If you love to watch something that is witty, full of thrilling moments, has a dark side to it, and full of moments that won’t allow you to blink your eyes at all, then the TV serie 13 Reasons Why is for you. There are a total of four seasons that you can stream right now on Netflix.
Thirteen reasons why, as you can tell from the name, have 13 episodes in total for the first season in which the plot unravels the suicide of a young girl named Hannah Baker in Liberty high school, California. Clay Jensen is the main protagonist of the show who had a deliberate crush on Hannah from day one and from their evening shifts after school in a local movie theater.
They were close as friends and often miles apart because Clay couldn’t express his feelings for her and regrets this instantly when he hears about her surprising death. The story kicks into action when Jensen receives a box of stereo tapes in Hannah’s voice explaining why she did what she did and how her school, people in it, her so-called friends, and Clay had to do with her decision.
What is the show about?
13 Reasons Why covers a lot of topics in detail, but the central theme is teen suicide, bullying, lack of communication among parents and their children, and last but not least, the viral attitude of sports accolades with commoners, especially in a high school environment. Another classic thing discussed in this series is how the school psychiatry department needs to be more hands-on and comforting for students struggling with bullying and other elements that may disturb them emotionally and mentally.
Hannah Baker explains in her tapes that how she looked around for support from her friends, parents, and especially Clay and how everyone failed to come through for her. She had no one at the end but her thoughts and crippling memories of what had happened and mainly who did it to her. Clay struggles listening to the tapes and keeping his act together as listening to her voice makes him feel disappointed in himself and how he backed down from Hannah when she wanted her the most. There are others who are the shining stars of this TV series and are connected to Hannah’s death one way or the other; the cast and their role in the series will be explained shortly.
Where does it take place?
The complete production and shooting of 13 Reasons Why took place in the beautiful city of Vallejo. You can find imageries of the shops, marts, and essential locations that match the description perfectly with the city of Vallejo. Most of the shooting took place around California, exploring the dense and beautiful sceneries from the east to the west. Some of the towns mentioned in the series are Benicia, San Rafael, Crockett, and Mill Valley.
Age rating
The series is based on a Young Adult book written by Jay Asher, and that is why it comes with an age rating of TV-MA (unsuitable for viewers who are under 17). The themes discussed in the show are not suitable for a younger audience, and thus, viewer discretion is advised through and through.
13 reasons why cast and characters
The cast of 13 reasons why is simply phenomenal through and through; if you want a look at the actual actors and their roles, then go through the following passage;
- Dylan Minnette (Clay Jensen); Dylan outperformed himself as Clay Jensen through and through. From Season 1 to 4, his performance is phenomenal and deserves applause every now and then. Clay in the series is a nerd and has a massive crush on Hannah Baker, but he couldn’t do anything about it and is now left with a big void. He tries to come to terms with her suicide while exploring through her recordings who played what role exactly that led her to such abhorrent fate.
- Katherine Langford (Hannah Baker); Hannah is a freshman who moved to Liberty high after her family shifted town. She is full of life and, like any other teenager, is looking to find her love of life and pursue writing and study in New York. Little did she know that her dream is going to turn into a severe nightmare for her, which she had to end for herself.
- Brandon Flynn (Justin Foley); Justin is a close friend to Bryce and Jessica’s lover. He was the first kind of boyfriend to Hannah Baker when she moved to Liberty high. He is responsible for the vortex that led Hannah to do such a horrible thing.
- Alisha Boe (Jessica); Jessica is the sweetheart of Justin and was once a dear friend of Hannah and Alex Standall. She is just as miserable as Hannah throughout the series and finds herself responsible for not helping Hannah when she wanted it the most and turning her back on Hannah.
- Justin Prentice (Bryce Walker); the cast list couldn’t be completed without Bryce. He is the star player of the Liberty high soccer team and its captain. A rich kid who is backed by his parent’s money and doesn’t care for anyone or anything but himself. The dark turn in series corresponds to Hannah’s path crossing and her taking such an extreme step.
- Christian Navarro (Tony Padilla); Tony is a childhood friend of Clay and was a supporting person for Hannah. Further down a few episodes, you will find that Tony helped Hannah with the tapes and made sure that everyone on the tapes received them in a particular turn with the sequence coming to an end with Clay Jensen.
Final Thoughts
Teenagers, adults, and parents reacted to this TV show in their own particular way. But out of all of these parents were seriously concerned about their children’s mental and emotional health watching the show. On the other hand, teenagers had a mixed response where some came to support the series’s message while others depicted an emotional and resistant approach. On the other hand, adults had the same reaction as most of the parents that even though the TV show puts out some strong messages, the content is not right for teenagers to consume alone, and thus they require an adult to be there when watching this series.
Thirteen reasons why has a 7.6/10 rating on IMDb. In comparison having a score of 8/10 on TV.com. The show is streaming right now on Netflix if you want to watch it yourself.
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