13 Reasons Why - Season 1 Television Review

*Note from the author: I feel especially strong about topics of depression and suicide. As the included subject material below specifically pertains to both, I want to encourage those that struggle with mental health to reach out to those that can help them the most. There are all sorts of resources available that are free and will respect your privacy. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline can help and you can reach them anytime (800-273-8255). Who you are and what you do matters.

I've been curious about this series since it first initially released, but always had some concerns going in. The first major issue was that this show is well-known for being pretty depressing, which requires a viewer to get in the right headspace for such a journey. Another element was a lot of the criticism that came for the show's later seasons. After a good deal of thought, I felt I was finally ready to give this one a shot. It was well worth the effort.

1

Where to Find It: This is available exclusively on Netflix.

General Information 
13 Reasons Why is a young adult drama series that was originally released on Netflix on 31 March 2017. Its first season is adapted from Jay Asher's novel, Thirteen Reasons Why. The full series was developed by playwright, Brian Yorkey, with Joseph Incaprera producing. Actress, Katherine Langford, received numerous nominations for her performance as Hannah Baker in the first season while the series also won a handful of nominations at the 2018 People's Choice Awards. Beyond these accolades, season one has a 76 Metascore on Metacritic with a similar 78% Tomatometer rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The series ran for three more seasons (for a total of four).

 

Upon the show's release, it received quite a bit of blow-back as it was roundly criticized for "glorifying suicide." The media's concerns appear justified as research reflects that there were spikes in teen suicides when this show initially became available for streaming. According to the Washington Post's Steven Zeitchik, there was "...at least a 35 percent increase in suicide deaths among 10- to 17-year-olds" during the month the show released. Whether this spike is related or not, Netflix decided to include a warning video at the beginning of the series to caution new viewers of the show's subject material, as well as feature a link for mental health assistance at the end of each episode.

 

The Story

Shortly after Hannah Baker (played by Katherine Langford) killed herself, her high school classmate, Clay Jensen (played by Dylan Minnette), receives a shoe box full cassette tapes. Upon listening to the first tape, Clay discovers that the series of cassettes were left behind by Hannah, which identify thirteen reasons why Hannah took her life as well the names of those whom she holds responsible. While coming to terms with this task, Clay soon learns that others know about the tapes as well, and some of them don't want Hannah's story getting out.

Something I really enjoy about this season is how one major event unravels the very fabric of society in a slow-but-steady pace. Like Twin Peaks and the first season of Riverdale, the perfect veneer of Liberty High School quickly slips aside as Hannah's tapes expose the cruelty and indifference that pervades its halls. It's compelling seeing Clay not only grieve for the loss of Hannah, but also grapple with the fact that he potentially pushed her to take her own life. The fact that this guilt causes him to rebel against the school's status quo reminded me somewhat of Robert Cormier's The Chocolate War.

2

Clay may have to risk it all to make sure Hannah's story is told

There's a sense of rawness in this that I also found incredibly fascinating to behold. Many of the characters in this are pretty stupid and make a lot of mistakes, however their fumblings remind me of my own time in high school. It genuinely makes sense that the characters are secretive and impulsive (most teenagers are, after all). I don't necessarily agree with how dumb some of the parents are in this show, however this appears to be a genre staple as old as time.

Similarly to how the fabric of Clay's society unravels as he listens to the tapes, so too does the story unfortunately. The first half of the season is quite good, however as the reasons for Hannah's suicide mount, the last ones become a bit convoluted, especially in regards to how some of the supporting characters respond to it. Others that have already heard all of the tapes seemingly have no issue hanging around with alleged criminals (accusations made by the tapes), however once Clay and the viewers hear these final tapes, attitudes dramatically shift for some of the characters while others remain strangely steadfastly loyal or indifferent. 

Special Effects/Atmosphere
One of the biggest things that stood out to me on this show's atmosphere was the fairly good soundtrack. I'm not familiar with most of the licensed music, however it genuinely sounds modern and reflects what many of the characters would likely listen to. Chromatics' "Into the Black" was probably my personal favorite, however I found all of the ambient music gelling well with the melancholy themes. Looking at the specific lyrics for some of these songs, there's an overarching theme of depression that surrounds them even when the exact meaning may be ambiguous.

Although it's not done nearly as well as the first season of The Terror, I want to applaud the showrunners for their willingness to push the envelope when it comes to depictions of trauma. There are some fairly graphic scenes that the camera stays on for uncomfortably long segments, but I think the lingering is justified as it's supposed to be painful. These segments allow the viewers to get into the mind-set of Hannah Baker and even some of the other characters, which really helps with immersion.

The Acting

It's well-established in young adult television/film that generally older people are cast as teenagers. Judd Nelson was 25 in Breakfast Club, Cole Sprouse was 24 in the first season of Riverdale, and Sean William Scott was 22 in American Pie. With all of that said, there's more than a few characters in this show that look absurdly too old for their roles, which left me sometimes wondering if they were actually even high schoolers in the show. Christian Navarro (Tony) and Justin Prentice (Bryce) both look and behave like they're in their late 20's to a degree that I couldn't suspend disbelief.

3

Tony and Bryce look more like they're ready to graduate college than start their junior year at high school

Dylan Minnette and Katherine Langford do a pretty solid job with their respective roles, although I will admit that Minnette has always seemed to struggle with emoting from time to time. Langford's display of Hannah's gradual mental decline was excellently done, which enhances the storytelling as viewers not only hear characters discuss Hannah's depression, but also actively see her emotionally decay. Some of the supporting cast don't do nearly as good of a job, but Minnette and Langford keep anyone from straying too far.

The Best of the Best: Episode 3 really stuck with me as the season begins to kick into high-gear.

The Worst of the Worst: The casting is noticeably off at times.

Calhooey Score: 7/10 - Good

Would I Recommend?

4

Not bad, now let's just pretend the future seasons never happened

The first season of 13 Reasons Why tells a tragic tale about a young girl who is inevitably driven to take her own life told in her own words. This is a fairly depressing show, however I found myself consistently eager to watch the next episode. I would caution those that struggle with mental health from watching this, as it may be a bit too much, but I will certainly recommend this for viewers who enjoy drama.
-------------------------------------------------Spoiler Comments-----------------------------------------------------

• For the longest time, my only interaction with this show was via YMS's hilarious commentary videos. It's insane how this season turned into the absurd caricature of its later seasons.
• The death of Jeff Atkins feels fairly understated in this, which is probably one of the sadder aspects of the story. I think it's not covered as much due to the lie that surrounded how he died. It's a shame we never really see him get complete justice.
• Bryce looks and acts like he's in his mid-30s. Was he held back from graduating? Is he the Van Wilder of high school? That final showdown between him and Clay looked like child abuse.
• I suppose I can understand why Courtney wouldn't want to come out of the closet despite living in a highly accepting environment. What I can't understand is how she's still willing to protect her secret when there's an alleged rapist walking the halls with her unchecked.
• I don't know why, but Marcus is possibly my most hated character in the show. His smug arrogance was written pretty well, and I always enjoy a show that has characters you can love to hate.
• It's really strange that Miles Heizer is probably one of the better actors in this season and then becomes the absolute worst in season two.
• One of my major nitpicks with the twelfth reason is the fact that Hannah just happened upon a party at Bryce's and then decided to stay super late at the party after realizing the party was at Bryce's house. She personally witnessed him rape someone. Why would you stick around a place like that?

----------------------------------------------------References--------------------------------------------------
(1) Amazon. (n.d.). 13 Reasons Why season one cover image. Retrieved from: https://www.amazon.com/13-Reasons-Why-Season-One/dp/B079F9NCM9.

(2) Whyte, W. (n.d.). Clay Jensen truth gif. PopBuzz. Retrieved from: https://www.popbuzz.com/tv-film/features/13-reasons-why-tv-show/.

(3) Bell, C. (2018, May 24). Christian Navarro image. Pop Sugar. Retrieved from: https://www.popsugar.co.uk/entertainment/How-Old-Tony-13-Reasons-Why-44874525.

(4) We Heart It. (n.d.). Clay and Hannah gif. Pinterest. Retrieved from: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/85779567886217586/.