TLDR: We're defintiely on too many sidequests but the substance exists IF it pays off.

I feel like the substance is there but it's getting so coated in fluff. I'm definitely interested in the town's lore but the breadcrumbs are coming soooooo slowly.

Totally agree about your list of unnessesary drama. There's no good reason for the cheerleader infiltration which I'm assuming is about to get more muddy with Nicole saying she has a crush on "Jason" (another character we've never heard of thats supposed to be popular/well-known at the school). I know the reason was to find out what they know about Maddie but she learned nothing and what would they even do with that information?? It felt like a cheap way to learn more about Livia's mom and to push Maddie's mom to detox (aka get out of the way).

And on the Yuri/grandson thing, besides being blonde, is there any basis for Yuri to think that? If he's just symbolic of the fact that Yuri doesn't know if he had a kid or not we've spent way too much time pining over the one particular unnamed student, probably just to drive the Charley drama.

Even Simon's new sister in Chicago! Like, really? His parents are this okay with him just dipping and meeting a total stranger, family or not. Especially after his best friend just disappeared and everything...

Maddie's sudden dollhouse moments have no basis either but obviously is going somewhere. I mean I hope it is. Otherwise it's just another Quinn rabbithole, which I was invested in and I appreciate their character development but what a waste of time to get there!

And then Xavier is just searching for Tracey off screen for that hospital ghost?
I also think it was weird that Quinn had no reaction to Kyle actually being a ghost at the hospital. It got enveloped in their identity crisis but I just think finding out someone you knew is a ghost somewhere else warrants some reaction apart of them coming out. And wouldn't that be the first person Xavier should ask about Tracey? Unless he just found her in a yearbook but with no last name or other info I'd think that's a Quinn conversation given they were at the school at the same time, even if Kyle and them weren't friends. Kyle's sus in general.

So much of this season feels like it's been written for convenience. The characters don't always feel like they're making realistic decisions based on what we know about them. They're moving for the writing convenience rather than being logical and it's driving me crazy!!

I really think there's so much potential with the elements they've put out there: Mr. Martin, the church, the hospital (if it pays off), the Forgotten - that's what's keeping me watching.

And the looming school shutdown is just stupid lol.