The good, the bad, and the ugly of the third season of “13 Reasons Why”

“13 Reasons Why” is a Netflix original series that focuses on socially sensitive topics such as sexual assault, drug abuse, weapon abuse, mental health awareness, and, most prominently in this season, murder.

Despite the emotionally loaded aspects to the show, some viewers felt that Netflix’s decision to create a show of this caliber was a good decision.

The story began in season one with 13 tapes, each one putting together the pieces of the infamous Hannah Baker’s (Katherine Langford) suicide mission. However, the tapes progressed into something bigger than that. As viewers dove into each new episode, it became clear that Bryce Walker (Justin Prentice) caused a lot of pain for people.

It was revealed during seasons one and two of the show that Walker raped not only Hannah Baker, but eight more girls. These heinous acts, along with bullying fellow classmates and abusing his power as an “entitled white kid,” set him up to be the main antagonist, and the predominant focus in the third season.

This season of “13 Reasons Why” begs the question: Who killed Bryce Walker?

The show seemed to continue the legacy of controversy it created for itself since season one was released. In 2017, the National Association of School Psychologists cautioned people interested in watching the show. “We do not recommend that vulnerable youth, especially those who have any idea of suicidal ideation, watch this series,” said Christina Conolly, a contributor to this article.

Since then, the show’s creator, Brian Yorkey, has dialed down the graphics, and included more trigger warnings.

Now, the rating of the show is TV-MA, and viewers can access a “Content Warning” section before playing the show that advocates against suicide and substance abuse, as well as a direct link to 13ReasonsWhy.info.

“Some of the scenes [in previous seasons] were so explicit that I had skipped over them, [They] were a little too much to handle,” said sophomore Morgan Duley.

Regardless of the graphic nature of the show, it seems that the third season left viewers wanting more. With stellar performances by Devin Druid (Tyler Down), Alisha Boe (Jessica Davis), Timothy Granaderos (Montgomery de la Cruz), Dylan Minnette (Clay Jensen), and Prentice, the layers of secrets and deceptions slowly unraveled this season.

It’s truly hard to tell if season three of the show should have ever been created at all. Mixed messages have been shared all over social media. Some said “this was a new story, and an oddly compelling one,” (WhatCulture.com), while others said it “is a ridiculous, maddening, overlong example of Peak TV-era television that doesn’t know how to quit when it’s ahead” (Vulture).

While the show may have had decent character development and addressed very important topics, it seems its plot holes and lack of consistency overpowered the former.