13 Reasons Why: What Hannah Baker's 13 Reasons Were (2024)

Netflix's 13 Reasons Why initially told the story of Hannah Baker (Katherine Langford) and the titular 13 reasons she chose to take her own life – but what were Hannah's 13 reasons? 13 Reasons Why was based on the book of the same name by Jay Asher. Like the book, the show appeared to tell a self-contained story of Hannah Baker - exploring the lead-up to and direct aftermath of her suicide. With the town still mourning the tragedy, Clay receives a set of cassette tapes on his doorstep. As he begins to listen to them, he realizes that they function as an audio suicide note.

Divided into seven tapes, both sides of each corresponded to a specific person and a specific event. 13 Reasons Why's increasing backlash and criticism over the years led to the deletion of the scene where Hannah takes her life. But season 1 was met with critical acclaim, conveying a powerful, hard-hitting narrative through the lens of dark and desperately serious subject matter, including bullying, drug abuse, and sexual assault. The show chronicles topical issues that teens face today but controversially takes on these topics.

Reason 1 - Justin Foley

Justin Started A Rumor About Hannah In School

In terms of Hannah's 13 reasons, the first had to do with Justin Foley. In 13 Reasons Why season 1, episode 1, "Tape 1, Side A," both Clay and the audience hear the story of Hannah's first kiss. New in town, her friend Kat throws a party in Hannah's honor, so she can meet people. Unfortunately, one of the people she meets is Justin Foley (Brandon Flynn). Immediately developing a crush on him, Hannah eventually agrees to a date after the pair bonded.

While in a park after dark, Justin takes a photo as she comes down the slide. They then share a kiss. The next day, however, Justin succumbs to peer pressure and shows around the photo he'd taken, which includes a glimpse under Hannah's skirt. Simultaneously, Justin implies that more sexual exploits than a kiss had taken place. As such, not only was a special first in Hannah's life tainted, but her entire reputation was damaged by the deceitful rumor.

Reason 2 - Jessica Davis

Jessica Began Bullying Hannah After Their Friendship Ended

13 Reasons Why season 1, episode 2, "Tape 1, Side B" focused on Jessica (Alisha Boe). Jessica was a big factor when it comes to Hannah's 13 reasons, and the loss of friendship greatly influenced Hannah Baker's 13 reasons. As a fellow newcomer to town, Hannah and Jessica quickly became friends. Before long the duo became a trio when they met Alex (Miles Heizer), forming the "FML Club." Sadly, though, things sour when Alex and Jessica start dating.

As a couple, they start ignoring and distancing themselves from Hannah, leaving her isolated. Worse came still when they broke up, with Jessica erroneously blaming Hannah and bitterly scorning her further. Believing that Alex must have cheated with Hannah, Jessica slaps her and calls her a slu*t. The situation is only exacerbated by Justin Foley's assertions that something sexual in nature happened between them, stoking the fire of the rumors that were already traveling the school about her. Hannah describes the moment as having broken her heart.

Reason 3 - Alex Standall

Started A Best/Worst Hot List With Hannah On It

13 Reasons Why season 1, episode 3, "Tape 2, Side A" centered on Alex Standall, who later took his own life and was another major player in Hannah's 13 reasons. Hannah reveals that Alex had contributed to something known as "The Hot List." The offending document originated with the jocks and circulated around the school. In an attempt to bond with the popular elite, Alex adds the sections "Best and Worst Ass." Under the former, he names Hannah and under the latter he names Jessica.

Alex did so not because of his genuine opinion but to spite Jessica for not having sex with him. The act served to spark Jessica's aggression towards Hannah and furthered the tarnished reputation that originated with Justin's lie, creating something of a rumor snowstorm about Hannah's proposed promiscuity and making her life generally difficult as she's teased and accused of doing things she didn't do. All of this culminated in increasingly unwelcome attention from male students - most notably when Bryce Walker (Justin Prentice) groped her at the local store.

Reason 4 - Tyler Down

Tyler Was A Stalker Who Spread Around Photos Of Courtney & Hannah Kissing

In 13 Reasons Why season 1, episode 4, "Tape 2, Side B," Hannah Baker had once been stalked, and Tyler Down was one of the many answers to Hannah's 13 reasons. She reveals that the stalker was Tyler Down (Devin Druid). The socially awkward photographer developed a crush on Hannah after she was kind to him. Unable to express his feelings healthily, however, he resorts to following her and taking photos without her permission.

One of the photos he captured was of a kiss between her and Courtney (Michele Selene Ang), fueled by alcohol and a game of Truth or Dare. The act of the drunken kiss, and Tyler's abhorrent actions, read as hom*ophobic and were one of the many 13 Reasons Why controversies.

When confronted, Tyler asks Hannah out on a date, which she angrily rebuffs. In his petulant rage, Tyler leaks the photo around the school. Though few people were able to recognize the subjects of the photo, it left Hannah even more depressed and anxious, as well as ended any chance at friendship with Courtney.

Reason 5 - Courtney Crimsen

Hid The Truth About Her Relationship With Hannah

13 Reasons Why season 1, episode 5, "Tape 3, Side A" explored the direct aftermath of Tyler leaking the Polaroid and had a major impact on Hannah's 13 reasons. Due to being adopted and raised by a gay couple, Courtney was fearful of the false implication her lesbianism would provoke, and her internalized hom*ophobia was one of the many controversial elements of the series. As a result, Courtney distanced herself from Hannah to prevent anybody from linking them to each other or the photo. Unfortunately, Monty de la Cruz (Timothy Granaderos) deduced the truth.

When confronted, Courtney crafts a web of lies that play into the rumors already circulating about Hannah and just adds fuel to the flame that was Hannah Baker's 13 reasons. She states that it was Hannah and another girl, that Hannah enjoys threesomes, and that everything about her and Justin was true. As a result, not only is Hannah distraught by another potential friend's betrayal, but she is immediately beset by further unwanted advances and harassment.

Reason 6 - Marcus Cole

Marcus Attempts To Sexually Assault Hannah

The subject of 13 Reasons Why season 1, episode 6, "Tape 3, Side B" is Marcus Cole (Steven Silver), who only serves to further complicate Hannah's life and adds another installment to Hannah's 13 reasons. Though outwardly appearing to be a model student, Marcus is revealed by Hannah to have contributed to her harassment. Initially coming across as a nice guy, he arranges a date with Hannah for Valentine's Day.

However, he turns up late and alongside an entourage of jocks. As they watch from a different table, Marcus becomes more and more sleazy in his approach. After moving around to her side of the table, he persists in touching her inappropriately. Furthermore, he snaps angrily when she ultimately rebuffs him. Bitter that she defies his belief that Hannah is easy prey, Marcus goes on to preemptively taint Hannah's reputation further to try to maintain his own.

Reason 7 - Zach Dempsey

Zach Removes Attempts To Boost Hannah's Confidence At School

13 Reasons Why season 1, episode 7, "Tape 4, Side A" was centered on Zach Dempsey (Ross Butler), and Hannah's interactions with Zach speak to another betrayal. Zach was one of the athletes in attendance for Marcus and Hannah's disastrous date. Unlike the others, however, he reaches out and tries to console her. Hannah appreciated the sentiment and the two bonded.

Unfortunately, things go wrong when Zach expresses romantic interest. Still sore from everything that had happened with others, Hannah feels insulted and frustrated by yet another advance because of the swirling rumors of her promiscuity. After being publicly rebuked, Zach retaliated by stealing complimentary notes (secretly written by Clay) that Hannah had been receiving in English class. Hannah described those notes as a "lifeline" amid her increasing depression, and the theft served as a fresh and especially hurtful betrayal.

Reason 8 - Ryan Shaver

Ryan Posts One Of Hannah's Writings WIthout Her Permission

In 13 Reasons Why season 1, episode 8, "Tape 4, Side B," Hannah attempts to channel her pain into poetry, but sadly, this healthy method of release turns out to be one of Hannah's 13 reasons, when Ryan Shaver gets involved. After joining a club, she becomes friendly with Ryan Shaver (Tommy Dorfman), who serves as editor of the school newspaper. He encourages her creative outlet and helps her find the bravery to read them out in their group. Ryan goes a step too far, however, when Hannah refuses to let him publish one of her pieces.

Instead of accepting her decision, he steals the poem from her and publishes it anyway. Hannah's embarrassment and betrayal of trust are exacerbated by the poem being read out in class. Though it was marked as anonymous, Hannah sees signs that Marcus and Courtney, among others, figure out the truth and are ridiculing her over it. On the tape, Hannah describes the theft as what ultimately broke her spirit.

Reason 9 - Justin Foley Revisited

Justin Lets Bryce Sexually Assault An Unconscious Jessica

Things took an even more serious turn in 13 Reasons Why season 1, episode 9, "Tape 5, Side A," and out of all the reasons 13 Reasons Why presented, the way this one was portrayed and handled was the most controversial. For the second time, Justin Foley is listed as one of Hannah's reasons. On the recording, Hannah recounts the events of a party. Having been in a room alone and preparing to leave, Hannah had hidden in a closet when a couple entered. That couple is revealed to be Justin and Jessica.

After laying her down, Justin leaves, only to be met by Bryce - who asserts that he should be allowed in the room. After Justin acquiesces, Bryce rapes a largely unconscious Jessica. Though Justin eventually makes an ill-fated attempt to stop him, Hannah blames Justin for allowing Bryce entry in the first place and not doing more to protect Jessica.

Hannah also conveys that she felt her share of guilt for having been too scared to come out of her hiding place. It's a harrowing scene that takes him a long time to try and redeem himself ahead of Justin's untimely death.

Reason 10 - Sheri Holland

Sheri Inadvertently Causes An Accident That Killed Jeff Atkins

The subject of 13 Reasons Why season 1, episode 10, "Tape 5, Side B" is revealed to be Sheri Holland (Ajiona Alexus), whose actions the night of Jessica's assault ended up being one of Hannah's 13 reasons. After witnessing the traumatic sexual assault of Jessica, a distraught Hannah is offered a lift home by Sheri. More tragedy ensues, however, after a distracted Sheri knocks down a stop sign. Though Hannah remains adamant that they should call someone or do something, Sheri succumbs to fear of getting in trouble with the police.

As a result, she merely drives away and leaves Hannah stranded. While Hannah sought a phone to report the incident, it is revealed that the sign being damaged had caused a car crash. The accident costs Clay's friend, Jeff Atkins, his life. Jeff is also posthumously blamed for the crash, falsely decreed to have been driving under the influence.

Sheri faces no punishment for her crime in 13 Reasons Why before Hannah's tapes. After Sheri unsuccessfully tries to tell one of the crash victims, Mr. Cantrell, what happened, she eventually reports herself to the police in one of the few redeeming acts seen in 13 Reasons Why.

Reason 11 - Clay Jensen

Clay Left Hannah Alone As She Asked At Jessica's Party

After waiting all season long, Clay Jensen finally learns how he fits into Hannah's suicide during 13 Reasons Why season 1, episode 11, "Tape 6, Side A." It's revealed in this episode that Clay is the reason Hannah had been in Jessica's room at the party. Having been at the event together and grown closer, they went to the bedroom to escape the crowd. Though they initially begin taking their relationship to the next level, Hannah ultimately has a breakdown caused by the trauma she'd suffered across the season so far.

In her distress, she yells at Clay to leave. Confused and scared, Clay does as she demands – and, accordingly, faces a lifetime of guilt. 13 Reasons Why's Hannah Baker states on the tape that a part of her had wanted Clay to stay, but that she doesn't blame him for leaving. Equally, Hannah said that Clay didn't deserve to be on the list like the others, but that he needed to be there since he was part of her story.

Clay, however, couldn't help but take some level of responsibility - believing that his decision to leave is what led to the subsequent events of Jessica's rape and Jeff's death.

Reason 12 - Bryce Walker

Bryce Sexually Assaults Hannah At A Party

Though the tapes never actually made it to him until later seasons, the despicable Bryce Walker is the subject of 13 Reasons Why season 1, episode 12, "Tape 6, Side B," and probably the biggest answer to why Hannah took her own life. Having lost the profits from her parent's store, an ever-more depressed, and despondent Hannah found herself wandering the streets. Hearing a commotion coming from a nearby house, Hannah ends up venturing into a party. Despite initially getting into a hot tub with former friend Jessica and others, Hannah is ultimately left alone with Bryce.

Hannah attempts to leave, only for the jock to prevent her from doing so. As Hannah details, Bryce Walker rapes her as he had Jessica and several other female students. There's no question that Bryce Walker is a heinous character, but the way the series treats him sparked major controversies.

Depictions of Bryce raping both Hannah and Jessica were highly graphic, and the showrunners defended their choices by stating they were highlighting an important issue. While that may be true, the behavior of Bryce is more of a focus than the ramifications of his horrific actions and how his victims were impacted by his abuse.

Reason 13 - Mr. Porter

Mr. Porter Ignored Hannah's Warning Signs & Didn't Help Her

The final name on Hannah's list is Mr. Kevin Porter in 13 Reasons Why season 1, episode 13, "Tape 7, Side A." Played by Derek Luke, Mr. Porter serves as the guidance counselor at Liberty High. Though Hannah has already resolved she is going to take her own life, she wants to at least try and reach out for help one last time, even saying in the installment, "One last try. I'm giving life one last try." To that end, she visits Porter's office.

Unfortunately, as well as being repeatedly distracted by his phone, he offers a succession of dismissive advice. When Hannah shows clear signs of depression, stating that she feels empty and doesn't care about anything anymore, Mr. Porter doesn't address it and continues to ask surface-level and unhelpful questions. Even when Hannah references her sexual assault, Mr. Porter merely suggests that the best option might just be to forget it and move on. Upon leaving his office, Hannah briefly waits for him to make any kind of extra effort. He never does.

The Reason Netflix Removed Hannah’s Death Scene From 13 Reasons Why

The result of Hannah's 13 reasons is her suicide. The harrowing suicide footage from 13 Reasons Why no longer exists because Netflix agreed with upset viewers that they have a duty of care for their audience. Two seasons into the show, Netflix followed the advice of medical experts concerned about the impact of depicting such a graphic suicide and removed the scene, maintaining that they prioritize the life of the show over individual scenes. The edit was aimed to emphasize the show's message that "we must take better care of each other," to quote 13 Reasons Why producer Brian Yorkey.

The move was welcomed by those who felt that it was a positive step towards protecting younger viewers from content that deals with suicidal ideation. However, given that the scene is so pivotal to the forward thrust of the story after season 1, it's hard not to feel a certain weight lacking throughout a rewatch. With that being said, the show is called 13 Reasons Why for a distinct purpose – it refocuses the audience away from the suicide itself and back to the actions of the bullies whose actions underpinned the tragic event.

Even as the show tried to move to new central stories, the ghost of Hannah Baker continued to hang over the proceedings in a metaphorical sense; a vision of Hannah even appeared in season 4. In the time since season 1, several of the characters listed by Hannah had made conscious efforts to atone and be better people. The majority of them celebrated graduation by letting go of the past and ceremoniously burying Hannah's tapes outside of town, vowing to remain the firm and more supportive friends that Hannah's tragedy and the events of 13 Reasons Why turned them into.

Moving Away From The Tapes & Hannah Caused 13 Reasons Why To Struggle

The first season of the series adapts the original young adult novel by Jay Asher. After that, the show and the book dramatically diverge from one another. While the second season deals with the fallout of Hannah Baker’s tapes being shared with the world, seasons 3 and 4 take the story in a new direction as the series becomes more of a soapy murder mystery than an affecting drama.

The first season of the show makes understanding Hannah’s pain the crux of the story. The audience is meant to empathize with Hannah, to see that the support for all the trauma she experienced just was not there, and to understand why Clay is so focused on mourning her while everyone around him just wants to move on with their lives. When the show actually moves on from Hannah, however, is when the show drastically goes downhill.

The first season has a 77% on Rotten Tomatoes, making it fresh. It also earned Katherine Langford a Golden Globe nomination for her portrayal of Hannah. It was solid, everything was connected, and the performances were praised by critics even as the audience wondered if the show went too far in showing what happened to Hannah.

Contrast that with season 2, which has a 28% on Rotten Tomatoes, and the final seasons, which rated even lower. Beginning with season 2, 13 Reasons Why changed its framing device; no longer was each episode framed around one of Hannah’s tapes. It lost the unique perspective because nothing was coming from Hannah’s point of view at that point, which her tapes had offered.

The show began to introduce more and more characters beginning with season 2, a way of demonstrating that new people would come into Clay’s life. While the series aimed to show what it was like for someone to deal with the aftermath of trauma, it became more of a typical teen soap opera instead of the window into tragedy that the first season was.

13 Reasons Why effectively eliminated what made it stand out when it moved on from Hannah Baker.

13 Reasons Why

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Drama

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After Hannah Baker takes her own life, her classmate Clay Jensen, who had a crush on her, receives a set of tapes narrated by Hannah, stating that they were sent to each person behind the 13 reasons that she committed suicide.

Cast

Dylan Minnette , Devin Druid , Amy Hargreaves , Miles Heizer , Justin Prentice , Ross Butler , Brandon Flynn , Alisha Boe , Christian Navarro , Katherine Langford

Release Date

March 31, 2017

Seasons

4