Parents Petition Netflix to Cancel '13 Reasons Why' After "Horrifying" Rape Scene

BY Josiah HughesPublished May 22, 2018

Last year, Netflix's teen series 13 Reasons Why became incredibly controversial thanks to its controversial depiction of teen suicide. Experts deemed it dangerous, and the guy from Car Seat Headrest called it "kind of fucked." The streaming service responded by adding more trigger warnings to the show. Then, this year, they released Season 2 which just so happens to feature an incredibly graphic rape scene.

There are minor spoilers ahead, so stop reading now if you plan to watch the teen rape and suicide show on Netflix.

The show's second season concluded with the graphic rape of a male character in its season finale. Following that scene, the same character is seen walking to a high school dance with an automatic rifle.

In response to this scene and the show in general, the Parents Television Council is petitioning Netflix to cancel the show. As NME reports, they shared a statement calling the show "a ticking time bomb to teens and children," adding, "We're issuing a warning about Netflix's 13 Reasons Why Season 2 and urging the company to pull the series entirely because of the potentially harmful content."

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, showrunner Brian Yorkey defended the show's themes. "We're very interested in continuing to follow his journey and to try to understand his state of mind and the state of his soul," he said. "I think you'll see in the balance of the episodes that it's very much about trying to understand Tyler's character and how a troubled young man might be driven to consider this very difficult choice.

"We're much more interested in understanding that character's journey than we are in seeing it end in the worst way possible. The thing that's interesting for us is the journey and trying to understand what goes into the experience of a young man who goes that route."

13 Reasons Why Season 2 is now streaming on Netflix.

 

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