5 Clues About Shasta & Julia Jayne In The Midnight Club
Everyone was too busy with the ghost stories to figure this one out.
Spoiler alert: The Midnight Club finale spoilers follow. It’s hard to know just who to trust in a Mike Flanagan horror series. By now, every fan knows Flanagan’s ghost stories have tons of twists that have viewers rethinking everything, and The Midnight Club is no different. The final episodes of the show centered on a big character reveal, but it’s one some fans might’ve seen coming, given all the clues about Shasta and Julia Jayne, sprinkled in along the way.
Although both women are pretty mysterious to her, both Julia Jayne and Shasta are big parts of Ilonka’s journey at Brightcliffe. She came to the hospice in the first place because she read about Julia’s miraculous recovery from her cancer while she was staying there. Then, once Ilonka arrived, the woodsy healer Shasta encouraged her pursuit of alternative, natural remedies when others at Brightcliffe derided her for it.
After Ilonka formed a trusting bond with Shasta, the older woman finally revealed the truth: Shasta was actually Julia Jayne all along, having adopted a new name in hopes of returning to Brightcliffe to perform her dark healing ritual once again.
Depending on how closely you’d been paying attention, this shocking reveal may not have been all too shocking. For one thing, both Julia and Shasta bear a pretty strong resemblance, punctuated by their signature long red hair. But more than that, Shasta didn’t really hide her true identity all that well. Let’s run down the biggest clues about this twist.
1. Shasta’s familiarity with Brightcliffe and Dr. Stanton
For someone who had supposedly never stayed at Brightcliffe, Shasta seemed to know an awful lot about the building, its history, and Dr. Stanton. Not only did Shasta make a few knowing remarks about Dr. Stanton’s attitude, but she also told Ilonka highly specific information, like which section in the library she could find certain books. Of course, the real reason Shasta was so well acquainted with all things Brightcliffe is because of her time there, when she went by the name of Julia.
2. Her “made-up” name
Once Ilonka told the rest of the Midnight Club about Shasta, they quickly remarked that her moniker “has to be a made-up name.” Oh how right they were. The idea of adopting an ancient-sounding name is also a clear connection the the Paragon cult, whose leader Aceso adopted the name of the ancient Greek goddess of the healing process.
3. Her obsession with healing
Viewers should have been a bit alarmed with just how devoted Shasta is to alternative remedies and healing, especially after learning the Paragon was all about those things as well.
4. Her love of Ancient Greece
One of Shasta’s very first lines was actually a big clue about her identity. “I have a thing for names and ancient Greece,” she told Ilonka after explaining her name’s etymology. Of course, the Paragon cult worshipped ancient Greek goddesses, so Shasta was basically revealing she’s a part of the cult right off the bat.
5. Recognizing the Paragon’s symbol
Probably the biggest giveaway, Shasta seemed to immediately recognize the Paragon’s hourglass symbol when Ilonka found it carved on a tree in the woods she frequents. If that wasn’t clear enough, Shasta later revealed she has a tattoo of the symbol, which was the first concrete piece of confirmation that she was hiding a connection to the Paragon.
The Midnight Club is now streaming on Netflix.
