"Thirteen Reasons Why" is an original Netflix series based on the book written by Jay Asher. The show is spanned over thirteen episodes, all slightly under an hour. Each episode presents a different cassette tape of Hannah, the main character, explaining why she killed herself. These tapes always pertain to a person that caused distress in her life that gave her the reason to create the cassettes. The tapes were created to be passed from person to person. The show follows the main character, Clay, and flips back and forth between him and Hannah’s narration. Therefore, this show seems like a back and forth conversation between the two characters. This conversation helps give the perspective of both characters to help the audience understand the reasoning for the suicide as well as to show what goes through the mind of someone dealing with the repercussions of another person’s suicide. The show aired on March 17, 2017, but has already become extremely popular, blowing up many social media platforms. There has been a lot of controversy in reviews due to the serious topics brought up during the show as well as the graphic imagery of the main character’s suicide. These various opinions have been expressed through multiple media platforms, which signify the extreme spreadability that this show has had in such a short period of time. Overall the show " Thirteen Reasons Why" utilizes realism and conveys a structure of feeling, which helps to denote an underlying message that creates awareness of the social issue of teenage suicides.

The reason why the producers made the scene of Hannah’s suicide so explicit was to show the suicide as realistically as possible. However, a lot of criticism sprung from the emotions that this scene created for some audience members. A lot of reviews said that it “triggered” them. Though, before the final episode, there was a warning expressing that there would be disturbing content within the episode. The contrasting argument was that if there was any reason someone would be triggered they shouldn’t have watched it in the first place knowing that the show was about suicide. These critical reviews also ignored the reason behind creating such a vivid image. Some people argued that if a person was thinking about killing themselves, this would show them how. But realistically speaking, if a person really wanted to commit suicide they wouldn’t need the show to find a method to do so. The realism was intended to display the disturbing nature of suicide and to show the audience that it is not worth it.

The last and final episode ends with the visual depiction of Hannah’s suicide, slitting her wrists in her bathtub to be later discovered by her parents. This scene caused a lot of controversy due to its graphic nature. A lot of the controversy arose because Asher’s book indicates that Hannah committed suicide with a pill overdose and the writers of the show changed it to the physical gory action of Hannah slitting her wrists. Though, the producers defend their reasoning of making the scene the way they did to make it as realistic and real as possible. After the thirteenth episode, the show had a "Behind The Reasons" episode containing interviews with the actors, the author of the novel, the writers, and the directors. During the interview, Ryan Yorkey, one of the executive directors, said that during the suicide scene the makers “wanted it to be painful to watch, because we wanted to be very clear that there is nothing, in any way, worthwhile about suicide.” Actress Kate Walsh, playing the mother, said that they wanted to make it as realistic as possible without experiencing the situation in order to honor those families that have gone through these painful situations ("Thirteen Reasons Why"). The main topic of the interviews was about how the goal of the show was to open the door for conversations about these social issues like suicide, sexual assault, and verbal assaults.

Realism is also expressed through the usage of this social issue that is prevalent in society. This show brings this concept to life with the realistic social interaction of characters as well as the dynamic nature of all of the characters within the show. All of the characters are seemingly affable in one way or another except for Bryce, who raped the Hannah as well as her friend. The other characters are dynamic enough to be sympathized with in order to emphasize the ability to change one’s actions for the betterment of others. These characters made small decisions in regards to Hannah, which collectively made her want to end her life. These characters are made dynamic to show the ability to change and how the choices and mistakes made in the past did not necessarily make them bad people. The characters that were on the tapes also expressed turmoil and grief after Hannah’s death, making it easier for the audience to empathize with them. The traits given to these characters made them more likable to the audience, making the entirety of the situation more realistic as a whole. Also, the realism of the show brings the social issue of teen suicide to life in a way that creates social awareness of this issue.

Though this show does a good job of imitating reality faithfully, there are some scenes that are unrealistic. For example, when Clay and Tony climb the vertical rock in order to get to the top. Although there were few scenes like this, most of the scenes were portrayed like everyday life of a high school student. Though these are two different approaches to analyzing the show, it is more easily read through the lens of classical realism due to the dynamic characters, realistic storyline, and the inclusion of a relevant social issue in modern society.

The show and its realistic expression of these social issues experienced by the characters create this ability to feel what they feel in the show without actually experiencing it. No matter how familiar an audience member is with suicide, sexual assault, verbal assault, or any of the social issues presented within the show, the audience can feel what it is like to go through these circumstances. The characters of the show all go through emotional turmoil which is captured in such detail that it makes it easy for the audience to feel the same as the characters feel. Even the suicide scene is painful to watch, causing the audience to feel the pain that Hannah feels as she ends her life. This concept is one of the main goals of the producers that was mentioned above, making suicide as realistic as possible so that no one would ever have any desire to experience it.

Since the show has such a strong message it has caused a collective response, probing conversation about the show across multiple media platforms. Many articles have been written favoring or disagreeing with the message of the show. A lot of the controversy that has arisen because this show was interpreted as an exploitation of teen suicide, and those who have gone through this loss think that it is shameful of the producers. Jaclyn Grimm, a writer for USA Today, argues that the show gives too much power to the main character, Hannah Baker, after her death. She notes this as a dangerous message. Grimm says the show lacks focus on the concept of mental illness which is the cause of 90% of all suicides (Grimm). She argues that the appeal of the show, saving people struggling with suicide with kindness, is unrealistic. Though Grimm has a valid argument, she fails to point out that the show is not only creating awareness of suicide but also creating awareness of bullying and sexual assault which are also very pressing issues. The quote Grimm points out, “we all killed Hannah Baker,” doesn’t signify the unkindness of those around her but rather the pain and distress of dealing with the loss of Hannah. The point of the show isn’t to harp on the mental illness that leads to suicide, rather the social pressures that lead to it and the repercussions it has for everyone involved.

Contrasting the discontent of the show, there was a response article to this discontent on Quora. The responder specifically noted the troubles that were experienced by the other main characters of the show that were on Hannah’s tapes. Kennedy also noted that she originally thought that the show was merely a vengeful way of blaming people for her suicide. She then concludes that rather the show portrays the intent of the tapes as a warning rather than an attack. She warns about the mistreatment of others and that the time to change is now. A lot of the arguments that express discontent with the subject matter only analyze the episodes on a surface level. They merely argue that the show is disrespectful and disturbing to those that have experienced suicide firsthand or secondhand. These arguments fail to analyze the show in its purpose of raising awareness for this social issue.

Daniel Fienberg, a writer for the Hollywood Reporter, noted that even though the novel was written nearly a decade before the show was produced, the subject matter is even more relevant today due to the extreme usage of social media and the increasing numbers of cyberbullying reports. Fienburg notes that “the treatment of rape, cruelty and the show's inciting event are unflinching” due to their excessive prevalence in today’s society. He also notes that it is due to the creativity of exploiting these social issues in a realistic way.

Not only has "Thirteen Reasons Why" spread through various article platforms but it has also made its way into meme culture. These memes have made their way onto Facebook, Twitter, as well as other social media platforms shared by users through grassroots advocacy. Most of the memes are centered around the “welcome to your tape” quote from the show. Many of the memes and tweets take minimal bothersome things such as saying guacamole costs extra at Chipotle and ending it with welcome to your tape. Even though this is an extremely dark humor that is used, it has received much popularity with the general population on social media platforms exhibited by the popularity and continual creation of these memes. Madison Malone Kircher in her article for select/all argues that the meme world is used to these dark and twisted senses of humor. She gives various examples of memes and concludes by expressing hope that this meme trend inspired from the show ends sooner rather than later, but expresses doubt due to the show being the most tweeted about show of 2017. Even though this is a negative trend, it is hard to control due to it mostly being user-generated content. This new fad may be popular but it has also upset a lot of people on these social media platforms. It is quite extreme for users to take something from a show with such a heavy subject matter and make it humorous.

Overall, "Thirteen Reasons Why" is an extremely controversial Netflix original, drawing attention from multiple people across multiple media platforms. The show presents the concept of suicide in a way that has never been done before in a very blatant way. This strikes some people the wrong way and others are infatuated with the concept of bringing this social issue to life. Whether people disagree or agree, the producers reached their goal of starting conversation about this show, probably more than they intended. From various articles to dark humor memes, this show is spreading at an extremely fast pace. The realism and structure of feeling that is conveyed through the show makes it extremely emotionally engaging for any audience member. These concepts help promote awareness of suicide amongst the other various social issues that were harped on within the show.