13 Reasons Why Season 2: Where We Left Off and What's Next

It's been over a year since 13 Reasons Why hit Netflix, so it's only natural that fans might need a refresher before diving into the anticipated second season, which hits the streaming service Friday. This is particularly necessary because -- while no one is going to forget Hannah Baker and Clay Jensen -- the show has a seriously sprawling ensemble, and it's genuinely hard to remember at this point who everyone is and what they did that landed them on Hannah's tapes.

Season 2 will also see many previously minor characters stepping up to take on meatier roles. With Hannah's parents suing the school over her death, the trial will provide an opportunity for those featured on Hannah's tapes to share their sides of the story -- and many of them will provide a drastically new perspective on the events leading up to Hannah's decision to end her life. But in order to appreciate the new information that comes to light this season, it's crucial to remember what has already been laid out. So here's everything you need to remember from Season 1 and what you can expect to see in Season 2.

Hannah Baker (Katherine Langford)
Where we left off: Hannah decided to take her own life after she didn't receive the help she needed from Mr. Porter, the guidance counselor.
What's next: If you thought you knew everything about Hannah Baker, you're in for quite a wild ride. This season will reveal new things about Hannah's past, as well as explore her relationships with characters who aren't Clay. These flashbacks will reveal previously untapped sides of Hannah's personality. In some instances, they will also remind you just how true it is that there are two sides to every story.

Tony Padilla (Christian Navarro)
Where we left off: Tony, the person Hannah entrusted with the second set of tapes, gave a flash drive containing the audio to Hannah's mother Olivia (Kate Walsh), saying it was wrong of him to keep her secrets.
What's next: Tony's history of assault and battery will become a major throughline this season as questions are raised about why Tony hurt the people he did and whether he can make it right now. But that isn't the only mystery surrounding Tony this time around; the fan-favorite character is clearly hiding something else that's also connected to Hannah, and the weight of the many secrets he's carrying may prove too much for him to bear. Fortunately, Tony will have someone new in his life to lean on, his boxing trainer Caleb (R.J. Brown), who becomes a great source of emotional support for the troubled teen.

Justin Foley (Brandon Flynn)
Tape subject: Spreading a racy picture of Hannah around the school and starting a sexual rumor about their encounter, as well as being complicit in Bryce's rape of Jessica.
Where we left off: Jessica broke up with Justin and said she never wanted to see him again after he admitted he was complicit in Bryce raping her. He then left town, but not before stealing some money from his mother's abusive boyfriend.
What's next: When the show picks up five months after the end of Season 1, Justin will still be AWOL. When he does eventually return to the fold, he won't be unscathed by his time on his own, which dragged him into dark and dangerous circumstances. The only thing that seems to keep Justin going is his continued love for Jessica and an accompanying desire to make Bryce pay, but even that may not prove to be enough to convince him to do the right thing rather than simply take the coward's way out again.

Jessica Davis (Alisha Boe)
Tape subject: Blaming Hannah for her breakup with Alex.
Where we left off: After telling Clay she wasn't ready to go public about Bryce raping her, Jessica revealed that she was sexually assaulted to her father.
What's next: Jessica really becomes the heart of the season as the show explores the complicated coping process many survivors go through after such a traumatic experience. Still unwilling to name Bryce as her assailant or press any changes when the season picks up, Jessica wavers between trying to ignore what happened to her and finding spaces in which she feels safe enough to start processing her experience. It's a heartbreaking and slow process made only more complicated when she returns to school, but Jessica will grow close to a new friend, Nina (Samantha Logan), who understands exactly what Jessica is going through and offers the best help she can.

Alex Standall (Miles Heizer)
Tape subject: Destroying Hannah's friendship with Jessica and naming Hannah as having the best ass in school on his Hot or Not list.
Where we left off: Unable to cope with the guilt of what he'd done, Alex attempted suicide by gunshot to the head and remained in critical condition at the end of the season.
What's next: In the wake of his attempted suicide, much of Alex's Season 2 storyline will chronicle his recovery, a journey that is frustrating and slow. More than once it will leave Alex wondering if it's even worth it. Due to the brain trauma he experienced, Alex will also suffer some memory loss, and his quest to recover his memories may prove to be key in getting justice for Hannah -- at the very least, his memories may be able to provide Alex with some sense of peace.

Tyler Down (Devin Druid)
Tape subject: Stalking Hannah and spreading around school the photo of Hannah and Courtney kissing.
Where we left off: Tyler was revealed to have amassed an arsenal of ammunition and guns in his room.
What's next: The question of whether Tyler, who is the school punching bag now more than ever, will act out violently towards his fellow classmates will be teased throughout the season. It's an incredibly dark (and somewhat exploitative) mystery in an already dark show, but there are some nice moments with Tyler too. For the first time in years, Tyler actually develops a true friendship and even a love interest -- although one of these relationships proves to have a questionable influence on the already morally suspect teen.

Courtney Crimsen (Michele Selene Ang)
Tape subject: Spreading rumors about Hannah to deflect from her sexual orientation.
Where we left off: Courtney offered to help Hannah catch her stalker and they drunkenly kissed while hanging out, something Tyler caught on film. Courtney, who was closeted, spread rumors that the girl in the photo with Hannah was an openly lesbian classmate to prevent herself from potentially being outed. She also showed very little remorse and called Hannah a liar in her deposition.
What's next: Although Courtney ended the first season denying any involvement in Hannah's death, she will take some steps to redeem herself this season. We emphasize some because this is 13 Reasons Why; no one is entirely good and no one is entirely bad (except maybe Bryce). So while viewers can expect to see a more sympathetic side to Courtney this season, don't expect her to become an altruistic justice-seeker all of the sudden. She's still Courtney, after all.

Marcus Cole (Steven Silver)
Tape subject: Attempting to sexually assault Hannah on their Dollar Valentine date.
Where we left off: Marcus denied his involvement in Hannah's death, refusing to own up to any of his past mistakes.
What's next: We'll learn a bit about Marcus' home life this season, a development that will shed some light on why Marcus puts such pressure on himself to achieve certain goals and maintain a certain image. But just because we understand more clearly why it is that Marcus behaves this way, it doesn't mean we become any more sympathetic to his behavior this season.

Zach Dempsey (Ross Butler)
Tape subject: Stealing the "positive notes" meant for Hannah in class after she rejected him.
Where we left off: Zach revealed to Clay that Hannah's story wasn't infallible when he proved Hannah's allegation that he'd thrown away her note wasn't true.
What's next: Zach will continue to reside in the gray area between those who hurt Hannah and those still trying to help her. As new secrets come to light, Zach's place in Hannah's life will become even more complicated while also proving how little people truly knew her. In addition, the quintessential momma's boy will have to determine whether or not he's ready to be his own person -- and what he's willing to give up for what he believes is right.

Ryan Shaver (Tommy Dorfman)
Tape subject: Stealing an extremely personal poem Hannah wrote and publishing it in the school paper.
Where we left off: Ryan exhibited guilt over his past behavior toward Hannah, but he remained fairly sidelined following his tape.
What's next: Ryan once again doesn't take center stage, but we do gain some insight into his life, including why he connected so strongly to Hannah in the first place. His previously unexplored history with Tony will also be touched upon, albeit with an extremely light hand.

Sheri Holland (Ajiona Alexus)
Tape subject: Abandoning Hannah after crashing her car into a stop sign, an accident that led to the death of classmate Jeff Atkins.
Where we left off: Sheri decided to take responsibility for her actions by going to the police and confessing.
What's next: While everyone on the tapes made bad decisions, Sheri always seemed like the nicest of the bunch. That continues to be true this season. One of the few people who is actively trying to not only get justice for Hannah but also, you know, just be a better person, Sheri does what she can this season to help the people she thinks need it.

Clay Jensen (Dylan Minnette)
Tape subject: Listening to Hannah's request to leave her alone at Jessica's party, although Hannah noted that Clay really didn't belong on the tapes at all.
Where we left off: After confronting Mr. Porter, Clay reached out to Skye to avoid repeating the same mistakes he made with Hannah.
What's next: Clay's quest to get justice for Hannah will lead him into several troubling situations. He'll be struggling to balance his desire to help Hannah with the knowledge of how his actions might potentially affect the lives of others. He'll also be haunted by Hannah in a very literal sense, seeing her presence (call it a ghost, call it a vision, call it whatever) wherever he goes. This constant reminder of Hannah becomes a driving force for Clay, who even obtains a gun at one point to aid in his mission to take down Bryce. So, if viewers found Clay's misguided views on justice aggravating last season, just wait until he really hits his breaking point this season.

Bryce Walker (Justin Prentice)
Tape subject: For raping Hannah in the hot tub.
Where we left off: Clay secretly recorded Bryce confessed to raping Hannah. During their confrontation, Bryce beat Clay until he was spitting up blood.
What's next: Bryce is seriously the worst. In a show that loves exploring the nuances of morality and accountability, Bryce is completely irredeemable. It's not a spoiler to say that Bryce isn't the type of person to own up to what he did, which is exactly why Clay and so many others make it their mission this season to take him down. While not making Bryce out to be a sympathetic character by any means, this season will dig into his personal life, revealing his complicated relationships with his parents and diving into his relationship with his new girlfriend Chloe (Anne Winters).

Kevin Porter (Derek Luke)
Tape subject: For not providing Hannah the help she needed.
Where we left off: Clay gave Porter the tapes and said it was up to Porter as to what happens to them. Porter also received a copy of Tape 14, Bryce's confession to raping Hannah.
What's next: Porter is going to go to great lengths to pay his penance for failing Hannah Baker -- but will he go too far? That's going to be the guidance counselor's biggest struggle this season now that he knows the truth about what happened to Hannah and the role he (and some of his students) played in her death.

13 Reasons Why Season 2 drops on Netflix Friday, May 18. Season 1 is available to stream right now.

Other Links From TVGuide.com 13 Reasons WhyKatherine LangfordDylan MinnetteAlisha BoeDerek LukeJustin Prentice