13 Reasons Why Review
- Jul 7, 2020
- 4 min read
Updated: Jul 17, 2020
(Warning: Season 4 spoilers are included)
When I first started watching the Netflix controversial show,“13 Reasons Why”, I was shocked by how many issues were discussed through the story of Hannah Baker from bullying, substance abuse, sexual assault, and mental illness.
The first season was about Liberty High School’s new student, Hannah Baker, and the thirteen reasons that led to her tragic suicide. The second season was a continuation that explored the main character’s perspectives of Hannah’s story on the tapes along with the number of threats they receive for testifying in court.
Both seasons were heavily impactful and heartbreaking. I was so hooked that I re-watched the first two seasons of the show at least five times and cried on countless occasions. It depicted an accurate reality for dozens of high school students and their experiences. Additionally, there were so many powerful moments of the show, you can check out one of them below:
However, for some reason, the directors decided to change up the last two seasons to where it became some twisted version between “How To Get Away with Murder” and the crazy third season of “Riverdale”. Although the show continued to display powerful messages amidst the madness, there were some unnecessary parts.
Season Three
First, I’ll start with the third season, also known as Bryce Walker’s redemption journey and his not-so-shocking murder. The directors tried to make you feel bad for teenage serial rapist, Bryce Walker, and it almost worked. He transitioned to a different school where he was bullied by his fellow football team and both of his parents viewed him as a disgrace.
Bryce tried to redeem himself by helping Justin with his addiction, exposing Monty for his sexual assault against Tyler, and giving Tony money so that he can afford a lawyer after his immigrant family is deported back to Mexico. I’ll admit that there were some moments where I felt bad for him (crazy, I know) but then I would remember that he never cared about the number of women he raped until he received the consequences for his actions.
Despite the Bryce Walker arc, the third season did an amazing job of developing the characters and their stories more. For example, we watch Jessica Davis start a new club for survivors of sexual assault and become the powerful president of the student body to fight against the toxic masculinity culture at Liberty High. You can watch the scene below to hear part of Jessica's speech at the pep rally that encouraged everyone to share their stories.
Fourth/Final Season
You may disagree with what I have to say next but I strongly believe the final season ruined everything this show has been working on. It is unrealistic and sends off a message that students can get away with absolutely anything since none of the characters received any repercussions for their actions. I’m mainly speaking about Clay Jensen who hasn’t been suspended or expelled for any of his actions including vandalism, attacking police officers, and much more. Instead, he’s rewarded by being able to enjoy prom and become a class speaker for the graduation ceremony.
This season is about all the characters trying to cover their tracks for Bryce’s murder, especially since there are people desperate to expose the truth. It doesn’t help that Liberty High now has cameras, a metal detector, police officers, and parents tracking their students every move through some phone app.
On top of that, the characters never received the professional help they needed. Clay Jensen’s breakdown this season is downplayed as “anxiety and depression” when it is clear that it’s far much more than that. He has hallucinations and dissociative amnesia but he doesn’t receive much help or any medication to help him deal with his mental illness. Zach Dempsey struggles with alcoholism but no one encourages him to get help or go to rehab as they did for Justin.
Finally yet most importantly…. Justin Foley (my favorite character of the show) deserved better. In season four, we see him come out of rehab happy and looking forward to attending college. Even though Justin is constantly pushed down by his friends for his new outlook on life, he still tries to support them and everything they’re going through. It’s not until his mom passes from an overdose that Justin breaks down and starts using drugs again.
He contracts AIDS and dies from it right before his graduation by the end of the season. To say I am pissed about his death would be an understatement. Justin didn’t deserve to die, he was happy and thinking of his future for once so for him to contract AIDS all of a sudden (when it takes years for that to manifest) is ridiculous. It also sends off a bad message about addicts not being able to be happy, that they’ll either die from their addiction or their past mistakes.
You can watch the YouTube video below to fully understand Justin's tragic story (before his death in Season 4):
All in all, 13 Reasons Why is an amazing show to watch that will help you understand what people are going through daily.
Did it get a little bit carried away in the end?
Yes, but it still had powerful messages that opened the discussion for families everywhere.
Is everything factual and true?
No, as much as they try their best to be factual, some of the mental illnesses are downplayed and the information about AIDS is completely inaccurate.
Nonetheless, don’t let that discourage you from watching this show as I can promise that you’ll find yourself so emotionally invested in these characters' stories that you’ll need a box of tissue next to you at all times.
Please comment or use the contact form below if you would like to share your opinion on these characters or if you have any recommendations for shows I can watch next.
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