Goosebumps viewers have so many thoughts on the show’s central love triangle — and so do the writers.
During an exclusive interview with Us Weekly, executive producers Hilary Winston, Rob Letterman and Nick Stoller offered a glimpse into how the series’ writers tackled Margot’s (Isa Briones) individual connections with Lucas (Will Price) and Isaiah (Zack Morris).
“We had Team Lucas and we had Team Isaiah for sure,” Letterman revealed. “I don’t remember [which relationship had the most support], but I do remember there were sides. There were definitely sides.”
Goosebumps — which is based on R.L. Stine’s book series — follows a group of teenagers who form a friendship while trying to stop supernatural forces from taking over their town. Margot’s chemistry with Lucas was evident from the first episode of the show, but her friendship with Isaiah had its ups and downs before Isaiah admitted to himself that he had feelings for Margot.
As Margot and Lucas’ relationship developed, their differing plans for the future pulled them apart. Lucas, who was still worried that evil forces could come back to haunt them, wanted to remain in town. Margot, meanwhile, was considering a move to Seattle before the season finale caused a major shift.
Following Margot and Lucas’ split, Isaiah took the opportunity to tell Margot how he felt, which she reciprocated. Before Margot could have an actual conversation with Isaiah or Lucas, however, Isaiah got shot (and was subsequently resurrected).
As a writer — and fan of the show — Winston has some ideas about where Margot’s love life should go in a potential season 2.
“I love the love triangle stuff. Margot has to play out her feelings for Isaiah and see if it’s there. My guess is — having just lived a life as a teenage girl who dated boys — that maybe it’s not what she thinks it is,” Winston told Us. “But she needs to go down that road and then hopefully end up with Lucas.”
While Us is still holding out hope for Margot and Lucas to end up together, the season finale introduced plenty of questions that didn’t just focus on the romantic pairings. Viewers still need answers about the circumstances surrounding Isaiah’s almost-death, which was halted by Margot bringing him back to life with a spell from Kanduu’s book.
“We always love the idea of somebody dying but being brought back. There is really this choice that Margot has to make [in that moment]. She knows it’s not the right thing to do,” Winston teased. “[It’s a case of] be careful what you wish for. She really wants this. But then this act of love and also guilt for being with Lucas allows Kanduu to piggyback and enter into Mr. Bratt for the first time.”
Isaiah’s fate was a major discussion in the writers’ room, but when it was time to tell Morris about his character’s journey, Letterman accidentally left out the part about Isaiah being brought back to life.
“We pitched it to Zack as like, ‘This is going to be amazing. It’ll be memorable.’ And then two days later, I got a text from Isa saying, ‘Hey, I think you better call Zack, because he’s actually spinning out. He’s really spinning out about getting killed on the show,’” Letterman told Us. “So, yes, I had to call Zack and be like, ‘No, you don’t understand. It’s all going to work out. It’s going to be great.’”
The producers — who are still awaiting word on renewal — aren’t in a rush to lock down their vision for season 2 just yet. While speaking with Us, though, Letterman discussed some of the successful aspects of the first season, including the group’s unique approach to telling the story.
“It was a very ambitious idea. But it was so refreshing. We’ve always thought, ‘OK, we’re going to do five origin stories, and then they come together midway to figure out what’s happening to them,’” he explained. “That was always sort of the big plan. It did make for these mini movies each episode. Weirdly, that also lent itself more to the spirit of [Stine’s] books. Each episode can stand on its own as a little movie, but it was very tricky and very ambitious to do.”
Letterman concluded by praising the cast for bringing the material to life in such a special way, adding, “The cast is so awesome. They’re just so great and they really elevate everything.”
All episodes of Goosebumps season 1 are now available to stream on Disney+ and Hulu.
