Thirteen Reasons Why: TV Series Review

Photo Credit to Netflix

Let’s be real here: Netflix equates to binge watching tv series (when they’re good) and I binged watched the heck out of this show. Before watching or reading any further, I must warn you that this show is not for the faint hearted and there are spoilers ahead. Thirteen Reasons Why is the newest Netflix original drama based on a bestselling young adult novel written by Jay Asher. This TV series and novel is centered around very heavy themes of suicide, rape, mental illness, bullying and sexual assault and viewer discretion is strongly advised. Being an avid bookworm, I found this book sometime in high school and I really enjoyed it then and seeing it on TV now. I believe the producers did a fantastic job in creating the TV adaptation. Some may watch it and see a silly teenage drama but the topics that this show covers happens in real life and should be brought to discussion purely to educate others. It is clear that this show has harbored a large following and fast. There are both very positive and very negative reactions to the show and it’s topics but overall the show is a hit.

What It’s About: The story is about a 17 year old high school girl named Hannah Baker who had committed suicide and the narrative follows the thirteen reasons why. Before taking her life, she recorded her truth of her experiences on cassette tapes which cycle through the people who either contributed to her unhappiness or did her wrong, verbally, physically or emotionally. She puts her trust in one person to see her plan go through and ensure each person listens through the tapes. The story follows Clay Jensen in listening to the tapes and he clueless as to why he is on the tapes to begin with. In Hannah’s story, Clay plays as a romantic interest to Hannah but has difficulty mustering the courage to approach her with his feelings so they remain close acquaintances.

The show begins with Hannah narrating from the first tape and shows one of the main characters, Clay Jensen, looking at Hannah’s old locker that is covered with pictures in memory of her. A character that is later introduced as Justin approaches to let Clay know that he isn’t what Hannah says he is. This first interaction acts as an uncomfortable foreshadowing to what the rest of the show entails. Evidently confused by the exchange, Clay goes about his day. My initial reaction to opening was that this show has potential to be a fairly pleasant series but knowing the story beforehand, it appears the producers wanted an easy transition to what appeared to be a simple high school girl’s life to an unexpected end. The further you get into watching the show, the more complicated and twisted her experiences get and you can’t tell how her life is from the outside. As the show progresses, the scenes become very uneasy and cringeworthy. Thirteen Reasons Why makes you think twice about how to treat someone and listen when someone has something to say. In high school, teenager’s are relentless and have no regard for the feelings or reputations of others. They’re friends one day and turn on you the next and that’s what happened consistently to Hannah’s character and involving herself in crushes that take advantage of her. Hannah’s parent’s, guidance counselor, teachers or friends had no clue what she was going through, and she appeared to have a pretty nice life. Closer to the end of the series, the producers go as far as showing the suicide on screen and that has created an upheaval in reaction to the series. It was hard to watch but in my opinion, movies and shows already have exhibited similar scenes that put their viewers on edge. This show has encouraged anti-bullying and invokes discussion among young adults across the nation.  Overall, this show was hard to stop watching because the story just leaves you wanting to know what happened next and I think that makes a successful show. I highly suggest watching but keep in mind, the show definitely does not sugar coat issues and will leave you feeling a little uneasy.

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