By Elora Brow
Online Opinion Editor
Netflix Original “13 Reasons Why” season two is even darker and more disturbing than season one.
Premiering a year later than the first season, “13 Reasons Why” season two was picked up for an additional thirteen episodes. Season one finished with many loose ends and unanswered questions lingering. Although season one answered all the questions on why Hannah Baker killed herself, season two touches upon how this suicide affected her fellow classmates, all who were listed as one of the thirteen reasons.
Just as each episode in season one focused on a specific person, so does season two. Each episode follows a character through their testimony in the court case of the Bakers versus the school district. As the first episode supposedly picks up five months after the events in the final episode of season one, each episode reveals something new about the events in the past five months.
Season one solely focused on the idea of suicide with additional information on rape, sexual assault, and various kinds of bullying. Season two tries to put aside the idea of suicide so much so that they go so far as to ban it as a topic of discussion from Liberty High School. Throughout each episode they focus more on sexual assault and sexuality in general, trying to empower the audience to use their voices.
Although this show is focused around negativity left and right, season two does a much better job of showing the audience that speaking out and using your voice typically does more positive than negative. Unlike in season one where they showed that a lot of the time people completely ignore the voices around them. This aspect of the show adds a little more light to all the surrounding darkness.
Additionally, this season focus on some characters more than in season one. Hannah Baker’s mom, Olivia Baker, plays one of the main roles which adds an interesting and different perspective to the plot because the viewer gets to hear the story through the eyes of an adult. The focus on adult characters also includes the school’s guidance counselor Mr. Porter who lurks around the school, adding a sense of mystery and suspense to the plot.
The very first episode starts off with the actors and actresses all speaking out of character, giving a warning to the audience of the graphic scenes and topics that are touched upon in this season. Additionally, at the end of each episode, a 13reasonswhy helpline website is posted to provide help to those seeking it. This is a positive addition considering the fact that the show contains a lot of disturbing content that could upset many viewers and bring up negative emotions.
Season two of “13 Reasons Why” is available on Netflix and is appropriate for ages 16 and up due to the language and content shown.
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