13 Reasons Why was a book and series that I quickly adored and loved since it hit the mainstream back in 2017. The story of Clay Jensen and his love from far away Hannah Baker and the slow decent into madness that Hannah had to go down until her demise was compelling to me and season 1 of the series is one of my favorite seasons of tv show… flaws and all.
Now while I loved season 1 I really wished it was only a “one and done” season, it would have had a better legacy had they did it but of course everything has to be milked for all it forth… even if it means hurting the legacy and fan base. Season 2 that came out last year I thought it was… ok. There were parts and characters that I really liked but there were a lot of things and people that I despised.
Now with the first season I gave and broke down each episode and really gave a deep dive into the episodes to break down the aura and nitty gritty of it all… season 2 I will just post on here only brief thoughts on key things that really stood out for me:
Clay – Clay was fucking annoying this season, last season you rooted for him but this season his emotions were all over the place. Granted given the fact that he really didn’t want any parts of the fuckery this season it’s understandable why he acted the way he acted but it had me thinking that this season was gonna end with Clay being checked in the same mental institution Skye was checked in ESPECIALLY after he put the gun to his dome and was about to pull the trigger.
Skye – I didn’t give a shit about her in season 1 and I especially didn’t give a shit about her in season 2. She was the most useless character in this series.
Ryan and Courtney – They pretty much had their redemptions early in the season and really had no real impact this season.
Sherri – They really didn’t have Sherri do much this season which is kinda surprising. Clay should have hooked up with her but as everyone in this thread has already said Clay is a dumbass when it comes to getting the draws.
Marcus – Marcus was a douchebag and I was hoping he would have a change of attitude this season but he really didn’t. Even after he was screaming that Bryce was a rapist to everyone he only did it because he was blackmailed to do so.
Scott, Cyrus and Chloe – When I heard there were gonna be new characters this season I thought they were gonna be villains but they surprisingly weren’t… I actually did like all of them. Cyrus and his outsider crew I like they were fucking shit up on some Joker in The Dark Knight-ish. Chloe was likeable and somewhat sympathetic especially knowing that she’s gonna have Bryce’s rape baby. Scott was a total red herring, I guess with Jeff being dead they needed a guy on the baseball team besides Zack that was a decent guy.
Bryce – Bryce was the ultimate rich douchebag scumbag, he gave ZERO FUCKS! He got away with every fucking thing with no consequences… real talk Clay should have shot him. Bryce getting away with murder reminds me of that old saying of “Sometimes…. The bad guys have to win.”
Tony – They did a complete 180 with Tony. Last season he was the voice of reason and the guy that kept everyone in line…. This season he was violent as hell and had a major anger problem and on probation jesus christ. I guess they did that to give his character more depth… I’m not sure.
Justin – They got Justin going from star basketball athlete to becoming a full crack smoking meth addict on the streets turning tricks for change. At least he got to redeem himself and get a second chance…. But with Meth Seth on the loose Justin’s downfall may come next season.
Zack – Zack was the ultimate good guy this season… pretty much taking over the role Clay had last season. Speaking of I’m STILL crying laughing about Zack doing what Clay should have did and had a summer fuck session with Hannah. I was surprised that it was him that was leaving the polaroids to Clay because I thought Kat would have been the one doing it…. But it made sense why Zack was the one.
Montgomery – JESUS CHRIST THIS MAN IS A TOTAL GOON! I knew he was a goon after beating the hell out of Alex last season but this season he amped it up. All of those death threats he was leaving to everyone was fucked up… so fucked up that even Bryce had to cut ties with him. I don’t know if its the roid rage or its the rough home life but he most likely gonna be a major threat to everyone next season and hopefully they flesh out his character more.
Mr. Porter – I like the fact that Mr.Porter was trying hard to do the right thing all throughout this season. Maybe it was too little too late but I think his character was a product of what the school wanted him to be in season 1 with following school protocol compared to him doing things his way in season 2 with him showing that the school needs a MAJOR overhaul of protocol since the principal does not give a shit about the students at all.
Tyler – Tyler had to be the most sympathetic character in this whole series…. Moreso that Hannah. With Hannah, Jessica and with other women their problems and concerns was getting all of the attention. Meanwhile Tyler was getting bullied all day every day without anyone caring about him. Jocks hated him, Clay and everyone else on the tapes hated him, he generally had no one to go to because he was awkward which most of us are awkward during this era of our lives. Somehow he lucked up into being friends with Cyrus and having Cyrus sister liking him…. But Tyler actually fucked that up leaving him all alone again. The bathroom scene with Tyler and Montgomery was one of the most violent and violating things I’ve seen and the sad part of it all is that he couldn’t tell anyone because he knew that nobody would even help him.
The Trial – The trial went entirely too damn long in my opinion, especially since nothing came from it except it got Clay’s parents to adopt Justin into the family.
Gameplans – Was it just me that noticed that virtually every plan the crew came up with NONE of the plans worked. From the testimonials to the lawsuits to getting the polaroids to leaking Hannah’s tapes to the public…. None of that worked. Why did they even try?
The Ending – If they were hell bent on having a season 3 then season 2 should have ended at the end of episode 12 when Bryce and Justin got arrested…. Would have set the next season up perfectly. Instead they did the fake out ending of making us think that Tyler was gonna shoot up the school….why? I would have personally love to see Tyler drive to the school then stare at the school then changing his mind and then drive to Montgomery’s house and shot him in the head for the bathroom fuckery then Tyler saying “Fuck this town and everyone in it” and then driving away out of the town into parts unknown never to be seen again…. The end
Season 1 and Season 2 were two very different seasons. Season 1 felt like a tragic love story with Clay and Hannah and had plenty of touching moments which is why a lot of people loved it…. Season 2 felt more chaotic, sporadic and very dark which is why I see a lot of people not liking it. Overall I enjoyed season 2 for what it was…. But it’s a big mistake to stretch this out into a third season. That being said the theme for this upcoming season will have me watching this friday of what direction the show will lead to the 4th and final season next year… please be a good season.
Fractured Mindframe 