Last year the first season of Netflix's adapted series 13 Reasons Why premiered. The show was highly anticipated by a lot of people considering the issues the series brings up such as suicide, rape, and bullying. It brought hope it would have a positive impact on young people battling these issues. However, after the show was released and many binge watched, it proved to have more of a negative impact than positive.
Fast forward to this year and a second season was released despite the backlash. Producers of the show hoped to do better and they attempted this with trigger warnings before episodes and a website for help with crisis resources at the end of each episode. People were still not having it and stated the show did more harm than good.
I have always had mixed emotions about the show. I went into the first season thinking "This is so dramatic" and "I hate this, it's corny" but by the end it left a powerful influence over me. It made me want to start the conversation with those that might be struggling or those that need help. So when season 2 came out, I was delighted to watch. Despite heavy controversy on social media and trending hashtags on twitter calling to boycott the show, I still had hope the show could change people's minds.
But season 2 left me with a different mindset than season 1 did.
One thing I did like about this season was their depiction of how most sexual assault and rape survivors feel. They portrayed it as authentic and as real as it could possibly be. Most survivors do have a hard time talking about their story and their journey can be rough. But 13 Reasons Why showed that struggle through each character (Jessica, Chloe, Nina, and others) that had been assaulted perfectly.
The rest of the show is harmful and very problematic. And it opened my eyes to see how the entire series of 13 Reasons Why is problematic.
One reason is it glorified suicide. It made suicide seem like the only answer - and a popular one as well. It used Hannah's suicide and others attempts as a shock factor or special effect to the show rather than use it as a serious message. The show made one small effort at the end of the season to clean up their act. In the last episode Hannah's mom says to Clay Jensen, "No matter how many reasons why there are always more why not." This is a powerful statement and could have resonated with a lot of viewers but was not stressed enough.
A second reason is because it made it seem as if suicide is only caused by bullying. Suicide can be caused by many factors but mainly those that are mentally ill attempt. And the show lightly touches upon it by saying Hannah's family had a history of anxiety. But despite that, the show never sheds light into how serious mental illness is.
The show finally tries to paint school shooting's as result of bullying as well. Tyler after being assaulted in a triggering episode, decided to shoot up the school's dance because he was tired of being powerless. School shootings occur because of many factors and not just a result of bullying. We can not and should not solely blame bullying for school shootings. It is an entirely different issue itself.
Overall, I'm disappointed with this year's season. I expected a better comeback that made up for all of the backlash they received from viewers. I also expected better episodes to portray suicide, bullying, and mental health in a more positive way, however I was let down by 13 Reasons Why and my mixed emotions turned into a negative view of the show.
