13 Reasons Why season three is utterly exhausting

The Netflix series that has attracted more controversy than any other has returned — but you’ll wish it hadn’t.

3 min read

August 24, 2019 - 7:44AM

Netflix’s teen series 13 Reasons Why has been a lightning rod for controversy since its debut two years ago.

It was praised in its first season for its raw storytelling of teen trauma, but it was equally condemned for its graphic portrayal of its lead character’s suicide.

Mental health groups warned against it, and in the ensuing hysteria, a couple of real-life suicides were, rightly or wrongly, linked to the show. A month ago, the show’s producers agreed to remove the scene in question, a capitulation it held out on for so long.

Now, the show has returned for its third series. It’s well aware that its content may not be suitable for vulnerable young viewers, and the first episode is preceded with a message from its core cast members warning that 13 Reasons Why may not be for everyone, and directing them to resources should they need them.

And then this: “Enjoy the show, enjoy the conversation and take care of each other”.

Ooo, suspicious

Taking care of each other is a noble sentiment, and starting conversations is also a good thing, but it’s the presumption that the show will start those chats that is potentially troublesome.

Lots of TV shows and movies want to get people talking, hoping that something positive will come out of those conversations because, certainly, silence and repression is rarely the answer.

13 Reasons Why seems to think the only way to provoke those conversations is to shock — make it as confronting as possible, and then people will have to talk about it.

Which, I guess, is one way to go about it.

But no matter how you feel about the show’s proclivity to court controversy, there’s another problem with 13 Reasons Why — it’s just not very good.

Chloe has a secret

The first season more or less worked because the writing worked, and Hannah’s voice was empathetic and authentic.

Season two, beset by desperately trying to hang onto a story that it had outgrown? The less said about that the better.

Season three, which dropped on Netflix today, at least had the sense to move on from Hannah’s story, but it doesn’t mean her ghost doesn’t linger in other ways.

Specifically, the structure of having one voice narrating the story, trying to tie all the loose threads of an ensemble cast and numerous subplots together, as Hannah did.

This season, that honour goes to a freshly introduced character — Ani Achola (Grace Saif), a new student at Liberty High whose mother works as the in-home carer for villain Bryce Walker’s ailing grandfather.

These guys? They all have secrets

It’s Ani’s voice we hear as the story moves between the characters — Clay, Jessica, Tony, Justin, Zach, Tyler, Alex and Bryce — and talks, endlessly, about everyone’s secrets.

Clay has secrets. Tony has secrets. Alex has secrets. Yes, we get it. Everyone has secrets, including Ani.

But we don’t know who Ani is, and the show gives us very little reason to care, immediately robbing her voiceover of any power it may have hoped to hold.

The season is structured around a murder mystery, Bryce’s, which the trailer already teased. Not surprisingly, everyone is a suspect because they all have motive — and SECRETS.

Whether you’re going to be able to sit through 13 episodes of this teen soap — and it has very much moved from drama to soap — depends entirely on whether you care about all of these characters. Do you even care someone went and offed Bryce? Do you?

If you’re even remotely ambivalent, you’re going to tune out within about 15 minutes.

Because everything is melodramatic, everyone feels everything so deeply, and it’s utterly exhausting.

13 Reasons Why season three is for diehards only.

13 Reasons Why season three is available to stream on Netflix now

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