I recently binge-watched a Netflix program I can’t stand. I did it to save you the trouble. Within a few episodes, I had already found several reason why Season 2 of “13 Reasons Why” is repugnant and reprehensible.
Season 2 depicts the yearlong aftermath of the death of 17-year-old Hannah Baker, whose suicide was documented in Season 1 through recordings she delivered to classmates about the 13 reasons she planned to kill herself. The first season was bad enough, for reasons outlined here.
In season 2, Liberty High prepares to go on trial after Hannah’s parents sue the school for not taking seriously the thoughts of depression and suicide that she shared with faculty. Separately, a dozen or so girls at the school accused Bryce of rape. He’s found guilty and sentenced to three months’ probation for sexual assault.
If you haven’t started watching yet and the above aren’t enough reasons not to start, then here are more reasons why you shouldn’t watch season 2:
It’s sickeningly irresponsible
- The actors themselves agree that Bryce’s sentence is too light. But the cast’s press junket includes sanctimonious drivel about how Season 2 is raising awareness, even boasting that 2018 is an important time for this. One actor even referenced the #MeToo movement in an interview on NBC.
- Rather than use Season 2 to show how real-life rapists like Stanford athlete Brock Turner should have been sentenced, the “13 Reasons” writers, producers, and cast use Season 2 to cash in on the fate of people like Turner’s victim. They now justify doing so because they say it brings attention to a reality about the justice system. I call bullshit. They wrote and produced it the way they did because it’s a cash cow. And apparently there’s already talk of a third season.
- Suicide is romanticized. Hannah’s suicide has lasting repercussions for over a year. People cannot stop thinking about her and wanting to do or not to do things for her, to honor her, etc.
Despite the self-congratulatory tone that the actors, producers, and network are taking on social media about the show’s importance, it propagates outdated clichés.
- Nerds are powerless. Less privileged or less popular kids can only exercise any sort of power by turning to graffiti, vandalism, arson and yes – you guessed it – attempting a mass school shooting. Until then, they will be physically attacked by – again, you guessed it – the popular jocks.
- Women exist to please their men. Even the non-working women in the program wear dresses at all times. With pearls. No one dons yoga pants, lives for herself or has a face void of makeup. Each awaits her powerful man and always does as he says.
- Married gay parents will produce a gay child. In the program, it’s treated as expected that the only openly gay couple would have a daughter who turned out to be a lesbian.
- School sports coaches care about nothing but winning.
- People in power can do whatever they want, whenever they want, without fear of reprisal. They can bully, rape, pillage, mistreat, etc. There’s no one advocating for the little guy.
- Any time a boy breaks up with a girl, the girl will attempt or succeed at committing suicide.
It’s ridiculous, unrealistic, and, at times, grotesque.
- A court case pretending to be about a school’s liability, which quickly acknowledges that protocol was followed, serves as the narrating voice for every disgusting thing people did on and off campus. As a recovering attorney, I kept jumping up yelling “Objection! Relevance?” every time the school’s counsel should have been doing so.
- The kids in the show never have friends over after school or on weekends. None of the kids hang out in big groups, except at school.
- The producers make an obvious references to time and setting (2018 Bay Area), yet there’s an odd division of wealth in the Liberty High community. A handful families are wealthy and the rest are 1950s-style “Leave it to Beaver” working class with stay-at-home moms. Oh, and somehow a crack-ho can afford a house in the community.
- The main character behaves and is idolized more along the lines of Arthur Fonzarelli (“Fonzie”) from “Happy Days” (which is set in the 1950s) than any 2018 Bay Area kid.
- There are no curfews, no discussions of grades. There’s plenty of school detention, but no punishments at home. The only parent who acts at all parental in 13 hours of programming is the mom who catches her post-suicidal, slightly brain-injured, recovering son having eaten Doritos and scolds him for putting poison in his system.
- All the jocks at Liberty High wear letterman jackets – all the time, depicting a cult-like “popularity” and the importance of allegiance thereto.
- The parents know their kids are having sex, being raped, doing drugs, drinking, and more, but do nothing to stop it.
- The principal asserts authoritarian power. No school board, angry parents, etc.
- Blackmail is legal.
- Rape victims act as if they’re fine with the three-month probation sentence for their rapist. No outcry.
- A teen plans an entire funeral.
- There’s a violent sodomy scene involving a broom.
If you’re not convinced yet that Season 2 isn’t worth your time, then please at least respect yourself enough not to believe the hogwash about the show’s so-called “important” message. Don’t be fooled. Money will come to this show long before any meaningful “message” will come from it.
