It took me a little while to decide to commit to watching 13 Reasons Why. Having read a few reviews in March, and having been touched by suicide in my own life, I wasn't sure I was in the head space to devote 13 hours to such a dark subject matter. It is a bit strange to me how some were concerned about the glorification of suicide. I get that, but it seems to me that death as a whole, especially brutal murders, are glorified in film, and nightly on TV.
I have not watched the final episode, but as of Sunday evening, finished the first 11. I was hooked from the get go, not just by the story, but by the performances, particularly that of actor Dylan Minnette as Clay. Clay is not only the guy we can all identify with, he is the guy we both wanted to be, or wanted to be with. Dylan's performance drew me in for the ride, from his desperation and sorrow through his struggles to connect and communicate. It is a beautiful performance that centers each of the characters around him.
