'13 Reasons Why' Review: A Haunting Cautionary Tale

I will forever loathe Dawson's Creek creator Kevin Williamson for patenting that hyper-intelligent super-polished manner in which teenagers in all high school dramas now speak, especially when I can only pry a few words out of my incredibly intelligent niece.
 
It's one of the very few downsides of 13 Reasons Why, Netflix's latest and possibly best series since House Of Cards.  Based on the novel by Jay Asher, 13 follows Clay Jensen's discovery of cassette tapes his friend Hannah recorded before her suicide dictating the reasons why she decided to take her own life.  It is a haunting cautionary tale about teen suicide, bullying and a rightfully scathing commentary about society as a whole.  ​
 
Overwrought dialogue aside, 13 is an unflinchingly powerful, beautifully written and expertly acted glimpse at the emotional rigors of high school life in the age of Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter--something executive producer Selena Gomez knows more than a little about.  In these times, when compassion seems to be nearing global extinction, 13 Reasons Why is should be assigned homework for everyone, parents and kids alike.

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