13 Reasons Why

[borlandia]

I completed "13 Reasons Why"

I started watching it on a whim. Margaret gave me plenty of shit about it and soon spent every episode complaining about how it deviated too much from the books.

Anywho, some thoughts:



This is what I would call an "emotionally expensive" series.

I've attempted suicide before - it was not pretty, and I came close to checking out.

The one thing I was hoping is that it wouldn't "glorify" suicide. It sort of did...it sort of didn't.

The suicide itself is semi-gruesome. Painful. Very hard to watch.

BUT - it feels like Hannah was the 'hero' and 'won' after killing herself. I hope this isn't an 'inspiration' to anyone that is considering hurting themselves. I fear it may. Who wouldn't want to stick it to everyone that fucked them over? I know for sure that if I was checking out, I'd love to pin my death on a handful of assholes that made my life difficult. Knowing they'd have to spend the rest of their lives with my ghost hanging around would be a comforting thought as I left town.

It's funny, though. The character I found myself hating the most wasn't the belligerent asshole rapist - it was Courtney. Courtney felt more realistic, and it seriously felt like she was a perfect manifestation of a truly horrible human being everyone has in their life. I feel they nailed that character perfectly, despite Margaret's insistence to me she wasn't enough like the book variation. Courtney came off like every phony, greedy, step-over-you-to-get-what-they-want bitch I've ever known.

Tony was an odd character. He was the true moral compass the entire show, but it made no sense how he was ALWAYS there. How is this guy constantly hovering around Clay? Doesn't he have a home?

Anywho, it's an entertaining series. Not sure it delivered the right message...and it is definitely very draining and disturbing. One of those "good but not sure I can recommend it" pieces.

Comments

[ashkenazimermaid]

This sums up my thoughts pretty spot on too. It felt like she definitely "won". And that sucks. I've attempted suicide (a few times) but never like that, and it was SO hard to watch, I was hoping it would end, that it would be a mistake. Ugh. Maybe it was my own feels coming through about being glad it wasn't me?

Courtney's character was spot on, it wasn't anything more or less they could have done to it. And I kinda felt like they played the sympathy card on the first guy she dated (that started all this) boohoo, having a bad home life doesn't mean you get to be a terrible human being. Seriously.

I never understood how Tony fit in to it either. I thought maybe he was going to end up being imaginary or something, no lie.

[borlandia]

Yeah, Justin I think his name was. They definitely made him out to be a victim of being in with the wrong crowd.

For what it's worth, I do think it was a fairly accurate depiction of the average sturm und drang of being in high school.

[ashkenazimermaid]

I agree. I guess Courtney's "perfect life" and still being an AWFUL PERSON balances out Justin's expected to be awful. I was hoping he would "come around" earlier than he did, that would have made him less victimy, imo.

[gwendraith]

I haven't read your post as I'm watching 13 reasons at the moment. I'm going to try and finish the season over the weekend.

[omnipotent]

There's been a lot of chatter about this series on my Facebook feed. I am not so sure I want to watch it--one of my closest friends committed suicide, so it might hit a little close to home for me. I dunno. Maybe.