Netflix and Selena Gomez just recently confirmed that there will be a second season of Thirteen Reasons Why. This show has blown up in the last month or so, and if you haven't heard of it, chances are you are living under a rock. There have been many mixed feelings on the show. As there is expected to be. It is a controversial show that depicts rape and suicide. I, myself, cannot decide how I feel about it.
The show has been widely criticized for glorifying suicide and having inaccurate depictions of high school. While I do agree that the high school portrayal is a bit different than the high school I went through, I do not think it glorifies suicide. It is showing the raw emotions, thoughts, and feelings that lead someone into taking their own life. It shows that there are so many warning signs and instances that lead up to that moment.
Some say that the show doesn't present what it truly feels like to be depressed or to have a mental illness. But how can you say that when everyone feels differently? You don't know how each individual feels. You don't know the burdens they carry or how they deal with them. Emotions are not cut and dry. If they were we would all be robots.
That being said, I do not think there should be a second season. As much as I want to know the fate of Alex, or what happens with the lawsuit, or if Clay moves on in his love life, or if Bryce gets what he deserves, etc. I like that it ends with uncertainty. Life is full of uncertainty. I think that this show was meant to have a much greater purpose than entertainment. They wanted to start the conversation on mental illness. They wanted to bring light to such a dark and taboo topic. They want people to know it is okay to ask for help.
By continuing the show, it will only lose the power and message behind the show. People will just become even more engulfed and just look at the storyline and not the overall meaning. To be completely honest, I would be okay with a season just tying up some loose ends for the people that just need to know. But after that, I hope they are done. As much as I enjoy the show, I enjoy the power behind the message more.
