13 Reasons Why (2017): A Romanticised Suicide Filled With clichés
- Katherine Goodyear
- May 3, 2017
- 3 min read
So what really is it with this Netflix series? It has become as popular as any other Netflix original series, yet there is still so much stigma on it. After this girl, Hannah Baker's (Katherine Langford) perplexing suicide, she has left these tapes (7 tapes to be precise, which slightly bugs me as it is not a rounded number), which essentially lists all of these people and blames them for the reason of her suicide. Now I'm not one to know about depression in depth, but I do know that having a narrative piece like this warps the whole understanding of mental health. The American drama-mystery show has received largely positive reviews from both critics and audiences, but it has attracted controversy from some of the graphic depiction of issues, which makes it such a split opinionated show. Sure, it also makes spectators aware of mental health and how certain actions may lead to someones inevitable death. But we can't deny the fact that the graphical content is a bit too extreme and just unnecessary.
Regardless of the backlash the show has gotten, the editing style is certainly interesting, and definitely the colour palette. The warm orange colours elude into the atmosphere to which helps us distinct what is past, and the indistinct shades of blue and grey determine what is present. which is smart, given that this could also reiterate how the deep orange colours represent how happy Clay Jensen (Dylan Minnette) was with Hannah alive, and the dull drab colours connote how depressed and sad he is without her. Like Romeo and Juliet, except without the family conflict, modernised back story and no angsty teenagers lurking around. The non-diegetic sound incorporated into the show also helps evoke other emotions, playing older songs in order to relate to certain target audiences. The whole way they designed the show to make it as closely similar to the book as possible must have been hard, to get every intricate detail so that lovers of the book would be attracted to the adaptation.
It is also rather intriguing how each episode is an elaborate enfolding of one's background and story, how they fit into the whole story of one dead girl. You also can't help but sympathise with clay, the cute high school student that just makes your heart melt, even if he does have a massive plaster on his forehead for half of the series, you can't not love this character. Even with all of the fanatic conflict between certain characters (*cough cough Courtney cough cough*) which I must say, has certainly created so much hype for the adaptation of the book. All I can reiterate is that the whole show itself was moreover longer than it should have been. However, we can only judge it so much, as it's certainly turns you into an emotional wreck when you watch it, finding yourself in a distraught mess because nothing went as you hoped for. So is this Netflix original as good as the next? That's for you to decide, but personally, I don't think it matches up to shows such as House Of Cards, Orange Is The New Black, or even Stranger Things. Although it's certainly one to watch, so grab your tissues folks, you're in for a rollercoaster of emotions, heartbreak, and bitching.
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