Only released on Netflix two weeks ago, 13 Reasons Why is sweeping the globe, reaching over three million people. The story, based on the popular young adult novel, is about a 17 year old girl named Hannah, who releases 7 double sided audio tapes, one side for each person who led her to ultimately end her life. If you haven’t watched it yet, please consider it. Although there are graphic scenes depicting sexual assault and suicide, the director and producers wanted to educate their viewers about how serious topics and issues these are.
If you have watched it and you’re anything like me, you flew through it in a week, or even in a couple of days. Although it was a binge-worthy show, in no way should 13 Reasons Why take popularity like One Tree Hill, Gossip Girl, or Grey’s Anatomy has. It’s not meant to gather a cult-like following; it’s supposed to leave viewers uncomfortable and disturbed after its ending. If you immediately want to talk about who the hottest character was or how you’re going to watch it over again, you’ve missed the point of the show. It was created to bring up uncomfortable topics in conversation, like suicide, or sexual assault. Rather than turn a blind eye and pretend it’s not a big deal, viewers should be left more aware of their actions and words. It’s a show to teach; whether it be small micro aggressions that eventually build up over a few years, or one significant traumatizing event, you never know what’s going on in someone else’s life, or more importantly, what could trigger someone to end theirs.
The ending left me more aware of myself. I have learned to hold my tongue next time I jokingly say “Ugh I’m gonna kill myself” while sitting at my desk under piles of homework. Some are speculating about a second season, but I believe it should be left as is; where the novel ended its story. There was a sort of finality to it that felt realistic. Nothing was fully resolved, kind of like life. We don’t have to know all of the answers; we aren’t supposed to. It didn’t have that full circle ending that most shows do. It replicated reality, and how most unfinished business or struggles hardly find their resolutions.