Before we get into the deeper, more personal reasons for the purpose and legacy of “13 Reasons Why,” I would like to first mention its merit as a piece of entertainment. Whether the message gets lost or not, “13 Reasons Why” is an excellently constructed, powerfully acted and carefully directed series. I also found the writing to be incredibly passionate and touching, but that adds to a latter point, which I will discuss later.

It is one of Netflix’s latest original series, and it is a unique work. This adaptation of Jay Asher’s acclaimed novel, produced by Selena Gomez and Tom McCarthy, to list a couple, takes place in a small town during the weeks following a young girl, Hannah’s, suicide. As one could expect from a small town such as this, the death causes quite a commotion through the residents, especially that of her fellow students at Liberty High School, which includes Clay Jensen, classmate, friend and unrequited love, who receives an odd package on his doorstep one night. The package contains a collection of 13 audio tapes, each of which lists a single reason for the death of Hannah Baker. Clay is just one of the 13 reasons why.

The main plot line, which follows Clay as he slowly struggles to make it through the tapes one by one, is interwoven with a series of flashbacks, each giving a visual representation of the stories and details being discussed on the tapes. These flashbacks are seen through the eyes of Hannah, while the present plot is through the eyes of Clay. This gives a sharp contrast between the two plot lines for the viewer, and presents the idea of Hannah as an unreliable narrator, as the flashbacks are entirely of her creation based on the tapes. Whether she is or not is up for the viewer to decide.

This unconventional story structure is accented by an excellent group of directors and young actors. The ensemble of filmmakers who share their talents consists of Tom McCarthy (“Spotlight” and “Win Win”), Gregg Araki (“Mysterious Skin” and “White Bird in a Blizzard”), Kyle Patrick Alvarez (“The Stanford Prison Experiment”) and several others. It all accumulates to a rather impressive collection of episodes, none of which feel bland or contrived, each evident of the director’s unique artistic touches and style. This is also thanks to the cast, who each give it their absolute all. I have heard criticisms of the performances in this series, but I cannot understand why. Every actor did their job with brutal sincerity and heartbreaking honesty. The stand out of the bunch is Dylan Minnette’s portrayal of Clay Jensen, which is a character that I saw a lot of myself in.  Minnette crafts this character out of deep seated anxiety, palpable sadness and ancient angers. He is a kid desperately searching for a connection, and his character is developed with utter care and precision.

Now it is time to begin my defense of “13 Reasons Why,” and why I believe it is an essential viewing for both teenagers and anyone who has ever been hurt or has caused pain in the past. First, some background on me and why I found this series to be so affecting: For the past several years, I have struggled with severe depression and anxiety. I was diagnosed my sophomore year of high school, but I know that it had been affecting me for quite a while prior to this diagnosis. I take medication for it and it has helped, but it is still something I struggle with every day. As I watched “13 Reasons Why,” I saw a lot of myself in these characters. Their fears, hopes, traumas, anxieties and flaws; I could sense my own self being deconstructed on the screen, which doesn’t happen very often. Many of the films and television shows that take place in high school try to conform to Hollywood’s perception of what that period in a child’s life is like, and in turn, try to market their product to that audience, which means toning down the language and whatnot in order to receive that golden PG-13 rating, which kind of dulls the impact of the work. It is not entirely the producers’ faults, as the film and television rating system in this country is terribly flawed, but that is a whole different story.

“13 Reasons Why” depicts high school as it is. Much like last year’s brilliant film, “The Edge of Seventeen,” “13 Reasons Why” isn’t afraid to toss out all of the romantic aspects of its genre counterparts, and it honestly and bluntly tells you just how much of a living hell high school can be. Very few other works have portrayed the high school experience so effectively and thoroughly. Sure, the circumstances are larger than anything I have experienced, but the way the characters talk, interact, think and hurt couldn’t be more truthful. I actually had to stop watching many times and take a break due to its intense realism triggering my anxiety.

It is not an easy watch, which brings me to my next point: the romanticism. A major criticism I have heard against “13 Reasons Why” is its tendency to romanticize and glorify suicide, rape and other forms of pain and abuse. I couldn’t see this as further from the truth. This criticism stems from the show’s numerous long, drawn out, graphic depictions of rape and suicide. Yes, these scenes are shown in their entirety, not yielding to the audience’s comfort ability, and that is the point. In the final episode, we witness Hannah’s suicide. She crawls into the full bathtub, the water still running, and slits her wrists. As she breaks the skin, she winces in pain, warm blood beginning to spill out of the crevice reaching up her arm. Then she lies there for what feels like an eternity.

Coming from a person who has dealt with depression and the urge to hurt one’s self in the past, I can fully say that the treatment of suicide in “13 Reasons Why” made it seem like a dreadful, lonely experience. It portrayed a girl who saw this as the only option left for her, and this is evident through her performance not only in this scene where she is depicted as hesitant and even scared, but within the series as a whole, where she, much like Clay, is constantly and desperately looking for a connection, but finds none. This climax hearkens to the entire message of the show, which is to convince those contemplating taking their own life that it is a permanent solution to a temporary problem.

Through the representation of the weeks following the suicide, her impact on the people she has met and interacted with is displayed. Sure, not everyone gets what’s coming to them, and some still remain in denial of what they have done to her, but there are also plenty of people who are shown grieving and caring for her. Clay is the ultimate example, tossing out his future in order to do right by her. However one views this series, the message is clear: despite what someone may think as they sit alone in their bathroom, there are people that love and care about you. This series is a meditation on how we hurt one another, and how, instead of doing something rash, one can work through it. It may be too late for Hannah, but it is not too late for you….or me, for that matter.

A series such as this was always going to spike controversy. There are going to be people who have a problem with it, and that is warranted. It is a series that tackles an extremely pressing, topical and personal issue for a lot of people, and the fact that it also acts as a form of entertainment will rub people the wrong way. It was Francois Truffaut who said, “There is no such thing as an anti-war movie.” He said this because war is inherently cinematic, so there is no way around the sense of glorification. Could the same be said about a theme such as the one tackled in “13 Reasons Why?” Whether you answer yes or no to this question, it is undeniable that this is a series that needs to be discussed. It gives viewers perspective into a world separate from the one they inhabit, and for those that do inhabit that world, it could give them hope. “It has to get better,” said Clay Jensen. Here’s to hoping it does.