MovieChat Forums > 13 Reasons Why (2017) Discussion > Mr Porter (spoiler alert)

Mr Porter (spoiler alert)

posted 8 years ago by Sduquey (2)
11 replies | jump to latest

I just finished the 1st season and I really like the show, it was really great.
But what comes to My mind is that while the counselor was a jackass, it also seem that she wants to call some attention and to make him feel guilty since the beginning of the conversation, why??
Like she started recording the conversation before entering the room and then she left and wait that someone go running to her
Also she used to push away a lot of people who tried to be nice to her (I know is hard and people are different between each other, and we have to understand but sometimes is hard because you algo have some issues)

Pd I dont want to sound a jackass, it just to see what people think
Sorry if it sounds like that

[–] winslow (1318) 8 years ago

It seemed like she wanted to document that she tried to ask for help, she wanted people to know she had no other option. Porter sealed it for her by telling her there was only one other option, she took that to mean either she has to confront Bryce or proceed with her plan. She wanted him to give her any other option besides those 2, but she didn't know how to say this to him directly and for whatever reason, he did not pick up on it. If his kid was a bit older, he might have recognized it, because a lot of kids act like that when they really want help.

[–] Dwsoit (4) 8 years ago

She refused to give up the name and press charges, and she didn't want to let go. What other option could Porter offer?

[–] winslow (1318) 8 years ago

Come back into the office. That's what she really wanted.

[–] beauq81 (1086) 8 years ago

I don't think he was a jack ass. The thing is teachers have to tip-toe around kids so they don't say something wrong or something that could be misunderstood. Especially about something as serious as rape. Everything he said was very impersonal.

And regarding Hannah, it's like Tony says, "the girl was drama". I understand not trusting people at school after all that's happened to her, but she had her parents .

[–] Sduquey (2) 8 years ago

Yeah I thought about that too, but remember than they shows some scene in which the parents are worried more about the drug store than her; nevertheless, they seem like very good parents and very attentive too.

[–] beauq81 (1086) 8 years ago

Her parents were never more worried about the store and she knew it. They were shown to be very good and attentive parents. She was just all "I'd rather kill myself than worry them with my problems".

[–] dmcdknf (16) 8 years ago

On the whole I think Porter was a typical school counselor; overworked, distracted, other priorities,etc... What makes him a jack ass in my book is his initially asking her if she participated in consensual sex and then later regretted it. This is a crazy assumption. He puts the onus entirely on her "Did you say "No"?" "Did you tell him to stop?" The thing about consensual sex is that it requires consent, not lack of negation.

The tiniest bit of support might have made a difference. Perhaps getting a female counselor for her to speak with? I'm not saying she still wouldn't have killed herself, just that he should have taken her situation more seriously and gotten the other counselor. Especially given how distracted he clearly was.

[–] beauq81 (1086) 8 years ago

People working in education are restricted with a lot of rules and it often hinders their ability to act human. Porter is there to help her, but has to think of other students affected by what she tells him. If he were a private counselor, he'd have more freedom to help her.

She could have told him directly what had happened to her and Jessica and he would have been obligated to react.

[–] dmcdknf (16) 8 years ago

I get that there are constraints. However, rape victims often feel shamed; like they should have done more to stop it, and he had already started off their conversation by telling her it was her fault. He shut her down before she even had a chance to tell him what had happened. He basically told her that by not saying "No" and/or "Stop" that it was consensual. She was confused and hurt. He could have asked her if she was physically hurt/injured. She was covered with scrapes and bruises from trying to get away.

Porter sucks as a counselor. Through distraction and incompetence he victim shamed her when she came to him for help. Recording the session was a jerk thing to do on Hannah's part as she was using him as ditch effort to change her path and maybe it really would have taken a miracle to change the outcome, but he should be properly horrified to hear how he sounded to her in her time of need. How many other children did he dismiss through his leading questions/statements and lack of attention?

He made a very nuanced situation too black and white; either she accused the boy of rape or she moved on with her life. She didn't feel like she could accuse him, so she moved on. Just not in the way that Porter had intended. He could have at least offered her anonymous helpline resources. Something like: "If you aren't comfortable discussing this with me now or need time to think about what you need to say you can call this number and talk with someone anonymously. These people have specialized training to help with situations like this."

Also, don't think she felt like she had the right to tell him about Jessica. Telling the other kids on the tape is one thing; telling an adult in a position of authority is entirely different. Besides, at that point Jess would not have backed her up. What would that gain her? Everybody already called her a drama queen and a slut who lies to get attention. Who would believe her if she told him that the hugely popular captain of the basketball team raped her? Accusing someone of rape is a total frakking nightmare (I know this because it happened to friends of mine in HS) and she was already living a nightmare. I don't think she would have seen that as a win in any sense.

[–] beauq81 (1086) 8 years ago

He was too cold and should have at least said those same things in a more sympathetic way.

Saying that Jessica was raped wouldn't have been her place hadn't she been raped also.

[–] Sentient Meat (1509) 8 years ago

I remember him saying something along the lines of "Where I come from, people get shot"... basically implying that these were "White people's problems" Now, of course people in rough neighborhoods have it harder, but that still doesn't negate the pain of those who grow up in suburbia.