13 Reasons Why is not new to the headlines or the spotlight, but this season is making headlines for different reasons than in the past. On Aug. 23, the long-awaited third season of the controversial Netflix Original series was released. Infamous for its incredibly bold and arguably insensitive and obscene storyline about high schoolers dealing with the suicide of a fellow student, the show parted from the storyline that grabbed the attention and concern of parents, students, and critics and went with another approach for the newest season, focusing this time on the murder of the rapist and overall-dispised character Bryce Walker (played by Justin Prentice). This drama turned “who-done-it” murder mystery attempted to give fans another kind of storyline while still attacking vital societal issues, but, ultimately, it left a bad taste in the mouths of critics and casual watchers alike.

There are several things to discuss when it comes to this show. One of the critics’ greatest problems with this third season of 13 Reasons Why is with the newest character introduced into the plot: Ani (Grace Saif). Her story in relation to Liberty High School begins several months before Bryce Walker’s murder when she transfers from another school. As time goes on, she develops a tight relationship with Clay Jensen (Dylan Minnette), who later develops feelings for her. She also befriends both Jessica Davis (Alisha Boe) and Tony Padilla (Christian Navarro) for reasons that do not make much sense. Unbeknownst to many, however, Ani also creates a close and later romantic relationship with Bryce through her mother, who cares for Bryce’s sickly grandfather. Overall, her seemingly instantaneous role as everyone’s friend makes little sense logically, considering how she is the new girl at this school and has not experienced all that haunts the characters from the first two seasons.

 Many critics also had a problem with how she always eavesdrops on the other characters for the purpose of gathering intel for an unknown reason. According to Vulture article (vulture.com) entitled “13 Reasons Why I Couldn’t Stand 13 Reasons Why Season 3,” “Ani is around every corner, listening to everything you’re saying and recording it like the human equivalent of Alexa. I stopped calling her Ani at a certain point and started referring to her as Lurkapalooza 2019.”

 On top of the issues with Ani, many critics had an issue with the number of pressing topics that the show chose to address in its third season. For many, it feels as though the show attempts to bite off more than it can chew when it comes to addressing some of the more intense and controversial problems with which teens are faced. The show addresses rape culture, toxic mascilinity, mental health and depression, deportation, and sexuality, among others. With so many characters involved in so many issues, it makes it difficult for them to seem genuine, and the development of some of the issues are weak. For example, the scenes when Tony discovers his family has been deported back to Mexico offered a heart-breaking look into a vital issue in America today. The problem? This was not introduced until the sixth episode, and it was too short lived. Senior Casey LaBarbera commented on this, saying, “I liked how the show addressed some of the important issues going on today, but I agree that the way that some of the topics were handled left me wanting more.”

Overall, critics were unimpressed by the newest season, but the reviews were not all negative. Senior Matthew Cleary enjoyed the season, saying, “I don’t think it was all bad. I definitely enjoyed the mystery behind who killed Bryce; I think they developed that part pretty well. It had me on the edge of my seat wanting more.”

Although Netflix has not yet announced a fourth season of the show, fans and critics alike will be interested in seeing where 13 Reasons Why decides to take the story next.