13 Reasons Why. A mini-series that has sunk its claws into a whole generation. Some love the show, some don’t. Either way, you’ve all tuned in.
Thirteen tapes left behind by a girl named Hannah Baker, to be listened to only after she takes her own life. Thirteen tapes for the thirteen people that she says are “one of the reasons why”.
It’s important to point out that the show is not perfect. It does not accurately depict the state of Hannah’s mental health or her depression, but I think that’s the point.
We see Hannah through the eyes of Clay Jensen, a boy who goes to the same school, works the same job and is completely in love with her.
Clay sees Hannah through rose tinted glasses but as he listens to the tapes he realises how little he knew about what was going on in her life. The glasses get a little less tinted but they never fully come off.
Those tapes are filtered just like any social media post. Hannah only shared exactly what she wanted to share or maybe all she could fully understand. In reality, there was probably a lot more that led to her feeling her only option was suicide.
No, the show isn’t perfect. It doesn’t cover absolutely everything, but it would take much more than 13 episodes to do that. Instead, what we do get, is a reminder that our actions have consequences; even the ones we don’t take.
Flaws, however, are the shows forte. Every character is flawed, even Hannah herself, and it’s what makes them so real. Hannah could have done more to ask for help and everyone around her could have done more to provide it. It’s easy for viewers to criticise them after the fact, but at one point or another, we’ve all been in a position where we could have done more.
The hot tub scene in tape 12 is horrific to watch. But for me, watching Hannah try to politely excuse herself from the tub was gut wrenching. This was one of those occasions where Hannah should have done more but we’ve all done the same thing.
Whether it’s in a night club or in the street, most people find themselves in an uncomfortable situation more than once. What’s worrying is that most of the time, rather than saying “I want to leave because you’re making me uncomfortable”, we try to find a polite excuse; “Sorry I’ve got a boyfriend” or “my friend is waiting for me”.
This cultural normality to fear offending is so ingrained in us that most viewers didn’t even notice the line. Why is that normal? Why are we so unwilling to offend a possible predator?
If this show should teach us anything, it’s that we need to do more. We need to care more about other people; we need to care more about ourselves; we need to speak up more when we see someone being wronged; we need to speak up more if we ourselves are being wronged.
To quote Clay Jensen, “It has to get better. The way we treat each other, look out for each other, it has to get better somehow.”
Photo by screenrant.com