'13 Reasons Why' - Review

                ‘’13 reasons why’’ is a TV series, released on March 31, 2017 and is based on book by author Jay Asher. It is a melancholic series with grim plot, which depicts a boy, Clay Jensen and his journey to bring justice for his friend Hannah Baker, who commits suicide. She leaves thirteen cassette tapes, each with her voice naming a person and describing what he or she did to instigate her to finish her herself. Clay listens to each tape and re-traces Hannah’s suicidal steps, from a rumor to slitting her wrist in a bathtub. She is bullied and is repeatedly objectifies by boys and is a mocking stock for girls.

                   It all started when her first kiss, Justin Foley, and his friend spread a revealing photo of her that she did not even know existed. He even told his friends that Hannah agreed to have sex on their first date, which was actually a lie. Because of all this, over and over again,  she was abandoned by her friends that she thought she had. She was then raped by one of the ‘’famous kids’’ in school, named Bryce Walker. After being exploited by Walker, she had almost bowed out. But then she thought maybe she was approaching wrong people. After few days, she went to guidance counselor, Mr. Portor. However, he gave very discouraging remarks which she recorded as the 13^th tape. After telling counselor that she was giving up on life after being assaulted by a guy from school, the school counselor could only tell her to try to ascend if she was not willing to prosecute her rapist. Hannah then decided that there was no bright side to life. Thus, she decided to skip school that day and go home to finish her life. As per Hannah’s instructions, the tapes should be passed to everyone mentioned in it. But, everyone decided not to show this to Bryce and Mr. Portor because that could cause chaos due to Bryce influential family background and Mr. Portor for being a part of school administration. But, at the end Clay gave the tapes to Mr. Portor.

                Overall it is a great series. It is an interesting, intense, dark and thought provoking series that deals with important subject like bullying, suicide, rape, depression etc. It kindles the stuff that people need to know especially parents. This could start colloquy between parents and child and could enlighten parents about behavioral change and loneliness of their child . And genuinely, I think that parents need to discuss the child’s analysis of this series as well.

                This series can educate adults that they need to stop bullying, and to feel the pain of people like Hannah, but also help people like her to come out of that sinister aura.

                As this story revolves around teen agers but, I would not recommend this series for younger kids and teens. It is clearly not a light watch and requires parental guidance. It has sex, violence; there is a lot of cursing, some graphical sexual assaults are also depicted and actual suicide is also shown. Weighty and pensive matters like cyber-bullying, sexting are addressed vividly; these scenes can be difficult to digest and are too mature for our teens. Another reason that makes it ‘not a teen show’ is; it can petrify teens, also they can consider suicide as whole and sole solution to their problems.

                Before deducing any perspective from this series, you have to ‘’Think A Little More’’.