I never thought I would like a show about modern teenagers and what they are up to. Skins was advertised as daring, with a lot of sex thrown into the mix. Some critics dismissed it as unrealistic and some people didn’t like the look of it but never watched it.
When I saw the teasers I just thought – aren’t they all a bit too pretty? I wanted to make up my own mind and started watching the repeat of the first series and instantly got hooked.
The plots are engaging and often funny, the characters believable, the young actors brilliant and what’s more there were/are some fine performances by Harry Enfield, Bill Bailey, Arabella Weir, Peter Capaldi and more recently Sally Phillips. I cried buckets (I am a softie who rarely cries in real life, but films or TV dramas get to me, so does a good book) during the final 2 episodes when my favourite character, the lovable and cheeky Chris died. I thought one of the most touching moments was when Sid found his dead dad (Peter Capaldi) and struggled telling his friends. These two series proved to be a great showcase for its young stars, especially Mike Bailey, the already established Nicolas Holt, Dev Patel (star of “Slumdog Millionaire”) and Joe Dempsie.
When I heard that they were changing the whole cast except a few characters (Pandora and Effie and her parents) I wasn’t sure if I wanted to continue watching, because I really got attached to the old characters. However the new series is so far great. Pandora has grown on me, I like the gorgeous Freddie and look forward to next week’s episode.
Watching Skins just made me realise that things really haven’t changed that much for teenagers since I was one (admittedly in the 80ies). Only the language has changed and the technology. Mobile phones didn’t exist in my days, but we had the same anxieties, hang-ups, peer pressures, outrageous parties, drinks and drugs experiences. We also had pregnancies amongst our midst and tragedies.
Though admittedly the parties are more exaggerated and the drugs more potent in Skins.
Maybe I am still a teenager at heart myself and therefore can relate to it.
I wonder what my little sister, who turns 17 next month, would make of Skins, as she can’t watch it in Germany. There’s the thought – Channel 4 should export the show. But please don’t let the Americans get their paws on it and change the whole cast.
What do you think? Do you watch Skins? Do you like the new characters? Do you miss any of the old characters?
2 comments
Teresa Lewis says:
January 5, 2010 at 1:52 pm (UTC 0)
I was shocked when I saw ‘Skins’ or maybe it was because I led a sheltered life or had stuffy friends. In the seventies we had to tread the fine line between being too stuffy on the one hand or too racy on the other. Maybe we were more discrete. I thought I was being a bit of a ladette because I drunk lager and cider in the same evening though not in the same glass mixed up and I pranced around being silly stealing guys’ hats while the other girls sat stiffly on the edge of the hall or dancing with each other in the hope men would ask them to dance. I never took drugs though.
It was only adults over the age of 18 who hadn’t yet married and had left home behaved in the way the teenagers did in ‘Skins’. I think it’s more the parents who shock me rather than the teenagers. I prefer ‘Coming of Age’ on BBC3 and even though it’s a comedy it seems more real.
Concrete Molds says:
December 12, 2010 at 5:14 pm (UTC 0)
Dev Patel showed his great acting skills on SlumDog Millionaire, i would love to see more of his movies `”.