13 Reasons Why Season 4 Review: A Final Goodbye for Good!

13 Reasons Why is one of the most emotionally draining series we have ever watched. It discusses the various sensitive and unspoken issues faced by high-school students as its primary subject and has numerous visuals of sexual assault, self-harm, drug abuse, rape, and suicide. It also details other psychological issues, depression, and anxiety which the teenagers go through and has ominous music playing throughout the entire series.

If you have already watched the first three seasons, you’re good to go ahead of the final season. But, if you’re someone who wishes to start it fresh, you are requested to watch only if you’re emotionally stable or have a trusted adult by your side while you watch. To review our writer binge-watched the entire series, you are rather advised to take it slow. Viewers discretion is highly advised. 13 Reasons Why Netflix 13 Reasons Final Season

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A series that made many high schools in the USA to reform its student counseling and teenagers talk about the problems they face, 13 Reasons Why started with the suicide of Hannah Baker. And it has come a long way since her death. The final season begins with the funeral of an unknown student and his friends talking at his memorial service.

Going back six months, this season is set on the premise of Monty’s boyfriend – Winston, whom he kept as a secret from others, and his friends from football trying to seek revenge for his death as he was framed by Clay and his friends for Bryce Walker’s death.

Also, the season extensively focuses on Clay Jensen and his inability to cope up with all the trauma he faced, starting with Hannah and how he is entangled with the life of others. Did everyone graduate out of high school, get accepted at college forms the remainder of the story of this final season.

One major complaint or discontent which people expressed on social media about 13 Reasons Why is that the series was dead with Hannah Baker, that the makers have strongly made a point on the sexual harassment faced by the teens and Netflix has deliberately extended it.

Well, even I initially agreed with that argument, and I never watched the third season until very recently, when I came to know that Netflix will be dropping the final season soon. However, to my surprise, I felt that the third season was highly enjoyable and engaging to watch as the Sheriff Department of the Evergreen County, Clay and his friends tried to track down the killer of Bryce Walker. And even then, I felt they could’ve ended the series with the third season, but I waited for Season 4 and was genuinely eager to watch how they brought everything together to a conclusion.

The final season, as I already mentioned centered around Clay Jensen and his psychological problems. For a guy, his age, he had gone through a lot, covered up a murder, and always tried his best to help out his friends. This time he fights his inner demons, has panic attacks, and disassociates himself from his actions. The creators didn’t focus much on revenge for Monty by his friends, and the series drifts from malevolence to relinquishing one’s inner-self.

Comparing it with its predecessors, though the final season is packed with episodes, it felt long and stretched unnecessarily. It was also less engaging and felt simple-minded sometimes. Unlike the previous seasons, it also lacked the intriguing aspect as you will not expect anything about what is going to happen next.

Despite the slow pace, this season had its share of haunting visuals. It has the deception of a person going through emotional hell, anxiety, and panic attacks. And the main strength of the overall series is their ability to bring together the disturbing visuals which make us weak while watching and leave a deep impact on us.

Unlike other movies and series’ in the teen genre, which usually conclude on a feel-good note, 13 Reasons Why spoke about the unspoken and threw light on some series issues in the society which are needed to be taken care of. Although the series is set in the USA, it is relevant and comparable with the school and college teenagers, here in India. With rapid advancements and adaption of western culture, drug usage and drug-related crimes have been increasing in India which we aren’t paying attention to yet.

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Nevertheless, when you look at all the four seasons together, 13 Reasons Why make sense. The way the characters developed and evolved from the first to the final season says a lot about series writers. And I admire it a lot. With over a dozen of characters involved, every sub-plot has been taken care of and was given a proper ending. Though it is not the kind of series that I would suggest you to watch nor everyone has the emotional strength to go through all the visual trauma, 13 Reasons Why made a point and it is surely the king of its own world. Watch ’13 Reasons Why on Netflix here.’

Rating – 3.25/5 | Grade – B

Images via Netflix

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