13 Reasons Why season four finale spoilers.
"It starts with Hannah Baker." Clay Jensen says this to his therapist in the very last episode of 13 Reasons Why, and honestly, it's the most insightful thing he's said all season.
Ever since Hannah first sent those tapes back in 2017, Katherine Langford's character has remained an integral part of the series, even though she left at the end of season two.
That's because the problems which led up to Hannah's death never really went away after she died. Not only were Liberty High's faculty slow to react, but the show itself also suffered in Hannah's absence.
By moving beyond Jy Asher's original book, subsequent seasons of 13 Reasons Why dragged out the pain and misery to an uncomfortable degree, veering dangerously close to misery p*rn on more than one occasion.
Although Netflix eventually deleted Hannah's controversial suicide scene, the impact of this moment can still be felt right up until the very last episode. Clay in particular has struggled with feelings of guilt which have directly impacted his life ever since — and the rest of Liberty High are still affected to varying degrees as well.
It's rather fitting then that the season four finale of 13 Reasons Why addresses Hannah one last time, even though Langford officially left at the end of season two.
It's in the penultimate episode of season four where this closure is first hinted at. Going through old photos, Tyler finds an image of Hannah which he took years before. In this brief but touching scene, the once-troubled teen recalls her sweetness out loud, remembering how Hannah was one of the only people who showed him kindness back in his loner days.
Cut forward to the final episode after everyone graduates. While sitting in the school gym, Clay suddenly admits that he fell too quickly for Hannah and that the pain he feels now isn't her fault.
In this moment, the gym empties and a vision of Hannah appears on the other side of the room. The way she rises to meet him calls back to the scene where Clay realised his true feelings for Hannah, way back in season one. She's even wearing the same Winter Formal dress from episode five, otherwise known as 'Tape 3, Side A'.
Just as it looks like the two might connect again, Clay's vision is broken by the arrival of a new girl called Heidi who asks him out for coffee. Clay accepts, demonstrating that he's finally ready to move on from four seasons of pain and regret.
Langford's cameo here is brief, but meaningful, providing Clay and fans alike with the kind of closure 13 Reasons Why has refused to embrace until now.
That's not all though. Following graduation and Justin's funeral, the original gang from season one reunite to bury the box of cassette tapes which started everything. Hannah's mother sent them to Clay, who then decides to put her pain to rest in the most literal way possible.
It might sound a bit clunky when Zach says, "Let's pile on the closure dirt," but Hannah's unofficial ceremony did the job nonetheless, putting to bed years of pain and regret.
Following that touching moment of group catharsis, Clay starts to pick up the broken pieces of his life, planning college and hopefully a future beyond that too. The rest of the gang finally seem ready to leave Liberty High behind them too, moving through their trauma into something more hopeful.
While 13 Reasons Why didn't always do right by Hannah, it's rather fitting that the path to healing now stems from an acceptance of what happened. Like Clay says, "It starts with Hannah Baker," and it's rather fitting that 13 Reasons Why should end that way too.
13 Reasons Why seasons 1-4 are now available to watch on Netflix.
We would encourage anyone who identifies with the topics raised in this article to reach out. Organisations who can offer support include Samaritans on 116 123 (www.samaritans.org), and Mind on 0300 123 3393 (www.mind.org.uk). Readers in the US are encouraged to contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 1-800-273-8255 or visit the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
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David Opie
After teaching in England and South Korea, David turned to writing in Germany, where he covered everything from superhero movies to the Berlin Film Festival.
In 2019, David moved to London to join Digital Spy, where he could indulge his love of comics, horror and LGBTQ+ storytelling as Deputy TV Editor, and later, as Acting TV Editor.
David has spoken on numerous LGBTQ+ panels to discuss queer representation and in 2020, he created the Rainbow Crew interview series, which celebrates LGBTQ+ talent on both sides of the camera via video content and longform reads.
Beyond that, David has interviewed all your faves, including Henry Cavill, Pedro Pascal, Olivia Colman, Patrick Stewart, Ncuti Gatwa, Jamie Dornan, Regina King, and more — not to mention countless Drag Race legends.
As a freelance entertainment journalist, David has bylines across a range of publications including Empire Online, Radio Times, INTO, Highsnobiety, Den of Geek, The Digital Fix and Sight & Sound.
