About two months ago, Netflix premiered another one of its original series, 13 Reasons Why. It became popular pretty fast as it is a short series that is easy to binge watch, but it also quickly received a lot of backlash and criticism for inappropriately handling such intense topics. The series is based on the book, Thirteen Reasons Why, by Jay Asher, one I had read many years ago, so I knew that the show would also deal with some serious issues and I wanted to see how it was converted on screen and what all the talk was about. Over the past week or so, I watched the 13 episodes and here are some of my thoughts.
First and foremost, it should be noted that this is not an easy show to watch. It was tough to get through. The show depicts horrific scenes such as rape and even a graphic portrayal of the main character, Hannah’s, suicide. The show has been noted as triggering by many. The show also raised some questions about suicide contagion, and that presenting the subject in this manner, might have some negative consequences to those struggling with their own mental health.
The show has also been criticized for glorifying suicide. Hannah leaving behind tapes after her death let her continue shaping the story, and let her have a place in it despite the fact that she was gone. The tapes let her change the present, which distracts from the actual fatalness of suicide.
13 Reasons Why aimed to address the topic of suicide in a manner that ultimately had the moral of “be kinder to others” but such an intense subject could have been handled a lot more sensitively. The show fails to highlight the importance of talking to others and asking for help when you need it. A negative encounter with an adult she looked to for help was Hannah’s final reason for suicide. Putting this idea that asking for help does no good out onto the screen is not a good message to send. Better solutions to handling depression should have been presented.
The show was well written and the actors were talented. The story line was an enhanced version of the novel to lengthen it into a full series. Personally, I wanted to keep watching after every episode; it pulled me in. But I see its faults, and I see where it crossed a dangerous line. Suicide is never an answer and the show shouldn’t have given so much power to it.