13 Reasons Why Season 2 (2018) Review

Before watching the fourth and final season of this show I have to catch up and I have just finished the second season of 13 Reasons Why and here is my review for it. The premise of the season sees the trial between the school and the Bakers begin while Clay attempts to prove that Bryce is a rapist.

Main Character

Dylan Minette is back as Clay Jensen this season and I have to be honest I didn't like his performance or character as much as the previous season. He still does a fine job and seeing him try and go after Bryce makes it really easy to root for him which you do, it's just certain ways he tries to go about it. He makes other people who could be seen as good guys feel uncomfortable and he even acts out which makes him much less likeable. Throughout the first season he was the character we followed, but he has less screen time this season as it becomes more of an ensemble cast and I think that maybe hurt the character as some of the time we see him he is just being aggressive to other characters for bizarre reasons.

Supporting Characters

For me probably the best supporting characters this season was Brandon Flyyn as Justin Foley, he goes on a real redemption arc and even though he mistakes mistakes, especially in the finale I felt myself drawn to his character and wanting to see him succeed. I also thought Alisha Boe who plays Jessica was a character that was easy to root for, after what she goes through in the first season you see her having to try and deal with it and it is really a tragic watch for sure. Also credit to Justin Prentice who plays Bryce as I swear I haven't hated a character this much for years, he is truly despisable and the actor does a great job in making you love to hate him. Also the actors for Mr Porter, Zach & Mrs Baker all do really great jobs this season and give you easy reasons to care and adds depth to the show. But there were also some performances that I didn't care for, Alex survived his attempted suicide from the finale of the first season and I thought his character wasn't particularly well written this season and I didn't really care that much about him. Tyler was a strange character in the first season and honestly his arc isn't interesting for most of this season but it was the one interesting plotline in the finale so there was that. Now onto Hannah, the show finds a way to bring Katherine Langford back and for me it felt forced and it felt weird, her interactions with Clay didn't really work for me and actually made her come across as more annoying. 

Story

I love a Court Drama show and the story this season thrives when it focuses on these scene as it is really intense and puts the characters under the spotlight builds the tension. Some of the character arcs such as Justin and Jessica that makes them more interesting and likeable people then they were in the previous season. But there are some real issues, there is just so much going on that it feels very disjointed, also some of the character stories aren't interesting and don't really do anything for their characters. Also there are some things revealed here that pretty much goes against what we learned in the first season which is an issue. Plus the finale is also disjointed, it feels like the story is over after 30 mins and the second half just didn't do enough for me.

Script

The script has some decent drama in it, there are some really sad moments and moments that are gutwrenching for sure. But not all of it hits and it's tough for a show so dark it feels like these teenagers aren't funny at all which I don't buy especially amongst the popular kids as that is just not realistic. 

Style

The style has a really dramatic tone to it and it works, especially as I mentioned in the courtroom scenes which take up the majority of the season. But the pacing doesn't quite work for me, it just feels like a lot of episodes and the vast amount of stories means few of them are given the time and depth that they deserve. 

Overall

Overall, for me this is a much weaker season of this show. It doesn't have the intrigue and interest that the first season had and the mixed bag of stories really add to a mixed bag of a second season. 

Rating - 5/10