13 Reasons Why is considered as one of the most controversial shows aired on streaming app, Netflix. Discussing dark themes like teen suicides and sexual assault, 13 Reasons Why has found many reasons itself to stay in the news. The show is about a teenager Hannah who commits suicides for mysterious reasons and she leaves 13 tapes, blaming 13 people for her suicide. This includes the protagonist, her fellow high school mate Clay Jensen, who tries to figure out how he figures in her suicide. The first season has earned high praise for its performances, the execution and the writing, though there were accusations that it glamorised suicide.
The second season, which went live last week, ran into further trouble. The critics called the second season an unnecessary extension, having deviated from the source material and putting in unrequired subplots that were not even mentioned in the first season. The biggest criticism that came for the season was for the finale. A warning, though - SPOILERS AHEAD! Even though there was no suicide in the show the finale features a graphic sexual assault scene that has left the viewers shocked and disgusted.
The scene had Tyler, who was a student in the school of Hannah and Clay, getting assaulted by a gang of jocks who are friends with Bryce, the rapist of Hannah. They were angry with him for being the reason for the baseball season getting cancelled and after brutally beating him, one of them sodomises Tyler using a broomstick!
The scene was shot so graphically that the viewers felt it's only purpose was to add shock value, and thereby wants Netflix to not renew it for the third season (even when it ends on a cliffhanger). Check out some of the reactions below -
season 2, episode 13, minute 38:24-39:49
please do not watch this part. no matter who you are or who you’re with. it’s extremely, extremely graphic & should not have been aired in the first place.
help yourself & just skip that part. thank you.#13ReasonsWhyS2
— peyton (@angelicgolbach) May 19, 2018
Anyone thinking of watching 13 reasons why season 2, mentally prepare yourself for what you will watch. Especially towards the end. If you’re a sensitive person i would advise you not to watch it, I’m a tough girl and that has messed me up! #13ReasonsWhy2
— KaileeCarter (@KaileeCarter) May 21, 2018
Wanted to give a heads up to anyone watching #13ReasonsWhy2 that in the last episode there’s a really disturbing scene with Tyler 38min in. I was shocked and disgusted by how graphic it was and I didn’t think enough people were talking about it so you’re welcome in advance.
— megan (@MegLampman) May 21, 2018
Showrunner Brian Yorkey spoke to EW where he had this to say about the shocking scene, "We delved into research and found story after story of cases like this — upsettingly similar stories of male high school athletes violating weaker kids with mob handles or pool cues. The number of stories we found about it were astounding and those are just the ones that got reported, and we know that sexual assault is hugely underreported. We are a show that is interested in continuing the conversation around sexual assault in high school and this was a story that was not largely told and that made sense for these characters, so we took a deep breath and we all talked it over and decided it was worth telling even though we knew it would be hard to do and hard to watch."
So have you watched the show and the particular sequence? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 22, 2018 08:57 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).