While it is unfair to expect that movies or TV shows targeted young adults must constantly present a morality play or take on the character of a extended public service announcement, this show embarks upon truly dangerous territory. And the most troubling aspect is apparent in the title. However, if viewed as an exploration of the ripple effects of the sometimes intentional and sometimes accidental ways in which people can bully and harm each other, particularly in the teen-aged world of heightened sensitivity and emotion, the show is in many ways excellent.

As the title suggests, the story centres around a series of tapes left by "Hanna" a teenager who recently committed suicide. We follow "Clay" as he listens to the tapes. By way of a series of flashbacks we try to understand what led Hanna to her decision.

The story structure, filming, soundtrack and overall presentation drew me in notwithstanding my initial skepticism. There were almost too many good performances from the cast to list and that was notwithstanding a script that ranged from deeply touching and real to downright awkward and manipulative. In the early episodes most the principal characters appear as clichés cut from the Breakfast Club but in time we begin to see most of them them as fleshed out complex beings.

In short, as we are told constantly about the tapes, you need to suspend judgment until you see it all. The show's greatest strengths and weaknesses are difficult to appreciate without seeing it through to the end. As an exploration of bullying and the "reasons" we all have for the harm we cause each other, this is one of the best teen dramas I have seen. As an eyes open look at suicide, it fails.