Heartwarming / Are You Afraid of the Dark?

As a Moments subpage, all spoilers are unmarked. You Have Been Warned.

Midnight Society examples

• Eric telling The Tale of Jake and the Leprechaun as a tribute to his recently deceased Irish grandfather. Even better is the fact that Frank, usually his nemesis, agrees to postpone his storytelling so Eric can tell his that night. For all their bickering, Frank and Eric do seem to care about each other.
• In The Tale of the Dangerous Soup, tough guy Frank finally admitting that he's afraid of the dark. It shows him letting his guard down and trusting his friends.
• At the beginning of "The Tale of the Night Shift," Gary laments to Betty Ann how he finally worked up the nerve to ask Sam out, but she said she was too busy for a relationship right now. Sam then tells a story about a girl with an impossibly full schedule who constantly turns down a boy who likes her only for that reason, until their adventure with a vampire prompts her to reconsider her priorities. Afterwards, Sam tells Gary she's rethought some things, and they sit down holding hands to watch the fire together, just the two of them. What a romantic way to tell a guy you like him, Sam!
• David giving Kristen a birthday present in "The Tale of the Lonely Ghost". After the others have left, Kristen unwraps it to discover an ornate locket like the one from his story. She kisses him on the cheek and says "I'll think of you whenever I wear it".
• While most of the others are initially reluctant to admit Tucker, Betty Anne doesn't seem bothered by his inclusion. On his acceptance, she warmly pronounces his story to be "excellent!" and gives him a high-five.

Season 1

• The ending of "The Tale of the Lonely Ghost," where the ghost girl is finally reunited with her mother (who is actually the old lady who warned the girls of the ghost in the abandoned house).
• At the end of "The Tale of the Sorcerer's Apprentice", Alex immediately forgives her friend Dean (who spent the majority of the episode Brainwashed and Crazy and nearly had her killed by the titular sorcerer), and the two of them share a hug.
• "The Tale of the Prom Queen" ends with Deedee, actually Judy, being reunited with Ricky after waiting nearly 50 years for him to pick her up for the prom. She thanks her friends for helping her learn the truth as to why he never arrived, promising she'll never forget them, and rides off to the afterlife in Ricky's arms.

Season 2

• "The Tale of Locker 22" has a French girl who is struggling to fit in at an American high school being followed by the ghost of a teenaged girl wearing 60s'-style clothing. After learning of the girl's sad fate (killed in an school lab explosion back in the 1960s), the same Jerkass teacher from back then (who's now the school's vice principal) who unintentionally caused the accident (with faulty supplies) is now pressuring her to complete a chemistry lab assignment. Fortunately, the girl's only friend stops the recreation of the assignment with the same bad equipment, which saves the dead girl, who now reappears alive as a result and ends up being seen in the present day as the school's new vice principal.
• "Towards the end of "The Tale of the Final Wish," the protagonist apologizes to her parents for her behavior, and says that she'll be giving up on her obsession with fairy tales. Her mother approves, but says never to give up on her inner child. Awww.
• In "The Tale of the Dark Dragon", Keith feels constantly isolated by a car crash induced limp. Between doses of a magic Popularity Potion, his sense of self-abasement mutates him into a fanged, primeval beast. His friend Mariah takes a potentially lethal overdose, and begins to mutate. She indifferent to his limp, and he desperate for his friend to live, their mutual love supersedes their respective self-abasement, reversing the dangerous effects of the Potion.
• "The Tale of the Frozen Ghost." One of the protagonists finally realizes what the ghost boy needs to pass on: warmth. The ghost boy hid the key that lead to the location of gold in a log, and all that's left is his jacket. The protagonist brings it out and the kid is now dressed in his jacket and can go in peace. Also, the key that the kids find with the ghost's jacket fits into the old fashioned stove that the protagonist's two aunts own, and using the key releases a lot of gold, so now the aunts' money troubles are over.
• "The Tale of the Shiny Red Bicycle." The protagonist finally comes to terms with his friend's death, just in time to save his little brother from a similar fate, and his friend's ghost tells him that he never blamed the protagonist for his death, because his death was an accident from his bent bike wheels. In fact, the whole reason Ricky's spirit returned,was because he refused to rest in peace without repaying Mike for trying to save his life.
  • "Ricky. I miss you."
    • "I miss you, too."
• "The Tale of the Full Moon": Mr. Ankers (the new neighbor) is not the werewolf, but his brother is. Ankers explains that Dark Is Not Evil, saying his brother is scared in this state and just suffering from a disease.
  Mr. Ankers: [petting him] Everybody tells me I should just put him out of his misery, but he's family. He's all I got.
  • "There's lots of different kinds of families, Jed. This is just one of them."

Season 3

• "The Tale of the Quicksilver" - Connie getting to finally say goodbye to Laura's spirit. It's also incredibly heartwarming to see that Aaron would do anything to save his little brother from the ghost.
• "The Tale of the Dream Girl" -
  • Johnny's sudden realisation and acceptance of his recent death, while disturbing and deeply sad, is followed by the return of spectral girlfriend Donna; who, having been a deeply unsettling if poignant hint of the hereafter, is now quietly overjoyed at his return.
  • On farewell to Johnny, Erica is briefly overcome with grief - whereupon Johnny, with a smile of ascent from Donna, places in Erica's hand Donna's ring.

Season 4

• In "The Tale of Cutter's Treasure", the usually villainous Dr. Vink helps the protagonist save his brother, hoping at some point to get enough treasure to fund his experiments. After losing the treasure, however, he admits that what really mattered to him was the adventure and excitement... and he even gives the two brothers a couple of jewels! I guess he's not such a bad guy after all...
• In "The Tale of the Fire Ghost," the spirit of Jake Griffin protects the fire station from the ghost of a particularly vicious fire put out by him and Dan Preston, father of protagonists Roxy and Jimmy. At Dan's guilt over being unable to save him, Jake is genuinely aggrieved.
  Jake: Sometimes... things just happen. You can't always be looking for someone to blame.
  • On the Fire Ghost's defeat, Roxy and Jimmy thank their dad's old friend.
  Jake: Hey, that's my job. Firefighters always stick together. Remember me to your father.
  • Roxy and Jimmy, overjoyed at the safe return of their dad, give him a hug. We then see, on the station wall, a plaque in dedication to the memory of Jake.

Season 5

• "The Tale of The Unexpected Visitor". While scary at first as people are getting abducted by aliens. After being free, they find out that the alien that kidnapped Jeff and his friends was just a kid that heard their music which was sent to space and misinterpreted them as toys for him to play with. The matter is settled without any conflict or war and to add to the more awesome, Jeff and his band send them more music using his dad's communication device.
• "The Tale of the Night Shift" ends with the vampire dead and Amanda and Colin finding that his various victims don't remember a thing. Felix (who had been turned into a full vampire) does remember, though, and thanks them for saving him.
• In a way, the ending of "The Tale of Station 109.1" is pretty heartwarming, especially what Gilbert Gottfried says about the afterlife.
  Chris (to a dying man): Aren't you afraid it'll be horrible?
  (the doors to the afterlife open, showcasing a stairway covered in light and heavenly music)
  DJ: It's only horrible if you've led a bad life. If you led a good life, it's the best thing going.
• "The Tale of C7" is filled with this. In a place called Homestead Inn, the old jukebox plays a wartime song every night, and the protagonists find themselves at a welcome home party in 1945 for a young soldier named Tommy, who was said to have died in the war. The jukebox is haunted by the ghost of the lost soldier's girlfriend, who was killed in a storm that same night after she fled the inn in grief of her boyfriend's death and is doomed to relive that same night over and over. The kids end up using the gateway to the past and help the ghost. Not only is the story more heartwarming than it is scary, but it turns out Tommy WAS coming home and the news they received was a mistake. The way the two happily reunite and finally have their dance is sure to bring a smile to your face. The icing on the cake is that after they fixed that moment in history, the protagonists decide to honour their memory by allowing the inn to host welcoming parties and weddings.

Season 6

• "The Tale of the Gruesome Gourmets", in which suspect cannibals Messrs Primm and Collins move in next door to increasingly alarmed brothers Tommy and David. When the neighbours receive a large parcel, the boys fear it to be a human body... but it's actually a new bike for Tommy, whose old bike was destroyed by bully Chuck.
• In "The Tale of Bigfoot Ridge," the protagonists venture into a snowy forest in search of their lost sister, and find themselves the prospective prey of the shape-shifting, life force draining, darkness-dependent Umbra. Their exhaustive bid for survival is both tenacious and touching.
• In "The Tale of the Secret Admirer," insecure Meggie, unnerved by love notes which seem to be from beyond the grave, finds comfort in caring Nick, who's been threatened by similar notes.

Season 7

• "The Tale of the Last Dance" adapts elements of The Phantom of the Opera, but with a much happier, and just as touching ending: violinist Tara, initially terrified of the hooded Lurker, is abducted to his basement lair - but is touched by his adoration of her music, and forms a tender friendship with a kindred spirit.

Carnival of Doom

• Rachel's mom may come on a little too strong, but her supportive attitude towards her daughter's first day at a new high school is very sweet!
• Adam being the first person at Rachel's new school to warm up to her, as well as allow her to sit with him at lunch time.
  • Later, when the Midnight Society unmask themselves to welcome her, she guesses that the last member is Adam. While it turns out to be Gavin, it's nice that she considered Adam to be the kind of guy to be in the Midnight Society.
  • In fact, one of the reasons that motivates Rachel to visit the dread Carnival of Doom is because Adam's gone missing since it arrived, and she suspects it spirited him away. If anything, she wants to save a guy who was nice to her.
• To make her feel better about whether or not she belongs in the Midnight Society, Gavin lends her an old pocketknife that was first lent to him from a previous generation of Midnight Society when he was a nervous newcomer. If anything, he's gifting it to Rachel to let her know she indeed belongs with them.
  • Later, it becomes a Chekhov's Gun that ultimately saves Rachel from being killed by Mr. Tophat. In a way, Rachel's friendship with the Midnight Society saved her life!
• Graham telling Louisa, who has been self-conscious of who she's seen with, that she's always thought she was cool back when people used to call her "Loser-a". Lousia tells him she's touched.
• Before she destroys Mr. Tophat's cane, Rachel tells him that contrary to his comparison of her, she is not alone, as the Midnight Society gathers around her.
  • Graham is the first to point out that it was allegedly rash of Rachel to destroy Mr. Tophat's cane, as it could've allowed her to have anything she wanted. Wisely, Rachel tells the Midnight Society that even without the cane, she already has everything she could ever ask for right here.
• Once Mr. Tophat is destroyed, everyone he put under his control is freed, which includes Hideo and Adam.
• The strong implication that Gavin and Rachel have now started dating.
• In the end, Adam accidentally stumbles upon the Midnight Society's secret gathering, leaving everyone in an awkward, stunned silence. At first, it seems like they're about to make up some lame excuse to keep it secret. But as the group look to Rachel, their panicked expressions change into that of knowing smiles of what they must do: Rachel asks Adam if he's into scary stories. Rachel may have found a group of friends to call her own, but she's not going to exclude her first ever friend.
  • Better still, this holds true to what makes the Midnight Society what it is: a group of storytellers from different walks of life.

Curse of The Shadows

• During the seance for June Murphy, the gang seeing first-hand that Mr. Murphy was once a kindly father who was proud of the apprentice lighthouse keeper she was growing to be.
• When Luke is caught unaware and without a science project, Hanna stages it to look like they came up with a project together, which is nice enough unto itself. But she does so by improvising a potato battery and two chairs to light up a Lightbulb when they hold hands! Awww!
  • It doesn't stop there, as Hanna finds an unintentional window of opportunity to publicly ask Luke out to the dance, almost like a marriage proposal. And Luke says yes!
  • Later, it becomes a Chekhov's Gun when Hanna and Luke use the same project to ward off the Shadowman, almost as though invoking The Power of Love.
  • Also in the same scene, Jay not only pulls a Heroic Sacrifice as the Human Shield, but does so by buying the others time with the same project. If Hanna and Luke were able to light it together, who's to say it doesn't represent Jay learning to love himself?
• Hanna and the others letting Seth audition for the Midnight Society before they try to take down the Shadow Man.
  • Before that, Hanna warming up to Seth and genuinely tells him how to join the Midnight Society proper.
• "Yes, Definitely." To clarify, the magic 8 ball usually tells Seth "Unlikely", even when he asks "Is that all you can say?" But at their Darkest Hour against the Shadow Man, Seth asks "Is there such thing as magic?" This answer feels like a Throw the Dog a Bone moment from the powers that be.
• In the seance flashback, Sardo's childhood shows his grandfather, the original Sardo. When the original Sardo is being harassed by Mr. Murphy for the Book of Shadows, Sardo refuses, knowing this is a very dangerous item. What finally convinces him to sell it is when Mr. Murphy threatens to take away everything Sardo holds dear if he doesn't give him what he wants, looking in his grandson's general direction. In the previous series, Sardo wasn't exactly known for caring for other people. To see he genuinely cared about his grandson's life more-so than his own shows Sardo had a big heart deep down.
  • Also in the same scene, our Sardo used to be fascinated with magic as a child that, when Luke sees him, he thinks he's Seth. On top that, the original Sardo teaching his grandson how to open the secret lock and (unwittingly) giving Luke the advice on how overthinking a problem doesn't help find a solution.
• Connor gently coaxing Zoey that he'll help her move on from the mortal plane when he learns she (among others) has been in the shadows too long. After watching Connor's form used as a disguise for the malicious and cruel Shadow Man for the better part of the mini-series, it's refreshingly sweet to see he's actually a sweet young man.
• Luke lifting the Midnight Society's morale by naming each member's best quality to help them see they can beat the Shadowman and his curse. Gabby is kindly, Jay is loyal and protective of the group, Seth believes in magic when others can't, Hanna never backs down from a challenge, and Connor (despite his waning courage) is still Luke's hero. Not only does this inspire the entire group to join Luke in the Return Spell, but after much hesitation, even Connor joins.l
  • Fridge-Heartwarming: Luke listing these qualities isn't just prattle to make the episode more heartwarming: these aforementioned qualities have gotten them this far and becomes integral to the climax. Gabby comforts June while they wait for Jay to get the key, Jay preserves her life by getting the key she nearly died for in her stead, Seth wouldn't have had the magic wand he utilized to flip the switch if he didn't believe in magic, Hanna found it in herself to fix the lighthouse as best as she could, and Connor renewed his heroism when he nearly sacrificed his life for Luke.
• After going back in time to fight the Shadow Man one last time, the Midnight Society returns to the present day and find June is alive and running for mayor, the Shadow Man never existed, and the curse of the haunted woods never came to be.
  • The beautiful plot twist that since our six heroes have travelled to the past, they helped change June's fate (not just by saving her life) but by giving her the last few signatures she needed to complete her petition.
  • In the good future, the kids return to the moment before everything was ruined, on Friday. Because of that, Gabby doesn't let her mother down. For all her troubles, she's able to set things straight, earning a So Proud of You from her mother.
  • Also in the good future, Jay befriends a girl who also likes comic books. When she agrees to go to the dance as long as they can chat about comics, Jay lovingly cheers "Marry me".
    • Fridge-Heartwarming: This is a nice contrast to earlier when Jay had to hide his love of comics in front of girls to look cool. If anything, this just goes to show anyone can find love by being themselves.
  • The Midnight Society's glee at seeing that thanks to their changing the past, the lighthouse was never torn down. It still stands to this day as a symbol of hope Mr. Murphy so described it as.
    • According to Seth, one of Hanna's biggest fears is that she won't be able to make a difference in her lifetime. Even if nobody will ever know, it must've made Hanna ecstatic to see they quite literally changed the future for the better.
• When the Midnight Society returns to find that Sardo is alive (albeit with not memory of anything that happened), Seth, his #1 fan, gives him a big hug.
  • Then, Luke thanking him for all his help, despite that Sardo doesn't remember. ...Only for Sardo to warn him about casting curses, implying he does retain memory of the previous timeline.
• Towards the end, Connor and the others leave the school dance and come across a group of kids playing flashlight tag like in Sardo's story. He calls out to a little girl who reminds him of Zoey and her mother answers–the Midnight Society changed the past so little Zoey never got caught by the Shadow Man and was able to grow up and have a family of her own.
• Seth writing up his story, "Tale of the Shadowman". He may have already been initiated into the Midnight Society due to circumstances, but it seems he wants to tell a story anyway, upholding a time-honored tradition.
• In the end, with the haunted woods no longer haunted by the Shadow Man, the Midnight Society moves its meeting place from the docks to the camping site in the woods like they planned. As they decide who should tell a story tonight, Luke wordlessly offers Connor the bag. In turn, Connor gives an approving smile that says Luke should tell the story tonight, showing he's happy for his friend for growing into his role as a leader.
  • Just these words: "Submitted for the approval of the Midnight Society, I call this story..."

Ghost Island

• When Max realizes that his best friend never stopped looking for him.

---