Justin Foley: 13 Reasons...Episode 1

    

Episode 1 introduces many of the characters, including the two main characters, Hannah Baker and Clay Jensen.  The episode opens with a close-up of Hannah Baker's locker, ensconced by notes and pictures, and with Hannah's voice introducing herself and the show.  From there, the show captures an interaction between Clay and Justin Foley.  Bouncing from one memory, to present reality, to another memory, and so on, the episode follows Clay as it introduces more characters including Hannah's parents, the school counselor, teachers, future subjects of the tapes, Clays relationship with Hannah, and so on until Clay reaches his front porch where the box of tapes await him.  After watching this episode a few times, I realize that the interaction Clay has with many of these characters consist of them "feeling Clay out" to see if he has listened to their tape yet. The box includes a map with the tapes.  The listener is given very specific instructions, complete with sites on the map to visit as they listen, all of it done old school style to keep technology from getting in the way.   As Clay opens the tapes, the audience is still unaware of what is happening.  Clay goes to his father to ask for a boom box, addressing the canyon of separation between the two generations.  When Clay first hears Hannah's voice on the tape, he is gripped with curiosity until he realizes that Hannah states that, if he is listening to the tape, he is one of the reasons why she is dead.  However, Clay is not the subject of Tape 1/Side 1.  Instead, it is Justin Foley.

Justin Foley is a football star and part of the "popular crowd."  Hannah and Justin spent a single night together where they shared nothing more than a kiss.  Unfortunately, Justin takes pictures of Hannah as she comes down a slide and captures a risky photo.  The next day, as all of Justin's friends are inquiring about his time with Hannah, Justin's best friend and constant caretaker, Bryce Walker, takes his phone and proceeds to send this picture to everyone in the school.  This is the beginning of the end.  From this one incident, all the others are set into motion.  At the end of the tape, Hannah claims that she is not done with Justin yet.  He has more than one tape.