5 Things We Liked (And 2 We Didn't) About 13 Reasons Why Season 2

• 
  
  LIKED: The fallout soon after Hannah’s suicide
  
  
  Beth Dubber/Netflix
  
  
  
  one of the greatest critiques of Season 1 was that it romanticized suicide and painted the fatal act as a revenge fantasy. Season 2 sought to correct that by showing the harsh reality Hannah left in back of. Her grand gesture didn’t have any positive impact in the way that people behave. What’s worse, she didn’t at all affect those she wanted to condemn, and has negatively affected the people who wanted to help her.
  
  
  via fallout, we visualize the different ways grief can manifest. Her mom, Olivia (Kate Walsh), became obsessed with the trial, poring over every clue Hannah left beyond, often with a glass of red wine nearby. Clay vacillated between extreme anger, overcome, and conspiring with “Ghost Hannah,” who was more a hallucination of grief than an accommodating poltergeist. Her guidance counselor, Mr. Porter, became totally guilt-ridden, although also caught up in bureaucracy to be efficient. It’s however another reminder that we don't all deal with the same situation in the same way.
  
  
  
  
  





• 
  
  LIKED: The other sides of Hannah's story
  
  
  Beth Dubber/Netflix
  
  
  
  each and every student accused of wronging Hannah on her tapes accused her of not telling the truth, while Hannah's supporters insisted that the tapes were her truth. Never having the chance to hear the mirrored truths of accused, the initial season sparked concern that viewers could be left with the grim impression that suicide was the logical choice for Hannah.
  
  
  Through Hannah’s trial, the accused are given the chance to tell their sides of the story, and the result is a refreshing look at how the choice Hannah made wasn't her only alternative. This particularly shows itself through her concealed relationship with high school jock Zach Dempsey (Ross Butler).
  
  
  Over the course of the season, we visualize Zach not as a note-stealing jerk, although as a sensitive guy caught up in a culture that thrives on toxic masculinity. Hearing Zach's side of things — which dives deep into the cute, virginity-losing, full-blown fling he and Hannah had over a lonely summer, once their laughter by the docks could drown out their combined sadness — and seeing him care for his other companions — namely, helping Alex (Miles Heizer) rehabilitate immediately after his suicide attempt — underscores that there was good orbiting Hannah's world. She just needed some help to be able to see it.
  
  
  
  
  





• 
  
  LIKED: Jessica’s post-assault progress
  
  
  Beth Dubber/Netflix
  
  
  
  Jessica's (Alisha Boe) post-assault journey showed the experience of life right after rape, in stark contrast to Hannah’s story, which fell apart at the hands of the same rapist.
  
  
  Things were not easy for Jessica this season. She couldn't sleep in her own bed, she was publicly shamed, and she lost ownership over her body as she pushed to take control of her narrative. However she persisted — and that was the largest point Jessica's story reiterated, at one point even saying she wanted to keep fighting to get better because there really are so several, like Hannah, who couldn't. And ultimately, Jessica noticed ways to cope with her trauma.
  
  
  
  
  





• 
  
  LIKED: concentrate on new characters
  
  
  Beth Dubber/Netflix
  
  
  
  This season broadened the focus to students who weren’t on the tapes, and then some of those new storylines were a breath of fresh air, particularly Skye (Sosie Bacon) and Cyrus (Bryce Cast).
  
  
  Battling with self-harm, Skye determined to prioritize her mental health right after spending time at an in-patient program. Her conversations with Clay touched upon the often scary topics of accepting her diagnosis (which was bipolar disorder), that both environmental and chemical change can be good, and that her condition is no one's fault; it just is. Like Jessica, Skye showed a hopeful option to Hannah's path, in which talking to adults and willingness to change literally turned her life around.
  
  
  Cyrus, on the other hand, served as a substitute to every other kid on the show. Although he was characterized because the outcast, he ended up being impressively mature. He was to be able to see that life extends in back of high school, and even if things are awful in the moment, that's not all there really is. Sure, he was mischievous and habitually down for a prank, yet he was mostly harmless, never attempting to cause physical harm to his classmates, and was habitually open to new companions. Most importantly, Cyrus spoke to his dad any time things got serious, beginning up about potential red flags with Tyler (Devin Druid), who, it turned out, really did need help.
  
  
  
  
  





• 
  
  LIKED: The verdicts grounded in reality
  
  
  Beth Dubber/Netflix
  
  
  
  although the outcomes of both the Bakers' trial and Jessica's trial were not the ones we were rooting for, they were the verdicts that served the most blunt realities.
  
  
  The Bakers' trial against the school district, alleging that the school knew how at-risk Hannah was and did nothing, exposed some of the red tape that may block school officials from being able to provide more support as soon as it's needed, be that lack of resources or usage of a rather specific vocabulary. It also served as although another reminder of how critical it is converse with an adult clearly and bravely once something is really wrong.
  
  
  Jessica's trial against Bryce highlights the dark reality surrounding the way the criminal justice system handles sexual violence. According to RAINN, out of every 1,000 instances of rape, only 310 are announced to police. Of these 310, only 57 reports lead to an arrest, and only 11 of these will be referred to prosecutors. Of these 11, only 7 cases will lead to a felony conviction, and only 6 will lead to incarceration. Jessica's case fell victim to one of the criminal justice system’s biggest shortcomings.
  
  
  
  
  





• 
  
  DIDN'T LIKE: Competing storylines
  
  
  Beth Dubber/Netflix
  
  
  
  Unlike Season 1, which focused solely on Hannah's depression, Season 2 broadened the scope by devoting screen time to numerous characters and their individual issues, like bullying, gun violence, drug abuse, grief, and sexual assault.
  
  
  This breadth of very serious issues meant that the level of care and awareness that was previously praised just wasn't there — a disappointment, considering each of these experiences were worthy of more nuanced exploration.
  
  
  This was especially noticeable in Tyler's story line, in which he faced both severe bullying (which culminated in a brutal sexual assault) and plotted a school shooting. Both are key topics to explore independently, however portrayed side-by-side, the show inadvertently and carelessly conflates these two issues.
  
  
  
  
  





• 
  
  DIDN'T LIKE: The use of adults
  
  
  
  Even with the added resources made obtainable to viewers, this season took a “do as I mention, not as I do” approach by showing a lack of communication between kids and adults — even once an adult could have helped a situation. Sure, we had glimpses of positive interactions between Jessica and her dad and Cyrus and his, nevertheless overwhelmingly, these kids were hiding some pretty huge things. (Literally — Clay hid a person in his bedroom for days!)
  
  
  It takes courage, for sure, although if any of those characters had shown a willingness converse with an adult on their own or their friend’s behalf, they could have alleviated some of the pain and stress they were experiencing. Alternatively, this season served as a cautionary tale with some days dangerous advice.