The third season of the controversial show, “13 Reasons Why” came out on Netflix on Friday, Aug. 23, and it does not disappoint. For those of you who haven’t caught up yet, don’t worry, there will not be any spoilers in this article.
We know from this new season’s trailer that the villain of the show for the past two seasons, Bryce Walker — played by Justin Prentice — has been murdered. The question on everyone’s mind is, who did it?! You can’t go wrong with a classic murder mystery.
I will say that Hannah Baker, played by Katherine Langford, isn’t in this season, season two seemed to give her character the closure we all needed. The show is being told from the perspective of Liberty High’s “new girl,” Amorowat Anysia Achola, played by Grace Saif. She may be the “new girl,” but you quickly realize that she is shady. The first scene is her washing a bloody shirt. The show starts off dramatically with Clay Jensen, played by Dylan Minnette, being arrested as he’s walking into school for Bryce’s murder, but as the season goes on, we discover the whole truth behind Bryce’s murder.
Clay and all his friends have grown and changed so much, they are no longer the same kids that we met on the first season of the show. Jessica Davis, played by Alisha Boe, has gained determination and strength to prove to herself and the people around her that she survived the rape she endured at the hands of Bryce. She had so much desire for change that she made decisions that were naive and unrealistic, but towards the end of the show, we see growth because she realizes that you don’t necessarily have to scream for your story to be heard.
Another story of growth that we see in this season is the most surprising one. Despite Bryce’s horrendous sins, in this season we see a side to him that catches the viewer off guard. He’s actually repentant. He attempts to make amends and have a fresh start before he is murdered. At first, as a viewer, I found it difficult to trust him because of his past. But in this season you see him take genuine steps to try and understand exactly how much damage he has caused. He listened to Hannah Baker’s tapes and was profoundly changed by them. I believe that it’s never too late to try and change, and despite all the horrific things Bryce did, he didn’t let them define him and attempted to become better. This is extremely important to the series because it shows that despite him being depicted as a monster, it reminds the viewers he is a human being.
The visuals of the show also changed. This season differentiated the past from the present in a very interesting way, with the lighting in the scenes. The past always seemed to be bright and have warmer colors, while the present was dark and with bluish-gray colors. This acts as a visual representation of everyone’s general mood and feelings during Bryce’s murder investigation.
There is so much more I want to mention, but that would spoil the show. Despite all the graphic images and triggering circumstances our characters find themselves in, “13 Reasons Why” sticks to its nature. This season is worth a watch not just because of the drama and the terrific acting done by the entire cast. They treat all these sensitive subjects with care and bring such depth to the circumstances their characters go through. But another reason to watch the show is that it continues the very important conversation on bullying, rape and drugs that it began in season one.
