rafal’s words and embraces evil.
Sophie tries to win over Tedros, the son of King Arthur so that she can get her kiss but Tedros gets along better with Agatha even though she’s more focused on helping Sophie so that they can get out of there.
The fact that Tedros and Sophie are hanging out causes friction throughout the school and the “nevers” from the school for evil and the “evers” from the school for good begin to clash.
The School Master and the teachers are forced to make a decision and the School Master suggests a trial by tale. Tedros and Sophie are sent into opposite ends of the forest and they’re supposed to find each other to prove their union is pure.
However, Agatha goes in to help Sophie which is against the rules. She ends up saving Tedros when in trouble and he is convinced that Sophie is evil because she was not the one who helped.
This incident drives a wedge between Sophie and Agatha and Rafal uses this to enact the final piece of his plan. Rafal reaches out to Sophie and gives her his blood magic while Agatha tells Professor Dovey about Rafal.
The School for Good and Evil ending explained in detail:
What is Rafal’s plan?
Professor Dovey, Professor Anemone and Agatha confront Lady Lesso about her knowledge of Rafal’s presence and Lady Lesso exhibits no remorse. She believes that Rafal’s aim is to finally let evil win once again.
However, the others tell her that he wishes to bring an end to both the schools and release true evil in the world. Lady Lesso doesn’t want to believe that but deep inside, she knows it is true and this fact hurts her.
What does Sophie do with the blood magic?
Everyone searches for Sophie under the School Master’s orders and Lady Lesso and Professor Dovey run into her in the library. Sophie uses her magic to turn all the teachers into dolls.
She then goes to the Evers ball and provokes all the heroes over there. Agatha is insistent that she can change Sophie’s mind but Tedros and the others believe their only course of action is to destroy Sophie.
They go to the school of evil where the nevers are enjoying their own ball and the evers attack. With the heroes attacking first, the nevers become the good while the evers become the evil. A huge fight breaks out and Sophie flies to the School Master’s office to end everything.
What is the School Master’s secret?
When Sophie arrives in the School Master’s chamber, it is revealed that it was Rafal all along. Rafal killed his brother in the beginning and took his guise to wait for the right moment.
The seers had told him about Sophie and her ability and he orchestrated everything to get her to this point. He used her insecurities to win her over and tells her that together as true loves they can get rid of their enemies.
She agrees to his proposition and they share a kiss. Both schools begin to collapse and Sophie realises what she’s done and wants to take everything back. She wanted to rule over evil, not wipe them out.
Is the balance restored?
Agatha arrives and gives a speech about what it means to be good and how they always triumph over evil because they help each other while evil only helps themselves. Rafal decides that he’s heard enough and conjures a spear and flings it in Agatha’s direction.
Sophie jumps in front of Agatha and takes the spear to her chest. Her selfless sacrifice being a true act of good undoes the damage as the schools begin to be put back together.
Tedros arrives and is about to strike Rafal with his sword but Rafal sees him coming. Rafal pins him to the wall and is about to kill him when Agatha lunges at Rafal with Excalibur the sword after some help from Sophie.
Rafal dies and Agatha goes to Sophie who is breathing her last. However, Agatha kisses her on the forehead and with that being a kiss of true love between true friends, Sophie gets her life back.
The teachers also returned to normal and they go to the hall to see all the students in harmony. They conclude that it’s time for a new era of good and evil working together.
Agatha and Sophie go back to Gavaldon to live their lives after Agatha kisses Tedros. Things do not change much in their town but with their magic and their friendship, they make the best of it.
Tedros’ arrow then pierces the barrier between both worlds followed by a knife, signifying that the story is not over just yet.
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