R as in Review: 13 Reasons Why

So, I just finished watching the third season of Netflix’s ’13 Reasons Why’. I really liked the show’s first season, enjoyed watching the second one and got convinced by the third one that the series should have started and finished with the story of Hannah Baker.
But first things first. The last season, and this is no spoiler, centres on Bryce Walker’s death – his assassination to be more precise. Although the series had long finished its scope at the end of season 1, the authors were able to create another catchy story that got many of us binge watching Netflix. But here come a series of buts.

First of all:
who is this guy?!

Called ‘Charlie’, the guy appears randomly throughout the season and suddenly becomes an important character in the last three episodes or so. Did we really need him? Although the guy has his own Wiki Fandom page, he makes absolutely no addition to the story. Really, I can’t see why he got introduced in the story. Is this functional to season 4? Really, who is he? What’s his story? Was he attending Liberty high school all this time without us noticing? Just…why?

Then there’s Ani (I thought her nickname was ‘honey’ all season!), the new girl who got super close to everyone and is the key to the secret surrounding Bryce’s death. Right. Let’s first take a minute to reflect on how beautiful Ani’s mother (actress Nana Mensah) is:

Ok, let’s keep going.

Ani has a beautiful British accent that everyone will fall in love with. Including poor Clay Jensen, who this season reached his peak in being the most unlucky, persecuted, and so-nice-to-be-terribly-annoying character.
The thing is, Ani has no real personality of her own. She is simply functional to the story, and frankly we could have done it without her. We have no idea of who she is, where she comes from (apart from being born in Kenya), how was her life before Liberty etc. etc. the list could go on and on. Basically, she’s an empty character with no backstory nor an independent storyline. Like the aforementioned Charlie, I don’t think the show needed her. Well, to be completely honest, I don’t think the show needed the last 2 seasons, but that’s not the point we’re discussing here.

Then there’s Bryce, who this season got a more interesting personality than before. He represents the bad guy who finds out has a conscience after all. Ironically, it seems to be the fact that in the new school (Hillcrest) no one likes him that makes him reflect on what kind of person he was/is/will be. Not really a positive message, isn’t it? Whatever the trigger might have been, Bryce is committed to change and make amends. And here comes the most interesting theme of this season: can someone who has (intentionally and repeatedly) hurt other people change? Bryce is clearly trying hard, but with no effect. While us watching might sympathise with him, his former friends don’t. And it’s tricky, isn’t it? He raped many girls, got acquitted in court thanks to his family’s money, but at the end of the day is a kid who’s trying to become a better man. Netflix leaves the decision to us, leaving us with an entire season showing his efforts while reminding us he’s a rapist.
The same goes with Monty. He’s just horrible. There’s no storyline here either, he’s just a horrible person. Seems pretty straightforwards, doesn’t it? Well, it’s not. Here and there we got hints that Monty comes from a very troubled family, a violent father, and has issues with his sexual orientation. Don’t expect more than what I just told you, we are only given hints but no real back story. The end of the season leaves us thinking that maybe this horrible guy deserved more space to tell us his story, rather than just being a side character depicted exclusively in a negative light until the season finale.

Then there’s the ending. Read no further if you haven’t watched season 3!

Netflix ends this season with a bittersweet happy ending: the bad guys have been punished, the good guys got to the other side despite the difficulties, and they all have a happy ending. Sure, they’ll have to live with murder, evidence tampering, constant lies, drug addiction etc. etc. but they got each other’s back!
The season’s finale last message is about the importance of a system of support – family coming first (who wouldn’t want a father who destroyed evidence that linked us to a homicide?!) – and that no matter how hard it may seem, it will be ok.
I have to admit it, I skipped the last 5 minutes of the last episode, which I wish had ended with the police accepting the most convenient version of who killed Bryce (also: seriously?!). They were just too much, too fake, too soppy and also disturbing: who talks about how much you love each other when you covered up a cold-blood murder? I mean, I would accept it in a series like How To Get Away With Murder, but not when it comes from a series that aims to be (more or less) realistic.

Let me finish with one last consideration: poor Tony, the most positive and healthy character of the show, who didn’t get the space his storyline deserved. Also, what happened to his family? They got released and are now living happily ever after in Mexico? Netflix, we need answers!