Show: 13 Reasons Why Season 4
Cast: Dylan Minnette, Alisha Boe, Brandon Flynn, Christian Navarro, Miles Heizer, Ross Butler, Devin Druid, Grace Saif, Deaken Bluman, Tyler Barnhardt, Justin Prentice, Timothy Granaderos, Gary Sinise
Created by: Brian Yorkey
OTT Platform: Netflix
The teens of 13 Reasons Why have finally graduated, as Netflix released its fourth and final season on Friday. When the series debuted in 2017, it was an open-hearted, controversial take on bullying, rape culture and teen suicide but the series has repeatedly insisted on adding unnecessary new characters, sloppy narrative technique and message about violence and toxic masculinity that often leads to confusion.
Based on a 2007 YA novel by Jay Asher, 13 Reasons Why was probably intended as a one-off but its popularity led to three additional seasons that we could have easily done without. The final season frays from the start because of its one-dimensional question-‘Who framed Monty?’ Season 4 is probably the sloppiest season of all that begs the audience to love and sympathize with a clique of high school students who should be just left alone for being nightmarish, arrogant and self-righteous cold-blooded killers.
Season 3 tried to make the series a whodunit with Clay Jensen (Dylan Minnette) to new girl femme fatale Ani Achola (Grace Saif) as amteur sleuths trying to solve the disappearance and murder of Bryce Walker (Justin Prentice). However, season 4 is more about how to keep up the cover and not fall into the police’s clutches as Zach Dempsey (Ross Butler) had severely beaten Bryce as revenge for several misdeeds and Alex Standall (Miles Heizer) pushed an injured Bryce off the dock in a fit of rage while another one of Bryce’s sexual assault victims, Jessica Davis (Alisha Boe) stood by.
Mental health issues and paranoia is something the creators of 13 Reasons Why have used previously and in the final season they once again try this trope with Clay who keeps seeing Monty and occasionally Bryce. He cites anxiety to his counselor and is often seen as shrieking and crying. His vandalism gets the better of him in this season. The gang finally decides to leave everything behind- starting with the cassette tape of Hannah that brought them together. They bury them both literally and figuratively and move on to college in various stages of a relationship, friendship and mourning. The body in the coffin is found to be Justin’s who was HIV positive, Bryce’s murder is attributed to Monty and closed for good, Winston makes his peace with it and Alex after knowing the truth.
The show could have taken a moral high ground and showed us inclusivity, diversity, gun control, sex and acceptance but no, the makers left all the could-be plotlines hanging and never exploring the topic. 13 Reasons Why could have been a great commentary but the makers just failed to take up the bait and address the elephant in the room.
PeepingMoon.com gives 13 Reasons Why Season 4 3 Moons out of 5.
