Tape 4, Side B
After a meeting with Mr. Porter, Clay meets Tony. He gets in the car after Tony tells him that he has to show him something.
Alex turns out to have a stomach issue and after meeting up with Jessica, he is shown to be picking up medication at the Baker's pharmacy.
Flashback. Hannah has gone to a college open day to scope out where she may like to go. Her day has been disappointing so far, having been told that her grades probably aren't good enough. Hannah knows that the family pharmacy is having money issues. However, she meets a friendly librarian who runs a poetry group. Hannah goes along but is disappointed to see it's mostly older people there. Until she sees Ryan Shaver; a student from Liberty High who runs the 'Lost & Found' zine. She's not impressed.
We are shown that it was Ryan who published the 'Hot or Not List' which led to Hannah's unwanted attention. He apologises after giving her a pink journal back at the pharmacy. Hannah asks him to teach her to write like he does. She invites him over and they go through Hannah's old diaries.
Through the next few days, Hannah is shown to still be lacking in any direction. Olivia encourages her to pursue a career as a writer and not to dream little or settle. Hannah meets with Mr. Porter to discuss colleges. She tells him she is considering Columbia or NYU. Mr. Porter tells her that she needs to think smaller. Hannah is confused with the conflicting advice from her adult guidance.
Hannah decides to take Ryan's advice and writes a poem. She performs it at the poetry group; the poem is about a woman who is constantly objectified but still feels like a child. Ryan praises her and tells her that the poem was amazing and she should have it published. Hannah declines, saying it's the last thing she wants.
Ryan goes ahead and publishes it in his zine, anonymously. It goes around the school with both praise and people making fun of it. One teacher discusses it in class. Knowing it's her poem but no one else does, Hannah furiously calls Ryan out. Clay is openly moved by it and reads it again whilst him and Hannah are at work at the Crestmont. Hannah looks hopeful, nearly revealing herself as the author. However, Clay says he probably wouldn't want to hang out with whoever wrote it.
Present day. The Bakers are at a restaurant and whilst talking to someone, Olivia pretends that Hannah is still alive. Andy is clearly disturbed by this and later, suggests that they leave the city and the pharmacy behind to start afresh. Clay gives Olivia the poem Hannah had written, wanting her to have something to keep Hannah alive a little longer.
Meanwhile, Clay's mother has been worrying herself to the point of making herself ill. She is worried about having to build a case against a depressed teenage girl and the fact that she can't seem to connect with her own son. Clay's father reassures her that everything will be okay and that maybe, she should focus on going after the truth and not Hannah herself.
Tony's mysterious trip turns out to be terrifying rock climb with Clay. When they reach the top, Tony finally talks to Clay about how he is connected to Hannah and the tapes. Hannah confided in Tony as he seemed to be the only one who didn't objectify her. We also discover that Tony is actually gay. The night that Hannah died, Tony saw her drop off the tapes but she didn't ring or knock on the door. He thought that if she really wanted to talk, she would have so he didn't go to see her. After Hannah left, Tony took the box inside and listened to the first tape. Realising what she was going to do, Tony raced to the house after Hannah's parents failed to answer their phone. However, he got there too late. He tells Clay that he saw the paramedics throw her body bag roughly into the ambulance.
Clay asks Tony for the tapes.
This episode shows examples of:
- Adaptational Sexuality: Although his sexuality is never stated in the book, the series shows that Tony is openly gay. This episode has him reveal this to a completely oblivious Clay. The episode is also Ryan Shaver's tape who is also openly gay and had a fling with Tony previously.
- Jerk with a Heart of Jerk: Ryan becomes friends with Hannah and they share an interest in writing poetry, even attending a poetry club. Despite being quite arrogant, Ryan takes an interest in Hannah and encourages her to express her feelings through her poetry before publishing it in the school magazine behind her back.
- The Reveal: Ryan is the tape subject as he published a suicidal poem written by Hannah in the school magazine.
