Hannah Baker (Katherine Langford) died by suicide before the events of season 1 of 13 Reasons Why . Over the course of Netflix's freshman season, we learned what led to Hannah making the choice to take her own life: the 13 reasons she recorded on a series of audiotapes. With Hannah no longer narrating the show via those cassette tapes, many wondered how 13 Reasons Why would continue to unpack her truth. Season 2 revealed that while it would tell Hannah's story, it was less of a continuation and more about filling in the gaps. Those gaps include new things we learned about Hannah's life — some surprising, some sad, and all illuminating. Ultimately, season 2 of 13 Reasons Why allowed Hannah to become less of a martyr (a frequent complaint from critics of 13 Reasons Why ) and more of a human being, with the flaws and complications everyone should be allowed.