13 Reasons Why..

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"I think I've made myself very clear. No one's coming forward to stop me. Some of you cared. None of you cared enough. And neither did I. And I'm sorry. So, it's the end of Tape 13. There's nothing more to say."


I have just finished the 13 episode drama, 13 Reasons Why on Netflix. One of the best series I have watched this year. It is an adaptation of Jay Asher's 2007 YA novel. The soundtrack has not found its way off my car stereo since. 
From the start I was gripped, Hannah Baker is just like someone I knew at school, she just wanted to be liked like everyone kid, she was smart, beautiful and had her whole life ahead of her. 
Each of the 13 episodes is based on a character, a reason why she killed herself.  The characters on the tapes obviously want it all to remain secret due to the rape and the bullying. 
Clay is the central character in the 13 episode drama gradually understanding and coming to terms with why Hannah chose to kill herself. 
13 Reasons Why covers mental health and suicide in a very honest way, What happened to Hannah Baker can and does happen to anyone, it can happen to someone you know, and the worst part is you may not even realise it is happening until it hits you like some kind of invisible horror.  The utter desperation of Hannah and her depression sneaks up on you. "What does it really look like?" Hannah asks in the penultimate episode, referencing her mental state right before she chose to kill herself. "Here's the scary thing: it looks like nothing . . . It feels like a deep, always blank, endless nothing."
I openly admit, I cried several times through this drama, tears filled my eyes throughout the final episode because I couldn't believe the feelings being dealt with openly on TV.  When I was 16 I had Dawsons Creek and that never dealt with anything like this drama.  This drama shows teenagers they are not alone and that conversations about mental health are necessary parts of life, rather than things that should be swept under the rug or hurried down inside. 
The scene of Hannah killing herself is so, incredibly moving and powerful.  Hannah dies in a horrific, gut-wrenching way, and the camera does not let you escape it.  Hannah believed she had no way out.  Many of you may not be able to watch it but this is happening to teens and adults everywhere, the feeling of no way out. 13 Reasons Why is not a campaign series quietly and politely asking people who feel down not to kill themselves; but for many of those thinking of killing themselves, they see it as an end to their pain and a way to stop being a burden to those around them. Mental illness is a tricky. 
Go and download it, watch it, close your eyes and try to imagine, just for a second, the depth of Hannah Bakers pain: 13 Reasons Why tries to make that as clear as possible throughout the 13 episodes.  It tried and succeeded with me in telling an honest story about an epidemic that is all too real for a lot of families. 

    

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