'13 Reasons Why' S3 Review: Humanizes serial rapist, fails to portray privileges of 'white men'
The first season of 13 Reasons Why raked enough controversy and led to parents and activists filing petitions to have a controversial rape and suicide scene taken off from the series. The shoemakers finally deleted the scene two years after the show originally aired.
In its third season, the teenage mystery drama returns with the same callousness that the first two seasons exhibited. Issues of death, guns, casual sex and depression are dealt with in such an off-handed manner that one wonders if the show is actually meant to be a parody.
The series miserably fails to educate its target audience as it seemed to set out to do initially. The sexual predator from the first season, Bryce Walker, is now dead and a set of clueless teens seek to first blame and then find out who actually committed the murder. Similar to the first two seasons, all the episodes are narrated by a student, a new character named Ani.
The parents have no inkling of what’s happening and are equally aghast as the viewers on finding out facts.
The 13 excruciatingly long episodes in tones of blue and grey are so dull and it would make one want to turn off the television, forget binge-watching through the weekend.
The makers try to hold the viewer’s attention by adding cheap tropes such as sex toys, masturbation, teenagers with secrets, abortion etc—but none of these are dealt with beyond the surficial level.
Especially given the protagonist Clay’s gaping reaction to literally even the darkest of discoveries.
The major issue with the third season of this show is how they have tried to humanise Bryce Walker who was the serial rapist at Liberty High School and has allegedly violated six to seven girls. The season spends far too much time trying to show us his problems and his life after being called out; however, when it comes to victim representation we only know of Hannah (from the first season), Ani and his ex-girlfriend Courtney. The second season still showed us how the law ignores the crimes of white men but the third season in a way fails to portray the privileges and instead delivers a shallow excuse for Bryce’s end.
13 REASONS WHY; SEASON 3
Developed by: Brian Yorkey
Producer: Brian Yorkey, Tom McCarthy, Selena Gomez, etc
Cast: Dylan Minnette, Christian Navarro, Alisha Boe, Miles Heizer, Grace Saif
Genre: Teen Mystery