13 Reasons Why – Tape 6, Side A

By starrymag | June 18, 2017

By: Nicole Dintelman

 

One awful night can change the course of your life forever. The question is: Do you let it?

 

Last time on “13 Reasons Why” we found out what happened to Jeff Atkins (Brandon Larracuente). Sheri Holland (Ajiona Alexus) and Hannah (Katherine Langford) were driving home from the party at Jessica’s (Alisha Boe) and Sheri hit a stop sign at a busy intersection and knocked it down. Sheri refused to call the police to tell them in fear of what her parents might do to her and also because of the fact she had been drinking earlier in the evening. Hannah ran to a convenience store to call for help, but by then it was too late. The accident had already happened and Jeff was killed, which is why Sheri was on the tapes.

 

Sheri shows Clay (Dylan Minnette) that she’s been trying to make up for what happened by going over and helping take care of the other person that was in the accident, but Clay tells her that isn’t good enough. Clay wants her to tell Jeff’s parents what happened. Everyone thinks Jeff was drunk that night. Whether he was or wasn’t is unknown, but what we do know is that stop sign was down. Our question is did they do a tox-screen on him? That would have cleared up any doubt.

 

We know that Clay’s tape is up next and it’s the one we have all been waiting for so let’s get going on “Tape 6, Side A.”

 

Clay Jensen, welcome to your tape.  

 

Tony (Christian Navarro) is with Clay when he gets to his tape and Clay asks Tony how he’s supposed to listen to it. Tony tells him: “The asshole answer is put the headphones in and press play.” Way to be direct Tony! Clay tells him he needs him to drive. He has to get out of the park. He can’t listen there.

 

Hannah tells Clay that she’s liking the new side of him. The rebel without a cause side. The side that goes to a party and does things outside of his comfort zone. Hannah tells Clay she’s going to stay at home and do homework that night and not go to the party. Remember Jeff told Clay he had to come to the party. Jeff was always getting Clay to do stuff.

 

Hannah always admired Clay. He wasn’t afraid to be himself. She was terrified of what people thought of her. Clay gets to Jessica’s home super early. No one else is even there. Jessica tells him he can help set up. Jessica puts Clay in charge of snacks. Every girl that walked in the door with short hair Clay thought was Hannah. He kept hoping she would come. Finally, she did and Clay’s heart stopped. He got so nervous that he went outside. Jeff tells Clay that he has to go back inside and talk to Hannah and make his move. Jeff tells Clay that he’s the reason that Hannah came.

Hannah is feeling rebellious.

 

Hannah tells Clay that she came to the party because she’s feeling rebellious. They’re both extremely nervous around each other for the first time ever. This night feels different for some reason – like there’s more at stake. Laney Jensen (Amy Hargreaves), Clay’s mother, tells Principal Bolan (Steven Weber) that The Bakers rejected the settlement offer they were presented with. Justin (Brandon Flynn) is still having problems at home and he has to leave because of his mom’s boyfriend.

 

Jessica is still walking on the wild side and hanging out with Bryce (Justin Prentice). At the party, Hannah asks Clay if he had a superpower what would he want it to be. Clay said he would make everyone else disappear. Hannah asks him what they would do next, but before he can answer she’s sprayed with beer. Hannah asks about Jeff making Clay come to the party and Clay tells her that he didn’t make him come – he just strongly suggested it. He tells her that Jeff tutors him in “girl.”

A place to crash.

 

Justin can’t reach Jessica, Bryce or Zach (Ross Butler) and ends up on Alex’s (Miles Heizer) doorstep. He asks Alex if he can crash at his house and tells him that he’d be fine with even sleeping in the garage. Alex tells him that he’s not sleeping in the garage and asks his dad if it’s okay for Justin to stay. Mr. Standall (Mark Pellegrino) says of course and invites Justin in. He tells Justin they have plenty for dinner and asks him if he’s eaten yet.

 

Mrs. Bradley (Keiko Agena) goes to talk to Mr. Porter (Derek Luke) about Principal Bolan’s email about being deposed for the lawsuit. Mr. Porter asks her if there is something wrong that she needs to talk about regarding the suit. She tells him it’s probably nothing, but at the end of the year last year she received an anonymous note regarding suicide. Mrs. Bradley tells Mr. Porter that Clay Jensen told her that Hannah is the one that wrote the note. He tells her not to tell anyone else about the note until she’s about to talk to Clay about it.

The right headspace.

 

Clay is ready to keep listening to the tapes, but Tony tells him he needs to eat and get in the right headspace to keep listening to them. They’re at Monet’s to get dinner when Skye (Sosie Bacon) tells Clay she can read his cards. Tony is against it, but Clay says yes. Clay asks Skye why she hates him so much. She stopped talking to him Freshman year. Skye tells Clay that he saw her at the end of the hall and turned the other way. Clay tells Skye that she changed and she tells him that he changed, too. Skye tells Clay that suicide is for the weak. Wow. Too far Skye. Clay is far too vulnerable to say something like that.

 

Clay tells Tony that Skye is a bitch and Tony is taken aback because he doesn’t think that he’s ever heard Clay use that word. Clay says that Skye doesn’t know what was going on in Hannah’s life and Tony reminds Clay that he doesn’t know what’s going on in Skye’s either. Clay tells Tony to shut up. He’s tired of him acting like a wise unhelpful Yoda. Tony asks Clay if this is a crack on his height. Clay starts to listen to the tapes again and Tony tells him to wait. Clay asks him why and Tony says one word: “Headspace.”

The pressure is on and everyone is cracking.

 

Mr. Porter is feeling the heat right now for everything going down at school. He’s afraid of losing his job. Tony takes Clay to a secluded spot overlooking the city to finish listening to the tape. At the party, Hannah and Clay are in Jessica’s room and Hannah is telling Clay about when she and Jessica were friends the year before. Clay is surprised. He wasn’t aware the two of them were friends. They’re joking about rocks and names when it finally happens: Clay kisses Hannah.

 

Hannah felt like everything was perfect for a moment. She imagined a future where everything was perfect, where she could be happy. Hannah wanted Clay to kiss her, he wanted her to do what they were doing in the bedroom but her mind took over. Hannah pushes Clay away. In her mind, he had become all of the other guys that had hurt her. Hannah didn’t really want him to leave, but at the same time she did. Clay did exactly what she asked him to do: He left. Clay doesn’t belong on the list, but he has to be on the list because he’s not like every other guy. He’s different.

When you’ve been told you’re not good enough over and over again you start to believe it’s true.

 

Hannah has started to believe what everyone has been saying about her. She doesn’t think that she is good enough for Clay. Clay is not like the other guys. He is good, he’s a gentleman. When they’re making out he asks her if it’s ok, he wants to make sure that he’s not going too far. In Hannah’s mind, she’ll never be good enough for someone like Clay because she’s the class slut. Clay replays the scene in his mind and everything he wants to say is what he should have said to Hannah when she was alive. Clay blames himself for everything that happened. Jeff’s death, Jessica’s rape and Hannah’s suicide. Clay couldn’t tell Hannah he loved her because he was afraid.

 

Justin shows up at Bryce’s to try to get Jessica to leave, but Jessica isn’t going anywhere. Justin wants to know why Jessica is there with Bryce. Jessica wants to know why he cares so much. Justin tells her because Bryce raped her. Jessica tells Justin that she hates him, slaps him and runs off. Bryce asks Justin what he did and goes back in the house. Guess the protecting Bryce at all costs game is over now.

 

Tony drops Clay off at home and Clay promises not to do anything stupid. Clay’s mom tells him that he’s on the list to be deposed for the lawsuit. Clay promises his mom he will tell her everything, just not yet.

 

Jessica receives a late night text message from Bryce that’s only two words: “You ok?” We don’t know about you, but we’re not okay after that episode! It was definitely intense! With only two episodes left it’s only going to get even crazier! Join us next time when we recap “Tape 6, Side B!”

 

Are you a teen in trouble? Teen Line can help! Teens Helping Teens! Call 1-800-TLC-TEEN, Text TEEN to 839863, or on the web www.teenlineonline.org