13 Reasons Why Season 3 Review: We Miss Hannah Baker but the Netflix Teen Series Returns Stronger and Improved Than Season 2

13 Reasons Why Season 3 Review: Does 13 Reasons Why need to exist beyond season 1, which was based on a novel written by Jay Asher? Well, it really didn't, because the first season did a good job of tying up the tragic story of suicide victim Hannah Baker and her unhealthy relationship with her classmates of Liberty High. The season 2 tried to show a different side to Hannah's story, but instead of making it worth it, 13 Reasons Why felt stretched out and unwarranted. Now the third season arrives without Hannah herself, who has been the pivot of the previous seasons. That's definitely an ingredient for a huge disaster for a show, that makes news for all kinds of controversies. Thankfully, it isn't! 13 Reasons Why Season 3 Premiere Date, Time and All You Need to Know about The Netflix Show.

Well, Hannah (Katherine Langford) isn't back, but most of her classmates from Liberty High, aka Worst High School this side of Riverdale, do. This time, they are haunted by a new death, rather a murder. As you guessed from the trailers, the victim is Bryce Walker (Justin Prentice), the main antagonist of the previous two seasons, and the reason why we don't have Hannah anymore. The suspicion falls on everyone important who has to do with Hannah's story, and also includes the new girl Ani Achola (Grace Saif), whose narration replaces the tapes of the first season.

Before I go ahead, here's the disclaimer - SPOILERS AHEAD. For those who are yet to watch the season, I am not spoiling the 'whodunit' part for you. But there are some things that I wanted to talk about the third season that may reveal about where the plot heads. Because this season is all about talking your heart out.

Yes, the third season doesn't feel necessary now that Hannah is out of it, even though the impact of her suicide is still felt. But credit due to the showrunners for making that stretch feel plausible, and show us that there are still interesting arcs to cover post-Hannah Baker. We still feel for the protagonist Clay Jensen (Dylan Minnette) and yet fall for how the show manages to convince us that he could be a probable suspect. Despite every scene and every character reaffirming that he is a good guy!

I loved how every character gets to have a surprising turn of events, that make us see them in a new light. My favourite arcs belong to Tyler Down (Devin Druid) and Jessica Davies (Alisha Boe). I will speak about Jessica's story in a different section, but I very much was on board on how the third season made Tyler's story into one of the best narratives of the show. Particularly, after screwing it up last season.

After nearly trying to massacre the students in that cliffhanger of a finale in the second season, Tyler's friends treat him like a ticking time-bomb, but in a surprisingly mature way not expected from kids who keep secrets from each other. It is not just Clay and co who are worried for him, even we are too. Tyler's scenes with Clay Jensen and later, with Jessica, where he bares out his pains are bound to choke you up, and they remind you why you are still watching 13 Reasons Why, in spite of its huge flaws. And that's just one track! 13 Reasons Why Season 3: Revealed! Here Is Who Killed Bryce Walker [Spoiler Alert].

Yes, the season stills deals with controversial themes ranging from suicide to depression to drug abuse to rape trauma. In addition, the third season also finds time to talk about the anti-abortion debate and the deportation of illegal immigrants. And yet, this season is also about remorse and redemption, of hope and change.

The third season, thankfully, avoids any controversially squeamish scenes. In fact, it is particularly uplifting in how it treats the #MeToo aspect of the story. Here's where Jessica Davies' arc comes in to play. Like Hannah, even she has been raped by Bryce, bur Jessica is what you call a real survivor, using her trauma as positive reinforcement and becoming one of the strongest players of the series. Her appeal to give survivors like hers a voice to be heard gives 13 Reasons Why one of the best scenes ever written.

Yes, your liking of the third season depends on whether you accept giving Bryce a chance to get his voice heard. He has been the most repulsive character of the show - a rapist who thinks it's okay to get his way with the girls against his wishes. Season 3 shows Bryce in a new light. It doesn't justify what he did to Hannah, Jessica, Chloe (Anne Winters) and the other victims. But it does offer him a chance to redeem himself, and repent for what he did. It doesn't completely whitewash Bryce, as traces of his hurt alpha male ego still exists within him, as seen in the last two episodes. But the whole redemption angle feels well-written, and yet could provide fodder for controversy. That said, the better side of Bryce isn't something new that the writers put in now; glimpses of that was seen in the past two seasons. We still hate Bryce for all that he has done till now, but his reaction when he gets his hands on the Deus ex Machina of the first season is touching and believable.

Watch the Trailer of 13 Reasons Why Season 3 Below:

I have already seen certain netizens on Twitter accusing the show of romanticising a rapist. I don't completely agree; I feel through Bryce, it is the showrunners' way of apologising for sensationalising suicide and sexual trauma in the other seasons.  Even Monty (Timothy Granaderos), the second-most despicable character is given a tragic aspect, and yet it doesn't justify all his wrong actions, including what he did to Tyler last season. As a character in the show says, there is nothing black and white here, everything is grey.

Yes, the new girl Ani feels like a very forced character, despite actress Grace Saif's fine performance. It is a little irksome that a girl that we haven't seen till now being thrust into the middle of the proceedings, when some other characters from previous seasons like Sheri, Marcus and Ryan are totally ignored. Using Ani as a narrative device works when we see 13 Reasons Why as a whodunit, her unreliability working in the favour of creating suspense. She is also the catalyst in letting the viewer see the redemptive side of Bryce. But the whole fracas involving her, Clay and Bryce feel a bit too soap-dramatic, and I really can't figure out why the rest of the gang take her into confidence so much. And yeah, her 'Know-it-all' attitude is grating, to say the least.

Yes, I promised I won't spoil the mystery about who killed Bryce, but I have to say that I am not exactly happy about how the reveal has been done. It could be, because the buildup has been quite intriguing. The makers effectively use the time-jump narratives this time to build the mystery, and put everyone we know who hates Bryce under the needle of suspicion. Like the movie Mystic River, 13 Reasons Why makes the drama surrounding the suspense all the more interesting than the killer reveal, and it does that better than Riverdale anyway. Unlike the latter teen show, at least 13 Reasons Why doesn't pull out the killer from a hat; the character who ends Bryce's life is shown never to get to see the side of his redemptive saga. So it makes sense, even if a little underdeveloped.

Yes, the performances of the cast continue to raise the flag high for the show. Everyone pitches in top acts, from Dylan Minette to Christian Navarro, Miles Heizer, Brandon Flynn and Ross Butler, But the standout performers of the season are ultimately Alisha Boe (brilliant, practically reigns every scene), Justin Prentice (owns with a broken down act) and Devin Druid (powerful and highly sympathetic). Kate Walsh (Hannah's mother) and Derek Luke (Mr Porter) also return for brief but impactful appearances. And yes, the series continues to impress you with its musical choices.

Final Thoughts

Season 3 of 13 Reasons Why definitely miss what Hannah Baker's emotional saga brought to the table, and yes, it feels unnecessary. But it is still a huge improvement over the second season, drawing you in with surprisingly uplifting scenes, themes of redemption and fantastic performances. Not to mention, the 'whodunit' part is intriguing while it lasts.

There is one final season coming out, the seeds of which have already been sowed in the final episode. But the light at the end of that dark tunnel feels brighter now. 13 Reasons Why Season 3 is streaming on Netflix right now.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 25, 2019 11:46 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).