13 Reasons Why (2017) Review

13 Reasons Why (Review) 2017
J.R

This is the one and only time I will admit my secret shame. I love a few teen dramas. The cheesy stories, the cut-out-characters, the ridiculous romances, they all appeal to me in a "guilty pleasure" way. While '13 Reasons Why' undeniably takes elements and inspiration from this subgenre, it certainly distinguishes itself as a hard-hitting, honest, brave, well-made and superior series. There's lots of good about it, but like every series, there's a little it could improve on, and these are the three topics I was most interested in:


The Controversy

As you likely know, '13 Reasons Why' received much backlash for its dark subject matter inappropriate for younger viewers. The main issue people seem to have with the series is the way in which it represents suicide. The main character Hannah Baker (Katherine Langford) slits her wrists in her bathtub and bleeds to death. Personally, I don't think the series deserves the criticism it got for this. In recent years, topics such as mental health and suicide have had the stigma and taboo associated with them decrease, as modern society evolves to combat both physical and mental illnesses and conditions (likely due to the frightening statistics concerning the number of young men who take their own lives), and '13 Reasons Why', in my view, is adding to the removal of that stigma, triggering a dialogue in which people can be open and help each other with such problems (The microcosmic fandom for the series shows these effects). Adding to the discussion of these topics is important, and I applaud the production companies and Netflix for sharing this part of the discussion. However, there is one key thing I agree should not be in the series. In the twelfth and penultimate episode of the series, there is a scene depicting Hannah Baker's act of suicide. While of course, her actions are integral to the premise of the series, this graphic and overly long depiction is highly unnecessary. If I had to watch this with my hands over my face in terror, how might younger members of the target audience be affected? I don't mean to say that the book was better (Krimson Rogue handles those reviews) or make it seem like I'm being too pretentious, but this seems like an unnecessary change from Jay Asher's source material. In the book, Hannah Baker overdoses on pills whereas in the series she slits her wrists. The only reason I can really see for this change is to make her suicide more visually interesting, emotionally horrifying and memorable, but instead of banking in on the heartbreaking moment he series has been building up to, this moment only repels its viewers. However, the inclusion of this scene is the only big issue I have with the series, as for me it comes a little too close to torture porn, and the inclusion of warning cards at the beginning of episodes don't nullify its effects.

Characters, Casting and Acting

This series is cast almost perfectly. The leads are likeable and the villain(s) are detestable, but they are all very much three-dimensional characters (though some clearly based on stereotypes). For example, Miles Heizer's character Alex Standall was a little effeminate and seemed like they were steering his character in a very clear direction, but thankfully my expectations were incorrect. It's really good to see a character act and appear, but not be confirmed as, gay, particularly when you get so many borderline offensive token stereotype characters in other series. It's also interesting to see that this is a series willing to stray from archetypes while acknowledging them. But the true joy in terms of characters comes from the chemistry between Clay (Dylan Minnette) and Hannah (Katherine Langford) You constantly feel invested in the relationship, but due to the genius structuring of the episodes, you are also constantly reminded that the love they were building up was never going to become anything much more than a prom dance. The characters and actors make the padded-out high-school material much more enjoyable. Additional praise must go to Kate Walsh and Brian d'Arcy James as the distraught parents of Hannah Baker, particularly Walsh on her legal crusade to do what in her mind is avenging Hannah's death (a quest which further highlights issues such as bullying in high schools).

Structure
The general structure of each episode is brilliant, cutting between Clay's present-day life and school when Hannah was still alive. But there is an element of the overall series structure that bugs me a little. Just once more, I'm going to make a comparison to the book, but only to make reference to the different mediums in which the story is told. In the book, Asher has Clay Jensen play the tapes pretty much in one 'sitting'while touring the locations marked on Hannah's map. However, the series had to change this. It's a perfectly understandable change, but it kills some of the brilliant realism of the series. In the series, Clay listens to the tapes basically one every day (providing that episode's story). This is of course due to the series needing to be made longer by the inclusion of Clay's post-Hannah school life and his reactions and discussions with people on the tapes. But this makes little sense. Clay has been given the reasons for the suicide of his friend and love interest, but for some reason doesn't listen to the tapes as quickly as possible. This is even acknowledged in the series, which could have made for a funny meta-reference if it weren't for the fact that the flaw pointed out is real and impacts the believability of the entire series.

There are tons of other aspects of the series I could write about like the brilliant story, excellent character development (leading to scenes like Clay's mental break while giving the exchange students a tour), or a couple of the redeeming factors of the more forgettable characters, but I don't feel like I could without turning into a rambling fanboy. Again. In conclusion, it's a great series with a few clear flaws but it's definitely something you should explore (especially if you're looking to diversify your Netflix breaks from teen trash) for yourself. And the icing on the cake is the show's social media posts, which provide excellent fan interaction and additional content.

Briefly, on the second series, I don't quite know what to expect. I can't imagine the producers of such a heartfelt and honest series will turn this (seemingly finished) story into a cash cow, but It's hard to think what exactly the next series could be about that doesn't tarnish the reputation of the first series. In short, I'm open to it, but cautious.