13 Reasons Why – Tape 2, Side A

By starrymag | April 18, 2017

By: Nicole Dintelman

 

If you felt alone with nowhere to turn would you ask for help or would you choose to just end your story forever?

 

Previously on “13 Reasons Why” we saw Hannah (Katherine Langford) make friends with Jessica (Alisha Boe) and Alex Standall (Miles Heizer). The three were inseparable, told eachother everything and became the Three Musketeers. Then, one day things changed and everything fell apart. According to Hannah, Alex stopped coming first and  then Jessica. And although she didn’t understand at the time when Alex and Jessica started dating, it all made sense.

 

However, Hannah still considered Jessica a friend. Maybe not so much Alex, but we think that’s because Hannah also had feelings for him. Sistas before Mistas, are we right ladies? That was until Alex put them both on some sort of ranking list (we’re still trying to get to the bottom of this one) and caused Jessica to accuse Hannah of trying to get with Alex, which led to hurt words and a slap heard round Monet’s.

 

Let’s get going on Tape 2, Side A and see if we can get to the bottom of this list. We’re betting we can all guess who’s the subject of this tape.

Alex, The Hurricane

 

That’s right folks, it’s Alex Standall’s turn up to bat. Did we have any doubts here? After all, he did just end a friendship and he’s started some kind of list that is now going around the school causing quite a rift. Of course, as soon as Clay (Dylan Minnette) hears the tape he wants to confront Alex about what was on it and if Hannah was telling the truth. When Clay asks him if he really did what Hannah said he did, he replies “Did you?”

 

Hannah’s mom (Kate Walsh) also made a trip to the school to visit Principal Bolan (Gary Weber), which ends in tears and lands her in the girls restroom. What do you usually find in any restroom at a school? Graffiti, of course. It’s a good thing she had her cell phone with her, which she documented all of it as proof that there was even evidence of bullying in the school restrooms. Kids can be cruel and even more so when there is no one to hold them accountable.

The Eclipse

 

Clay actually got the guts to kind of sort of ask Hannah out. There was a Lunar Eclipse and he asked her to watch it with him after their shift at the theater. Hannah said that she would love to watch it with him and used her affectionate nickname she had for him, Helmet. Clay was giddy with excitement when it was time for the eclipse. Alex was at the theater alone watching the movie so they had to wait for him to leave then they went up to the roof. We could tell that Clay wanted to kiss Hannah and she wanted him to, but it didn’t happen.

 

During a movie in history class, Clay saw Alex in the hall and snuck out to see what he was doing. He caught him in the hall ripping down the anti-suicide posters. Alex said that posters were not going to stop people from committing suicide. Just when Clay was going to talk to Alex about the tape more, Mr. Porter (Derek Luke) interrupted them and took Alex with him to his office.  Clay also saw the newspaper editor, Ryan Shaver (Tommy Dorfman), going through the trash looking for things to publish. Ryan said he was doing a special tribute issue dedicated to Hannah and asked Clay to contribute, but Clay just walked away.

The list

 

Finally, we get to see what this list is about! We feel like we’ve been waiting for this forever. The next day after Clay and Hannah’s maybe date, she gets to school where once again people are whispering and snickering. Can this girl not get a break? She has a great night, is happy the next day and BAM – Mack truck to the face. These things also seem to come to light in Mrs. Bradley’s (Keiko Agena) class.

 

So, the list is basically a ranking of girls and how they rank with the guys. Who has the best lips, the best face, the worst lips, the worst face and so on. Alex voted Hannah as having the best backside and Jessica as having the worst. Apparently, he meant it as a joke, but that didn’t stop guys from objectifying Hannah. Again. Even Clay was looking at girls differently due to this list and he and Hannah had a disagreement because of it. We did find out that Alex didn’t start the list and he only put Hannah and Jessica on it to make Jessica mad. Still not cool.

Keep your friends close.

 

Clay was asking Tony (Christian Navarro) about the list during gym class and got hit in the eye with a volleyball. We’re starting to think Clay is accident prone. After gym, Alex wanted to know what Clay was talking to Tony about and Clay tells him nothing, but Alex didn’t believe him. Alex tells him not to talk to Tony about the tapes and asks him to meet him at Monet’s after school.

 

Jessica finally gets Justin (Brandon Flynn) to leave Bryce’s (Justin Prentice) pool house. Mr. Porter really did a number on him when they had their meeting. No wonder he has Alex freaked out and wanting to meet Clay at Monet’s. Hannah’s parents have filed a lawsuit against the school district and now the school wants answers. Alex is surprised that Clay isn’t very far on the tapes, but Clay tells him that he can’t go very fast because he has panic attacks. Alex admits that he’s losing it and we have to agree. He starts yelling that they all killed Hannah Baker then runs out when Tony and Mrs. Baker walk in.

The blue spot

 

Hannah had a favorite spot in town to get chocolate. It was a liquor store close to her house. It was also the place where Bryce went to buy beer because he didn’t get carded. Hannah happened to run into Bryce there and he decided to cop a feel. Bryce made it out to be nothing. He told Hannah “the list got it right.” We have a feeling there is going to be a lot more to this story.

 

While Clay is in the store visiting the place on the map, none other than Bryce Walker walks in. He talks Clay into getting a beer and also buys it for him. Once they get outside the whole crew is there – Alex, Justin and Zach (Ross Butler) – and they’ve decided to dare Alex and Clay to drink a 40oz bottle of beer as fast as they can. Clay wins and then leaves. At least they let him leave. We’d like to guess he’s a tad bit drunk as well. Tony has also shown up and is pretty ticked off at Clay for being with those guys. Tony leaves and Clay follows him to an abandoned building and witnesses him and two other guys putting a beat down on someone.

Things are beginning to unravel for everyone but we have much more to come.

 

Since this group got these tapes their world has been flipped upside down. Clay got drunk on a school night and threw up on his parent’s dining room table. Justin is pretty much losing his mind, but trying to hold things together for Jessica. Everyone is protecting Bryce, but we don’t know why. Mr. Porter and Principal Bolan are grilling students and using resources to try and find out what they missed and what could have happened to cause Hannah to take her own life. Where were they when things were going on in the school? When lists were being made or pictures being sent out via mass emails? How did Mrs. Bradley not notice everyone passing a note in class?

 

Alex tried to drown himself in a pool. He just let himself fall in and sink to the bottom. We don’t know what made him decide to catch his breath, but we’re glad that he did. No one else needs to die by their own hand. Hopefully, Alex will get some help. He told Clay that he quit Jazz band so he’s already showing signs of someone that is in trouble. He blames himself for Hannah’s death because some of his actions led to her unhappiness, but ultimately it was her that made that decision.

 

The end of the episode shows Clay sneaking out of his window in the middle of the night with his map and his Walkman. We’ll have to wait until next time to find out where it is he’s going and who’s the subject of Tape 2, Side B.