‘13 Reasons Why’ she killed herself, an addictive new Netflix series

“Mean Girls.” “Freaks and Greeks.” “Heathers.”

Perhaps you’ve heard: High school is a treacherous place.

Students are ruthless to one another. Hormones are bad-behavior accelerants. And adults? Clueless.

Throw in social media-shaming, sexism and suicide, and you have the building blocks for the addictive mystery that is “13 Reasons Why.”

Directed by Tom McCarthy, this Netflix series is based on Jay Asher’s 2007 young-adult novel of the same name. A girl ends her own life, but why? The answer slowly unfolds over 13 episodes, each an hour long. Stock up on provisions, because you won’t be leaving the couch for a day.

Hannah Baker (Katherine Langford) appears more confident and insightful than most of her 17-year-old peers at Liberty High so, when she commits suicide, her parents, the faculty and most of the student body appear stunned. She did, however, leave behind a series of cassette tapes that provide clues as to why she ended her life — and who’s to blame.

Thirteen of Hannah’s former friends, tormentors and acquaintances receive packages shortly after her death containing the recordings and a map. Speaking from beyond the grave, she explains that they are receiving these packages because they somehow contributed to her demise.

The group must listen to all of the cassettes and follow her instructions on where to find clues. If they don’t? Their secrets will be publicly divulged. Just how Hannah will exact this posthumous punishment is part of the mystery.

Her friend and admirer Clay Jensen (Dylan Minnette) is stunned to discover himself among the 13. He’s not like most of the other students at Liberty, who subsist on making each other miserable. Or so he thought.

To understand where he fits into the puzzle, Clay must listen to all the tapes. Along the way, he learns the dark secrets kept by those around him, and the lengths to which they will go to keep those secrets hidden.

“13 Reasons Why” plays out over a series of flashbacks. What could have easily been one more high school drama, about bullies and victims, jocks and nerds, popular girls and outcasts, is instead a nuanced story about the complexities of relationships between friends, families and lovers.

The talents of Minnette and Langford carry much of the story. He still wears a bike helmet, likes science fiction and pays attention to lunar eclipses. She’s insightful, has a sophisticated sense of humor and is individualistic — all deficits for a girl who wants to fit in. Together they bring a depth and charm to their roles, and there’s a chemistry between them.

Hannah and Clay are also mirrors that reflect how different the teen experience can be for girls vs. boys.

On one tape, Hannah says, “You probably think I’m taking it too seriously. … Here’s the thing. You’ve never been a girl.”

Early in the series, she gets labeled as a “slut” through a photo posted on social media and more old-fashioned forms of humiliation: gossip and writing on the bathroom walls.

It makes her a leper among many of the girls and a target for the boys’ lust and ridicule. When she is cited on a secretly circulated “hot list,” Hannah is objectified as Liberty High’s “best ass.”

When she complains to the naive Clay, he asks, “But isn’t that a compliment?” It’s one of many moments that deftly captures the encroaching and unfair realities of adult life.

“13 Reasons Why” is not just about internal and personal struggles; it’s also fun to watch, told at an engaging pace.

Scenes, events and details feel pleasantly retro — Clay rides a bike everywhere, like in “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.” Other characters listen to Joy Division on cassette tape. The teens keep secrets from the adults a la “River’s Edge.”

Though most of the grown-ups are oblivious, Hannah’s mother (Kate Walsh) is so convincingly devastated by her daughter’s death that she makes the other adult characters appear one-dimensional.

And the melodrama of high school life can feel tedious at points, which is something you might not want to experience again, depending on where you stood (or stand) in your high school pecking order.

That social order at Liberty High is brought to life by a large cast of young actors who include Miles Heizer, Alisha Boe and Christian Navarro. They have demons, too, that cause them to act in reckless, cruel and sometimes noble ways. But who knows? By the story’s end, maybe it’s Hannah who’s the tormentor, and they’re the victims. Anything is possible in that confusing, parallel universe called high school.

This story was originally published April 3, 2017 at 11:41 AM with the headline "‘13 Reasons Why’ she killed herself, an addictive new Netflix series."