I'll admit, even as a 33 year old married woman, I was pumped for Season 2 of 13 Reasons Why. And after binge watching the entire season in twenty-four hours I can definitively tell you that I wont be for Season 3.
Here are MY reasons why....
1. They
butchered Hannah’s character. In Season One, her monologue tapes were riveting,
painting an experience that many High School kids have unfortunately been a victim
of. They were her raw truth and although it was tough to watch her suicide, it
was her story to tell. Then in Season 2 they turned her into a liar, a ghost liar
no less. A. LIAR. A stereotype that women who are victims of sexual assault have to battle. Why add in the secret sexual relationship
with Zach and her side ‘conversations’ with Bryce? Why leave that out of her
tapes? Maybe this would have come across differently, more powerful if her
ghost character wasn’t lurking awkwardly in the background. It just didn’t translate
for me.
2. Clay’s
blatant mental illness was seemingly ignored until Episode 11, then only given three
minutes of screen time. The kid is under a microscope, talking to a dead girl
and no one notices? Come on. Enter eye roll.
3. Clay’s
parents are the perfect example on how not to raise a teenager. A lock on his
bedroom door? Letting him leave all hours of the night? Ignoring his constantly
beat up face? Rewarding his terrible behavior with a new car?
….I cant.
4. The
hints of a school shooting plot were borderline irresponsibly handled. Tyler
either needed to be the focus of more episodes or cut out altogether. Such a
relevant topic should have been hit head on, like Hanna’s suicide in Season 1.
Instead Tyler shows up with an arsenal of weapons and is treated like he just
showed up armed with a bad attitude.
(I'm not ready to touch on the mop scene yet)
5. Are all High School Baseball Coaches this
douchie? Yes, I know this isn’t a reason.
6. What was the point of the introduction of Skye
into the equation? To show that Clay is drawn to broken females? It was forgettable
filler bullshit in the first few episodes for me. I never felt their connection and
was happy to see that storyline fade out.
7. Why didn’t Clay make copies of the Polaroids? A
petty plot complaint, I know, but it still annoyed me. Come on kid, scan that
shit!
8.Why
is Justin forgiven and suddenly the heroin addict anti-hero of the story? Barf
9. Why is ghost Hannah’s hair long?
10. They ripped the power from Season 1 and left a
weak trail of side stories in its path. It lacked the focus that each tape
episode provided and tried to combine to many character plots.
11. How do these teenagers have such easy access to
guns? Now that could have been in important and controversial story to tell.
12. The underlying message this season was that adults
have failed us. Principals. Teachers. Parents. Coaches. Guidance Counselors.
Judges. It missed the mark by a mile and screams to younger viewers that you
can’t trust the people who are supposed to protected you and that school isn’t a
safe place but a war zone.
13. I wouldn’t watch it again, and to me, that is the only reason I really need.
