‘13 Reasons Why’ Brings New Depth and Artistry to Netflix

Ten years after Jay Asher published his novel “13 Reasons Why,” Netflix created a miniseries adaptation of the story, starring Katherine Langford as Hannah Baker, a girl who commits suicide, and Dylan Minnette as Clay Jensen, the boy who finds the thirteen recordings she left behind. Hannah addresses each tape to an individual who pushed her toward her decision. The upsetting tapes have to be passed on to all thirteen people she claims are responsible, or their horrible actions will be exposed to the public by an unknown source. The viewer starts watching when it’s Clay’s turn to listen. With strong efforts by the actors and film editors, the Netflix adaptation succeeds in living up to its predecessor.

In the book, Clay is the protagonist, but in the miniseries, the actors excel in defining minor characters who weren’t as fleshed out in the book. For example, when Kate Walsh plays Hannah’s mother, she is a broken woman. Walsh brings to the screen a deflated posture, an exhausted facial expression, and hollow eyes. Jessica (Alisha Boe) is another reason for Hannah’s death and another recipient of the tapes. She decays throughout the story as she becomes traumatized by her role in Hannah’s suicide and she resorts to desperate means to cope with the truth. And though Minnette does not play a minor character, his performance still fits perfectly into the classic shy-and-awkward teenage boy character as he listens to each tape, trying to find the tape that he’s on, unaware of what he’s done to Hannah.

At first, an hour seems like a lot for each episode, but the show proves its worth by giving each tape enough time for the depth needed to send a message: After a suicide, some of the living affected may want to curl up and ignore reality, the show seems to say. But life has its way of reminding us of the facts and the world around us, as cruel as they may be. For example, in several scenes, Clay almost wants to give up on the recordings, given how emotionally distraught he is. But he keeps going and has to confront the reality of the situation.