It starts as a violent instance of bullying by jock Monty toward Tyler in the bathroom with some other teens on the baseball team. The first being Tyler Down’s assault scene that happens at a completely surprising section of the episode. The finale of the second season of 13 Reasons Why culminated with two incredibly controversial moments for the show. Tyler Down’s Extremely Graphic Assault Sequence The sophomore season of 13 Reasons Why keeps Hannah Baker's rape and suicide in the spotlight as her parent's case against Liberty High goes forward in court. (Image credit: (Netflix)) 13 Reasons Why Season 2 Controversies The series’ perhaps flawed approach to rape loudly continues throughout the show as well. In the instance of Jessica’s rape, segments of the scene are replayed throughout the season to simulate her PTSD. But it could also be triggering for those who have experienced similar circumstances firsthand. The scenes were presented in this way to give viewers to greater understanding of the true pain and trauma that rape victims and survivors may go through. Hannah Baker’s traumatizing story revolves around her rape by high school star athlete Bryce Walker when they are in a hot tub, which is shown in detail along with a key scene where Bryce also rapes Jessica Davis while she is drunk and unconscious.
#13 reasons why 2 ending series#
The high-profile suicide depiction in 13 Reasons Why may have placed another important topic about the show’s content in the shadows – there are also multiple instances of rape within the first season that remain controversial in the series today. Suicide prevention resources also pop up at the end of each episode of the show as well.Ĭreator Brian Yorkey defended claims found in the study by pointing out the spikes in “crisis call-center activity, internet searches, and posts online to argue that the series has driven suicidal behavior.” According to Yorkey, after Season 1 dropped the Crisis Text Line reported nearly 70 percent of those who called cited 13 Reasons Why “as the impetus to seek help.” Two years after the premiere of Season 1, the three-minute suicide scene was reedited by Netflix in response to public outcry about it. After the backlash, trigger warnings were added at the front of each episode to warn of its “graphic depictions,” including a more detailed title card ahead of the especially controversial scenes. The study was conducted to bring awareness to the effect popular media has on young people. (It should be noted some mental health experts have warned against taking this data at face value). Suicide prevention experts have slammed the show for not offering any “strategies for coping with thoughts of suicide or alternatives to taking ones life” along with ignoring mental health aspects that also lead to suicide, per Good Morning America.įindings in a 2017 National Institutes of Health study also detailed a 28.9 percent increase in teen suicides in America in the month following the Season 1 premiere – the highest amount of suicides seen in a single month within the past five years. Multiple cases of parents blaming the series for inspiring their children's own tragic suicides quickly began to reach news headlines – some even drawing from Hannah Baker’s methods of recording tapes and copycatting how she dies in the show. When the season finale first premiered, there is a detailed three-minute scene of Hannah taking her own life in a bathtub. To this day, the most talked-about element about 13 Reasons Why is through the depiction of Hannah Baker’s suicide and alleged glamorization of the act. Netflix Changed Hannah Baker’s Graphic Suicide Scene The series was planned to explore the contents of the book alone – due to its massive popularity and high-profile discourse, creator Brian Yorkey was given the opportunity to expand the story far beyond its source material. The 2008 book had previously been planned as a film starring Selena Gomez during her Disney Channel days, but was since developed for the streaming service with Gomez serving as a producer. Staying true to the show’s tradition (and many fans' disappointment), 13 Reasons Why Season 4 added additional controversies into the mix and failed to wrap up previous ones.ġ3 Reasons Why first found its buzz on Netflix since its a long-awaited adaptation of the bestselling Jay Asher novel of the same name. It’s one of the streaming platform’s most viewed shows ever – ranking at No. It leaves a legacy embroiled in perpetual discussion about how it handled a number of delicate subject matters to a teen audience. Netflix has closed the book on 13 Reasons Why with the premiere of its fourth and final season earlier this month.