So, this is based on a young adult novel by the same name (well, I think the novel spells out the thirteen, but same diff). It's about a teenage girl named Hannah who kills herself (not a spoiler, she's dead at the start of the series) and sends thirteen tapes around to the thirteen people who, she feels, pushed her to the point of suicide. Each episode is a different tape, and we see, in flashbacks, what happened to Hannah, and we see the fallout of her suicide in the present. The main character is a kid named Clay who had a crush on Hannah and can't for the life of him figure out why he is on the tapes since he never really wronged Hannah in a huge way.
My feelings about the show are mixed. I think the acting was pretty good, and most of the characters were likable - even the ones who did crappy things (because, honestly, there wasn't anyone in this series who was completely infallible). What was most frustrating, for me, was Clay's reluctance to listen to the tapes. I get why he took so long listening to them - he was really scared about what Hannah had to say about him. But SO MUCH TIME is spent on Clay running around and asking people what's on the tapes! It's like the end of Seven when Brad Pitt is freaking out all "what's in the box?!" only instead of being like thirty seconds of the movie this is like SIX HOURS of the overall series. There's one real easy way to know what's on the tapes, Clay! LISTEN TO THEM.
The other major issue I had (which is not a way in which the show fails, but just a way in which the characters are total douche bags) - no one tells the parents about the tapes! Everyone sees the parents moping around town, all "why did our daughter do this" because they really had no idea (and even in the flashbacks, to me, they were not given much cause for concern because her behavior really didn't drastically shift that much from what she allowed them to know about her life) - so why let the parents - who really did nothing wrong - who are desperate to know why Hannah killed hersefl suffer in this way?! Again, this isn't a problem with the writing, the character motivations make sense - they are all asshole teenagers who are trying to protect their own interests, with the exception of a couple who are trying to follow Hannah's wishes, but damn, dude, she's dead! Give her parents some closure!
The actual suicide scene is another thing I've heard people are pretty upset about. It is pretty graphic, and hard to watch. Some people claim it is triggering, but like... I didn't watch that and feel inspired. It was just sad. It should be noted that I am not now, nor have I ever been suicidal, so maybe it's different if you've been in that head space.
My final takeaway from the series (again, as someone who has never been suicidal), was that the overall message was don't be a dick to people. You don't know what else is going someone's life, maybe there are a dozen other people also being a dick to this person, so don't pile it on. Also, there was a message for people who may be feeling suicidal that if you want help, you need to ask for it. You can't expect people to intuit how you are feeling. By the time Hannah did explicitly ask for help, so much had happened and the person she asked wasn't really equipped to handle her request, sadly, so it didn't do much good. The after-show mentions different resources for help, crisis lines and what not. Use them!
Bottom line: I liked it. It was a little annoying at times, but overall it was thought provoking and entertaining. The characters are all well fleshed out and I really got invested in most of the characters and their situations. It was kind of a downer though, not that that should be a surprise, given the subject matter. Part of me kind of wants second season, but the smarter part of me doesn't see where they would be able to go with it, so I think it'll probably be better off as a one-off. That being said, I would absolutely watch another season if they made one.
Also, this has nothing to do with anything, but I wanted to mention that the actress who plays Hannah has a VERY GOOD American accent. I did not realize until I watched the behind the scenes thing after the series that she was actually Australian. Good job, lady! (Disclaimer: I am not super difficult to fool in this department.)
FIRST PERIOD!
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