13 Reasons Why Review : Season 1 Episode 5 "Tape 3, Side A"

In this episode, Hannah and Clay connect at the winter formal, but rumors ruins the mood. In present day, Clay takes Courtney to visit Hannah's grave. 

- This post contains spoilers - 

* Clay and Tyler's After-effects 

The episode opens with Clay asking Hannah to dance with him at the winter formal, which is so cute and awkward. While, Hannah narrates..

"Mostly, boys are assholes. But girls, girls can be evil." 

The weird thing is somehow, Clay is overly confident and both Hannah and him dances like a pro. Until things get bloody, i mean REAL bloody.. We see Hannah's arms are bleeding and Courtney stabs her with a knife. Then we see, all of that only Clay's nightmare and he wakes up all sweating in bed. 

During breakfast, Clay's dad asks him if he has shower, Clay then tells him that he hasn't. He feels that the whole process of showering is just too hard for him right now and then he rushes out (as usual). 

After what happened with Clay's photo of him, Tyler isn't doing so well at school, he's being ''Pantsed'' in the hallway and is sent to the Counselor's office. Mr. Porter suggest that Tyler has to figure out what he's doing wrong that makes the other students pick on him. Tyler then snaps back saying, 

"Why didn't you blame the kids that makes this school a terrible place ? Why don't you blame the kids that driving the other kids for killing themselves ?" 

Just as i start to like him, he start acting like a creep and jerk like the others.. Tyler wants in with the gang on whatever they're planning against Clay, but they tell him to get the hell away from them, Zach even threatens to break his arm. 

* Tape 3, Side A

Tape 5 is for Courtney Crimsen, and all about last year's winter formal. Still upset about Tyler's photo, (even though the others thinks its Laura, a lesbian girl at Liberty High) Courtney continues ignoring Hannah, until she ambushes her at lunch and tells Courtney that she knows how it feels to be judge by others. 

Courtney then decides to make up with Hannah and tell her to come to the upcoming winter formal, Courtney's friends asks Hannah if she'll drive because none of them are allowed to. Hannah asks her parents to rent her a limo, but they couldn't afford it instead Hannah's dad upgrade the lease on the jeep he already has. So, Hannah drives Courtney and her friends to the dance but once they arrives Courtney pretty much abandons Hannah. 

But Jessica and Hannah ends up having a nice small talk for a while until Alex walks in and Jessica got distracted by Justin. So, Hannah ends up sitting alone in the bleachers. Clay who's only there because he lost a bet to Jeff catches Hannah but as usual he's too scared to do something. 

Thankfully, Jeff encourage Clay to asks Hannah for a dance and we can see that Hannah is actually expecting it. They go to the dance floor and shares some pretty awkward moment until Clay and Hannah enjoy a slow dance to a really great song, currently listening to it on repeat. Yet, clay missed another moment to kiss Hannah.. Their moment is ruined by Jessica, who's literally drunk while flirting with Justin, Hannah still being a good friend walks up to them and take care of Jessica. 

But then, Montgomery shows up and tell Hannah that he heard from Courtney that Hannah do something ''Intimate'' to Justin that night at the park, Clay overhears this and we see for a moment there he appears to believe it could be true, upsetting Hannah even more. Hannah then confronts Courtney about it, 

"I'm sorry if you're scared, but i'm not your shield, okay ? You don't get to hide behind me. You don't get to fuck with my life, because you don't like who you are."

Hannah then leaves with Jessica and offers her a ride home, and then she apologizes for slapping Hannah and accused her for stealing Alex. 

Just as they're about to leave, Hannah can't start her car, we then see Tony helped Hannah jump-start the car and before he leaves he gives Hannah a tape with the song that she danced to with Clay. At this point, Hannah seems surprised that Tony still uses tapes, Tony then tells her that "mixtapes are a lost and essential art." So maybe, Hannah get the whole idea to used tapes because of this.. 

* Hannah's Grave  

Back in the present, Clay decides to skip 5th period and takes Courtney to Hannah's ''headstone-less'' grave. Clay then accused her of causing Hannah's death because she's scared of her sexuality, Courtney then opens up a little that she doesn't want her gay dads to think that they're the reason she's a lesbian and put them through more than they've already faced. 

Courtney apologizes to Clay afterwards but Clay points out that he wasn't the one who needed to hear that. Okay... I'm seriously pissed at Clay at this moment, i know that Courtney's a bitch but we're all struggling and hurting here.

* Being Bulletproof 

The gang crew really worry about what will happen when Clay listens to the tape concerning Jessica's party. They keep telling themselves that Hannah was lying on that tape, but everything else so far turned out to be true. After hearing that Clay confront Courtney, Justin with Zach and Alex corners Clay while he's cycling and they get clay inside the car. Then they decides to race at a crazy speed to scare Clay into silence. 

They get pulled over by the police but since the cop is actually Alex's dad, he just playfully warns his son not to be late for dinner. Justin and Zach who just finds out, laugh and ''feel above the cloud'' they tells Clay that they're bulletproof, cause' Clay can't touch them since Alex's dad is a cop. Seriously ? No one's bulletproof, buddy ! 

* The School vs The Bakers 

Once Clay arrives home, Clay's mom informs him that she's going to be representing Liberty High School in the lawsuit that The Bakers have brought against them. She then asks Clay how he feels about the whole thing, but Clay lies to her saying it doesn't matter because he didn't know Hannah really well. 

The episode ends with Clay finally taking shower, but then he starts to cry.