When it was announced that Thirteen Reasons Why was coming to Netflix, seventh grade me was jumping for joy. This book was the highlight of my middle school years and was one of the many novels that got me into writing. Although, since I loved the book so much I had extremely high expectations for the show. I am happy to now say that after a devoted day of purely watching the show, I was pleasantly surprised and highly recommend it to absolutely everyone. Here are just a few reasons why Thirteen Reasons Why should be the next Netflix show you binge-watch:
1. How true it is to the book
One thing I always fear when a book is made into a film is the film not truly representing the book. Thirteen Reasons Why deals with numerous sensitive subjects, and I was hoping that this Netflix series would do the book justice. Well I got my wish because the producers of this show knew exactly what they were doing. I loved how true to the book this show really was, and while there were a few scenes that did not come from the book, I felt like those scenes were necessary. The scenes that were not from the book fit right in with the rest of the scenes, and I felt like it put together some of the pieces that the book did not.
2. The diversity
Not only was this cast extremely diverse, but so were the characters. The families on this show were no longer the typical father who was the breadwinner and the mother that stayed home to take care of the family. There were families that consisted of interracial couples, couples in the LGBT community, divorced couples, etc. This show was like a breath of fresh air with how diverse it was, and I believe it was an amazing representation of the people/families that make up this country.
3. The cast
What I enjoyed about this show is how the cast was not made up of people you regularly see. There was only one person that I knew of on this show, but other than that, every actor was one that I was unfamiliar with. While every actor fit their part perfectly, some of my favorites were Katherine Langford as Hannah Baker, Dylan Minnette as Clay Jensen, Brandon Flynn as Justin, and Kate Walsh as Mrs. Baker.
4. The music
This music was phenomenal! This soundtrack was unreal and if you love finding new music, this show has it. Some of my favorite songs were “The Night We Met” by Lord Huron, “A 1000 Times” by Hamilton Leithauser & Rostam, and “Mess is Mine” by Vance Joy.
5. The message
At the end of the day, the most important thing about this show is the message. The show depicts the struggles of high school and how bullying is not a joke. It is a perfect representation of why it is important to be aware of the effects of any form of bullying. As we all know, bullying is not just something that is done in high school, it is something we all see no matter what age we are. If there is any reason to watch Thirteen Reasons Why it is because we all need to refresh our understanding of the saying “treat others the way you would want to be treated.”
Have fun watching collegiates!