I knew by the end of the first episode that this show was definitely something I wanted to write a review on. I knew so much that I committed myself to binge watch the entire season in two days, and write this review the next.
Netflix ended the month of March by streaming 13 Reasons Why, which is based on a best-selling, young-adult fiction novel, written by Jay Asher. I know some of us probably read it in middle school because it sounded vaguely familiar when I watched the trailer. Whether you read it or not, it doesn’t matter. I’m not just saying that because I didn’t read it, but because the show on its own is just as impressive.
13 Reasons Why is about a teen named Hannah Baker who leaves behind cassette tapes that list all the reasons why she killed herself. First of all, let me just say that cassettes are a dying – if not dead – art form. Part of me is hoping that this show somehow brings it back to life like Stranger Things did to 80s classic films. Another thing, the show does contain explicit language and sexual content. On a scale from Dora the Explorer to Game of Thrones in regards to sexual content, 13 Reasons Why is at about 6.8. I say this because there are people who aren’t comfortable with this type of thing and that’s okay. Believe me when I say that this show was hard to watch. It involves suicide, rape, sexism, and bullying. It’s not sugar coated. But before we get into the super deep stuff, we’ll run through the basics of the show.
Hannah Baker is a single child who moves with her parents to a new town. The town is relatively small, so she becomes well-known a couple of weeks into the school year, but for all the wrong reasons. Hannah starts off her sophomore year by being both heartbroken, betrayed, and bullied. The next year is no different. We learn all of this from the cassette tapes that Hannah left behind to the people that are on them. Hannah recorded the tapes soon before she ended her own life and on those tapes are the stories she shared with different individuals whom she claims are the reasons why she killed herself.
The writers and production staff did a tremendous job on the way they structured the show. The present to past ratio was just right. There were a lot of flashbacks, and no offense to Clay Jensen (who is the main character whom we are listening to the tapes with), but they did a good job in making him fall off his bike at the beginning, because that scar above his eyebrow is what made the past and present distinctive. Clay also reminded me of Logan Lerman in Perks of Being a Wallflower. Maybe it was his paleness or his social awkwardness, or maybe even the fact that he had a desk at his bedroom window and he sat there staring out the window listening to the tapes. It was uncanny. I know for a fact that this show can classify itself as a mystery because my paranoid self was under the impression that it was all a conspiracy and that Hannah was still alive. That this entire thing was a genius plan for her to seek vengeance on those who hurt her. That wasn’t the case though.
The soundtrack knitted well with the situations and it was mostly indie music, which I enjoy, so I’m not complaining. The show gave off a certain ambiance. Whenever the situation or mood was cheery, the lighting would match it and everything seemed brighter. If the tone was gloomy, then everything seemed darker. Character development was good because we got to see the home lives of all of the individuals that impacted Hannah, not just her own. It wasn’t a “you go wherever I go” situation. Side characters had their own screen time, so we got to see multiple sides of the overall story.
We sympathize with the characters because they’re people that we see on a daily basis: jocks, cheerleaders, rich kids, loners, outcasts, etc. I know, it’s starting to sound like a cliche show about high school. Yes, it is a bit melodramatic and these kids spend more time worrying about their social life than they do about school work, but doesn’t that sound familiar? It involves sex, smoking, drinking, bullying, friendships and other things that you may hear discussed when teachers aren’t near at a high school. One thing it didn’t have a lot of is social media, which was actually refreshing.
As teenagers, our hormones are all out of whack and we are emotional creatures. Some of us feel like high school is everything and that our reputation means everything. I know what you’re thinking, “Sam, it’s not that deep”. Just think about it. We see these people for eight hours a day, five days out of the week, for approximately 36 weeks, for four years. Unlike Hannah, we live in a big city so meeting new people isn’t that hard, but still as much as I hate to admit it, friendships are kind ofa big deal in high school. This show depicts that.
Maybe Hannah was too trusting so that people easily took advantage of her, maybe she made poor decisions and her priorities weren’t straight, or maybe people are just that cruel. It’s sad to think that most of us fear death, yet there are people out there–kids out there–that want to end their life. I’m not going to beat around the bush when it comes to these type of topics, because then I’d be going against everything this show stood for. If you haven’t figured it out by now, this isn’t just a Netflix review. The show inspires me to carry it’s message forward.
As far as bullying goes, don’t do it. Don’t be that guy that adds on to people’s problems. We are not all cut from the same cloth. There’s different textures, designs, and stitching. I don’t need to get all Project Runway on you, but you get the point. Hannah resorted to suicide because she felt alone and lost, which is a feeling people in our age bracket are familiar with. If you know of anyone that seems lonely or depressed, talk to them, because it really can go a long way. Also, I’m not saying to go talk to every kid you see standing/sitting alone because some people genuinely want to be left alone.
The harder scenes to watch on this show were the ones that involved rape. There was only two and they weren’t that graphic.. Still, just seeing the trauma that was inflicted on the girls, made me sick to my stomach. And get this, the guy that did it was a classmate. I get that in high school sex is something that a lot of people take part in. But fellas – and ladies – if they say “no”, it means no. I cannot stress that enough. Hannah Baker was taken advantage of so much that when she finally had the chance to be with a decent guy, she couldn’t because she suffered from PTSD of all the other guys that mistreated her. People don’t realize the psychological trauma that sexual assault can cause. Especially at our age, because we are barely beginning to learn about ourselves and having experiences.
I can see why sometimes it may feel like there’s no one to talk to. Especially since everyone partakes in the “telephone game”. The show accurately depicts the insecure environment that teens create by spreading rumors and latching on to each other’s opinions. Unlike the show, today’s shaming is done either privately (over group chats) or on social media instead of in person. Even roasting someone on Twitter can have its consequences. The moment Hannah Baker was exposed by a classmate of the opposite sex, her peers began treating her as some sort of sex object that they could sexually harass and assault. People don’t realize this, but what may seem like a compliment to come, can actually be demeaning and perverted to others.
Regardless, if you ever feel like you can’t talk to anyone around you, then call a hotline like the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (1-800-273-8255). They’re anonymous so you can practically vent to someone without revealing your identity. In the end, Hannah Baker hurt the people she cared about because of the decision she made. I guarantee you, someone out there does care and you should never doubt your worth. Finally, I apologize for the high school filibuster I laid on you all, but think that these 13 paragraphs are 13 reasons why you should watch this show and why it matters.