WARNING: SPOILERS
13 Reasons Why covers everything from suicide, rape, sodomy, assault, school shootings, deportation, opioid addiction, murder, homophobia, child molestation, steroids, prostitution, sex, feminism, and it goes on. And while I agree that it’s great that they are openly talking issues that teenagers face, the Netflix show tries hard to teach empathy and redemption. The lessons on humanity become troubling and the messages can be harmful to impressionable teenager watching. I will always preach kindness and empathy, but to what extent? Does everyone really deserve it? You know there is a problem with this show when they two most likable characters are the rapist and school shooter. But let’s start with Clay.
- Clay Jenson, the Savior.
Throughout the show, Clay’s character needs to protect everyone at his own cost. The weight of the entire show is on his shoulders. He never turns to an adult about all the secrets, school-shooters, murders, rapes, assaults, addiction, that are all piled onto his lap. He finds his own solutions and crumbles in the process. (To be fair, he has asked his friends to talk to counselors on occasions) But one of the central themes of this show is the unity of the teenagers who take things into their own hands, keep each other’s secrets, and never find an adult. Teenagers and young adults out there, do not do this. Report abuse and signs of self-harm or danger to other students.
2. Tyler, The School Shooter
So Clay, loyal friend that will never, ever turn his back on anybody. When he sees his somewhat-friend, Tyler, entering a school with a AR-15, what does he do? He stands in front of the gun and jeopardizes his life. And then what? He convinces Tyler to backdown(unlikely), gets him to safety, gets rid of the guns and forms a community to protect the potential school shooter.
There are multiple problems with this story, but number 1 is the portrayal of the poor, bullied, white school shooter. The show goes so far as to have us watch him get sodomized in the bathroom by the jocks on the football team, left bleeding and alone on the bathroom floor. We are meant to emphasize with him and see that he has been pushed to be someone he is not. The incessant bullying/assault made him to be this monster when all he really needed was friends.
Why is this problematic?
Headlines following school shootings are always describing shooter as the lonely, bullied boy. Now, we learned to love and know Tyler as a sweet boy who had been traumatized, but how many school shooters have actually been sodomized or raped in their high school bathroom? The show never once talks about reforming gun-laws and banning assault rifles to prevent future school shootings. Instead, it makes it the responsibility of innocent students to go on guard watch. To find, befriend, and take care of a potential deranged student. This is negligent and irresponsible messaging. To falsely portray the shooters as victims while making the entire student body responsible for his pain is disturbing. The show also fails to acknowledge the white supremacist beliefs that are commonly related to school-shooters.
In the event, that a student sees early warning signs of psychotic behavior, the message should be find an adult and keep the school safe. Not stand in front of the gun, protect the shooter, get rid of the evidence, and form an entire group to be alone and babysit him everyday.
3. Bryce Walker, the Redeeming Rapist
This is cringey. Before I begin, I have to say that Justin Prentice is a phenomenal actor who can make the audience love a monster, but to be clear Bryce Walker is a monster. In episode 1, Bryce Walker is dead and the audience is thankful. He is a despised, serial-rapist who got away with his crimes. He is clearly a televised version of the national case of People v. Brock Turner, a rapist who was described in headlines as a “Stanford student and swimming champion” who got off with 3 months in county jail after sexually assaulting an unconscious girl behind a dumpster. Bryce is Brock and by the finale the viewer is meant to root for him, he was on the road to recovery, he’s bonding with his mom and doing yoga, he’s trying to right all of his wrongs, he is a human being who made a mistake. Wait, what?
Is redemption possible? Yes. Are their rapists out there who feel remorse, I’m sure. But this hurts. Giving girls false expectations that one day their rapist will be sorry, confess to his crimes, want to learn and find atonement? Are we serious? How many times has a man tried to rewrite the story, paint a picture of the girl asking for it, and felt justified in his actions? Most of the time, rapists are people you know like Bryce Walker raping his own girlfriend as well as best friend’s and a dozen other girls at Liberty. The show could have focused on prevention by teaching men consent, reading body-language, and understand the word no. But no, here we are, mourning the death of Bryce Walker.
4. Justin Foley, The Addict
The Opioid addiction is real and painful and it’s wonderful that Justin has a support system around him and he is choosing to get the help he needs. But for those who have loved addicts know one thing for absolute certain, addicts lie. It’s unlikely that they will come out to you on Thanksgiving dinner and ask for help, admit they are using or have a problem. Even when you give them a safe, non-judgmental environment, unconditional love, support, beg, cry, and plead. When Clay the Savior decides Justin has a problem, ties him to the bed and detoxes him, it oversimplifies an epidemic that destroys families.
But then we have…
5. Jessica, the loyal Girlfriend
At 17, your boyfriend allows his best friend to rape you, but you truly love him so you forgive him. Weird message to kids, but okay. But then she learns that Justin is using again and decides it’s something they will get through together, “your shit is my shit.” A TV love story. She’s a 17 year-old survivor, class president, who has been through enough. If this were the real world, taking on Justin’s addiction while dealing with her own PTSD would only take away years of Jessica’s life is constant desperation and worry. People are not yours to save and Jessica can not love Justin’s addiction away. It’s just wrong.
6. and finally Ani,
Surprise, I actually have nothing bad to say bout Ani. She’s unproblematic and has a cute little accent.
I understand what the show is trying to say, you are not your mistakes and there is always a chance to be better and be someone else. And I whole-heartedly agree that your past does not have to define you and shouldn’t. We should all be focused on growth and becoming the best versions of ourselves. But the examples are too extreme. A serial-rapist and a potential mass-murderer? My heart hurt for the survivors of school shootings and sexual assault that watched a show that focused on finding empathy for the monsters. Hopefully, season four does better.
[EDIT: While I do find the messages of the show problematic, I have to admit the show is incredibly entertaining and suspenseful]
