WARNING! The language in "TH1RTEEN R3ASONS WHY" is so foul that if you took out all the F-bombs, this season would only be two episodes long.
When season one of "13 Reasons Why" started streaming in March 2017, the premise was simple, teenage angst. Based on the 2007 young adult novel by Jay Asher, the novel and the first season takes a long hard look at jock culture, bullying, sexual assault, mental health, and suicide. Season one was groundbreaking by shining a light on the negative culture in our high schools.
The next three seasons after that is a huge departure from what the novel was meant to be. Although the series still focuses on mental health, the show no longer is about teenagers. The young actors have outgrown their characters. So, it seems only right that the show would also take on adult issues. It got a little old watching a bunch of twenty-somethings act like teenagers. Although almost four years have gone by, watching, especially season four, it is hard to believe that these actors are still in high school having high school problems. I would never stand to hear my teenage daughter use the kind of language these so-called teenagers use. I question, is this television show about high school kids with high school problems or collage kids with adult problems?
I enjoyed season one, it was real and there was a lesson to be learned about how the mental health system is failing our young people. I believed the strength the characters such as Hanna Baker (Katherine Langford) and Clay Jensen (Dylan Minnette) showed. We saw the honesty and demons of Tony Padilla (Christian Navarro), Justin Foley (Brandon Flynn), and Tyler Down (Deven Druid). Even the villainy of Bryce Walker (Justin Prentice) and Montgomery de la Cruz (Timothy Granaderos) could be appreciated, by that I mean the performance, not the act. However, with every passing season, I have grown to dislike some of the characters especially Jessica Davis (Alisha Boe), Ani Achola (Grace Saif), and Clay Jensen who was the strongest and always the moral compass in the first two seasons. Even; Tony Padilla (Christian Navarro), Alex Standall (Miles Heizer), and Zach Dempsey (Ross Butler) left a lot to be desired as their characters changed into a bunch of needy and confused kids with not much to do except to spout foul language.
In the fourth and final season, the writers and producers ran out of things to talk about. Every sentence began and ended with an F-bomb. And for good measure, the writers added drug addiction, domestic violence, homophobia, deportation, police brutality, steroid use, homelessness, HIV, abortion, and school shootings, into the mix over the last three seasons. Did I mention the ghosts?
Just because it is politically correct to be openly gay, or a person of color, or be in a mixed-race relationship does not mean that it should be a major plot point. To me It is not right, to exploit one's sexuality, color, or race just for the sake of ratings or whatever points Netflix gets for streaming this television show.
The final episode wraps everything up for us into a nice little package for us. All the important kids graduate and go away to college. With the help of Dr. Robert Ellman (Gary Sinise), we circle back to season one and revisit Clay Jensen's emotional connection to Hannah Baker. We saw Clay Jensen make peace with Hannah's death twice before; at the end of season one and then again in season two after getting justice for what happened to Hannah. Somehow the ghost of Hannah Baker still seems to haunt Clay and us three and half years later. I get that we are all in love with the Hannah Baker character, but again this is another one of those manipulative plot points because the writers did not know where to take the story. Because of how Hannah Baker died, is the whole reason why there is a "TH1RTEEN R3ASONS WHY" in the first place. But it does not justify the events that take place after season one.
Controversial as it may be, watch season one of "TH1RTEEN R3ASONS WHY" read the book. Maybe watch season two, but skip the rest of the series. It is not worth your time. And definitely, DO NOT LET YOUR CHILDREN WATCH.
When season one of "13 Reasons Why" started streaming in March 2017, the premise was simple, teenage angst. Based on the 2007 young adult novel by Jay Asher, the novel and the first season takes a long hard look at jock culture, bullying, sexual assault, mental health, and suicide. Season one was groundbreaking by shining a light on the negative culture in our high schools.
The next three seasons after that is a huge departure from what the novel was meant to be. Although the series still focuses on mental health, the show no longer is about teenagers. The young actors have outgrown their characters. So, it seems only right that the show would also take on adult issues. It got a little old watching a bunch of twenty-somethings act like teenagers. Although almost four years have gone by, watching, especially season four, it is hard to believe that these actors are still in high school having high school problems. I would never stand to hear my teenage daughter use the kind of language these so-called teenagers use. I question, is this television show about high school kids with high school problems or collage kids with adult problems?
I enjoyed season one, it was real and there was a lesson to be learned about how the mental health system is failing our young people. I believed the strength the characters such as Hanna Baker (Katherine Langford) and Clay Jensen (Dylan Minnette) showed. We saw the honesty and demons of Tony Padilla (Christian Navarro), Justin Foley (Brandon Flynn), and Tyler Down (Deven Druid). Even the villainy of Bryce Walker (Justin Prentice) and Montgomery de la Cruz (Timothy Granaderos) could be appreciated, by that I mean the performance, not the act. However, with every passing season, I have grown to dislike some of the characters especially Jessica Davis (Alisha Boe), Ani Achola (Grace Saif), and Clay Jensen who was the strongest and always the moral compass in the first two seasons. Even; Tony Padilla (Christian Navarro), Alex Standall (Miles Heizer), and Zach Dempsey (Ross Butler) left a lot to be desired as their characters changed into a bunch of needy and confused kids with not much to do except to spout foul language.
In the fourth and final season, the writers and producers ran out of things to talk about. Every sentence began and ended with an F-bomb. And for good measure, the writers added drug addiction, domestic violence, homophobia, deportation, police brutality, steroid use, homelessness, HIV, abortion, and school shootings, into the mix over the last three seasons. Did I mention the ghosts?
Just because it is politically correct to be openly gay, or a person of color, or be in a mixed-race relationship does not mean that it should be a major plot point. To me It is not right, to exploit one's sexuality, color, or race just for the sake of ratings or whatever points Netflix gets for streaming this television show.
The final episode wraps everything up for us into a nice little package for us. All the important kids graduate and go away to college. With the help of Dr. Robert Ellman (Gary Sinise), we circle back to season one and revisit Clay Jensen's emotional connection to Hannah Baker. We saw Clay Jensen make peace with Hannah's death twice before; at the end of season one and then again in season two after getting justice for what happened to Hannah. Somehow the ghost of Hannah Baker still seems to haunt Clay and us three and half years later. I get that we are all in love with the Hannah Baker character, but again this is another one of those manipulative plot points because the writers did not know where to take the story. Because of how Hannah Baker died, is the whole reason why there is a "TH1RTEEN R3ASONS WHY" in the first place. But it does not justify the events that take place after season one.
Controversial as it may be, watch season one of "TH1RTEEN R3ASONS WHY" read the book. Maybe watch season two, but skip the rest of the series. It is not worth your time. And definitely, DO NOT LET YOUR CHILDREN WATCH.
