Clay Jensen was an average high school student who sold popcorn at the local movie theater and had a crush on the prettiest girl in class, Hannah Baker. His life was the definition of normal… until one day Hannah decided to kill herself and said that Clay was one of the reasons why.
Oh, and the worst part? Clay has no idea what he did wrong.
This is the plot summary for “13 Reasons Why,” one of the newest series on Netflix that’s based off of Jay Asher’s novel. Over the past week, the show has been the only thing anyone can talk about, including me, which is why I’m about to give you my take of the show (without giving away any spoilers, of course).
First of all, before you watch a second of it, make sure you have some tissues and maybe a friend nearby, because Hannah Baker is about to tear your soul to shreds.
“13 Reasons Why” has a disturbing yet interesting storyline overall. Instead of a letter, she left behind a series of cassette tapes to say why she killed herself. It was creepy because whoever listened to the tapes could hear her voice and want to talk back to her, but it was too late for anyone to do anything.
The show brings up a lot of controversial issues that are hard to discuss and happen way too often in high school. Rape, suicide, bullying and sexuality are all huge themes. I have to give major props to the show for nailing the conversation around these vexed problems because instead of glamorizing them for Hollywood, I think they showed them how they are in real life. Although the series is a drama, there were parts of it that felt extremely raw.
I especially liked the way the kids on Hannah’s tapes were portrayed in their lives at home. Their parents thought they were little angels, but yet they were mean enough to drive a girl to commit suicide. I think it’s important for parents to recognize that their kid can still do damage to someone else even if they’re polite at the dinner table and keep their grades up.
The series pretty much covered everything in the book, but the last episode is left open so there’s room for a second season. Honestly, I don’t know how the producers (I’m looking at you Selena Gomez) would continue on with the story, but I’m open to any fan theories out there.
Plus, I know I would binge watch season two even faster than season one.
Everyone should sit down to watch this show. If you know someone who is struggling with any of these issues, this might give you some insight on how they’re feeling and what they’re going through. If you are struggling with any of these issues, maybe you’ll feel less alone.
Or maybe it will make you realize that you will never ever go back to high school.
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