Warning: This article contains SPOILERS for Goosebumps: The Vanishing
Although Goosebumps: The Vanishing’s ending might not tie into season 1 of the RL Stine adaptation, the conclusion did wrap up the new self-contained story fairly well. Goosebumps season 1’s cliffhanger ending came as a surprise, but viewers could rest assured that the next outing of the horror comedy series would clear things up. At least, that seemed to be a reasonable assumption until it was revealed that Goosebumps season 2’s cast of characters would be entirely new, and the series would take an anthology approach by telling a new story instead of ending season 1’s plot.
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Goosebumps: The Vanishing followed Anthony Brewer, a botanist obsessed with his older brother’s disappearance 30 years earlier, and his twin teenagers, Devin and Cece. When Devin and Cece started hanging around with Gravesend teenagers Trey, Frankie, CJ, and Alex, they unwittingly unleashed a strange alien entity that was responsible for the disappearance of their uncle three decades earlier. Eventually, Devin, Cece, and the rest of the teens tracked down Anthony at the underground research facility where his brother went missing. There, they discovered a spaceship that had been kept a secret by Dr. Ramona Pamani, and Anthony frozen in a pod.
Why Trey Coughs Up An Alien Slug In Goosebumps Season 2's Ending
Trey's Brush With The Alien Spaceship Paid Off A Lot Later
After the teens saved Anthony and the whole group escaped the subterranean lair, the story of Goosebumps: The Vanishing seemed to be over. However, like Goosebumps season 1 episode 8, this soon proved to be a false ending. The humans saved from the underground facility, including Matty, transformed into giant alien creatures and had to be destroyed. With Anthony’s brother discovered, defrosted, transformed, and finally destroyed, Alex’s mother, Jen, and Anthony tried to save the teens. The aliens trapped the teens in pods, but setting the alien’s ship free led them to free them in return. Finally, all was well.
At least, all seemed to be back to normal. Devin told Frankie he would be attending Gravesend High instead of returning to his hometown, Alex and Cece decided to try long-distance, and Trey and CJ waved a fond goodbye to their new friends. However, Trey coughed up a monstrous alien slug in the last few moments of Goosebumps: The Vanishing, proving that all was not quite back to normal in the Brooklyn suburb. Since he wasn’t in a pod for anywhere near as long, it makes sense that Trey only coughed up a weird slimeball instead of turning into a full-blown alien.
How The Gang Escaped Camp Nightmare In Goosebumps Season 2’s Ending
Trey’s Bolt Cutters And Electrical Engineering Knowledge Came In Handy
Presumably, the real reason that Trey didn’t die in Goosebump: The Vanishing’s ending was so the show could bring back his character if season 3 continues this story. Although Goosebumps season 1’s story ended on a cliffhanger, Trey’s fate was more of a tease. He was still alive in the finale’s closing moments, but the promise of another escaped alien could be enough to sustain a third season. After all, Trey had already proved to be the season’s unlikely MVP earlier in the finale. After causing the entire problem in the first place, Trey effectively apologized by helping out.
Trey broke the facility’s internal fusebox on purpose to free the teens and Anthony.
Trey broke the underground facility’s fuse box in a callback to his initial break-in into the so-called “Camp Nightmare” back in episode 1’s ending. In the premiere, a jealous Trey tried to scare the impressively undaunted Devin by turning out the lights while he was inside the facility. Instead, breaking the fuse box unleashed the alien spores. This time, Trey broke the facility’s internal fusebox on purpose to free the teens and Anthony. As Anthony held back the alien spaceship, the teens snuck out to freedom.
How Anthony Brewer Saved Matty and Hannah From Camp Nightmare
The Survivors Were Frozen For 30 Years
The teens tried to get Anthony to follow them, but David Schwimmer’s botanist would not leave without finally freeing his older brother. Anthony let his brother Matty, Matty’s friend Hannah, and the two other teens trapped in pods, climb out ahead of him. This meant the teens were forced to keep the portal open, so Anthony could escape too. The plan worked and Anthony was reunited with Matty, who had not aged in the years since he was placed in an alien pod as a teenager. Frozen for thirty years, the teens struggled to adjust to modern life when freed.
Why Jen Can’t Talk To Matty In Goosebumps Season 2’s Ending
Jen Is Unable To Cope With Matty’s Return
Jen could not believe that the teens were successfully revived and, as a result, she refused to speak to Matty after Anthony shared an emotionally charged reunion with his big, but now technically younger, brother. Jen’s fear of the returned teens turned out to be well-founded, as it foreshadowed the fact that the teens weren’t really back for long at all. While Goosebumps season 1’s references to RL Stine’s book series were plentiful, that outing didn’t share the infamous mean-spirited twist endings of the original novels. Goosebumps: The Vanishing certainly did.
Why Dr. Ramona’s Father Told Her To “Let It Go”
Anyone Brought Back Via The Pods Turned Into An Alien
Anthony’s emotional reunion was short-lived, as Goosebumps: The Vanishing’s returning teens swiftly transformed into alien monsters. This explains why Dr. Ramona Pamani’s father had told her to “Let it go” when he was briefly revived before he transformed. He was referring to the connection the pod people had with the aliens. This connection kept the ship alive and kept its captives in cryogenic stasis, but both the aliens and the humans needed to let go of the link for their sake.
How Jen and Anthony Defeated The Aliens And Saved The Teens
Jen And Anthony Returned To Camp Nightmare And Released The Spaceship
Jen and Anthony were horrified to discover that Matty, Hannah, and the other two survivors of Camp Nightmare, after transforming into alien creatures, had trapped Trey, Devin, Cece, Frankie, CJ, and Alex in pods. Fortunately, Jen and Anthony were able to free the alien spaceship and this broke the connection between the aliens and teens. This meant the gang survived and did not become monsters, unlike the teens who were trapped decades earlier.
The Real Meaning Behind Goosebumps Season 2’s Ending
Anthony Finally Learned To Let Matty Go
The real meaning behind Goosebumps: The Vanishing’s ending was clarified when Matty came back for just long enough to tell Anthony that his disappearance wasn't his little brother's fault. This allowed Anthony to finally move on, letting go of his loss and accepting that Matty was gone for good this time. In the final scenes, Anthony is at peace, Devin, Cece, and the gang are happy, and the mystery is seemingly solved. Of course, Trey vomiting up an alien bug proved that Goosebumps: The Vanishing’s story still had some sequel potential.
Release Date
October 13, 2023
Creator(s)
Rob Letterman
, Nicholas Stoller
Seasons
2
Story By
R.L. Stine
Writers
Nicholas Stoller
, Rob Letterman
, Kevin Murphy
Custom image by Yailin Chacon
English (US) ·