“There’s all kinds of ways to feel lonely.”
13 Reasons Why, at its best, can be pretty devastating. A terrific episode like “Tape 1, Side A” does a remarkable job of humanizing troublesome characters, which make their betrayal of Hannah all the more heartbreaking. “Tape 4, Side A” achieves that nicely as well; it’s probably the best episode of the show since the premiere, and reaches the same emotional heights through not only performance but also through playing around with structure and format.
This is Dylan Minnette’s best acting of the series so far. “I think I’m listening to my tape,” he tells Tony early on, and although he’s not, he’s definitely reached his breaking point. In a great visual detail, his head wound (inflicted way back in episode one) seems to be looking worse, which, yes, is what wounds do before they heal (symbolism!). But that notwithstanding, it achieves a nice visual effect, like Clay is deteriorating on the outside at the same rate he is on the inside.
Clay is having hallucinations, visual and auditory, and at times “Tape 4, Side A” recalls “Untitled,” the excellent Louie episode that so expertly blurred the lines between waking and dreaming. Clay is never sure what’s real here, whether it’s a new girl asking why he did what he did to Hannah, or Tony playing Hannah’s tapes over the school loudspeaker.
His breakdown sees him talking back to the tape that he thinks is his, repeating “No I didn’t, No I didn’t,” to the concerned looks of passersby. Minnette does a wonderful job with grief and confusion, and this episode proves why Clay is a good entry point for the audience.
Clay’s breakdown makes him more unhinged and predictable as well, and shows why people like Justin and Jessica are right to be worried about him. He goes to a basketball game, primarily to stare down Zach (the subject of “Tape 4, Side A”) and although he doesn’t actually punch Zach, he does key WHY ME? into the side of his Audi. (Later, he asks Mrs. Bradley, in front of the whole class, how important it was for her to help Hannah.) For the first time in a while, 13 Reasons Why weaves its past and present storylines together with ease, and allows one to inform the other.
The last time we saw Zach, he was sitting down with Hannah at Rosie’s Diner to try to cheer her up (rule of thumb for 13 Reasons: if someone is nice to Hannah, they’re going to show up on a tape). Since we haven’t seen much of Zach in the present day, so we don’t come to his tape with any real preconceived notions. Ross Butler – just as expressive, in his way, as Minnette or Katherine Langford – does great work as Zach, and the show takes pains to humanize him. He tries to cheer up Hannah by balancing a spoon on his nose; his failure to do so is charming and endearing.
Of course it goes south. What sucks is that it seems so avoidable. Zach reaches out to Hannah in the cafeteria, and she snaps at him, humiliating in front of his friends (including Bryce, who busts Zach’s balls about being a virgin). Here’s the thing, though: Zach seems genuine here. On the other hand, it’s not hard to understand Hannah’s wariness. Either way, Zach isn’t used to not getting what he wants, but there’s an innocence to his feelings of rejection. He can’t help being handsome, or talented at sports, but, as “Tape 4, Side A” shows us, there’s an undercurrent of loneliness to Zach. It makes him and Hannah more alike than either would care to admit.
But that doesn’t excuse Zach’s actions. The entire class has hanging “compliment boxes,” in which fellow students can anonymously deposit compliments. Now obviously, this is the worst idea in the world, and Hannah comes to rely on her compliments (from Clay, which she suspects), only for Zach to rifle through her box and take them. It’s shitty, and petty, and although it’s inexcusable, it is, in a strange way, understandable. What this show does, at its best – and this episode is certainly the show at its best – is make you see some of yourself in these occasionally cruel, thoughtless kids.
Like everyone on 13 Reasons Why, Zach had no idea what the ramifications of his actions would be. Unlike everyone else, he seems less concerned with how Hannah’s death could affect him. “I’m sorry, Clay,” Zach says, “I’ll always be sorry.” Butler delivers a remarkable, emotionally honest performance, one that the show has been missing for a few episodes now. His back and forth with Minnette, and with Langford, really anchors this installment. Here’s to hoping the quality of the show remains at this level.
A Few Thoughts
- Skye being covered in tattoos kind of beggars belief.
- It was a great reveal to show that Zach hung on to the letter that Hannah wrote him, and raises questions about Hannah’s reliability, which I always appreciate.
- “Hey, Clay.” “Go away, Tyler.”
- One of my major quibbles with this show is that the Jensens never register as much as the Bakers, and Clay’s dad looks like the Aging Hippie Liberal Douche from South Park.
Final Score:
4.5/5
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