13 Reasons Why has sparked massive debate ever since it first hit Netflix. Is its graphic depiction of teen suicide a vital communication tool, or just plain unhealthy viewing? An adaptation of the novel of the same name by Jay Asher, the show follows the story of Hannah Baker, played by Katherine Langford, and her friend Clay Jensen (Dylan Minnette). We find out right away in the first episode that Hannah's committed suicide, and the rest of the story features her explaining why via tapes she's recorded for the people she left behind.
Given the huge reaction to the show so far, we've been wondering where the next season will go. And now we have some inside intel on what's coming up: Hannah will be back, with way more info on her past.
"I definitely know Hannah is in season two," Langford told ELLE.com at Netflix's FYSee pre-Emmy event in Los Angeles on Friday, "and we're going to have the opportunity to see parts of her life that we didn't in the first season, which is exciting. But I also know that we're going to continue the dialogue and continue to develop the stories that we saw in season one."
Will one of those continuing storylines be the rape of Jessica Davis (played by Alisha Boe)? "I think personally I'd be interested to see Jessica's recovery," Langford said, "because I feel that having had the show come out and hearing from fans how it's affected them, sexual assault is something that affects so many women and young women. I feel like it's a very important issue to be talking about now. Not just the act but also the recovery—it's such an important stage," she said.
One thing we won't get from Hannah next season, though, is her voiceover narrating the story. According to a recent interview executive producer Brian Yorkey gave to Entertainment Weekly, we'll have a new narrator instead. "There's voiceover in every episode," Yorkey said, "but the voiceover is no longer Hannah."
Clay will be back too. "I think there's a lot more to see in Clay," Minnette told ELLE.com. He also dished on the timing of season two. "It takes place a few months after the first season," he said, "so I think when it starts we're going to be thrust into it a little bit, like we were at the beginning of season one.... I think that we'll have to play a little catch-up and see what's been happening the past few months."
As for the backlash the show's experienced, Minnette was philosophical. "I wasn't surprised," he said. "I knew it was going to happen, because why wouldn't it? These are very sensitive subjects and I don't think anyone in entertainment has really addressed this head-on and this unflinchingly before. I knew that there were going to be a lot of different reactions to it, but nobody's feelings are invalid. These are real, real issues that everyone has a lot of thoughts on, and that's understood and we expected it, so we started conversations and that was the goal. It became a mainstream, worldwide topic and that feels pretty good."
For Langford, making the show has definitely had a positive impact on her life and the way she approaches friendship. "I think after playing Hannah I felt the need to try and communicate better with others and to really check and see if my friends were okay," she said. "I learnt the importance of friends even more so than I had before."
