The way people were talking about 13 Reasons Why all over the internet, I felt like I had to watch it. I saw the first episode and I knew I had to watch it. Hooking you in from the very beginning, 13 Reasons Why will make you want to call in sick to work just so you can binge-watch all the episodes.
The series follows Clay Jensen, a high school student who has received a set of tapes from his classmate and friend, Hannah Baker. Hannah recently committed suicide, and on the tapes are the 13 reasons why. Each reason is a person Hannah knew, someone that hurt her in some way, and they each get their own tape. Hannah's plan for the tapes is for each person to hear them and pass them on to the next person.
When they arrive on Clay's doorstep he struggles with his emotions as he listens to each tape. He feels the need to confront each person when he hears their tape, to question them, to make sense of it all, to try and make things right somehow.
13 Reasons Why is so captivating because the mystery is two-fold. Firstly, we know that there is something major that happened, the other people on the tape are secretive, they have already heard the tapes so they know what's coming, but won't discuss it with Clay. We are urging him to get through the tapes, to discover what happened, but he takes his time dwelling on each one, struggling with the weight of what he's hearing.
Secondly, there is the question at the end of each episode: who is on the next tape? And what happened between them and Hannah to warrant them getting their own tape?
The show deals with suicide, and bullying, of course, and without giving anything away there are some scenes in the later episodes that are quite hard to watch. I have seen people discussing this, wondering if it's appropriate, if teenagers should be exposed to this, if it needs to come with a warning. Well, yes, it should come with a warning, and there is one at the start, due to the themes in the episodes. I don't think that it's inappropriate, however. People seem to want to shield everyone from difficult topics, as if if they don't see them then it won't exist. But teenagers know things, they're not stupid, and the best thing to do with touchy subjects such as suicide, sex, drugs, whatever it may be, is to talk about it.
I understand the concerns that Headspace have spoken about, they raised the point that it seems that after her death, there was a kind of resolution for Hannah, the people that hurt her were remorseful and there seemed to be some kind of justice for her in the end. In reality though, it wouldn't be like that though, you wouldn't get closure, and it's not an answer.
It's hard to say what effect the series could have on someone who was struggling with mental health, or bullying, as everyone reacts differently. I do think that this series is important though, and it shouldn't be banned in any way, it should be seen, and spoken about. If it acts as a catalyst for people to begin a discussion on these topics then it can only be a good thing,
As for the series itself, I found that it was really well done. I thought the story-lines were great, and the characters were fantastic. The cast were incredible, there is no one I would fault in any way, I thought they were all well-cast and did an amazing job. Fun Fact: If you are a Gilmore Girls fan, watch out for one of your Stars Hollow faves as one of the teachers, it may surprise you!
My only regret is that I didn't read the book first. I am usually adamant about reading the book before I see the TV/movie adaptation, but in this case I felt I had to jump on the bandwagon immediately because it seemed like I was missing out. I still want to read the book, I know there are some differences, so it will be interesting to see what it's like.
I definitely recommend 13 Reasons Why, but just prepare yourself for the slightly empty feeling you'll get after you watch it. This is partly due to the unanswered questions that are left. This leaves way for them to make a second season, however I'm not sure if that would be a good thing, only because it would become a completely different show.
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