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If you’ve made it through all 13 episodes of 13 Reasons Why Season 2, then you’re likely still in a bit of shock over that one scene in the finale. And yes, you know exactly what we’re talking about. Many viewers think the scene was far too brutal and went too far. They say it was just gratuitous violence. But other viewers think we needed to see the brutality to understand just what the character was going through. Read on to see reactions to that finale, and then let us know in the poll if you think that one scene was handled correctly.
This post will have major spoilers for the finale of 13 Reasons Why.
In Episode 13 of 13 Reasons Why Season 2, a particularly brutal scene took viewers by surprise. In fact, it was more brutal than anyone had expected or was prepared to see.
Tyler, after finally starting to get his life back together, was accosted in the bathroom. He was beat up and assaulted. And then he was raped and sodomized. And the producers decided to show us the scene in horrifyingly graphic detail, moment by tragic moment.
Season 1 also ended with a graphic scene: Hannah’s suicide. But viewers were at least prepared to see this. They knew it was coming. They could choose whether to watch or fast forward through the scene because they were expecting it. Some have said that Hannah’s suicide was portrayed far too graphically, but others have said that it needed to be portrayed that way so suicide wouldn’t be romanticized in any way.
But Tyler’s scene was different, viewers are saying. No one was expecting Tyler to be raped, so there was no chance to prepare. And the scene was so graphic and so dark, it just might have been too much for some viewers.
Some Fans Think the Scene Was Too Graphic & Just There for Shock Value
Some viewers thought the scene was included purely just for shock value. Redditor ShaneH7646 wrote about the scene: “(The) rape came out of nowhere and wasn’t really necessary. It was clear that they were building to school shooter point with Tyler but they just hadn’t built it enough and had to rush it for a shock finale.”
Redditor thisrequires wrote: “If they wanted to go with another rape storyline, there were a lot of ways they could have done it without getting that graphic. … They could have even shown them grabbing the broom and then ‘fading to black’ by keeping the camera on the mirror, or on the floor… There was no reason to show it, imo, other than shock value? The show highlights social commentary enough. We don’t need need it to be shoved in our faces to get the point…”
Some people on Twitter agree.
Has it been long enough that we can talk about how exploitative and irresponsible the #13ReasonsWhy season two finale was?
Others Think the Scene Needed To Be This Dark To Get the Message Across
However, others are defending the scene and saying it needed to be this graphic so people would have an idea of just how horrid Monty’s actions were to Tyler. Redditor amimi92 wrote: “I didn’t like the scene but I will concede to the possibility that that may be because TV scenes like this are pretty rare. Plenty of other shows have shown the rape of women but rarely the rape of men. Not to mention the circumstances leading up to that moment (Tyler seemingly getting better and genuinely wanting to make amends) makes it even more difficult to swallow.”
Redditor isomernyx wrote, “That scene really showed how brutal bullying can be, and is something that really happens in real life.”
And Redditor 13RWTalk wrote: “Yes is was brutal but that’s the point. Things like that are things that happen in real life and they’re supposed to make you uncomfortable to send a message and so it’s talked about. Outside of the obvious bullying topic, it touches on male sexual assault too. I thought it was an important scene to show that it can happen to anyone.”
What Do You Think?
In the After Show episode, the producers said they wanted the viewers to feel sympathy and compassion for Tyler. They wanted you to be unable to forget how much pain he felt, even when he was walking up to the school with guns in his hands. Perhaps this was so we would have more sympathy for Clay too, when he told the other students not to call the police because he wanted to talk to Tyler. However, do the ends that the producers had in mind justify the means? However you look at it, people are going to be debating this scene for a long, long time.
What do you think? Let us know in the poll below.
Have any other thoughts to share? Let us know in the comments.
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POLL: Did the ’13 Reasons Why’ Season 2 Finale Go Too Far?