It's no secret I love to watch television.
I'm President Pajama Pants of Netflix Nation. Well, not just Netflix. I can't forget Prime or HBO, but you get my point. I watch while I'm cooking, cleaning, doing the flipping laundry, etc. So, I get in my hours and I'm a true binge addict.
I stumbled upon 13 Reasons Why, a Netflix exclusive show, and can't remember exactly what made me click on the show. It probably had to do with Facebook posts, I'm sure.
Follows teenager Clay Jensen, in his quest to uncover the story behind his classmate and crush, Hannah, and her decision to end her life.
I thought, eh, it will be another teen drama thing.
No.
It was so much more.
To begin, I don't read YA or watch YA shows. Just not my thing. But I do have two teens. So, I clicked play.
Here are the 13 reasons why I loved this show. Not in order.
Some small spoilers, no huge reveals.
- It's an underdog story. Both main characters are not the popular kids in schools. (The focus of all my books are underdogs.)
- The hero, Clay, represents the population of high school boys who don't excel in sports, are academically inclined, and not from incredibly rich family.
- The heroine, Hannah, is not perfect. I don't like perfect characters, because let's face it, no one is. I cared for her more because of her flaws.
- The story spanned all social facets of high school from nerds to jocks to outcasts.
- Hannah used audio tapes to record her message. Old tech made new.
- It taught me that little things hurt.
- It opened conversations in our family about the hard things. Those awkward topics like bullying, betrayal, and death.
- The director and writer really did a good job at getting an emotional reaction and keeping me on the edge of my seat.
- It helped me recall what it was like to be a teen.
- Each episode focused on a certain emotional element instead of bombarding the audience.
- Brought forward drug use in conversation with teens.
- Date Rape
- and Suicide.
Did you watch it? What did you think?
1 comment:
My son's school sent out a letter warning parents that there had been a significant rise in teen suicide/suicide attempts that were directly linked to this show and psychologists have warned that it romanticizes suicide and can trigger already troubled teens. Not that I'm trying to bash you at all! I just wanted to let people know it's recommended to watch this with your teenager if they are going to watch it. I'd be glad to share guidance for families and the talking points that the school sent if anyone is interested. My email is laceyjanewaters@gmail.com.
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