’13 Reasons Why’ The Good, The Bad, The Ugly
Netflix released the hit TV show “13 Reasons Why” in March 2017. It immediately caught the attention of viewers, which led them to binge-watch the show in only a few days. The show follows teenager Clay Jensen on his journey to discover why his classmate, Hannah Baker, committed suicide.
Hannah Baker was quietly suffering for a while, and one night couldn’t handle it any longer; she committed suicide. Before she died she left tapes explaining why she decided to do what she did, and she refrences the people who influenced her along the way.
The idea of the show was really strong but how the storyline was shown could’ve been done in a more PG fashion. This show has received many negative comments about several scenes, especially towards the end of season 1. Psychology experts have been warning people about watching this because of the many triggers that are present in the show.
“13 Reasons Why” has been accused of “romanticizing suicide” and not showing the whole picture of what the depressive and suicidal thoughts can do to a person. Although the show is discussing a really important topic, they are doing it in a way that is potentially harmful and suggestive.
A main reason many critics and psychologists were upset with the writers was because they didn’t include a warning until episode 9. This warning would have been very useful to know what topics would be arising in that particular episode.
Controversial topics in the show include sexual assault, and of course suicide. The way these topics were depicted in the show were very graphic. They showed Hannah Baker being sexually assaulted by a classmates, and even worse, they showed her slitting her wrists and committing suicide.
According to the National Post, “It found that within three weeks of the series premiere on March 31, there was a significant rise in internet searches concerning suicide, by about 19 percent” (National Post). This exemplifies the timeliness news value. The number of suicide-related searches on the web since the show began has risen significantly.
Also the news about this show was prominent, and significant. It was about a famous television series, that had the potential to negatively impact viewers. Since the criticism started rolling in, the producers of the show made a change that addressed what many critics were upset about.
The “13 Reasons Why” released a custom video addressing the importance of going out and receiving help, and included a hotline. According to the Hollywood Reporter, season 2 will go more in depth to actually understanding suicide and what people with suicidal thoughts go through on a daily basis.
