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Sometimes a TV show should not continue beyond its first season.
The question that dominates season three is Who is responsible for the death of Bryce Walker?
Bryce Walker: Perhaps the least liked character on13 Reasons Why.
Tossing all of these serious matters into the same slow-cooking, melodramatic stew degrades the importance of each one.
It irritated me to no end, and here are 13 reasons why.
Major13 Reasonsspoilers to follow.
(Her mother is Kenyan.)
She starts attending Liberty High School in the months leading up to Bryces death.
Despite the short time shes been there, she seems to instantly know every teenager within a 30-mile radius.
(Classic Clay.)
She develops a tight relationship with Bryce Walker.
But her instant infiltration into everyones lives is just jarring and weird.
So is her voiceover narration.
Speaking of which …
2.
Everything affects everything, Ani tells us, portentously, in one episode.
When you think about it, that really istrue.
So much Ani lurking!
(Why is she so curious?
I watched all the episodes I still cant answer that question!)
Shes even worse than Clay in this regard, and that is saying a LOT.
I stopped calling her Ani at a certain point and started referring to her as Lurkapalooza 2019.
The flashbacks
The third season includes flashbacks that run on two tracks.
and, Do you think he could do it?
and, Im not sure thats a good idea, Clay.
and an overuse of the phrase topple the patriarchy.
(Example: Turns out this whole toppling the patriarchy thing is really hard.)
(Note: This is not an actual book … Like Popeyes did with its chicken sandwich, TV has completely run out of that word.
Maybe secret will be back in stock in time for the fall season, but dont bet on it.
Clay generally being an asshat
Clay Jensen has always been nosy.
Hes always been obsessive to an unhealthy degree.
But hes also always been a character who engenders some amount of empathy.
His immediate response is to be pissed that Tony didnt tell him about what happened sooner.
), was recorded when she was drunk, distraught, and visiting Hannahs grave.
Which is … weird?
I understand why Olivia would be upset and crying and drunk and inclined to reach out to someone.
But why reach out to the boy who had an unrequited crush on your daughter?
The show never acknowledges the strangeness of this, which makes it even more strange.
In High School, Even on a Good Day, Its Hard to Tell Whos on Your Side?
What is that, the name of the next Fiona Apple album?
So what does the series do in the final reveal of who killed Bryce?
I dont think this is supposed to prove that Bryce is irredeemable.
Did the cops have the evidence they needed to charge Monty with either of these crimes?
Was there a trial regarding his assault of Tyler?
These are questions the show doesnt bother to answer.
After 13 episodes, including a 71-minute (!)
season finale, somehow13 Reasons Whymanages to rush a key part of its story.
Maybe this is something the show plans to address in season four.
But Im not sure I can take another 13 episodes to get to the bottom of it.
