13 Reasons Why – Tape 7, Side A

By starrymag | July 6, 2017

By: Nicole Dintelman

 

Feelings of despair can be fleeting, but you have to have the will to fight them. If you’ve given up your despair can overtake you and push you over the edge.

 

On the last  “13 Reasons Why” Hannah (Katherine Langford) stumbled upon a gathering at Bryce’s (Justin Prentice) place. Everyone was there it seemed. Jessica (Alisha Boe), Justin (Brandon Flynn) and Zach (Ross Butler) were in the hot tub and Bryce was in the pool with other guests. There was pizza and drinks and everyone was having a good time when Hannah arrived. Nothing seemed to be amiss when Hannah came strolling in. Jessica invited her in the hot tub and even asked her to get her some pizza. What came next for Hannah was heart-wrenching, even for those with the strongest of stomachs.

 

Everyone left the hot tub and Hannah was alone. At first, it was peaceful for her. She felt at peace looking at the stars relaxing in the water. That is until Bryce joined her. Immediately she was alarmed. Hannah knew she had to get out of the hot tub as fast as she could. She tried to tell him she really needed to get home but Bryce grabbed her and he raped her. Hannah did make it home that night but not as the same person as when she left. She was broken before, but after that night Hannah was shattered.

 

The group also started receiving subpoenas for Hannah’s trial. Everyone seemed to be a bit freaked out by this, but it did make some of them decide to start telling the truth. Courtney (Michele Selene Ang) sat down with one of her dads and finally told him that she knew Hannah better than she originally said. When Courtney, Zach, Alex (Miles Heizer) and Marcus (Steven Silver) met at Monet’s they finally decided they should stop covering for Bryce. They were still leaving Tyler (Devin Druid) out of everything and he purchased a gun from a shady guy in an alley. Clay got his ass kicked, but got a confession out of Bryce that he raped Hannah.  When the episode ended someone was on their way to the hospital in an ambulance for a gunshot wound to the head.

 

We knew these final episodes would be big just because of what they’re leading up to. “Tape 7, Side A: is also the Season One finale. Grab your tissues and let’s get started!

November 10, 2017

 

Zach is first with his deposition. The lawyer representing Hannah’s parents (Wilson Cruz) begins asking questions regarding Hannah being bullied at school or saying mean things to Hannah. Did anyone else notice the date on the deposition videos? It’s a future date. November 10, 2017. We are curious to know if this will play into Season Two. Hannah’s parents wanted to sit through the depositions. They are also selling their house. Olivia Baker (Kate Walsh) felt it was important to be at the depositions because the kids killed her daughter and she wanted to find out what they knew.

 

Hannah decided to give life one last chance. She knew she couldn’t do it on her own though so she planned to ask for help. Clay (Dylan Minnette) was once again in hot water at home for disappearing and coming home like he got home in a boxing match. Tony (Christian Navarro) shows up for breakfast and Clay plays him Bryce’s confession and asks him to make a copy of the tape. Tony can’t believe that Clay got him to confess. He also knows that Clay didn’t give Bryce the tapes like Hannah wanted. Clay told Tony that it’s time to do what Hannah needs not what she wanted.

Blowing up the world.

 

When Courtney gives her deposition, the defense has the photo of her and Hannah. This is after she states that Hannah is just an acquaintance. Jessica meets Clay at Monet’s. Clay just wanted to check on her. He shows her the box of tapes and tells her that he will burn the,  but if she wants to fight they will help. Jessica doesn’t want to tell everyone what happened to her. She especially doesn’t want to tell her dad. Jessica asks Clay if he thinks she’s letting Hannah down and he tells her they all let Hannah down. Jessica tells Clay not to burn the tapes.

 

Justin is waiting for Jessica outside Monet’s. He tells her that he has no place to live and asks her to please talk to him. She asks him why should she. Justin tells her that he thought about killing himself the night before, but he can’t stop thinking about her. Jessica tells him to try harder. Justin asks her to tell him what she wants him to do, whatever it is he will do it. Jessica tells Justin what she wants is to never see him again in her life. Once so much in love and now she can’t even stand to look at him, but can you really blame her?

B.M.O.C.

 

If you’re new to Liberty High you’d learn right away who the big man on campus is: Bryce Walker. A few days after Hannah’s rape she saw Bryce in the hallway. He winked at her. Yes, we said WINKED. The only thing that kept Hannah from totally spiraling out of control then and there was Clay coming over to talk to her. She wanted to talk to him about the night she ran out on him but she couldn’t so she just walked away.

 

Clay goes to see Mr. Porter (Derek Luke). He tells him that he knows he’s still on suspension, but he needs to talk to him. The school counselor tells him to come on in his office. Hannah also went to see Mr. Porter. She made an appointment and went to his office to talk to him about the things that were happening with her. Unfortunately, when a young woman goes and asks for help it doesn’t always go as planned.

Kevin Porter, Welcome to your tape.

 

When Hannah finally reaches out for help she goes to the school counselor. He tells her that he’s glad that she came to him. He asks her how she’s feeling right now. Hannah says she’s feeling lost and empty. She doesn’t care anymore about anything. Hannah says she doesn’t care about school, herself or even her parents. Mr. Porter asks her to expand on not caring about her parents. Hannah says that she feels like she’s a problem to them. Mr. Porter asks Hannah about her friends and Hannah asks him what friends? Mr. Porter randomly names Jessica, Courtney and Alex. Hannah has to tell him that they are not her friends. Hannah is also recording this meeting for his tape.

 

Clay tells Mr. Porter that he wants to talk about Hannah Baker. Clay tells him that Hannah pushed him away. Mr. Porter tells him that Hannah made the decision to kill herself and that it wasn’t anyone’s fault. Clay asks him what if it was. What if they all could have done something to help her. Mr. Porter tells Clay that it’s natural to blame yourself, but we all do the best we can. Clay tells him that he thinks that’s bullshit. Clay asks Mr. Porter how he can live with that because he’s a counselor. What about the next kid that wants to kill himself? Clay tells Mr. Porter the other night he almost threw himself off a cliff.

Hannah needs life to stop.

 

Hannah tells Mr. Porter that she needs life to stop. Mr. Porter asks her how she got to this place. Hannah tells him it was one thing after another and she’s sure that he’s heard the rumors about her. Hannah tells Mr. Porter about the list. Hannah also told Mr. Porter that she was raped. Clay tells Mr. Porter that he knows that Hannah came to him and told him that she was raped and she wanted life to stop. Mr. Porter blamed the rape on Hannah. He asked her if maybe she made a decision to do something with a boy that she regrets. Immediately, Mr. Porter assumed that it was Hannah’s fault.

 

Clay tells Mr. Porter that Bryce Walker raped Hannah because Hannah wouldn’t tell him. When Hannah wouldn’t give Mr. Porter a name he told her to move on. Hannah told Mr. Porter that he was a Senior and he told her that he would be leaving in a few months. Hannah said she would just have to move on and get over it. She said if things weren’t going to change she just needed to get on with it. Hannah left his office and hoped he would come after her and he didn’t.

“Some of you cared. None of you cared enough.”

 

Hannah felt like she’d done all she could do. She asked for help and no one would assist her. Not even those put in a position to help. Clay tells Mr. Porter that he let Hannah walk away, everyone let her walk away. She walked out of school and went home and put some things in order. Hannah dropped her uniform off at the Crestmont without a word to Clay. She then dropped one package off with a friend and one at the post office. Hannah then went home, ran a bath and opened the box of razor blades that she took from her parents’ store that morning.

 

Clay tells Mr. Porter that Hannah got into the tub, still with her clothes on, slit her wrists and bled to death. Hannah died alone with the water still running. Mrs. Baker is yelling for Hannah wanting to know why there is water all over the floor and she finds Hannah dead in the tub. When her father (Brian d’Arcy James) comes in he also begins to cry out and Olivia Baker is yelling at him to call 911. Clay tells Mr. Porter that he could have stopped it and Clay feels like he, himself, could have. Justin Foley could have and a dozen other people at least. Mr. Porter is in tears just as we .

“You can’t love someone back to life.”

 

Clay tells Mr. Porter that Hannah is dead because he was afraid to love her. Mr. Porter tells him that you can’t love someone back to life. He says there’s no way to know why Hannah did what she did. Clay tells him there is a way. Clay then gives him the tapes. He tells him before she died Hannah recorded “13 Reasons Why Hannah Killed Herself.” Clay tells Mr. Porter that he’s the last person to get the tapes and Hannah didn’t leave any instructions on what to do with them after so he gets to decide. Clay tells him that he’s added Tape 14 so he hopes that will help him make his decision. Clay also tells him that it has to get better. The way that they treat each other and look out for each other, it has to get better.

 

Clay runs into Skye (Sosie Bacon) in the hallway and asks her how she’s doing. He asks her if she wants to hang out sometime and she says yes. She asks him if he’s alright and he says no and asks her if that’s okay and she says yes. Tyler’s mom is telling him it’s time to go and he’s packing away his arsenal in a trunk. He has a ton of guns and ammo. The question is why? Tony comes to the pharmacy and apologizes to the Bakers for not telling them everything. He also brings them a flash drive with the tapes on it. Tony tells them he thought he was doing the right thing and he’s truly sorry.

Can someone be left so hopeless that they feel they are out of options? Can someone be bullied to death?

 

In the depositions, Tyler tells them about the tapes that Hannah recorded. He also tells them that last he knew Clay had them. However, when Jessica gives her deposition she lies and tells them she doesn’t know anything about the tapes. Justin is getting ready to leave town and Bryce buys him vodka for his trip. Bryce asks Justin how did Clay know about him and Hannah. Justin tells him about the tapes. Bryce says that no one is going to believe a dead girl. Jessica finally tells her dad what happened to her.

 

Mr. Porter is listening to his tape when Principal Bolan (Steven Weber) comes in to tell him that Alex shot himself in the head the previous night. He’s in critical condition at the hospital. OMG! Alex was the one in the ambulance! We’re a little concerned about his prognosis because when Tyler was developing photos he took Alex’s down, but left the rest up. The Bakers begin to listen to the tapes to learn what happened to their daughter. Tony asks Clay what’s next and he says he’s not sure. We’re not sure what you’re doing either Clay, but we know we’ll all find out in 2018 with Season Two!

 

We’ll be back with recaps when “13 Reasons Why” returns for Season Two!

 

If you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts or feelings of suicide please contact The National Suicide Prevention Line 24 hours a day at 1-800-273-8255.