It’s been years since the tapes stopped spinning, but people still argue about the finale of the show that basically redefined teen trauma on TV. When 13 Reasons Why season 4 finally dropped on Netflix, it didn’t just wrap up a story; it felt like a fever dream. If you were there for the original hype back in 2017, you remember the cultural earthquake. By the time we reached the senior year of the Liberty High crew, the show had shifted from a cautionary tale about bullying into a high-stakes psychological thriller that honestly felt more like How to Get Away with Murder than a high school drama.
The shift was jarring.
Clay Jensen, played with increasingly frayed nerves by Dylan Minnette, was no longer the quiet kid mourning a lost love. He was a guy losing his grip on reality. That’s the core of what most people get wrong about the final season. They see it as a mess of plot holes, but if you look closer, it’s actually a very specific—and very dark—study of how communal trauma erodes the mind.
The Chaos of 13 Reasons Why Season 4 Explained
Let's be real: the plot was a lot. We went from Hannah Baker’s tapes to a full-blown cover-up of Bryce Walker’s murder. The stakes in 13 Reasons Why season 4 were sky-high because the characters weren't just fighting for their social lives anymore; they were fighting to stay out of prison.
The season starts with a funeral, a classic trope for this show, but the mystery isn't "who died" as much as "how did we get here?" The introduction of Winston Williams, the Monty-obsessed interloper, created this constant sense of dread. He knew the truth. He knew that Monty didn't kill Bryce. Watching the group try to maintain their "everything is fine" facade while Winston circled like a shark was genuinely stressful.
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Mental Health or Melodrama?
One of the biggest criticisms leveled at the show by mental health experts—and there were many, from organizations like SAVE (Suicide Awareness Voices of Education)—was that the series tended to glamorize or over-sensationalize struggle. In the fourth season, this manifested in Clay’s dissociative episodes. He was spray-painting the school, breaking into things, and having full-blown hallucinations.
It was a bold choice. Some fans hated it. They felt it turned a serious discussion about anxiety into a "ghost story" vibe. But if you've ever dealt with extreme, prolonged stress, you know that your brain does weird things to protect itself. Clay wasn't just "sad." He was broken. The show stopped being about the "reasons" and started being about the fallout.
What Really Happened with Justin Foley?
We have to talk about it. The ending.
The decision to kill off Justin Foley (Brandon Flynn) remains one of the most controversial moves in Netflix history. Justin had the best character arc on the show. He went from the arrogant jock to a recovering addict who finally found a family with the Jensens. Then, in the middle of prom, he collapses.
The diagnosis? HIV that had progressed to AIDS.
Critics and fans were livid. Many argued that it felt like "trauma porn"—killing the one character who had actually put in the work to heal. It felt cruel. However, showrunner Brian Yorkey defended the move, suggesting that the show wanted to reflect the harsh reality that for some, the damage of the past is too heavy to overcome. Whether you agree with that or not, Justin’s death was the emotional anchor of 13 Reasons Why season 4, forcing the characters to stop looking at the past and start looking at the fragility of their own futures.
The Ghosts of Liberty High
The show always used "ghosts" as a narrative device. Hannah, Bryce, Monty—they all appeared to Clay. In the final season, this peaked. It wasn't just a stylistic choice; it represented the weight of the secrets. You can’t bury a body and expect to walk away clean. Every time Clay saw Bryce in the hallway, it was a reminder that their "justice" was built on a lie.
- The group framed a dead man (Monty) for a crime he didn't commit.
- They let the real killer (Alex) walk free.
- They expected to just... graduate and be okay?
The tension of season 4 comes from that impossibility. You see it in the "riot" episode. The school literally turns into a war zone during a drill. It’s loud, it’s chaotic, and it perfectly mirrors the internal state of the kids. They were living in a constant state of "fight or flight."
The Legacy of the Tapes
When you look back at 13 Reasons Why season 4, it’s easy to get lost in the "cringe" moments—the over-the-top hallucinations or the somewhat unrealistic police involvement. But beneath the Netflix gloss, there’s a raw look at what happens when teenagers are forced to carry adult burdens.
The finale, titled "Graduation," is nearly 100 minutes long. It’s an endurance test. When they bury the tapes at the end, it’s supposed to be a moment of closure. But is it? The show leaves us with the feeling that while they are moving on, they are fundamentally changed. They aren't the kids from season 1 anymore. They are survivors, but they’re also accomplices.
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Why the Season Still Sparks Debate
Even now, people search for answers about why the show ended the way it did. It’s because the show never gave us a "happy" ending in the traditional sense. It gave us an ending that felt as messy as the themes it tackled.
The actors themselves have spoken about the toll of filming such heavy material. Dylan Minnette has been open about the intensity of playing Clay’s spiral. Alisha Boe (Jessica Davis) became a real-world advocate for survivors of sexual assault because of her role. The show’s impact outside the screen is arguably more significant than the plot itself.
Navigating the Themes: Actionable Takeaways
If you’re rewatching or finishing the series for the first time, there are some things to keep in mind regarding how it handles its heavy subject matter.
- Separate Drama from Reality: The show is a heightened reality. While it addresses real issues like addiction and mental health, the way they are resolved (or not) is often dictated by "good TV" rather than clinical best practices.
- Acknowledge the Growth: Despite the darkness, the friendship between Clay and Justin is a powerhouse example of platonic love and support. It shows that family isn't just about blood; it's about who shows up when you're at your lowest.
- Look at the Accountability: Season 4 is a massive lesson in the cost of secrets. Every character who lied ended up paying for it mentally. It’s a stark reminder that "protecting your own" often leads to self-destruction.
The series didn't go out with a whimper. It went out with a scream. It forced us to look at the consequences of every choice made since Hannah first hit "record" on that first cassette. While 13 Reasons Why season 4 might not be the ending everyone wanted, it was the ending the show’s trajectory demanded—a heavy, complicated, and deeply divisive conclusion to a story that never knew how to be simple.
If you are looking to process the themes of the show more deeply, consider exploring resources on survivor advocacy or adolescent mental health. The show sparked the conversation; the real work happens after the screen goes black. Focus on understanding the signs of burnout and trauma in your own life or the lives of those around you, as the "Liberty High" experience is often a magnified version of the silent struggles many face daily. Understanding that recovery isn't a straight line—as seen in Justin’s journey—is perhaps the most honest lesson the show ever taught.