REVIEW: ’13 Reasons Why’ raises awareness of teen struggles

Warning: the new Netflix original series “13 Reasons Why” is not the typical fun-loving high school drama we have all come to know and love. The series has clearly struck an emotional chord with its audience. Judging by the daily updates and theories that can be found on practically every social media outlet, it is evident that this show is making an impression on its viewers everywhere.

Far from other teen dramas, such as “Gossip Girl” and “One Tree Hill,” “13 Reasons Why,” depicts the last days of Hannah Baker (Katherine Langford) life, but more specifically why she committed suicide. Based on the popular young adult novel by Jay Asher, Hannah’s story is told through a series of 13 tapes left in the hands of Clay Jensen (Dylan Minnette), a socially awkward classmate who had a close relationship with Hannah.

The show starts off depressing, and it doesn’t change throughout the season. Within the first five minutes of the first episode, Clay Jensen returns home from school to find a decorated shoebox on his doorstep. Inside the box are the 13 tapes, one for every person Hannah felt had wronged her.

Without giving away too many spoilers, here is the idea behind the show: the tapes are to be passed along from one bully to the next; those Hannah named as culpable are instructed to listen to the tapes and pass them on to whoever comes next. They had the choice to listen to their tape and pass it on or listen to all 13 and identify everyone else who had a hand in Hannah’s suicide. Either way, the instructions were to pass on the tapes or the tapes would be released for everyone to know what these people had done to influence Hannah’s decision.

Some characters’ role in Hannah’s death seemed minimal at first but that quickly changes. This series depicts graphic bullying and sexual assault scenes that are not suitable for children, but crucial for the shows’ purpose. The show is authentic and relatable to the struggles young teens face in high school every day.

The show goes back and forth between Hannah’s memories and real-time, which can be confusing at times. Keeping an eye on Clay’s scarred forehead will help viewers better follow the timeline.

Throughout the season, viewers see Hannah struggle to fit in and make friends, but she continuously fails. For one reason or another, something always goes wrong for her, yet she tries to remain optimistic and give people the benefit of the doubt. Even in the last episode, Hannah seeks help yet everyone is too wrapped up in their own lives to see her pain.

Hannah silently struggled through her depression alone, which was probably the scariest and most realistic part. No one knew what she was going to do; she never really showed clear warning signs. That is one of the most important messages in the show. Everyone is fighting their own battle. Try to be kind; you never know how much someone’s words and actions can affect others.

All in all, “13 Reasons Why” did a great job of illustrating what it’s really like to be young in this day and age. The series should be on every parents’ must-watch list; it will definitely give some insight into the struggles teenagers face today. Also for teens who are struggling with depression, this show could be viewed as a deterrent of suicide.