13 Reasons Why - Season 2 - Review

First things first: Last season the show got a lot of shit for not warning people enough about harmful scenes and themes. There was an improvement this season, but in my book, it was still not enough. There’s an incredibly gruesome sexual assault in the finale for instance that people should’ve been warned for. An article online tipped me off that there was a graphic scene in the finale, not the show itself. And honestly, I feel like this show enjoys putting scenes in like that because people will be talking about it. I really didn’t see the point of that scene other than to highlight that sexual assault happens to men as well, which isn’t what the show did. 

Favorite aspect: I really loved seeing how everyone (or most of them) had grown closer since the end of season 1. A lot of the people on the tapes weren’t bad people. They did something shitty, but most felt really guilty afterward and certainly never intended for things to end the way that they did. From the flashbacks, we even saw that Hannah had even forgiven a few of them and was hanging out with them again before things got worse again. In my opinion, the tapes were a wakeup call for more than a few people. It confronted them with their own behavior and forced them to face it and do better in the future. 

The point of the tapes: There’s been a lot of speculation in the show about what Hannah’s purpose was when she made the tapes. I don’t think it was her intention of openly blaming people. The whole point of the tapes was that only the people on it would hear it. It’s her version of a suicide note. Like I said previously, I think her motivation was to call out certain people on their behavior and bullying. We learned this season that Hannah had been complicit in bullying at her own school. So many people have been in her position. A clique of friends, where one clearly takes the lead, and everyone kind of goes along with what that person does because they want to belong. Hannah felt really bad afterward, so I think she wanted her bullies to know that their actions hurt her and that she wanted to make sure they never did something like that again. The tapes were never supposed to go public. 

Problematic: I had some serious issues with Clay this season. Something struck me as off last season about him and I couldn’t quite put my finger on it then. Here’s the thing, regardless of his feelings for her, they were just friends. He’s not entitled to feel jealous or angry that she dated other people. And yet he acted like she did that to hurt him. And the fact that he would believe a word of what Bryce said, makes me seriously doubt if what he feels for her is love. He held her up as this perfect girl and the minute the image of her started to fracture, he suddenly wasn’t sure if she was worth defending. Real nice guy. 

I was rooting for you: There were a few things this season that made me go “huh?”. One of them involved Justin. And I assume they’ll get in this more next season, I actually would like to see a focus on addiction. But it seemed odd at the end of the season without much resolution. I am, of course, talking about Justin shooting up again after coming so close to having a fresh start. But I think I know why he did it. It’s my opinion that he did it out of guilt. At this point, he feels so low of himself. Ever since he let Bryce rape Jessica, he’s been carrying around that guilt. I think he’s purposely self-sabotaging himself because he doesn’t feel like he deserves to be adopted by Clay’s parents. He did a short stint in jail and in his eyes, it’s still not enough. 

Strongest character: Jessica really impressed me this season. The way she handled everything and still kept going despite the fact that barely anyone believed her. And even by the end of the season, she still didn’t get the justice she deserved. Bryce got away with it, gets to go back to his lavish lifestyle and gets to go to a new school with a bunch of girls who don’t know what he’s done. The only thing that bothered me was the hook up with Justin at the dance. That made no sense to me. 

Needs a hug: Zach was only a minor character last season but he really stepped up this season. He’s not a bad guy, but I get the feeling that he’s incredibly lonely. He’s clearly not doing so well, which his mom is in complete denial about. She seems to care more about appearances than how her son actually feels. His relationship with Hannah was really sweet. I get why it ended. Back then, Zach still cared a lot about what people thought of him and he knew they would give him crap for being with Hannah. And you can see that he really regrets that now. I think this was the season when he was finally done with what everyone else thought. He stuck by his friend Alex, despite what people said, and refused to along with covering up for Bryce like the rest of the team did. I really hope things get better for him next season. 

This guy also needs a hug: Alex went through a lot both this season and last year. He didn’t remember everything at first because of the head trauma. I can’t imagine how frustrating it must be when your body seems to be fighting you with every step you take. I know there are probably people out there that think he did this to himself but screw that. Countless people have failed suicide attempts, but that only means they felt so bad that it seemed like the only way out. They need help, they certainly don’t deserve to have a physical reminder of that horrible period in their lives. I was impressed with Alex’ progress throughout the season. He’s definitely made some emotional progress compared to last season. He wants to be there for his friends and he wants to be able to give Hannah and Jessica the justice they deserve. 

Most improved: Courtney has also changed quite a bit. A lot of people, including myself at one point, didn’t understand why she was so scared of coming out when she had 2 gay dads. But I’ve learned from experience that doesn’t make it easier. There’s still so much stigma around being gay. No straight person can understand how difficult it is to just say it aloud. And seeing the environment of that school, how many people get bullied, it’s no wonder she didn’t want people to know. She didn’t want to put a target on her back. But when she finally did come out, she seemed so much happier and more carefree. I hope to see more of her next season. 

What the hell: A lot of kids get bullied, more than anyone could ever count. And yeah, it’s horrible. And the sexual assault that happened to Tyler was even worse. But do you know what the world would look like if every bullied kid brought an assault rifle to a high school dance? I doubt there’d be many kids left. I assume the writers wanted to make some kind of comparison between Hannah and Tyler. Both bullied, isolated and sexually assaulted. One chooses suicide while the other tries to shoot up a school. But this was basically a suicide attempt as well. He knew he wouldn’t make it out of there alive but figured he’d just take as many people as he could with him. I have a feeling he wouldn’t have just aimed at the jocks. And there were so many red flags. Clay and Cyrus especially should’ve noticed something while shooting those guns. And while Clay, covered for him at the end of the season, I really hope they tell someone so Tyler can get some help. 

Most manipulative: Bryce is a snake, plain and simple. This guy can talk himself out of anything. People just seem to believe everything he says. The way he played Chloe this season made my skin crawl. I felt bad for her. She was terrified of him when on the stand and he didn’t even have to say a word. And after she found out she was pregnant, things probably got even worse. Even his own mother was afraid of him. I highly doubt the apple falls far from the tree, from what we’ve seen of his father. And now he gets a fresh start. Really hope something in season 3 prevents that from happening. 

Horrifying: However, Bryce (and those other guys) would have never gotten away with half the things they did if the school hadn’t let them. That coach should be fired for the number of excuses he made for them. And the way the school board behaved during the trial, the way they attacked their own students, was despicable. And those kids are supposed to feel safe there? This was what people mean when they talk about rape culture. I hope this gets discussed more next season. 

Season 3: Which brings me here, obviously there will be a third season. I think the writers could ask for 5 more seasons and they’d get it, seeing how popular this show is. As I said before, I’m hoping next season will focus on rape culture and how toxic society is when it comes to rape victims. I saw that we will not be seeing Hannah again, which is a good thing. Her storyline is done, her parents are moving away, let her rest in peace. 

Best quotes: Mr. Porter: “What happened to you was not your fault.” Hannah: “You don’t know what happened to me.” Mr. Porter: “If my daughter were older I would tell her the same thing. That men, they can control themselves, everybody can. Everybody acts like consent is this complicated thing but it’s not, alright. Everybody know whether they have it or not. And it was that boy’s job to know. Listen to me. It wasn’t your fault. We need to get you some help.” Hannah: “What if it’s too late? What if I’m to messed up to fix it?” Mr. Porter: “No. It’s never too late, it’s never too late. Just please sit down. You have so much life to live. You have so much. And you’re gonna get through this. I’m gonna help you. There are many people out there that wanna help you. Hannah, it’s going to be okay.” Hannah: “But it is too late. I’m dead.” Mr. Porter: “Yeah, but some girl, somewhere, right now, she’s going through what you’re feeling and I don’t want her to die. You hear me?” 

Sheri: “Seriously, Clay? You’re going to blame the girls? You don’t know what was happening in this photo. And you don’t know what happened after. ” Clay: “But clearly no one is forcing her to be there.” Sheri: “Girls don’t just get themselves into bad situations. Guys make the situations bad. You don’t know what that feels like, to be a girl in that room. 

Justin: “Sorry!” Tony: “Jesus Christ, man. Don’t fucking talk to people.” 

Justin: “What the fuck are you saying, Jensen? I mean, do you know how many girls I’ve slept with? Like, a lot. Classifies me as a player or something and by best friends used to think I was the fucking best. Hannah, she sleeps with one guy. She has a crush on another guy, being me, and she kisses a third, being you. And it’s whatever, it’s all fine right? All of a sudden, she’s a slut? All of a sudden, you don’t know who she is? You’re a dumbass.” Zach: “What if I felt like Hannah did? Because I have, mom. I actually have.” 

Courtney: "Fucking boys." Ryan: "Disgusting." 

Clay: "If Jeff Atkins were here he'd say get your asses up and come on." 

Please be respectful in the comments, any unnecessary rudeness isn't welcome.