The wildly popular teen drama 13 Reasons Why recently premiered its fourth and final season on Netflix. Looking back, the series was certainly prone to highs and lows. The first season was received well by audiences and critics and it remained relatively true to the novel by Jay Asher.
Liberty High student Hannah Baker records thirteen tapes explaining the thirteen reasons why she committed suicide. Her classmates start receiving this box not long after her death, her disembodied voice haunting them and forcing them to reflect on their actions. But the subsequent seasons deviated from the original story, and fans weren't happy about it. Here are the show's ten lowest-rated episodes, according to IMDb.
Yeah. I'm The New Girl (6.3)
Fans rarely like the introduction of a new character. Fans like it even less when this new character suddenly becomes the narrator in the place of Hannah Baker. Even worse, Ani seems to claim Hannah's spot in the characters' lives, too. She becomes Clay's girlfriend and takes it upon herself to dig up everyone's dirt.
Season 3 certainly doesn't get off to a good start when viewers are unexpectedly introduced to a new voice and offered no explanation for it. The season also takes a completely different turn from its predecessors and becomes a murder mystery.
Bye (6.3)
This episode is just as uncreative as its title. Even worse, it spoils the plot and thematic message. But perhaps the real reason fans don't like it is because they're saying goodbye to the central character forever.
Clay is at one of his lowest points and he clearly isn't ready to let Hannah go. The moment is heartbreaking for all, and this conclusion to season 2 isn't exactly hopeful. Hannah's parents are also put through the wringer, while Clay's are on the sidelines, clueless and helpless as ever.
House Party (6.3)
Every episode in season 4 is titled in this manner, leaving nothing to the imagination. In this episode, Clay goes to a house party. He gets very drunk, hooks up with a girl named Valerie - who also happens to be the daughter of Sheriff Diaz - and sings the much-misquoted (but actually decent) rendition of "Tiny Dancer".
Zach is Clay's buddy for the night. He encourages Clay to have sex in exchange for driving his Audi and is happy for him afterward. But on the drive home, Clay, still inebriated, loses control of the vehicle and they end up crashing.
Acceptance/Rejection (6.3)
This is the eighth episode from season 4, which sees a whole lot of chaos descend on the campus of Liberty High. After the lockdown, Clay has had some time to recover and is suddenly stable enough to lead a mass protest with Jess.
Parents of the school students secretly gather at the school one night to discuss the tracking devices they've attached to their children. Even worse, the episode starts with Clay's on-the-nose dream about aliens attacking Earth while Bryce - a robot in this plane of existence - leads the defending army.
Let The Dead Bury The Dead (6.2)
The season 3 finale completely breaks away from audience expectations, and not in a good way. After an entire season of waiting to see what will happen and how these troubled teens will get out of the mess they've made, the ending doesn't provide any closure and only makes the characters look bad.
Ani helps Clay and his friends frame Monty for Bryce's murder while the real murderer gets away scot-free. Furthermore, the actual killer is none other than Alex - a fan favorite and the son of a deputy.
College Interview (6.0)
In case viewers couldn't guess, this episode is all about college interviews. The best-case scenario for college interviews in films or series would be a cheesy montage sequence of the characters giving inspirational speeches that definitely wouldn't land them a college acceptance.
13 Reasons Why opts for a slightly more sympathetic angle, but still no more realistic. Ani reveals to her interviewer that she doesn't know who she is, while Justin reveals the truth about his past. Needless to say, almost everyone gets into the college of their dreams.
College Tour (5.8)
Before the college interviews, the students need to visit the colleges they'd like to apply to. The second episode of season 4 revolves around the tense trip that doesn't have a lot to do with tertiary studies.
Clay and Zach end up in a house party... of sorts. Winston tries to get closer to Alex, and the two share a few romantic moments. Meanwhile, Jess is jealous and mad at Justin for breaking up with her. The whole time, Clay is trying to monitor Tyler.
Winter Break (5.8)
Season 4 kicks off during winter break. Clay, Jess, Tyler, Ani, Alex, Charlie, and Tony are planning a surprise for Justin. Nobody is sure when or why Charlie became part of the group, but that is swiftly pushed aside.
Justin returns from rehab to his little party, but he doesn't seem to be in the mood. He breaks up with Jess, who doesn't take it well at all, but is soon distracted by Clay's worrying over Tyler being called in by the cops to answer questions about guns. Also, Winston transfers to Liberty High.
Valentine's Day (5.7)
Clay is being messed with yet again in the third episode of season 4. He doesn't know who's behind the prank calls, but he takes them very seriously. At the Love is Love dance, he becomes increasingly riled up and eventually leaves the scene.
Ani is frustrated but not surprised, while Clay flees to the bathroom, where the walls have been made to look like they're coated in blood. The caller lures Clay in his soaked shirt out to the oval, where he falls to his knees beside a bloodied dummy. A team of football players terrorizes him, thinking it's a joke, but Clay is severely shaken.
Senior Camping Trip (5.2)
Who would've guessed that this episode revolves around the senior camping trip? For all of its excitement and mystery, this episode just misses the mark. Clay continues on his downward spiral, and nobody seems to notice.
Ani is inexplicably missing from this episode, and Winston continues trying to edge his way into Alex's group of friends. The football players are back to their antics, scaring the teens as they embark on hikes through the woods, unsupervised. Conveniently, Alex's dad and Clay's mom are the chaperones for the trip, and though they notice the booklets meant for the students have been thrown in the trash, they don't follow up or notice that anything is amiss.