13 Issues I Had With 13 Reasons Why

13 Reasons Why is being revered by many fans for its graphic, no holds barred depictions of bullying, abuse, and suicide. While the show does a good job of presenting the audience with an array of problems that a teenage girl would face, it also has some pretty serious grips. Here are 13 of them:

1) Hannah is smart, funny, and pretty — but she has no friends

I really do not get it. How does anyone who looks like that and has the personality that she has have no friends whatsoever? Sure, she has lost friends along the way, but to say that she did not have a constant source of friendship throughout this is ridiculous.

Clay does not count, nor does Tony. She never really talked to either of them. THAT’S WHAT FRIENDS ARE FOR HANNAH.

2) The lack of social media

13 Reasons Why the novel is 10-years-old, and exists in the prehistoric age before social media when dinosaurs still ruled the world and our greatest threat of dying was heart disease.

13 Reasons Why the show, however, takes place in 2017. 2–0–1–7. An age where everyone and their mother is intertwined on the Internet. The lack of any use of social media whatsoever is troubling.

Normally, I wouldn’t care. But since Hannah was so desperate for attention and seemingly depressed, you would think she would use social media as an outlet, like, well, nearly everyone else does.

Hannah could have gotten to vent, gotten help, or maybe even made friends through social media. But that is too convenient so the show ignores it.

3) The portrayal of mental illness (or lack thereof)

With the exception of Justin and later on Jessica, none of these characters display the mental issues that they have properly.

Clay should be in terrible grief, and yet, for the most part, he isn’t. He’s on this wild goose chase and acting like an idiot, but he doesn’t come off as being in lots of pain.

Hannah, on the other hand, is ridiculously problematic. From her recordings and what the viewer is told to perceive from her character, Hannah is seriously depressed. But, the show does not portray her depression at all.

Every time we see Hannah, she’s normal. She seems fine, like nothing is wrong. One can say that she’s just pretending this whole time for the sake of everyone else. Even if that is the case, the show does a poor job of showing the moments when she is not be able to hide it.

The only time we get close is in Porter’s office. With the exception of that, Hannah does not seem depressed at all.

4) The first ten

The first ten people on the tapes, with the exception of Sherry, have no reason to lie about any of this. Yes, I get that Justin was afraid and tried to justify hiding Jessica’s rape — which is ridiculously stupid on his part.

None of these people would get in trouble for anything that they did. Most of them would simply come off as bad people, which for the most part, they all are. They come off as cowards and are pathetic.

I’m sorry, but your reputation is not more important than putting a rapist behind bars and giving credence to a person who was driven to commit suicide because of your actions.

5) Courtney

Fuck you, Courtney.

6) Kat

Even if Hannah had no friends in her new school, and she lost the few friends that she had, you would think that she would still be friends with Kat.

You would think that Hannah would reach out to Kat, and tell her about everything that is going on and that she is feeling. But she doesn’t. Not at all.

This isn’t the 80’s. If someone moves away, you can still be friends with them, and talk to them all the time. Heck, even in the 80’s you can call somebody up.

It’s hard to believe that neither would reach out to each other during this entire time, and that Hannah would not tell her former best friend everything.

7) Hannah & Clay

Gah, seriously? SERIOUSLY GUYS? You are clearly into each other, just do something already. COME ON. I have not been this frustrated with a potential couple in so long.

They are both idiots who wait way too long to do anything. When it finally happens, Hannah screams at Clay to get out, and wishes he would have stayed.

I get it. Anxiety, fear, and doubt all entered Hannah’s mind. Telling the one guy who seems to be different than the rest and who actually likes you to leave you alone? Not a great move Hannah.

If anyone is going through anything of the sort, please talk to someone. The national suicide prevention hotline is: 1–800–273–8255. Hannah might have been saved if she reached out. Don’t be afraid to reach out. There’s always someone you can talk to.