I'm actually on the fence about whether or not I like 13 Reasons Why. My fiancée and I are on the last three episodes.
I once dated a girl in college who liked Secret Life and Pretty Little Liars, so I often sat through some of those shows and did homework or something else why she watched. This series has an air about it, at times, that's very reminiscent of those other shows and not in a good way. In particular, it spends a ton of time telling me sh*t I already know or something that I want to figure out on my own. I don't like it when details or emotions are spoon-fed to me and the tapes do that a lot.
And, even though it's a television show, I find a lot of it incredibly unrealistic.
I just finished 13 Reasons Why. I agree with some of your take on it. Most of the characters seemed really clichéd and they tend to cover some things multiple times and tell you stuff you already know. But I couldn't quit watching it. I watched the last 5 episodes last night and didn't get near enough sleep because of it. I'd highly recommend watching it, especially for anyone who has teenagers or works with or teaches them.
The one critical thing I found farfetched was the fact Hannah made the tapes when she did. Once she reached that point, I wouldn't think she would've cared enough to tell her story. I could be wrong but that kind of bugged me from the beginning. I also had trouble believing the school counselor guy did, or more aptly didn't do anything. I can see the kids not getting it right but that was that guy's job to know better. And of course some of the cover up activities seemed out of place.
The show can be addicting in it's own way, that's for sure. I have been reading some other reactions recently and have had a few more thoughts about the show in recent days:
I agree with some critics who say the show (and probably the book, too) doesn't do enough to talk about the resources available to people who are thinking about suicide. They don't even offer any information at the end of episodes (like numbers to call) for people who might be having some difficult thoughts. The entire series, in my opinion, doesn't do enough to counteract the glamour they associate with suicide revenge, which is really what Hannah's tapes boil down to.
I'm also somewhat disturbed at how drastically the show altered the ending, In the book, Hannah apparently commits suicide using pills. The show changes that with perhaps the most brutal how-to-kill-yourself tutorial I've ever seen. I imagine the intent was to shock people with the realities of death and suicide, but I'm still on the fence about whether it was necessary.
I could probably write an essay on what I liked/disliked but those are two pretty critical things for me.
My problem is that how do I keep that out of the hands of my teenage daughter in a handful of years? That scene was horrifying and for my teenager who could be having a bad day, to see that? Goodness gracious. It's really scary and these are the reasons why we have helicopter parents, etc. in this day and age. Everyone is so afraid of what could happen, because of the things our children are exposed to at an early age. It's scary and I hope I know if/when my kids are going through tough times so that I can be there to help them, without smothering them.
I'm feel an extreme amount of pain and am deeply sorry for any parent who ever has to go through something like this.
This might help you - here is one mom's take, and she also happens to be a psychotherapist.
This woman's 12-year-old daughter wanted to watch it because all of the daughter's friends were. The mom said the daughter could watch it under the conditions they 1) watch it together and 2) talk about it afterwards. The daughter didn't want to so the mom said no, then the mom decided to watch it from a psychotherapist's point of view, and came away with a ton of concerns.
I'm not a parent, but in my opinion (and knowing my younger/teenage self), I would've gone to just about any length to watch it if my friends were. I think you're better off offering the same deal to your daughter in the future, or at least requiring to talk about it. The show will probably have a significantly different impact on your daughter since she'll be in the same age range, and as this psychotherapist points out, suicide and death don't register the same way for a teen as it does for an adult. They often can't fully comprehend the finality of suicide.
I don't understand the question. Should parents not be allowed to be worried/upset/mad/etc. about the content of a show and the way that content is portrayed?
If you read the article, 'mad' isn't necessarily the word I'd use to describe her opinion on it.
They can be mad about anything they want...she can be upset that Fonzie jumped a shark and that was "dangerous" and she can start a movement to educate young people to not water ski jump over a shark...I'm guessing she won't...
Sadly...this is getting more and more press and will make "it" a bigger deal...
I guess I still don't understand your intent on asking the question, then. If she is in fact "mad" about the show, which I again think is a disingenuous way to characterize her opinion, that seems OK to me.
I should be clear - I don't agree with all of her conclusions. The main reason I linked to it was because MattyIce was seeking on advice on how to handle the show with their daughter.
I'm actually on the fence about whether or not I like 13 Reasons Why. My fiancée and I are on the last three episodes.
I once dated a girl in college who liked Secret Life and Pretty Little Liars, so I often sat through some of those shows and did homework or something else why she watched. This series has an air about it, at times, that's very reminiscent of those other shows and not in a good way. In particular, it spends a ton of time telling me sh*t I already know or something that I want to figure out on my own. I don't like it when details or emotions are spoon-fed to me and the tapes do that a lot.
And, even though it's a television show, I find a lot of it incredibly unrealistic.
I just finished 13 Reasons Why. I agree with some of your take on it. Most of the characters seemed really clichéd and they tend to cover some things multiple times and tell you stuff you already know. But I couldn't quit watching it. I watched the last 5 episodes last night and didn't get near enough sleep because of it. I'd highly recommend watching it, especially for anyone who has teenagers or works with or teaches them.
The one critical thing I found farfetched was the fact Hannah made the tapes when she did. Once she reached that point, I wouldn't think she would've cared enough to tell her story. I could be wrong but that kind of bugged me from the beginning. I also had trouble believing the school counselor guy did, or more aptly didn't do anything. I can see the kids not getting it right but that was that guy's job to know better. And of course some of the cover up activities seemed out of place.
The show can be addicting in it's own way, that's for sure. I have been reading some other reactions recently and have had a few more thoughts about the show in recent days:
I agree with some critics who say the show (and probably the book, too) doesn't do enough to talk about the resources available to people who are thinking about suicide. They don't even offer any information at the end of episodes (like numbers to call) for people who might be having some difficult thoughts. The entire series, in my opinion, doesn't do enough to counteract the glamour they associate with suicide revenge, which is really what Hannah's tapes boil down to.
I'm also somewhat disturbed at how drastically the show altered the ending, In the book, Hannah apparently commits suicide using pills. The show changes that with perhaps the most brutal how-to-kill-yourself tutorial I've ever seen. I imagine the intent was to shock people with the realities of death and suicide, but I'm still on the fence about whether it was necessary.
I could probably write an essay on what I liked/disliked but those are two pretty critical things for me.
My problem is that how do I keep that out of the hands of my teenage daughter in a handful of years? That scene was horrifying and for my teenager who could be having a bad day, to see that? Goodness gracious. It's really scary and these are the reasons why we have helicopter parents, etc. in this day and age. Everyone is so afraid of what could happen, because of the things our children are exposed to at an early age. It's scary and I hope I know if/when my kids are going through tough times so that I can be there to help them, without smothering them.
I'm feel an extreme amount of pain and am deeply sorry for any parent who ever has to go through something like this.
This might help you - here is one mom's take, and she also happens to be a psychotherapist.
This woman's 12-year-old daughter wanted to watch it because all of the daughter's friends were. The mom said the daughter could watch it under the conditions they 1) watch it together and 2) talk about it afterwards. The daughter didn't want to so the mom said no, then the mom decided to watch it from a psychotherapist's point of view, and came away with a ton of concerns.
I'm not a parent, but in my opinion (and knowing my younger/teenage self), I would've gone to just about any length to watch it if my friends were. I think you're better off offering the same deal to your daughter in the future, or at least requiring to talk about it. The show will probably have a significantly different impact on your daughter since she'll be in the same age range, and as this psychotherapist points out, suicide and death don't register the same way for a teen as it does for an adult. They often can't fully comprehend the finality of suicide.
FWIW, I couldn't disagree more with that therapist/mother's take on the show. I got no sense at all of her so called suicide revenge fantasy. However, I did think it unrealistic that a person who had given up caring about life would go to the trouble of telling her story like Hanah did.
I'm actually on the fence about whether or not I like 13 Reasons Why. My fiancée and I are on the last three episodes.
I once dated a girl in college who liked Secret Life and Pretty Little Liars, so I often sat through some of those shows and did homework or something else why she watched. This series has an air about it, at times, that's very reminiscent of those other shows and not in a good way. In particular, it spends a ton of time telling me sh*t I already know or something that I want to figure out on my own. I don't like it when details or emotions are spoon-fed to me and the tapes do that a lot.
And, even though it's a television show, I find a lot of it incredibly unrealistic.
I just finished 13 Reasons Why. I agree with some of your take on it. Most of the characters seemed really clichéd and they tend to cover some things multiple times and tell you stuff you already know. But I couldn't quit watching it. I watched the last 5 episodes last night and didn't get near enough sleep because of it. I'd highly recommend watching it, especially for anyone who has teenagers or works with or teaches them.
The one critical thing I found farfetched was the fact Hannah made the tapes when she did. Once she reached that point, I wouldn't think she would've cared enough to tell her story. I could be wrong but that kind of bugged me from the beginning. I also had trouble believing the school counselor guy did, or more aptly didn't do anything. I can see the kids not getting it right but that was that guy's job to know better. And of course some of the cover up activities seemed out of place.
The show can be addicting in it's own way, that's for sure. I have been reading some other reactions recently and have had a few more thoughts about the show in recent days:
I agree with some critics who say the show (and probably the book, too) doesn't do enough to talk about the resources available to people who are thinking about suicide. They don't even offer any information at the end of episodes (like numbers to call) for people who might be having some difficult thoughts. The entire series, in my opinion, doesn't do enough to counteract the glamour they associate with suicide revenge, which is really what Hannah's tapes boil down to.
I'm also somewhat disturbed at how drastically the show altered the ending, In the book, Hannah apparently commits suicide using pills. The show changes that with perhaps the most brutal how-to-kill-yourself tutorial I've ever seen. I imagine the intent was to shock people with the realities of death and suicide, but I'm still on the fence about whether it was necessary.
I could probably write an essay on what I liked/disliked but those are two pretty critical things for me.
My problem is that how do I keep that out of the hands of my teenage daughter in a handful of years? That scene was horrifying and for my teenager who could be having a bad day, to see that? Goodness gracious. It's really scary and these are the reasons why we have helicopter parents, etc. in this day and age. Everyone is so afraid of what could happen, because of the things our children are exposed to at an early age. It's scary and I hope I know if/when my kids are going through tough times so that I can be there to help them, without smothering them.
I'm feel an extreme amount of pain and am deeply sorry for any parent who ever has to go through something like this.
This might help you - here is one mom's take, and she also happens to be a psychotherapist.
This woman's 12-year-old daughter wanted to watch it because all of the daughter's friends were. The mom said the daughter could watch it under the conditions they 1) watch it together and 2) talk about it afterwards. The daughter didn't want to so the mom said no, then the mom decided to watch it from a psychotherapist's point of view, and came away with a ton of concerns.
I'm not a parent, but in my opinion (and knowing my younger/teenage self), I would've gone to just about any length to watch it if my friends were. I think you're better off offering the same deal to your daughter in the future, or at least requiring to talk about it. The show will probably have a significantly different impact on your daughter since she'll be in the same age range, and as this psychotherapist points out, suicide and death don't register the same way for a teen as it does for an adult. They often can't fully comprehend the finality of suicide.
FWIW, I couldn't disagree more with that therapist/mother's take on the show. I got no sense at all of her so called suicide revenge fantasy. However, I did think it unrealistic that a person who had given up caring about life would go to the trouble of telling her story like Hanah did.
See, I'm almost in complete agreement with her on that point, but that particular element of the series didn't significantly alter my opinion on it one way or the other.
I do agree with her that they should've been more proactive in providing contact info for help lines etc. I did see one at the end of the final show. Not sure if they showed it after each episode because how Netflix rolls right to the next episode before the credits come up.
I just didn't get the sense at all that Hannah was getting any sort of revenge through the tapes. It just seemed like the story telling mechanism they chose to use. Now Clay, he sort of was seeking revenge but that hardly has anything to do with Hannah's (or any suicidal person's) mindset on it. I'm no therapist but I would think a person wanting revenge would choose to stay living. IDK. Maybe teens don't fully grasp the finality of that action like grownups do.
I believe that's a big part of it; perhaps an air of 'well, they don't care about me alive, we'll just see what they think when I'm dead.' The show doesn't explicitly say that anywhere that I can remember, but I believe it is regularly implied.
That said, what are Hannah's motivations for the tapes if not to cause distress, regret, suffering and an explanation for her actions? She made the tapes with the intent of passing them out to several people who she claims played a role in her death. That, at least in my opinion, suggests she's seeking retribution for what was done to her, and the effects speak for themselves:
Clay nearly jumps of a cliff in his anguish, Bryce is probably going to be arrested and charged with sexual assault, Justin is homeless, most of the people on the tapes show clear signs of depression, etc.
I guess what I'm saying is I can see the nexus of how someone would think this is a revenge fantasy - the tapes/suicide cause an incredible series of events and I think that was Hannah's intent in creating them.
Yeah, it got sort of goofy in the last season or two. The final episode was awesome, IMO. Right now I'm in season 3. Just watched Hank's shootout with Tuco's cousins in the grocery store parking lot. That's a great episode.
Four years later, I've finally finished Arrested Development - Season 4. I only made it halfway through the season when it came out (didn't like it) and it was a struggle to get through it all this time, too.
The good news is that a season 5 is definitely happening. The bad news, based on what I'm reading, is it may feature a lot of flashbacks with different actors entirely. I thought season 4 suffered a ton because they couldn't get enough of the family in the same room at the same time, and the whole family interaction just wasn't there. It will be incredibly disappointing if that happens again.
Me too. Just started it again a few nights ago. Finished GoT, again, a couple weeks ago then 13 Reasons Why, now BrBa. Probably time for Sopranos again after BrBa.
Me too. Just started it again a few nights ago. Finished GoT, again, a couple weeks ago then 13 Reasons Why, now BrBa. Probably time for Sopranos again after BrBa.
"Lights Out." This is a pretty good series on Netflix right now. (I mentioned it before in this thread I think.) It's about a washed up boxer tied down with family issues and money problems. The first episode is awesome. The other episodes are okay. It only goes for one year.
Me too. Just started it again a few nights ago. Finished GoT, again, a couple weeks ago then 13 Reasons Why, now BrBa. Probably time for Sopranos again after BrBa.
I watched No Country For Old Men. Waste ..... total waste. Guaranteed the most overrated movie EVER !!! Especially ending. Psycho killer running around in Texass. Murdering several people a day without the slightest hint of the FBI, DEA, Highway Patrol, marshal, national guard, etc ................. Only old man half-a$$ hapless sheriff. Not 1870 wild west era but mid 1980's
Myself, Netflix was mostly crappy movies. Like 1 out of 20 good movies
