13 Reasons Why: Burning questions for season 3

What will happen to Justin?

Justin really redeemed himself in the second season of 13 Reasons Why. From wanting to help Jessica at her own pace to keeping Clay in line when he says something ignorant (which is often), the “sweet, damaged boy” became one of the most likable characters in the show and my personal favorite.

At the end of the season, Clay and his parents decide to adopt Justin into their family and things seem to be really looking up for him. Unfortunately, while Justin appears to be doing well externally he is still struggling with his drug addiction. This is not something that can be resolved quick and painlessly so I wish Clay hadn’t assumed that Justin was cured after only a few days of detox, but in his defense he did have a lot going on at the time. Regardless, Justin (like Tyler) is in serious need of professional help.

To add to his growing list of problems, one of the last shots of the season sees Justin’s abusive stepfather watching him from outside the school. It’s clear that “Meth Seth”, as Justin calls him, is not going to let Justin get away with taking his money and trying to convince his mother to leave him.

What will Clay do with the gun?

The season ends with Clay, now holding the gun Tyler brought to the dance, standing outside of the school as sirens blare in the distance. The cliffhanger begs the question: what will Clay do with the gun?

Since he helped Tyler get away before the police arrived, it seems incredibly unlikely that he would tell the authorities that the gun belongs to Tyler who came to the dance intending to use it. What are his other options?

In the show’s final moments, Justin and Jessica ran outside to join Clay. One possibility is that the three of them will decide to dispose of the gun somehow before the police arrive. If they do that, chances are the act will lead to serious legal trouble for the three of them – including Justin who is out on probation.

If the police arrive and find Clay holding the gun, he may be forced to take the fall for Tyler and face the consequences. No matter what happens, the finale’s last shot spells out nothing but trouble for Clay in the third season.

What will happen with Jessica, Justin and Alex?

Speaking of trouble, Jessica finds herself in quite a tricky situation when the season comes to an end. After an extremely emotional arc, Jessica opens herself up to Alex and agrees to go to the dance with him as a date. Their reconciliation is sweet and feels right in the moment, until Jessica finds Justin alone in the locker room and the pair share an intense moment of passion.

Jessica now finds herself between two guys she clearly cares very deeply about, so what is she going to do? For that matter, what will Alex do when he inevitably finds out about what happened with Justin? It is tough to say, but it certainly won’t be good.