The Midnight Club ending explained: Who is Dr. Stanton, really? (spoilers)

The Midnight Club is now streaming on Netflix. Have you binged it yet? If so, you probably have tons of questions about that jaw-dropping ending. There’s so much that happened over the course of the first season, but I wasn’t prepared at all for that shocking reveal at the end of the season.

The mystery-horror series follows a group of eight terminally ill patients at Brightcliffe Hospice, run by Dr. Stanton. Every night at midnight, the patients meet in the hospice library to exchange scary stories with each other. A pact is even made that the first person to die from their disease is responsible for doing everything they can to contact the others from beyond the grave to give proof of the afterlife.

Major spoilers from The Midnight Club ahead!

In the first episode, we meet Dr. Stanton when llonka arrives at Brightcliffe. Dr. Stanton tells llonka about her son that passed away from cancer. She also gives a rundown of what Brightcliffe Hospice is and what it aims to do to help its patients. Throughout the season, we see Dr. Stanton seemingly care for her patients. She lets them continue to meet up at midnight in the library after the whole ritual debacle. We even see her save llonka from being poisoned by Shasta/Julia Jayne in episode 9.

But in the last couple of minutes of the season, we find out there’s more to Dr. Stanton than meets the eye. So, who is Dr. Stanton, really?

The Midnight Club ending: Was Dr. Stanton a Paragon cult member?

It appears so. At the very end of the last episode, Dr. Stanton is shown preparing for bed. As she sits at her vanity table, she takes off her wig and we find out she’s hairless. Then, she stares at herself in the mirror. As Dr. Stanton stares at her reflection in the mirror, the camera pans to the back of her neck and an hourglass tattoo is shown. Ominous music plays in the background and then the show cuts to the credits.

If you recall, the hourglass was the symbol for the Paragon. The hourglass represents time and can be turned over and over again. The founder of the Paragon, Regina Ballard/Aceso, wanted to prolong her life, so she believed that doing a ritual involving a blood sacrifice would make this come true. Basically, Regina/Aceso chose an hourglass symbol because, for her, it represented being able to extend one’s life span.

Is Dr. Stanton actually Athena?

After Dr. Stanton’s hourglass tattoo was shown, I immediately thought she was Athena. Remember, Athena was the daughter of Regina/Aceso. She was also a part of the Paragon but didn’t like what the group had turned into, so she turned on her mother. After the Paragon was disbanded, Regina/Aceso and Athena dropped off the radar and started to go by their real names. Aceso went back to Regina and Athena went back to her real name. However, Athena’s real name was never revealed. This is one of the reasons why I thought Dr. Stanton could be Athena. Dr. Stanton’s full name is Georgina Stanton. So, Athena’s real name could’ve been Georgina.

Another reason I thought Dr. Stanton could be Athena was the fact that she was so against talking about the Paragon to llonka. As we mentioned earlier, Athena did not like that the Paragon turned into a cult. Actually, Athena was the person to bring down the Paragon. So, Dr. Stanton and Athena both share bad feelings about anything related to the Paragon. Could this mean they’re the same person?

I don’t think Dr. Stanton is Athena. Why? Well, when Dr. Stanton talks to Anya in episode 2, she mentions that she has sisters. When llonka gives the backstory on the Paragon in episode 5, she says that Regina had a son that died from polio and a daughter named Athena. No other sons or daughters were mentioned. So, how could Dr. Stanton be Athena?

We might not know Dr. Stanton’s true identity, but we do know she was a part of the Paragon. Hopefully, we get to see a second season so we can learn more about Dr. Stanton’s background. We’re keeping our fingers crossed!

The Midnight Club is available to stream on Netflix.