For two seasons now, the Netflix series 13 Reasons Why has followed the lives of high school students as they grapple with the loss of Hannah Baker. Clay, the series’ main character, who in the first season acquired Hannah’s tapes which sent the whole plot into motion, just keeps getting deeper and deeper into trouble, and becoming more emotionally unstable as time goes on. This all begs the question of what kind of things audiences can expect in the third season, considering that the show has already gone far beyond the content of the original book. There will no doubt be bigger issues to tackle, more problems at school, and the continued ignorance of all the adults in the community (who should really be doing more for their kids).
There are a variety of issues with the shows that the biggest fans choose to ignore. While there have been plenty of think pieces about the kind of issues that are being raised by a show like 13 Reasons Why, there is actually a lot that it is getting wrong. Sure, it might be entertaining to people who really like shows that make them sad or upset, but for a show that is so connected to real issues, it just feels like 13 Reasons Why is always dropping the ball. With all of the conversations now about mental health, you might assume that the show would try to take a more hopeful or optimistic approach to its content. However, it seems more content to just dwell in teenage drama and traumatic experiences. These are 15 things fans choose to ignore about 13 Reasons Why.
WHY DOES JUSTIN HAVE SO MANY TATTOOS?
If there’s one thing that parents of high school students don’t want them doing, it’s making some kind of permanent mistake, like getting a tattoo that they are going to regret in a few years. As anyone knows, tattoos are a college rite of passage. They certainly have no place in the life of a teenager.
And yet, Justin has so many tattoos on 13 Reasons Why that it begs the question: how are his parents allowing this? On top of that, where is he getting the money for these things? Tattoos are not cheap, and they do nothing except make the show less believable than it already is.
THIS IS NOT A SHOW FOR TEENAGERS
Even though 13 Reasons Why is a show about kids in high school dealing with teenage problems (even highly exaggerated ones), this is definitely not a show that is meant for teenagers. It is incredibly dark, intense, and deals with themes that teens shouldn’t have to experience in their everyday lives.
It’s bad enough that the show would market itself as a show that teens could relate to, but it has been shown, repeatedly, that the show is actually having a negative impact on how teens think about their lives and problems. This is not the kind of show that they should be consuming on a regular basis.
THEY DEFINITELY SHOULD HAVE CALLED THE COPS ON TYLER
In the stunning season 2 finale of 13 Reasons Why, Tyler returns to the school after facing one of the most disturbing moments in any show ever made, armed to the teeth, ready to fire into a dance where all of the students have gathered. Clay runs out to stop him, which he does so, but the episode ends on a cliffhanger moment.
Before he runs out to confront Tyler, however, Clay tells the other kids in the dance not to call the cops. Even though the police arrive after Tyler is driven away by Tony, it was a pretty bad decision to not do that immediately upon learning what Tyler was planning to do.
CLAY’S MOM IS REALLY INCONSISTENT
Clay is the main character of the series, and it is his journey through Hannah’s tapes that holds the entire story together. However, as he dives deeper into what happened to his friend, he clearly is becoming reserved, upset, and is just generally not doing well. So how does his mom handle things?
Well, she doesn’t, really. Clay’s mom is one of the worst characters on the show. She is constantly trying to get in Clay’s business when he is obviously having a hard time but thinks that the best way to perk him up is a family breakfast every morning. A better thing to do would be to let Clay know she is there if he needs her, not forcing these unnecessary and forced family moments.
WHY IS THE OPENING THEME SO CHEERY?
For a show that is so dark and deals with a lot of serious issues, the main theme song for 13 Reasons Why is inexplicably upbeat. The short bit of music is even in a major key! It definitely isn’t doing anything to match the content of the show, and when we think about other TV shows with great intros, that is exactly what they are supposed to do.
Along with the cheery music, though, is a collection of delightfully animated visuals that seem like they are meant to emulate doodles from a bored high schooler’s notebook. If the show were as upbeat as its intro, it might not be so controversial among parents.
THERE ARE NO MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCES
Considering how much the students at this high school have gone through, you might think that the teachers and the administration would make an effort to set up some counseling services or give the kids the right resources to deal with all the emotions that they must be feeling.
You would be wrong, though! It seems like all the adults in this show just feel like the kids need to buck up and get over it. then it seems like they can’t understand why all of the teens are acting out or experiencing various emotional responses. The people in this town need to get it together!
WHAT HAPPENED TO THE MAP?
At the beginning of the series, Clay has a map as part of the whole message from Hannah in the tapes. The map is supposed to show other characters places they are supposed to visit as part of going through the tapes and listening to the final messages left for them by Hannah.
What happened to the map, though? It seems like the map just disappeared after a few shots of it in the early episodes. Besides, the kids all reside in a pretty small town, so why exactly do they need to follow a map to visit familiar landmarks that they have probably been to a hundred times before?
WHY BOTHER WITH THE WALPLEX STORYLINE?
13 Reasons Why is, ostensibly, a show about teens dealing with serious problems and the adults who are not really doing anything to help them. Why then did the writers feel the need to shoehorn in an entire storyline about a giant conglomerate coming into town and putting financial stress on the Baker family?
Sure, you could make the argument that the pressure of possibly losing their income put a strain on the Baker family, enough that their relationships suffered, but that’s not really how families work, is it? Families always stick together and work through their issues together. Parents, in particular, do not stop paying attention to their kids during hard times.
NO ONE TALKS ABOUT LIFE AFTER HIGH SCHOOL
There are so many shows and movies about kids in high school, and while a lot of them focus on how hard those four years can be, they all seem to have the characters remember that there is a future after high school. Whether that means the show follows them to college, or it just gives the characters who have a harder time something to look forward to, the future is always there.
Well, that’s not the case with 13 Reasons Why. These characters seem like they are manufactured to believe that high school is the be all, end all of life experiences. To them, this is as good (or as bad) as it gets, and nothing will ever change that.
THE “TEENS” LOOK LIKE THEY ARE IN THEIR 20S
This has been a persistent problem in shows about teenage characters for decades now, but it’s strange that the tradition has continued into this era. audiences are smarter now, and they expect a little bit more effort from their programming. With that being said, why do the kids on 13 Reasons Why look so old?
Obviously, the actors are older than the parts they are playing, but these kids are supposed to be about 15 or 16 years old. They all look like they have graduated not just high school, but also college and a master’s program. There have to be some good, young actors out there willing to take on this heavy material, right?
WHY SHOULD CLAY FEEL RESPONSIBLE FOR HANNAH?
This is probably the biggest problem with the show. Clay takes the burden of handling Hannah’s tapes and doing everything she has asked him after the event that propels the show. The real question, though, is why should Clay have to take any responsibility for what Hannah did?
Sure, she had an unrequited love for Clay, one that he has acknowledged time and time again, but that doesn’t really matter. He shouldn’t have to feel like he is to blame for anything that happened, and yet he feels that he must do everything that Hannah wants because he owes her something. He really doesn’t, though.
THERE IS NO LESSON IN ANYTHING
You might think that for all of its darkness, heavy themes, and terrible things happening to kids, 13 Reasons Why might be able to have some teaching moments. At the very least it should provide some clarity on how to properly deal with problems that kids might be facing, right?
Well, it doesn’t. If anything, 13 Reasons Why continually shows kids what they shouldn’t be doing in cases of trauma rather than what they should be doing. this really ties into the point about how none of the adults seem to be providing any help to the kids, something that is often available in real life.
THE TAPES SHOULD HAVE GONE TO THE POLICE
Once again, we get into the matter of getting the authorities involved in this whole mess. Clay received the tapes that Hannah had left for him, and never even actually listened to all of them (something that almost any teenager would have actually done in that situation). The excuse for this is that he has panic attacks when he hears them.
However, why wouldn’t someone who wanted to expose everything that happened to Hannah immediately turn the tapes into the police? There are some serious accusations on the tapes, ones that definitely would have at least jumpstarted some kind of investigation into several of the students. It would have been the right thing to do.
IT IS INCREDIBLY EXPLOITATIVE
This is a criticism of the show that is brought up again and again, but it remains a legitimate point of concern. Rather than being a show that smartly looks at real issues plaguing young people today, 13 Reasons Why instead exploits those issues to make a more entertaining show.
This is incredibly problematic because it reduces real issues down to simple plot points, things that work to move the story forward rather than being problems that need to be addressed or worked on. The show takes the approach of having all of the bad things move the plot forward, instead of slowing down and examining what is really going on.
THE SHOW IS A RELENTLESS DOWNER
On that note, we need to talk about the biggest issue with the show: there is not a single bright spot in any of it. The show is a complete and utter hole of pessimism, meanness, and negativity. Characters do the absolute worst things to each other, and there are no redeeming qualities to be found.
Even real teenagers have good days among all of the bad ones, yet you would never think so watching 13 Reasons Why. This show really does put its characters (and the audience, for that matter) through the wringer. Every moment is fraught with negative emotions, and only the worst things continue to happen.
