School shootings, suicide, deportation, drug addiction, rape, riots, politics, this is one hell of a loaded show with a very big hard-to-swallow pill. I really wish that no kid goes through all the things the kids in this show went through, although the harsh reality is that many do.
Among the many things I loved about the series, the one thing that stood out for me was the boldness of the story. There was no sugarcoating, no beating around the bush, but a cutthroat reflection of taboo-ish things that happen in high schools that we would feel very uncomfortable about, let alone illustrate on the big screen.
The highschool based series was nothing short of a mental roller coaster. I would confidently say that the first and last seasons were incredibly enjoyable. That being said, I wonder if the creators of the series purposely created a scenario where everything you loved and cared about from season one would come down crashing in the second season.
I think it would have been a difficult situation for the creators to gamble everything on a mere chance that the viewers would stick around expecting a good ending. Because almost every time you watch a movie or a series you are always hoping for an expected outcome revolving around the protagonist...give or take.
The first season lets us, the viewers, into the world of Hannah. A simple, beautiful, and full of potential girl who moved into the city with her family and goes through a series of unfortunate events that eventually lead her to take her own life. The story is presented to us through Clay who is reliving the nightmares of Hannah through her cassette tapes where she has archived everything that leads her to commit suicide.
I really loved the concept of reliving someone's worst days in a modern timezone and a seemingly safe place like a high school through an outdated medium like cassettes. It was a sort of relatability medium for the older folks to feel connected to the newer generation. A touch of reality for the sake of connection, perhaps.
Everything from bullying, catcalling, betrayal, and eventually, rape is documented on those tapes...BUT...before reaching the rape part it feels like the things Hannah went through were something negligible and things that every kid goes through.
But the truth of the matter is that there is always a butterfly effect in play. When these things start adding up, the burden on teenagers may become too heavy to carry. Not to mention, it creates an atmosphere for predators to prey on these victims of "normal school things".
The series shows us how important it is for us to stay connected with children. It shows us so much that kids could and are going through from which we can be completely oblivious. It also shows us how there are incredibly mature children who sometimes get into childish brawls and behaviors but when the time comes, they can be stronger and more useful than adults.
13 Reasons Why is as much as a story about Hannah as it is about everything surrounding Hannah. The other children around her, the politics, the family life, and the support systems. We also are made aware of Tyler, another kid that goes to the same high school as Hannah, and is also a victim of constant bullying.
His story shows us another side of the same coin. Tyler also goes through a lot of bullying and is very lonely. However, he is also a guy. This becomes a huge obstacle for him from gaining support or ever showing vulnerability. He is unable to deal with the unfortunate events he is going through by himself, he is constantly breaking down and eventually resorts to shooting up the school.
Among many other things, 13 Reasons Why creates an incredible reflection of modern society. One filled with politics and oversight. When Hannah's parents filed a lawsuit against the school for not taking action against ongoing bullying, the case almost goes very wrong and against Hannah.
During the case, the rapist is exposed. He is a student in the same school and has raped many. However, he comes from a wealthy family who also happen to be the ones that donated a whole field to the school. Using this advantage, the school sides with the rapist and his rich parents could afford very good lawyers who almost turn the case around.
The series shows us how many regulations made for the safety of children in school could do the exact opposite. Many of these regulations are made for headlines and the sake of having them. In fact, the effect of these regulations could have a massive negative effect on children. I think this was a very controversial topic for the show. It was a double-sided sword and I bet it made many think about the different approaches we could take to make the children feel safe.
I really loved the character development in the series. Hannah, who seemingly was this innocent pure soul, turns out as something completely different in the second season. I spoke to a friend about this and she agreed that the second season was incredibly tough to watch because Hannah, the main character in the story, is now something different than we believed she was.
Justin Foley, who facilitated the rape of a girl, is a popular athlete in the school full of confidence, a lady's man, a jockey, a fun guy. But as the series progresses, we see his true colors. He becomes a modest and changed man. He goes on to get into a drug addiction problem while fighting the demons inside him from the night of the rape, and from the problems he has at home. His character development was probably the most profound.
We see Alex turn into a friendly hand to everyone even though he was a bully in the start. We see the pompous and rowdy Zach turn into the most supportive sweetheart. We see Jessica go from a nice person into a cheater. It was really enjoyable to see these characters change over time and how they grow and find their own individuality.
But the final season is by far the best. The season could be a standalone show by itself. It was a magnificent season and I could watch it again and again. If the final season didn't exist, I would think of 13 Reasons Why as an average show. But the final season made me think of this show as excellent.
Clay finally gives in and becomes what we have all been expecting of him, a full-on psycho. The season is dark and grungy. There is so much evil in the air. It feels like all of the negativity from the previous 3 seasons had finally started showing. Clay has a complete breakdown and it makes for an entertaining storyline. Less means more here. I really wish for all of you to at least watch the final season if not the entire series. It was really, really good. The series does an incredible job of making you feel invested in the lives of these kids.
One thing I would love to wish everyone, kids or not: I hope you all have a friend like Tony Padilla.
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