Who is Bird Psycho? Heartbreak High season 2 ending explained

Heartbreak High season 2 finale spoilers below.

Heartbreak High season two manages to recapture the chaotic drama of the Netflix show's first season, even if it is at more of a slow-burn pace.

For those who were too impatient to wait for the story to build but are still keen to find out what happens, there is only one true mystery that's keeping you up. Who is Bird Psycho and why do they hate Amerie (Ayesha Madon) so much?

The answer lies in some historical mean-girl behaviour on Amerie's behalf and, let's just say her actions are flocking back to haunt her.

By the opening of the finale episode, we know that Bird Psycho is Rowan (Sam Rechner), Amerie's new hot flame. However, while viewers are eye-openingly aware that he is the one who has been harassing her over the season, Amerie is none the wiser and continues to get snuggly close with her Bird-man.

Luckily for Amerie, Rowan has fallen for her offbeat charm, so their fledgling romance seems to be kicking off well.

However, Amerie's (and Rowan's) ex-boyfriend Malakai (Thomas Weatherall) has had his guard up about their new relationship ever since Rowan threatened him to stay away from Amerie.

Fearing for her safety, Malakai tries to warn Harper (Asher Yasbincek) about Rowan's possessiveness but she doesn't give him the chance. Harper reads his warning as jealous interference.

Malakai confesses to Harper that he loves Amerie but she firmly tells him to back off and let her be happy.

Afterwards, Malakai attempts to drum up the courage to tell Amerie how he feels about her ahead of his family's move to Switzerland but just can't do it – and instead hits her with a vague "Bye, c**t". She returns the heartwarming sentiment, not knowing this will be the last time she sees him.

What he can't say to her face he leaves in a letter for Amerie, which he puts in her locker.

Later at the school's formal, Amerie is having a great time with Rowan but can't seem to get Malakai out of her head.

She gets nostalgic over her ex and eventually admits to Harper that even though she's happy to be there with Rowan she misses Malakai.

The two are interrupted by a drunk Missy who reveals that Malakai has left town. In true Amerie fashion, she panics about him leaving. In the midst of it all Harper admits that Malakai bared his soul to her about his feelings for Amerie but that she didn't tell her best friend because she was trying to protect her.

Amerie loses it and the two argue. During their heated exchange, she blurts out that she loves Malakai too in front of the whole class, loud enough for Rowan to overhear.

Feeling deeply embarrassed and angry, Rowan runs off. His hurt is enough to reignite his dampened hatred for Amerie all over again.

As the Amerie and Rowan drama rapidly unfolds, fired and disgruntled teacher Timothy Voss (Angus Sampson) is working in the background to rally the Cumlords (his cohort of chauvinistic students) in a secret mission against Hartley High.

His pathetic vendetta against the 'WOKE agenda' comes to a head during his protest on the school's oval (green space) in which he and his followers set a fire in the shape of a giant penis using lighter fluid. The blaze rages out of control and reaches the school, which goes up in flames. Almost everyone manages to escape except Amerie and Harper, who have gone chasing after Rowan.

They follow him to the AV club room and he locks them in, forcing them to watch the film he's been working on that brings to light his connection to Amerie.

His animation reveals that he is Spud, a boy she met during her childhood jaunts with Harper at the skatepark. It tells the story of his secret crush on Amerie, how they bonded over taking care of an injured bird together and the funeral they held for the bird when it died.

Things took a bitter twist for young Rowan when the pair were mocked over the funeral and Amerie threw him under the bus by telling the other kids it was his idea. She walked away from him, abandoning him in his humiliation.

In a rage, he went home and began smashing up the place. His frightened younger brother Jett panicked and ran across the road to get their parents, who were at a BBQ. Tragically, he was hit by a car and killed, for which Rowan blames Amerie.

"You haven't changed at all. You're still selfish, still hurting people," he tells her, refusing to let them go, despite the encroaching fire.

Amerie attempts to talk him down but to no avail. Instead, he asks her to apologise for the past and she does, for everything but the death of his brother, saying it wasn't her fault.

Rowan takes this to mean that he is to blame and finally comes face to face with the guilt he feels over Jett's death. It eats at him and he slumps to the floor in defeat, seemingly giving up.

Having sussed out Rowan's avian identity, Quinni (Chloé Hayden) rushes back into the burning building to save Amerie and Harper. A despondent Rowan doesn't stop Quinni from helping them escape and they get an almost unconscious Harper to safety. Rowan stays behind, refusing to come with them.

At the last minute, Amerie goes back for Rowan. They have a brief, intense heart-to-heart during which she comforts him, telling him Jett's death was not his fault and that he loved Rowan, enough for him not to want Rowan to die out of guilt at the very least.

It's enough to convince him to come with her.

While Cumlord Timothy is being arrested, Rowan tells Amerie that she is not the villain he made her out to be, insinuating that maybe he is.

Amerie appears to have had some growth during this season as she responds: "Maybe we're all just a bunch of f**ked-up kids trying the best we can."

Speaking of f**ked-up kids, Malakai is all the way messed up over his feelings for Amerie as is evident from the final shot of him crying on the plane. The camera then switches to a shot of his letter in Amerie's locker being chewed up by the flames. Guess we'll never know what he wanted to say… or will we?

For those who have skimmed this ending explained, shame on you but the answer is no one. Clearly.

Rowan exposed his true colours to Malakai, which has made him understandably weary of the guy. However, even without Rowan's threatening behaviour, Malakai had already made it clear that he loves Amerie.

It's a shame those two crazy kids just aren't able to make it work. Maybe when they're 80? (To quote Malakai's letter.)

Thanks to the power of technology (aka the pause button) we were able to piece together part of Malakai's love letter to Amerie. Of course, it's not the full summary of his note as the camera doesn't show the letter in its entirety but, from what we were able to see this is what he had to say:

"Thank you for being my first love. [For] still loving me even when I f**ked [up].

"Sometimes I think we just met each other [at the] wrong time. You are the most amazing [person] and I feel like in the short time we [have known] each other, I have watched you become even [more] incredible. I wish we could have made things [work]. Maybe it would have been better if we met at 30 or 60 or even 80 in a nursing home. I guess shit is sometimes all about timing.

"I thought about staying but I just don't feel like I believe...

"I promise one day, I'll…

"Love Malakai."

"I'll" what, Malakai?? I guess we'll have to wait for season three to find out.

Harper's season two arc may not be as mysterious as her season one storyline, but that doesn't mean it's any less traumatic.

Still reeling from the events in the previous season, Harper is compelled to make some big decisions early on. Chook's ever-looming presence and the thought of the impending trial is too much for Harper to stomach, and so she decides to drop the changes altogether.

While this is a mental load off the recently-emancipated teen's mind, she is still struggling to deal with the psychological trauma of being abducted and almost sexually assaulted.

Along with Amerie and co., Ant (Brodie Townsend) surprisingly turns out to be a steady source of comfort for Harper which leads to their relationship blossoming in unexpected ways.

Though Ant has been harbouring a crush on Harper for much of season two, he is intent on learning how to be a better man by learning how to maintain a platonic relationship with a woman.

This naturally creates a safe space for Harper and it is obvious that she's slowly beginning to see him in a different light.

However, when Ant gets the courage to tell Harper how he feels, she doesn't really respond.

Her lack of a response is all the confirmation Ant needs that she does not return his affections. That is until Amerie and Harper get locked up by Bird-Psycho Rowan.

It is then that she can share with Amerie that she's shut her heart off after everything that happened with Chook.

The life and death experience seems to have given her the push she needs, so when the events surrounding the Rowan-Bird-Psycho-school-fire die down, she reaches out to Ant and asks him to dance. Sans music and with the school crisping in the background, they dance together.

It's not clear whether this romantic gesture cements their relationship, but it is clear that the two have developed feelings for one another which they have openly expressed with each other. Roll on season three for answers.

For those still OBSESSED with Darren (James Majoos) and Ca$h (William McDonald), here's a quick rundown on how things ended between them in the finale.

Fresh off their break-up with Ca$h, Darren joins Hartley's abstinent group the Puriteens in a bid to stamp out their sexual urges so that they can continue to date Ca$h, who is asexual.

Meanwhile, Ca$h gets some sound advice from his nan about their break-up.

"There are all kinds of ways to love someone, to be with someone. You don't have to play by other people's rules and to be honest, that was never your style anyway," she tells him, adding that he shouldn't give up on their relationship so soon.

Ca$h goes to the formal to see Darren, who is hanging with the Puriteens.

"This isn't you," he tells them. "But it could be," is Darren's response before he adds: "It's not just about sex for me, Ca$h."

The fire puts everything in perspective for the two, whose season two arc ends on a make-up kiss.

Heartbreak High seasons 1-2 are streaming on Netflix.

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Janet A Leigh

TV writer, Digital Spy Janet completed her Masters degree in Magazine Journalism in 2013 and has continued to grow professionally within the industry ever since.  For six years she honed her analytical reviewing skills at the Good Housekeeping institute eventually becoming Acting Head of Food testing.  She also freelanced in the field of film and TV journalism from 2013-2020, when she interviewed A-List stars such as Samuel L Jackson, Colin Firth and Scarlett Johansson. In 2021 she joined Digital Spy as TV writer where she gets to delve into more of what she loves, watching copious amounts of telly all in the name of work. Since taking on the role she has conducted red carpet interviews with the cast of Bridgerton, covered the BAFTAs and been interviewed by BBC Radio and London Live. In her spare time she also moonlights as a published author, the book Gothic Angel.