A TELEVISION SHOW INSPIRES ME TO BE A BETTER PERSON

Binge-watching. The act of watching all episodes of television series in a short amount of time. That is not a dictionary definition. It’s my definition. And how do I know what binge-watching a television series entails? Because I participated in the practice a few weeks ago when season two of 13 Reasons Why was released on Netflix.
When it comes to binge-watching a television show, you have to make your preparations. I speak from experience. You have to make sure you have a LOT of free time. You can’t let your binge-watching get in the way of your responsibilities. That’s why I suggest taking on this task during a holiday or on a weekend. Prior to your binge-watch session, let all your friends and family know the period of time that you will be unavailable—because you don’t want any interruptions. And, once everything is settled, gather your snacks and enjoy your show. However, don’t forget to take care of yourself and take breaks for daily life tasks and to be with actual people every few hours.
This is exactly what I did a few weeks ago when I watched 13 Reasons Why season two. The 13 episodes released on May 18th and by May 20th I had finished the entire season. It was the PERFECT weekend for the show to release. On May 18th, my parents went out to a party so I was free to watch all evening, on May 19th I was able to watch for a few hours at night and on May 20th, my parents went to another party, so I was free to watch all day. Of course, on that Sunday, my sister was also home and so I did stop after every few hours to spend time with her. She was sitting in the living room, on her phone, while I was watching and I felt bad for ignoring her, so I knew I should stop every so often. Mind you, my sister is 19 so it’s not like she needed taking care of or anything like that, but I did want to stop staring at a screen and spend time with the actual people in my life. Not to mention that the show itself was filled with difficult topics and taking occasional breaks was good for my sanity.
Let’s talk about those difficult topics for a moment. For those of you who don’t know, 13 Reasons Why is based on a book of the same name. The book centers around a girl called Hannah Baker, who committed suicide. Before her death, she recorded 13 cassette tapes explaining 13 reasons why she made this decision. Each reason is a person in her life and, throughout the story, we learn that each of the 13 people received the tapes (in the order they appeared on the recordings) and they had to listen to all 13 tapes, before passing it on to the next person. We also learn that Hannah had made a copy of the tapes and gave those to a trusted friend, who was told to keep an eye on the 13 individuals and release the copy to the public if any of the 13 people refused to listen or pass the tapes on. The book followed the character of Clay—number 11 on the tapes—as he listened and tried to come to terms with her death. The book was translated onto screen in the way of the show’s first season, but the response was such that they decided to make a second season. Of course, there was no second book, so they were free to take the story in whichever direction they thought best. The biggest difference between the book and the show was that, in the show, they were able to expand on the characters and show us more about their lives, whereas in the book, we were only privy into Clay’s life. Therefore, they were able to expand storylines in season two. And this is why season one had some scenes that were not in the book, because these scenes helped lead into the next season. Without giving too much away, in case any of you decide to watch, the second season takes place a few months after Hannah Baker’s death. Her parents are going into trial against her school—as they believe the school should take responsibility for her death—and each of the characters’ are dealing with the events that took place in season one. These events included a sexual assault, bullying and an unsuccessful suicide attempt.
These aforementioned topics are the main reasons why the show also got quite a bit of backlash. People believed that the scenes were too graphic and were triggers to people who dealt with the issues that were showcased in the series. As a result, the beginning of the second season saw some of the cast members putting out a warning letting viewers know that the show is for mature viewers and anyone going through difficult times should either watch the show with a trusted adult or not watch it at all. While my opinion is that the show should be seen, because it deals with these topics that people tend to ignore because they are difficult to talk about, I can also understand where the backlash is coming from. In fact, there was in scene in episode 13 of season two that was extremely difficult to watch. Some people think it shouldn’t have even been included in the show. My opinion is that it should have been included, as everything they show in the series could happen in real life, but it was still a difficult watch. I had even seen warnings for this scene on social media but I was still not prepared for it. But, honestly speaking, these scenes are difficult to watch because we have humanity. As humans, we hate seeing others in pain. If you aren’t affected by what is seen in the show, then there is a problem. However, with all that said, I understand the backlash and I think the makers of the show need to take this into account if they choose to go ahead with a season three.
This show awakened many emotions in me—anger, joy and sadness being the major ones. And it also awakened that feeling of me, of wanting to be kind to others, no matter what. I like to think that I’m a nice person anyways, but this show makes me want to help bring happiness to others. It doesn’t take much to do this, as a matter of fact. Even if you just smile at a person—that could turn their entire day around. We don’t know anyone’s story and we don’t know what people are going through—so just treat everyone with kindness. And start with your loved ones. We are often so caught up in our own lives, that we fail to realize when someone in our life is hurting. That is exactly what happened with Hannah Baker. No one paid attention to her pain, and she ended up making a horrible and permanent decision. So look out for your family and friends. Talk to each other. Make sure the people in your life are okay and, if they aren’t, talk to them about how you can help make things okay. Sometimes, just letting them know that you are there is enough.
And if you are dealing with difficult times in your life, just know that it gets better. I know that’s a cliché but it honestly does. I speak from experience. About eight years ago, I went through a really bad time in my life, but I was able to get through it by counseling and with the help of my family and friends. There is no shame in admitting your feelings and there is no shame in asking for help.