When Neflix decided to take the plot of Jay Asher’s popular teen drama novel Thirteen Reasons Why and turn it into a thirteen-episode television series last spring, the reaction was bigger than they predicted.

The story of Hannah Baker (Katherine Langford) leading up to and after her suicide stirred up both popularity and controversy in the weeks after the series was released. Many believed that the topics depicted in the show were too graphic to be shown, while others believed it shared a powerful message with the audience.

And though there was not supposed to be a continuation after the first 13 reasons, hence the 13 episodes, the series was renewed for a second season.

The problem with the new season, however, is that the story was not meant to be dragged out.

The new season follows the students Hannah named as reasons for her death in the five months after the first season ended. It revolves around the court battle between Hannah’s parents and the school board.

The actors step up and deliver great performances while covering dark subjects, but the season overall falls flat due to the fact that it is irrelevant. Writers were grasping at straws trying to come up with new twists and suspenseful scenarios for the plot. The story strays so far from the original story and tone that it feels as if the audience is watching a completely different series with the same characters.

It has also not earned a large reaction from fans over social media, as the first season had. When the show first came out, people took to Twitter to talk of Thirteen Reasons Why, either to praise it or criticize it.  This time around, however, there has not been nearly the same amount of talk.

Writers and producers of Thirteen Reasons Why had high hopes that the series would be able to continue on with the amount of popularity it had originally had, but they should have just allowed this story to end when the 13 episodes did.