Huh.

[botherd]

I was going to make a long rambly meta post about all the reasons why I thought Thomas's episode didn't work, but having just watched it a second time... I actually liked it quite a lot! I think it's disappointing as a series opener, because we'd been waiting ten months to see our favourite characters again and instead we got a super depressing episode that's tightly focused on a character that nobody's particularly interested in (not that people don't like Thomas, but I don't know anyone who considers him their favourite), but I found I could enjoy it more when I knew what to expect. I wasn't disappointed and frustrated by the lack of Katie screentime, for example, because I already knew about it.

Anyway, I think this is possibly why there was a difference between the way reviewers and fans felt about it? The critics wouldn't have had all the hopes and expectations that fandomers would've had for the series opener, so they could appreciate it for what it was instead of being disappointed by what it wasn't. If it was episode two or three instead, I think it might have been better received in fandom. Or, IDK, maybe people would be bored all the same - I do think there were some issues with it, and it's not amongst the best Skins episodes ever - but I enjoyed it a lot more the second time around.

And that makes me even more optimistic about Emily's episode. Is it Thursday yet?