13 Reasons Why Season 3 Review: 7 Ups & 5 Downs

2. Inconsistent Character Development

Bryce Walker was undoubtedly a poor excuse of a human being who took whatever he wanted and remained unmoved by who he hurt in the process. However, the Bryce Walker that we saw in Season 3 was very different to the character we knew in the first two seasons as, following the complete collapse of the life that he knew, he actually seemed apologetic for his heinous actions.

A controversial story move no doubt (especially when you factor in how irredeemable he previously was), but an effective one that successfully managed to pull the rug out from under us. Through his repaired relationship with his mother, and temporarily repaired friendships with Justin, Alex and Monty (not-to-mention his attempt to help Tyler), we got to see Bryce as the person that he could have been if he hadn't become the monster that he did - and this ultimately made it impossible to figure out who killed him.

Unfortunately, all of that character development was wasted in the last episode when, upon discovering Zach's friendship with Chloe and all that she had went through, he immediately reverted back to his old self and destroyed his former friend's knee, before continuing to spout hatred about his ex-girlfriend while threatening to ruin Zach's life.

While the Bryce we knew was undoubtedly capable of all of this, it all felt very convenient to wait until the last minute to pull the trigger on this character reversion. It undermined the story that the season was attempting to tell, as it portrayed his murder as a spur-of-the-moment thing instead of the carefully-calculated event we all thought it was.

Maybe that was the intention, but a last-minute regression is a plot convenience the show could have done without. Everyone already had motive to kill him, so why undo the season-long arc in the 11th hour?