An adaptation of Jay Asher’s YA novel 13 Reasons Why had been in talks since 2011, where Selena Gomez was originally cast as the lead. Then, in 2015, it got picked up by Netflix with Gomez serving as executive producer.
Of course, a lot of hype has built up over the years, with the book becoming something of a cult classic amongst teens for its authentic depiction of suicide and depression; in fact, it is so highly acclaimed that it’s even taught in some schools. The message, of how everything you do and say can affect someone in ways you can’t imagine, is indeed a powerful one.
13 Reasons Why tells the story of Hannah Baker (played brilliantly by Australian actress Katherine Langford), a teenager who commits suicide and leaves behind cassette tapes explaining her decision, which she then sends on to each person she considers one of the ‘reasons why’ she ended her life. This group mainly consists of other kids in her school that have bullied her in some way and the series follows one of the subjects in particular, Clay Jensen (Dylan Minnette), as he listens to these tapes.
As a fan of the book, I’m probably a much harsher critic than someone going in blind. As with any adaptation, there are additions and omissions, some better than others. The book contains only two narrators: Clay and Hannah. A TV series allows further perspectives to be explored, which could possibly have enriched the storyline, but instead just adds a few extra sob stories — a broken home, a closet lesbian — as if they’re trying to make excuses for their harmful actions towards Hannah. Do we really care? Not so much. This is, after all, Hannah’s story.
These strange subplots end up acting as fillers leading up to the great reveal of Clay’s tape, and it’s not long before it becomes tedious. Plus, Clay was originally tape nine in the book, whereas here he’s moved up to number 11; in this extra time they attempt to build up suspense with a bunch of red herrings that make him seem like a criminal, which inevitably reaches an anticlimax. Meanwhile, the other subjects of the tape have secret meetings where they plot a way to ‘take Clay down’. Suddenly the show becomes a cheesy revenge thriller, detrimental of it’s more poignant themes.
Speaking of red herrings, Tony’s character — who only appears a couple of times in the book — has been warped into some sort of weird stalker who turns up at the most inopportune moments to creep out Clay. In fact, Clay’s description of him as an ‘unhelpful Yoda’ is pretty accurate. It seems like we’re meant to spend half of the series wondering whether they’re good or bad guys, which takes away the focus from the actual story.
However, there are some saving graces: we get to see more of the effect that Hannah’s suicide has had on her parents, including their decision to start a court case against the school. This, unlike Justin and Courtney’s personal lives, is actually relevant. Kate Walsh, who you may know from Grey’s Anatomy, expertly plays the grieving mother with heartbreaking authenticity. Secondly, the show deals with sexual assault and doesn’t shy away from how this affects the victim. To avoid spoilers, I won’t say the name, but the actress involved does an excellent job.
Another thing to mention is that the method of suicide was changed from an overdose to slit wrists, which they do show (the episode comes with a warning from Netflix beforehand that this might not be suitable for sensitive viewers). This means the scene is a lot more graphic; in the behind the scenes documentary 13 Reasons Why: Beyond the Reasons, executive producer Brian Yorkey stated that they ‘worked hard not to be gratuitous, but did want it to be painful to watch’. It certainly is difficult to watch, but was it necessary to show it this way? I’m not convinced.
While 13 Reasons Why works well in some areas, overall it seems that they tried too hard to be dramatic with a story that, given its sensitivity, did not need any embellishment. Still, at least they are shedding some light on the gravity of teen suicide, which the producers hope will ‘start conversations’ towards better support.
13 Reasons Why is available to watch on Netflix now.
Originally published at https://www.thenationalstudent.com on 4th April 2017
