13 Reasons Why: Season Two- Spoiler Review
As you know, I always keep my reviews 100% spoiler-free always. For this particular review, I have to include some pretty major spoilers because I have a lot to address. It's impossible for me to write this review without spoilers because there really isn't any simple way of explaining what I saw and how I felt, considering that I felt so strongly throughout this show.
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As we already know, 13 Reasons Why involves the suicide of Hannah Baker in graphic terms. She leaves behind some tapes that eventually everyone on those tapes get to hear. Each one is a stab at an individual person for having some kind of 'involvement' in Hannah's death. So here we are again with yet another season into the steaming pile of dog shit that is 13 Reasons Why. Every minute of it is a visual and audio travesty. I thought I had problems with season one...believe me, it's nothing compared to this season.
In this review I'm going to discuss the show in general but also the separate talk show called 'Beyond the Tapes.' You'll get an insight as to how uncreative, unoriginal and poorly informed the people behind this show really are, as well as what makes this show so popular to constantly crap on.
Incase the blunt synopsis didn't quite catch you, this show deals with strong themes and depictions of suicide, sexual assault, bullying and violence. What's missing? Oh yes, mental illness- in which I will discuss later. So here, audiences designed to be older than fifteen, yet with a larger following of much younger watch as this train wreck unfolds as a form of entertainment.
No, I'm not one of those people that will blame the show for being triggering. These events that unfold within the show are meant to be brutal because that's exactly how these real life events are for the victim. There are trigger warnings at the beginning of the very first episode with statements delivered by the actors (albeit half-baked and tacky), a support link after each episode closes and a trigger warning before each episode that contains particularly sensitive material. That's all well and good. No audience can prepare themselves for what they'll see, just as no victim can prepare to be a victim. They are better implemented this season, but what's most triggering about this show is the lack of care carried out for presenting these themes. Being brutally honest and showcasing the world for what kinds of things happen within it is fine but not like this. I'll rant on that later too.
The performances need to be spoken about. Ultimately each actor has been given a script to read, it is there job to create a performance out of that and build their character up. I don't like the characters at all, plain and simple. In season one I thought Dylan Minnette as Clay was okay and the same for Katherine Langford as Hannah, but this season just really seemed to be pushing my frustration into overdrive. They were so goddamn annoying to watch and every minute of dialogue was like a knife to the abdomen. Our protagonist Clay was so unlikeable this season. He deals with a lot of personal conflicts, particularly moving on with a new relationship only to find that he still has some deep-seated feelings for Hannah and can't push it aside. What bothered me so much about him was his visitation to court when Zach makes his statement. In this statement that unveils new truths, Clay goes apeshit upon learning that Hannah Baker was not a virgin. He starts doubting her as a person and without actually saying it, believes that she is a slut- only for Justin to point out that he is a dumbass for thinking so. That pissed me off. Because Hannah wasn't as pure and innocent as Clay once thought, suddenly she's not good enough and that her choice (which was consensual) was a mistake because it wouldn't be with him.
A new character that joined this season by the same of Cyrus got to me too. Cyrus is supposed to be this edgy dude with ripped leather and a problem with authority. He draws the anarchy symbol on anything and everything, wears eyeliner and sports a few piercings. At first glance, I thought he could be somewhat important to the show and perhaps had his own story, yet as soon as he uttered the words "that's so punk rock" and "fuck the system," I knew it was all over for him. He's also a poor example of 'getting back' at someone for their actions. Sure, teenagers love to get even and under normal circumstances that wouldn't be a problem in life or a show, but because it's THIS show of all things, the plot is just going to get worse (which it did) and there won't be a solution for stopping a problem before the cycle tragically repeats itself with a possible greater risk of more serious actions.
Finally, Hannah Baker. These opinions of mine literally haven't shifted since the first season but yes, she is not an ideal character. Hannah was not depressed, she did not seek the right help (more on this later too) and her suicide was an act of maliciousness and revenge. Her tapes exist as a way to destroy lives, blame people for their supposed impact in her death and are a way to 'pretend' to be around to watch the aftermath of her death unfold. For starters: Hannah chose to kill herself. No one instructed her to do so, no one assisted her in doing so either. Also, once you die, you're dead forever. Making tapes to accuse people just because relationships crumbled or because they weren't there for her in the way she needed is just a poor excuse. I have zero sympathy for her as a character because there is cruel intent behind what she chose to do.
Not so much a character analysis, but instead an accuracy and relevancy analysis. I have a lot to discuss here involving Alex Standall in particular. So at the end of season one it was insinuated that he had successfully shot himself in the head, though unclear whether he had passed away or not. By season two, we see him as an almost regular functioning member of society. He requires a walking cane and has some memory loss from the head trauma. When someone shoots themselves or is shot in the head most of the time they do not survive the mass bleeding or major head trauma, however I am not discrediting the fact that there have been a few cases in which people have survived. The only thing here is, those who have survived from a gunshot wound usually end up with permanent damage more extensive than that of a walking aid and memory loss. Usually these people end up never being able to walk, talk, see or hear again. Many of them remain facially disfigured, confined to a wheelchair, brain damaged or with portions of their brain missing. So it's beyond me how an average kid could survive this with only a funny looking scar on the side of his head and minor physical limitations.
Tyler is a character that I don't think is much liked. He's not really designed to be liked and although the creators of this show have said that he's just a regular guy with feelings, no one associates with him anyway because he makes it hard to be likeable. He also shoots guns on another man's property to relieve anger, causing the people he brings with him to feel some kind of fear for him. There's a massive cliché where he basically says that real power is the ability to hold and fire a gun. Following some shady events he has taken part in, leading to his break from education to complete a diversion program, he is attacked in the boy's bathroom and is sodomised with a mop handle in response to his actions that framed the jocks as rapists. So what happens next? Tyler runs down to his garage and suits up in a belt containing three handguns and magazines. For the pièce de résistance, he pulls out an assault rifle. These are illegal in the state of California and it is unclear as to how he obtained these. It would be impossible for a seventeen year old boy to purchase an assault rifle all by himself, regardless of fake ID or no ID. It becomes quite clear now that he is planning a school attack and sets off to the prom to do so. A warning text is sent around, allowing people to know that Tyler is armed and ready. Then Clay decides to put his big foot into it and proceeds to stop Tyler as he walks towards the dance. Now what teenager can stand up to another angry teenager armed to the teeth and negotiate? It just doesn't happen. Police complete extensive negotiation courses that train them how to negotiate with armed people, many of them who apply this in life lose their lives. For those who don't, it takes hours. Sometimes even days at a time. So how was it possible for Tyler to suddenly change his tune in the course of five minutes before jumping into Tony's red mustang and driving off into the sunset? It's bullshit. Again, this is a TV show but this shit just doesn't happen. Even the words "go home, get out of here Clay" are a massive play to the prelude to the events that occurred at Columbine Highschool in 1999. Now I thought it was a little insensitive again for the creators to include this. On average, there is roughly one school-related attack in America per week. The Texas school shooting happened only very recently too, so tell me again how this is acceptable. The shooters involved in these kind of attacks have also usually been bullied relentlessly, have told multiple people about it and act on their anger when nothing else works. I do not condone violence in any way, shape or form but again we're seeing a pattern with these pathetic characters and their inability to speak.
The scene where Tyler gets sodomised is brutal and yes, it does happen to men. However, it was completely unnecessary and irrelevant. The plot skipped and decided it would focus on a character that wasn't important for any other reason aside from his testimony at the beginning. So when we look at all of this, the potential school shooting scene wasn't even relevant in hindsight. He just packed his shit up and drove off. End of story. End of character appearance.
One last thing here: in the talk show, they make a point out of saying that Hannah's father has begun a relationship with another woman and becomes apart of her family. They suggested doing this to show that men get over things quicker than woman. The hypocrisy within this show is amazing. We saw girls throughout this show become victims of sexual assault and then a boy for good measure- to show that it doesn't just happen to females, yet all of a sudden men don't have feelings and don't grieve? Just stop with your shitty TV show already. Take a look at the men who have lost things, who feel things and stop with your stupid stereotype of masculinity.
Leading back to the zero evidence of mental illness, I want to say that I am no stranger to mental illness. I have first hand experience and I know what facing a daily battle is like. So I am allowed to say that this show portrayed whatever was supposed to be mental illness as insincere and somewhat mockingly. When dealing with issues that impact real world people and affect their lives in so many different ways, you have to have done research and obtained facts. You have to handle these issues of mental illness (and aforementioned issues such as rape and suicide) with care. Bringing to life something so inaccurate and flawed is disgusting. I get that it is a TV show and that the actors themselves may not have first hand experience or be able to relate to those who have suffered as victims from major personal attacks, but at least try to be accurate and convincing. That's your job as an actor. The intentions of this show were clear. I can support a message of trying to create a show that brings awareness to hideous crimes in our society, but the way this has been executed is terrible. I can't express just how poorly constructed, written and conveyed this is.
The only mildly positive thing I can say about this show is that it does portray the limitations in the legal system particularly well. With zero photographic/ video evidence of an alleged rape, it becomes up to the victim and/ or witnesses (if any) to deliver a statement that is believable and how people who are first time offenders with a normally good record within their community/ school are let off gently.
Here we have a show that likes to think it is doing society a favour by bringing awareness to real life issues with distasteful representations, half-baked performances, inaccuracies and throwing the whole pan of mental illness up in the air. It tries so hard to be indie and really forces the issue that polaroids and cassettes are the in thing.
Score: 0.5/10.