'13 Reasons Why' creator on Season 2's controversial school shooting plot

Note: This post contains spoilers for Seasons 1 and 2 of 13 Reasons Why.

Controversies over heavy subject matter isn't new for Netflix's 13 Reasons Why.

Season 1 was criticized for its graphic handling of teen suicide, and now many are questioning Season 2's ill-timed and controversial plot around gun violence.

As previously reported, Netflix went as far as to cancel the Season 2 premiere in Los Angeles on Friday, May 18 out of respect for the 10 victims killed earlier that day at the Santa Fe High School shooting in Texas. But although the event was canceled, the season was still released on its streaming platform that same Friday, as scheduled.

Meanwhile, activism advocating for gun control has been at an all-time high in America. Two weeks prior to the Season 2 premiere and Santa Fe shooting, 13 Reasons Why creator Brian Yorkey addressed the character at the center school shooting storyline in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter.

He said their main interest was in "trying to understand what goes into the experience of a young man who goes that route," rather than "seeing it end in the worst way possible."

For context: The Season 1 finale revealed that bullied student Tyler (Devin Druid) was stockpiling an arsenal of guns, heavily hinting at the looming threat of a school shooting in Season 2.

Sure enough, Season 2 expanded on the storyline: Tyler's aggression and love of guns continues to escalate, and he's even joined by a friend for target practice in the woods. While the friend eventually alerts the school of his troubling behavior, Tyler soon returns to school anyway.

The mass school shooting plot once again returns as Season 2's final cliffhanger. Tyler is violently sexually assaulted by a fellow student. The traumatizing event causes a relapse, and he returns to the school on the night of the spring dance, armed with multiple assault rifles.

In the interview, Yorkey reiterated the focus on Tyler's character arc:

"We had a character who was obviously severely bullied, suffering from social isolation and was thinking of making a very tragic choice in addressing those feelings for himself," he said. "With season two ... we're very interested in continuing to follow his journey and to try to understand his state of mind and the state of his soul. I think you'll see in the balance of the episodes that it's very much about trying to understand Tyler's character and how a troubled young man might be driven to consider this very difficult choice."

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

When it comes to the common criticism that popular media glorifies gun violence, Yorkey said it was up to the individual viewer to decide whether they managed to avoid that. But the team worked hard to depict it in a respectful, thoughtful way:

"Unfortunately, there's a great deal of literature about a great number of troubled young men who resorted to or almost resorted to violence to act through their feelings. So we were able to study a great deal of the history there, and we tried to be authentic and honest and also accurate in our portrayal of the character. As with all things with the show, our hope was that we could honestly represent the experience; that our viewers might, through the experience, learn more and start more conversations about those issues in their own world."

Neither Netflix nor Yorkey have commented on the subject since the shooting in Santa Fe, aside from Netflix's brief statement about canceling the premiere celebration "in light of [the] tragedy."

During the THR interview, Yorkey recognized that presenting any topic at the heart of controversial cultural debates is sure to spark conversation.

"We're hoping there will be strong and divergent opinions and that people will talk about these issues in the context of the show, and more importantly in the context of the real world," he said.