13 Reasons Why Stars React To Hannah's 'Surprising' Summer Fling

The second season of 13 Reasons Why proved that there was more to Hannah Baker than what she chose to reveal on the tapes. (Spoilers for Season 2 lie ahead.)


segment of what made the opening season of the Netflix teen drama so compelling was the way it weaved past and present narratives in the aftermath of Hannah's suicide. Through a series of 13 tapes, Hannah was able to tell her version of events. In Season 2, those on the tapes finally got a chance to tell their stories, which led to some truly shocking reveals — like Hannah's summer fling with Zach Dempsey.


Actor Ross Butler knew the season's big surprise going into Season 2. "I knew what was going to happen with my character, nevertheless I didn't know whenever and why he told MTV News. "And I also didn't wish to tell anyone else, so that once we went to the table read we'd all experience it with each other. That was fun. At the table read, people were like, [gasp] What!"


In Episode 6 ("The Smile at the End of the Dock"), it's revealed that Zach and Hannah hooked up — countless times — the summer before junior year. (The summer soon after Zach stole Hannah's compliments from class; Hannah never mentions his apology or the fling in his tape.) They even lost their virginities to each other. Zach's memories of that summer play out like a teen rom-com, all awkward limbs, nervous laughter, and fluttering hearts.


Although their relationship was more than some high school fling; Zach and Hannah had proper feelings for each other — and so they had a lot of fun with each other. For the actors, it was a reprieve from the melodrama of the rest of the season. "It was a nice little intermission in the middle of the season," Butler mentioned.


"It was wonderful because Kat [Langford] and I have really bonded over the last two years that we've known each other," he added. "We have similar senses of humor, so it made shooting awkward sex scenes a lot more fun and not as awkward. It was an all-around good time. We got to eat ice cream and walk and hold hands."


Butler wasn't the only 13 Reasons Why cast member who knew about Zach and Hannah's "surprising" secret romance, either. "I knew early on," Dylan Minnette mentioned. "That was the one secret that Brian [Yorkey, creator] informed me, and I was just immediately super intrigued as well as nervous about how Clay would react."


naturally, Clay didn't react well to the news. The revelation all although breaks him, as he had spent that summer at his grandparent's residence. Clay had routinely wondered what would have happened between him and Hannah had he stayed. So at first, he's confused — why didn't Hannah say this in Zach's tape. However once he physically confronts Zach, he's put in his place: "Did she reveal everything in your tape?" (That could be no.)


Clay's reaction was common Clay, mentioned Minnette, although it was also "out of line," as "Hannah was her own person and might should make her own decisions, and Clay just couldn't stage name that truth." He added: "All of these ideas of truth certainly take a toll on Clay to the point that he doesn't even think he is aware what the truth is anymore."


The reveal is Clay's breaking point. During the season, he struggles with the realization that he didn't know Hannah and also he thought he did, up until he ultimately ends up creating a devastating decision.


"I knew Clay was going to go through some categorize kind of downward spiral," Minnette mentioned, although I didn't think he'd be ending up outdoors of Bryce's residence with a gun to his head. That was certainly complicated to shoot, yet it makes sense for Clay. He's got a lot of inner demons."


He's also got a major hero detailed. If 13 Reasons Why does return for 1/3 season, don't expect Yorkey and the writers to go easy on Clay. In the meantime, let's hope Netflix greenlights a companion series about Zach and Hannah's sweet summer romance. It's what we need soon following the emotional ups and downs of Season 2.