With Bryce having been arrested in the previous episode, we stay in court for a bit and finally see some closure for Hannah's loved ones. A month after Bryce was arrested, he and Jessica are in court again as the judge prepares the sentence for Bryce's rape of Jessica. Bryce spins things once again, saying how he regrets any actions of his that may have harmed anyone. Jessica, not content to sit by, delivers a speech to the judge about how broken her life has been because of Bryce, and urges him to take action to show that people like Bryce can't get away with anything they want. During Jessica's speech, the other women of the show are brought in one-by-one, sharing their own account of being raped. Despite Jessica's plea, the judge says that, because of suffering all around and not wanting to cause more damage, Bryce will only receive three months probation. As an angry Sheriff Standall questions Monty about all the harassment, specifically to Alex, Justin is stuck in jail because he can only be released to guardian custody. Mrs. Jensen says they're working to get him out and that she has left her firm to work with Dennis on cases like Hannah's. At school, Zach is disgusted to learn of Bryce's sentence and that he is transferring to Hillcrest, where he will be a junior and go to the dance with Chloe. Tyler returns from his diversion program with a more positive attitude, but takes clear blows to his newfound confidence upon learning that Mackenzie is now dating someone and Cyrus still wanting to steer clear of him. While the Bakers visit a church to finally arrange a service for Hannah, Clay finally finishes the semicolon tattoo he started in the first episode. At Hannah's service the next day, Clay steps up to speak. Having finally come to terms with his feelings, he talks about his friendship with Hannah and how, despite feeling like he can never forgive her, the pain will eventually fade and he loves her. Clay finally lets Hannah go, and the ghostly vision of her walks out of the church, where Clay stays behind to talk to the priest about forgiveness. Everyone heads to Monet's, where Alex asks Jessica to the dance and they decide they are definitely dating. Justin arrives, Mrs. Jensen having managed to get temporary custody over him, which Clay offers to make permanent if Justin wants to be adopted, and Justin says yes. Back at the school, Monty desperately apologizes to Bryce for his actions against everyone. He says he wants to do something to Tyler to punish him for ruining he season, and Bryce says they'll do nothing because of his probation, and tells Monty they're done. Justin convinces Clay to go to the dance, and Mrs. Baker, talking about wanting to travel, explains to Clay that she's moving to New York to write, because it was Hannah's dream. To his surprise, she also shows him a list she found on an old computer, where Hannah talked about reasons not to kill herself. He was on there twice, with Hannah wondering about a possible relationship, and Mrs. Baker notes that she came up just short, having listed only three things. A fuming Monty corners Tyler in the school bathroom with two others. Though Tyler tries his best to apologize for his actions, the violent athlete brutally beats him and worse. At this point anyone interested in the show knows what he did to Tyler, But I'd rather not say what happens. However, I found myself agreeing with people upset by how it was shown. Last season, I was one fan who thought it made sense for Hannah's suicide to be shown the way it was, because it forced viewers to actually confront the kind of pain a person goes through that can get swept under the rug or trivialized. This scene, however, I did not feel the same about. I've heard and seen plenty about how sometimes the best and strongest writing is more implied, and there are things you don't have to see. Heck, in one of the following scenes, Tyler deals with the damage of Monty's actions, and seeing just just a few, less direct shots in the bathroom and this scene would have told fans exactly what happened without the graphic imagery. To me, Monty's actions came a bit out of nowhere, and didn't feel like something that needed to be seen, like Hannah's suicide. Feeling like this also led me to more question my feelings about the scene with Hannah, as I started to wonder if it really was necessary to show everything and felt like I better understood why people were upset with her scene. The show's creator has defended the scene, talking about why it happens, but it didn't feel like a good enough reason to me, and obviously plenty of other people, who were angry about the decision. I found myself agreeing with people who felt like the scene was more based around shock value. As Zach teaches a worried Alex how to dance and gives advice regarding his specific physicality, Justin shoots up in Clay's room and we learn who stole the Polaroids. Everyone heads to the dance, where there are good meetings like with Courtney's girlfriend, Tamika, a cold encounter with Bryce, and shocking news from Chloe. The scene is intercut with Tyler making a decision after Monty's attack, and as most of them have fun and Justin deals with the pain he feels about his situation, Clay has a painful moment where the others provide support. The episode's climax has Tyler making a choice and Clay trying his apparent best to handle the situation. Despite disliking how the bathroom scene was handled, I liked that the series accurately showed what often happens with people like Bryce. The part in which the women all tell their stories feels somewhat out of place, much like the animated drug sequence a few episodes ago, but the judge's decision to give Bryce a light sentence mirrors exactly what people have seen before. To me, it felt reminiscent of the Brock Turner case, in which Turner was found raping a girl and got off with only a few months. I really feel like the show has the best of intentions with the actions it takes, trying to cover a lot of hard topics, but it doesn't always do well at doing so, with the bathroom scene the key example. The episode ends in a clear setup for the third season that was announced, and this also detracts from the feeling that the show is meant just to help people. As it is, having a second season was a bit of a stretch, especially because the writers had no more source material to go from. Now, they're taking things to an even more major extreme and it feels like the show is going on unnecessarily. Going back one can easily see I'm mostly positive in my reviews of the series, but after watching everything, I reflected. Specifically, I watched a video from the YouTube channel I Hate Everything, who I've long watched and enjoyed for both his comedy and his real looks at, and opinions of, movies and shows. Now obviously, I didn't agree with everything and found my own opinion of the show, because reviewers are simply giving their opinion and the information necessary for you to form your own opinion, as Alex of IHE says in his videos. However, I did realize I was watching the show with a much more positive view and giving it a pass for some things, forgot to talk about others, or for some things I plain didn't notice at all. I recommend watching his video, because he approaches the show in a calm, reasonable manner and talks about what he thought was both good and bad. I tend to focus on the story aspect of things, because I don't understand as much about technical aspects like interesting shot composition, despite having gone to college minoring in film. However, in terms of performances, I did enjoy a lot of the cast, but found myself agreeing with Alex that it could be weak at times, especially when the writers had to put a hamfisted moment to talk about a big issue. These moments happened the most with Clay, who suddenly this season seemed to constantly make insulting, insensitive statements. When given proper writing, Dylan Minnette can give a great performance. Sometimes this season, though, aspects for his character sometimes felt weaker, especially with the incredibly stupid decisions like what happened with the photos. Overall, I enjoyed this season for what it was, though the first is still superior in my mind. There were issues here and there, and the bathroom scene was a definite negative, but I thought there were some good aspects and, even though I think a fourth season is unnecessary, I know I'll be watching.
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AuthorI love the entertainment side of things. Video games, tv shows, superheroes and movies are my passion and I'd love to get the news out for things I enjoy. My contact page has links to my social media, so if you enjoy what I have to say, likes, shares, comments, and follows are always greatly appreciated! Archives
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