13 Reasons Why Season 4: What The Ending REALLY Means

6. A Death In The Family

The demise of Justin Foley was something of an unexpected blow because, no matter how likely his downfall looked in previous seasons, we kept hoping that the troubled young man would overcome his addiction. And, for the majority of Season 4, it looked like he had, as he had come out rehab ready to tackle life once more.

Unfortunately, his mother's death and the stress he suffered over both losing Jessica and the unraveling of the gang's web of lies resulted in a relapse. Soon afterwards, he was diagnosed with AIDS, which brought on a terminal case of meningitis and pneumonia.

Justin's death was heartbreaking and, in all honesty, the character deserved so much better. But the show highlighted both the positive impact that he had on the Jensens and, perhaps more importantly, the positive impact they had on him. It's just really sad that he didn't get to live out his life with them by his side