Sukanya reviews the 2017 Netflix series, 13 Reasons Why exclusively for Different Truths.

Creator: Brian Yorkey

Stars: Dylan Minnette, Katherine Langford, Christian Navarro

High school is tough, and so is the advent of adolescence! The first season of the much-discussed Netflix series is sad, slow, intense and at times even over dramatic. The second season is much better but that’s for another review.

High school is tough, and so is the advent of adolescence! The first season of the much-discussed Netflix series is sad, slow, intense and at times even over dramatic. The second season is much better but that’s for another review. It is a series that keeps going through your head and I understand the fuss too. Parents, teachers and psychologists (reportedly) are afraid that the images and the story are less suitable for teenagers with mental problems and the streaming service adds not-for-nothing warnings about explicit images of sexual abuse, among other things.

13 Reasons Why revolves around the suicide of student Hannah Baker (Katherine Langford) who has recorded the reasons for her decision to commit suicide on cassette tapes. These cassette tapes end up with Hannah’s fellow students who are told one by one how they are co-responsible for her death. The series starts with the maverick Clay Jensen (Dylan Minnette) who is one of the last to receive the box of tapes and listen to the gripping story of Hannah.

In every episode (a side of a tape) a reason is discussed and the focus is on a student who is involved in one way or another with Hannah’s depression. In the meantime, Clay is trying to discover why he is one of the reasons why his girlfriend he was in love with ultimately decided to commit suicide, while also confronting his fellow students who somehow wronged Hannah.

Clay is trying to discover why he is one of the reasons why his girlfriend he was in love with ultimately decided to commit suicide, while also confronting his fellow students who somehow wronged Hannah.

At times it got a little too heavy, at times it seemed excessively dramatic, and then of course there’s a lot of confusion regarding the stories, what’s the actual truth and what’s not. And I guess that’s what kept the story moving forward.

Photo sourced by the author