Remind Yourself Of This Pivotal '13 Reasons Why' Moment Between Hannah & Zach
13 Reasons Why returns on Friday, May 18, and I don't know about you guys, but I'm nervous for this season to air. The first season was emotionally taxing to get through and the finale didn't provide much relief, so I can't even imagine the anxiety some people might've felt when they saw the tagline for Season 2: "The tapes were just the beginning." Greatttttt. One pivotal moment of Season 1 was Hannah and Zach's relationship, so here's a little refresher on that. What did Hannah's note to Zach say on 13 Reasons Why season one?
Zach's episode was the first of the series that gave viewers reason to question the stories Hannah detailed on her infamous tapes. The episode revealed that Zach took the compliments out of Hannah's compliment bag in their homeroom after she refused to go out with him, and while Hannah admitted it was a small act, its malicious intent had a big impact on her. She also wrote a note to him explaining how lonely she felt — essentially a cry for help she hoped would make him stop stealing her compliments — and she watches as he crumples up the note and throws it on the floor of the school's hallway. She then runs up to him and says, "Why me, Zach? Why me?" The show later revealed that Zach kept the note.
In an interview with Seventeen, Ross Butler (the actor who plays Zach Dempsey) talked about his character's tape and how it became the first hint that Hannah's tapes were only one side of the story. (The show's slogan for Season 2, "The tapes were just the beginning," seems to hint that this new season will take this idea even further. If that's the case, then Zach Dempsey will likely play a much larger role this season than he did in Season 1.) Butler said, "My episode is the first episode that makes the viewer question Hannah. Is Hannah really telling the truth? Is she consciously lying about it? Or is it just her truth?"
He continued,
There is a big scene where a lot of the Reasons meet at Monet's and we talk about how to handle the whole situation. I think Courtney says, 'That's her truth, but not my truth.' So, it starts to play with different perspectives.
Those different perspectives are apparently going to be the stars of 13 Reasons Why Season 2. The season seems like it's going to flip the entire Season 1 narrative on its head by basically saying that Hannah's truth was just Hannah's truth, and she might've left some important details out. Brace yourselves. Things are about to get confusing.
Butler told Seventeen, "Maybe Hannah really did see me throw out the letter, but in reality, that isn't what happened." He continued, "I think it speaks to the fact that people have different truths and sometimes it's not reality. That can affect how people think." Butler hinted that Hannah's belief that his character threw out the note she wrote him made her think false things about him, and those false perceptions attributed to her depression. "Sometimes they think they saw something," he said, "and then they think that a person thinks of them in a certain way. That can make them feel more depressed or make them think they've been done wrong when they haven't been."
Butler posted a video that played a short audio clip from the upcoming season.
In the video, he can be heard saying, "I'll be ashamed for the rest of my life."
This is likely Zach talking about the guilt he feels for not saying anything about Hannah's cry for help in the note she wrote him. She detailed how lonely she was and how dark her thoughts were becoming, but he didn't tell anyone about it and it wasn't revealed until later that he kept the note at all. Keep your eyes peeled each time Zach Dempsey is on screen during 13 Reasons Why Season 2. His character might be playing a much larger role in the grand scheme of this story.
If you or someone you know are experiencing suicidal thoughts, call 911, or call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-8255.