Season Four Thoughts and How It (may or may not...) Impact Maze
Well hello there, Mazers! ‘Bout time I posted over here, no?
So, it’s been just over a week since Season Four of ‘13 Reasons Why’ premiered, and, yes, I did binge watch it in one day, and yes, I have....thoughts. Let’s get right to it.
First and foremost, CHARLIE AND ALEX. Yes, please, this was the couple I didn’t know I needed, and I did a little squee of happiness. Or, a lot of squees. Either way. I know the Zalex fans are perhaps a bit upset, but I mean, c’mon....they’re just too cute together. Everything about these two characters made the season for me, and I’m a huge Clay and Justin fan, so that’s saying something.
Clay’s mental struggles finally being addressed and therapy sessions - something that was much needed and long overdue.
I...didn’t hate Ani this time around? I got the feeling that the writers learned from some of the criticism last season and deliberately wrote her in a lessened role here. I did like a little of her friendship with Jess, although it got a bit over the top at times.
Tyler’s continued recovery was also nice to see, and even he gets a happy ending, also much needed.
Graduation and the reception, both highlights.
The lockdown. While the conversations and characterizations themselves were good and (for Clay and “Bryce” and “Monty”) much needed, I’m sorry, I don’t know of any school - not where I am anyway - that goes to such an extreme with shooting blanks, etc. Way over the top.
The riot, sorta. Again, I don’t know of any school or police department that would have let things go that far. Well acted, and the message was important in the context of racial profiling and turning our schools into armed camps, but still.
Winston. Meh. Not that huge of a fan the more I think about it.
Diego. Meh. Could have done without him.
They ever gonna explain what happened to Sheri? Huh. Guess it’s too late, now. And a passing reference to Jeff, not even by name?
Yeah, we know where I’m going with this. Justin deserved so much better. While I have seen some of the interviews and such trying to justify how his story concludes, it really felt like a slap in the face when it comes right down to it, to say nothing of heartbreaking. Kudos to Dylan and Brandon in that last episode, because they did a tremendous job.
It is entirely plausible that Justin could have/would have contracted HIV during his time on the streets. Okay, I concede the point. But there was such a huge opportunity here and a teachable moment that could have played out parallel to Clay’s storyline. HIV is not the death sentence it once was, and this could have been done so much better, while giving Justin the happy ending he deserved.
As a gay man, and with this being Pride month, this really felt like a punch to the gut. If you want to kill off Justin, okay (well...not, okay, but still...), why not have it be something heroic to close his arc, or for that matter related to his addiction, as horrifying and painful as that would have been to see? It was the most frustrating aspect of this whole season, left a bad taste in my mouth, and it was the wrong damn decision.
Glad you asked. You did, didn’t you? Okay. Good.
I try to keep my little world of fanfiction as close to canon as possible, albeit as an AU. Last year, after Season Three, I got upset as you’ll recall, because the events there punched all kinds of holes in my work at that time and where I was going with it. But, after some thinking about it and introspection, I was okay with it all, and my AU became even more so. No big deal, as it turned out. I figured out ways to incorporate things into my stories, and have even plotted out my version of “who killed Bryce” into it all.
Season Four, on the other hand?
Honestly, I can’t see myself taking too much and incorporating it this time around. Clay’s mental health? Probably. In fact, that’s a major theme of my stories to begin with. Charlie? Oh, yeah. I want to work him in more now (and figure out a way to break up Alex with Cyrus....sigh...). But for the rest? Well, let’s put it this way, if you’re a faithful reader you know where a lot of the characters wind up in my world. Actually, I’ve been thinking about writing some more of Future!Maze. So, needless to say, Justin is alive and well in the Mazeverse, and while I am thinking about incorporating an HIV diagnosis into the storyline, I haven’t made any firm decisions yet.
I have a lot more to come and a lot more to write, and I think....and hope...you’ll all enjoy with what I’ve got cooking. I enjoy making you laugh, cry (but, like, in a good way!), and hopefully put a smile on your face with what I do with the 13 Reasons Why characters, and I hope to continue doing so for a long time to come.
So, there we are. Let me know your thoughts, hope to see you over at AO3, and as always....stay tuned! Clay and Justin and Alex and Jess and Sheri and Tony and Zach and Cyrus and the parents and Tank and Clay’s Psyche and Camden and Charlie and a whole lot more will be coming to you very soon.
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