I told myself I was not going to watch the second season of "13 Reasons Why."
I watched the first season a few weeks after its release date in 2017. I was disappointed in the first season, to say the least.
In my opinion, the series made many mistakes. One thing that bothered me most about the show was how they offered no resources to help with suicide prevention or depression.
There were no messages or warnings about how graphic the show could be at times. I also did not like how the show seemed to "Hollywoodize" suicide.
After Hannah's death, she still seemed to be alive through the tapes. In reality, once you die you don't come back. These are just a few things that bothered me with the first season. I did not support the show and I believed the show only wanted to make money.
Therefore, I made the decision I wasn't going to watch the next season. However, after a week of the release of the second season, I changed my mind.
I wanted to see if the show changed any of its controversial mistakes. I began the first episode of the second season, and I immediately could see that the show had made a few changes.
The episode began with a warning that the show could trigger anyone with depression or suicidal thoughts and that one should watch the show with a trusted adult.
The episode also ended with a resource for people who may need one. I was happy to see that the show had added this, as this was one of their mistakes from the first episode.
Before watching the second season, I questioned where the show was going to go with the plot.
An issue with the first season was that the school did not seem to help Hannah when she reached out and showed signs of depression. The second season's plot is a trial against the school, which does a good job of calling the school out for their lack of attention and care for Hannah.
The second season was produced much better than the first. I still found a few things wrong with the second season. It was very graphic especially in the last episode when Tyler was raped by a few guys in the bathroom.
I know the show is trying to start a conversation about the topics, but I still found it extremely graphic for a show that 13 or 14-year-olds may be watching. The show was also very unrealistic in terms of the attempted school shooting.
In real life, the police should have been called immediately, instead of Clay trying to talk down the gunman himself.
Overall, I am more pleased with the second season of "13 Reasons Why" more so than the first. I still do not support the show, but I think the show is starting conversations on topics that are relevant today.