my top 11 party scenes (yes, 11)
A Proper Picspam, for once.
sort of multifandom, actually
This is a first for me and is simply the result of not actually wanting to work on my lab, and being bedroom-bound since I have a gross, bloody hacking cough. Lovely, ain't it? But fuck it, enjoy your vicarious living! And I provided some lovely choons for you to listen to while it loads. ;)
Now, these are not necessarily the best, most cinematographic or fun party scenes in my TV shows. They are the ones I particularly like for their realism and attention to detail. I'm sure people don't agree, and really, what you find "realistic" depends completely on your own experiences. You may also notice my lack of variety. I honestly don't watch many programmes, and I have completely ignored some that I do watch (*ahem* Gossip Girl cos I think their parties are bullshit and fake. Not that I've really watched it past mid-series 2.) Meh. Also, the pics themselves often have the wrong episode number. I don't care. I can't be bothered to fix that, heh. So, without further ado, let the party commence!
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11. SKINS: "GET IN THE QUEUE" [Cook/Effy] ; s03e10
I love Effy's dancing alone in the dark. It's lovely and brings back memories.
(Side Note: The straight-edge dude here is Jay's 'Football Friend' in the Inbetweeners. Hee.)
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10. THE O.C.: "Drunk!LINDSAY" [Lindsay, Marissa] ; s02e09
I never cared for Lindsay. At all. Except for this scene where Marissa takes it upon herself to get the alcohol-virgin hammered. Which results in painfully real drunken confessions and awkwardness. Not to mention Lindsay being stupid, and then passing out, leaving Ryan to bitch at Marissa who begins a lovely dalliance with Alex. ;)
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9. HOUSE: "CAMERON LOVES METH" [Cameron/Chase] ; s02e07
After possibly getting HIV, the obvious result is to steal meth from a patient, invite your gullible co-worker over and proceed to have intoxicated sex with him, almost against his wishes. Heh, almost. This isn't really a "party" per ce. But there's a wicked Goldfrapp track playing in the background and Cameron is fucked out of her skull, so I say it counts. Cos afterall, "Who doesn't have sex with a drugged-up colleague when they have the chance?" ~House.
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8. SKINS: "PUMP THAT PUSSY" [Cook/Effy] ; s03e10
The two most seasoned veterans of the Gen2 party scene are back again on my list. The track is sick and the editing fantastic. And the fight, lack of care to being chucked out of a club, not to mention the sweat and general WTFery going on. Very reminiscent of a solid night out, if you can even remember it after.
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7. THE O.C.: "Authentic Mexican Culture" [Marissa] ; s01e07
It's sorta painful watching the acting by Mischa Barton at the beginning of this, but what the hell. This is one here simply for the pure debauchery that is end of summer partying in Tijuana. This is my fav ep of the first season, and pretty much the only episode I like from it. Marissa overdosing on painkillers was gold, and pretty riveting to watch, tbh. The dirt, the sleaziness, the grime, the heat. It was all there. And it showed that taking lots of drugs actually does do bad things to you. (I'm looking at you, Skins.) Leave it to Mischa Barton to excel at playing a monged-out brat.
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6. SHAMELESS: "PARTY! HEH... SCATTER!" [Carl/Maxine, Chesney] ; s06e16
I know I said these were based on both pretty and realism, and this one slips up a little in the "reality" department, but I'm going to claim North American ignorance of the European football culture. I don't know how easy it is to crash a footballers gig, but meh. Maybe it really is easy enough. But regardless, there's booze, coke, and tabloids. Sounds about right to me. I mean, Shameless has a plethora of options for partying & general reality of substance abuse (Have you seen Frank?!) but I chose this one simply cos it showed the kids out having a good time instead of Frank knocking one back in the local.
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5. SKINS: "ALICE PRACTICE" [Sid, Tony] ; s02e03
Fuck me. There may have been no real dialogue but this is one of Skins' best scenes with a massive thanks to Crystal Castles for the choon. Everyone's had one of these nights: where you're out surrounded by people having a massively awesome time, and you are feeling like fucking shit. All you need is a friend.
And I don't even like Sid.
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4. THE INBETWEENERS: "THIS IS A MAN'S DRINK" [Simon, etc] ; s01e02
The Inbetweeners is RIPE with horridly familiar and awkward teenage social situations, but this one has the added bonus of being hilarious. The boys bunk off, dress-up to buy booze, and proceed to get drunk in the middle of the day for no particular reason while talking about caravans and hurling insults at each other, and Neil's gay dad. Then following Simon he makes one drunken fuck-up after another which all culminates in asking Carly to finger herself for him and then vomiting all over her little brother's head. It's classic. Honestly. It's so painfully normal for kids just learning the joys (& drawbacks) of alcohol.
"They say it's the things you don't do in life that you regret. Well that's clearly not true. I regret hitting that girl with a frisbee. I regret hurling insults at Neil's dad... and I'm pretty certain Simon regrets almost everything he did that day."
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3. SKINS: "AND I'D SAY 'WITCH HAZEL? WHAT ARE YOU 90? GIVE ME SOME FUCKING PAINKILLERS.'" [Tony, Cassie, etc] ; s02e06
"Hey Cass, are we going somewhere?"
"Oh yes."
Yes, we are. And it is "fucking fantastic" with MASSIVE original track by Daniel Kaluuya. There's something about this scene that really makes me smile. Not only does it actually work realistically time-wise (Instead of, I dunno, some chick taking MDMA & throwing herself off a balcony literally 2 minutes later. Then have it all blamed on the drugs. WHATEVER, SKINS. Just whatever.), the atmosphere is... right. The reactions are right. And I have never seen such a graphic and dead-on representation on television of peaking on E than how Tony does it here. It makes me all warm and fuzzy inside. I think there's a lot in the first generation of Skins that has been lost in the second. There's a slightly under-stated authenticity to the experiences that are definitely lacking in the 2nd Gen, as they seem to be aiming for "edginess", "drama" and "shock value" over actual realism and credibility. Seriously, don't even get me started on all the issues in Gen2's party scenes. But this scene solidifies for me the lengths Skins would go to back in the day to keep it real.
[A special shout-out to MC Toby Welch. I'd put this scene on the list too, but it's already got so much Skins already.]
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2. MISFITS: "I'M OFF ME TITS" [Kelly] ; s01e04
Another banging track.
[Side note: Just to point out, Lee (Kelly's boyfriend) is Jal's almost-brother.)
I had a really difficult time deciding between this scene and #1 just because it's so... familiar (to use that word again). This is what partying is like half the time. It's not all fun and games and smiles and love. Sometimes you get fucked to the point where you need air, and then pass out and need to virtually be carried home. Now, before anyone starts judging me, heh, everyone's been here. I have been on the "helping" side of this equation more often than not. I've had friends puke on my shoes, want to kiss me with sick breath, need coats, scream at themselves, and had to literally drag them home from clubs. Hell, I've broken into a car once or twice. (Before you go calling the police, it was the car of a dude I was with and he didn't have his keys but he needed something out of it. Both times actually I knew who's car it was.) But really, my point is that Kelly's overwhelmed reaction is so well-done, her fucked-up-ness, hell, they even got the JAW-CLENCHING down. Attention to detail. Majorly. Every part of Kelly's travels are so dead on that it makes me think I'm watching home videos. All in all, I think Misfits handles its party scenes FAR better than this gen of Skins. Misfits doesn't have to try hard. It just is.
But all that said...
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1. SKINS: "YOU LOVE HER COZ SHE'S DEAD" [Emily/Cook] ; s03e07
If this had been based purely on realism, then Misfits would have clinched it. However, it's not solely that. I fucking LOVED this scene. I would say, it is unequivocally my #1 favourite scene in all of Skins. I can't exactly say why for sure, but I think it's a combination of the music, the dancing, the colours, & the sheer joy and familiarity of Emily's behaviour, and Cook's too. It is a fucking top night when you are that sweaty and that happy and just fucking rocking out to the music. And really, the wonderful memories this evokes are just... lovely. When I go out, this is norm. It's the only way I can honestly call it a successful night out. There is possibly no better feeling... (I said "possibly"). I know a lot of ladies are repulsed or even offended by Cook's blatant gropage of an obviously thoroughly intoxicated Emily, but, whatever. That honest doesn't bother me in the slightest. It's just what happens in clubs. And, at the risk of sounding like some anti-feminist, I thought it was pretty hot. And I think it helps that I've been here, and yeah, usually it's pretty gross for boys to just come up and molest you, but sometimes --- get ready to hate me --- it can be fun. For a little while, at least. [And then that's why you have friends and twin sister's to come along and pull you away when it gets too much]. I also didn't think Cook meant anything bad by any of it. But that isn't really why I like this scene anyway.
I love the dancing, the dazed expression on Emily's face as she attempts to take it all in, the freedom. I don't think I've seen any character on Skins quite as uninhibited as Emily during this scene. It's uplifting in a sense, to me anyway. And I like seeing Emily like this, cos, tbh, she is not my favourite character (I'd say there are about 4 ahead of her in the queue, from Gen2 alone). So, it's a pretty big deal for me to be so in love with a scene featuring her.
There is just so much fucking energy.
I think that's why it's #1.
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So, there you have it. Maybe if I watched less cartoons and more teen dramas, this wouldn't be as Skins-centric but what are ya gonna do? I wanted to also do the 5 worst party scenes but I got lazy. (In summary: the opening scene of Skins 4x01 (despite Segal's BANGER), pretty much all of Cook's S3 ep, and every episode of Gossip Girl.) I feel like I'm missing a whole programme altogther. Hrmm. And no, I won't count reality TV shows like The Hills or Peak Season, even tho they have some fun scenes too. WHAT AM I MISSING? Oh well. Hope you enjoyed it.
---------------------------------------------------
sort of multifandom, actually
This is a first for me and is simply the result of not actually wanting to work on my lab, and being bedroom-bound since I have a gross, bloody hacking cough. Lovely, ain't it? But fuck it, enjoy your vicarious living! And I provided some lovely choons for you to listen to while it loads. ;)
Click to viewNow, these are not necessarily the best, most cinematographic or fun party scenes in my TV shows. They are the ones I particularly like for their realism and attention to detail. I'm sure people don't agree, and really, what you find "realistic" depends completely on your own experiences. You may also notice my lack of variety. I honestly don't watch many programmes, and I have completely ignored some that I do watch (*ahem* Gossip Girl cos I think their parties are bullshit and fake. Not that I've really watched it past mid-series 2.) Meh. Also, the pics themselves often have the wrong episode number. I don't care. I can't be bothered to fix that, heh. So, without further ado, let the party commence!
---------------------------------------------------
11. SKINS: "GET IN THE QUEUE" [Cook/Effy] ; s03e10
I love Effy's dancing alone in the dark. It's lovely and brings back memories.
(Side Note: The straight-edge dude here is Jay's 'Football Friend' in the Inbetweeners. Hee.)
---------------------------------------------------
10. THE O.C.: "Drunk!LINDSAY" [Lindsay, Marissa] ; s02e09
I never cared for Lindsay. At all. Except for this scene where Marissa takes it upon herself to get the alcohol-virgin hammered. Which results in painfully real drunken confessions and awkwardness. Not to mention Lindsay being stupid, and then passing out, leaving Ryan to bitch at Marissa who begins a lovely dalliance with Alex. ;)
---------------------------------------------------
9. HOUSE: "CAMERON LOVES METH" [Cameron/Chase] ; s02e07
After possibly getting HIV, the obvious result is to steal meth from a patient, invite your gullible co-worker over and proceed to have intoxicated sex with him, almost against his wishes. Heh, almost. This isn't really a "party" per ce. But there's a wicked Goldfrapp track playing in the background and Cameron is fucked out of her skull, so I say it counts. Cos afterall, "Who doesn't have sex with a drugged-up colleague when they have the chance?" ~House.
---------------------------------------------------
8. SKINS: "PUMP THAT PUSSY" [Cook/Effy] ; s03e10
The two most seasoned veterans of the Gen2 party scene are back again on my list. The track is sick and the editing fantastic. And the fight, lack of care to being chucked out of a club, not to mention the sweat and general WTFery going on. Very reminiscent of a solid night out, if you can even remember it after.
---------------------------------------------------
7. THE O.C.: "Authentic Mexican Culture" [Marissa] ; s01e07
It's sorta painful watching the acting by Mischa Barton at the beginning of this, but what the hell. This is one here simply for the pure debauchery that is end of summer partying in Tijuana. This is my fav ep of the first season, and pretty much the only episode I like from it. Marissa overdosing on painkillers was gold, and pretty riveting to watch, tbh. The dirt, the sleaziness, the grime, the heat. It was all there. And it showed that taking lots of drugs actually does do bad things to you. (I'm looking at you, Skins.) Leave it to Mischa Barton to excel at playing a monged-out brat.
---------------------------------------------------
6. SHAMELESS: "PARTY! HEH... SCATTER!" [Carl/Maxine, Chesney] ; s06e16
I know I said these were based on both pretty and realism, and this one slips up a little in the "reality" department, but I'm going to claim North American ignorance of the European football culture. I don't know how easy it is to crash a footballers gig, but meh. Maybe it really is easy enough. But regardless, there's booze, coke, and tabloids. Sounds about right to me. I mean, Shameless has a plethora of options for partying & general reality of substance abuse (Have you seen Frank?!) but I chose this one simply cos it showed the kids out having a good time instead of Frank knocking one back in the local.
---------------------------------------------------
5. SKINS: "ALICE PRACTICE" [Sid, Tony] ; s02e03
Fuck me. There may have been no real dialogue but this is one of Skins' best scenes with a massive thanks to Crystal Castles for the choon. Everyone's had one of these nights: where you're out surrounded by people having a massively awesome time, and you are feeling like fucking shit. All you need is a friend.
And I don't even like Sid.
---------------------------------------------------
4. THE INBETWEENERS: "THIS IS A MAN'S DRINK" [Simon, etc] ; s01e02
The Inbetweeners is RIPE with horridly familiar and awkward teenage social situations, but this one has the added bonus of being hilarious. The boys bunk off, dress-up to buy booze, and proceed to get drunk in the middle of the day for no particular reason while talking about caravans and hurling insults at each other, and Neil's gay dad. Then following Simon he makes one drunken fuck-up after another which all culminates in asking Carly to finger herself for him and then vomiting all over her little brother's head. It's classic. Honestly. It's so painfully normal for kids just learning the joys (& drawbacks) of alcohol.
"They say it's the things you don't do in life that you regret. Well that's clearly not true. I regret hitting that girl with a frisbee. I regret hurling insults at Neil's dad... and I'm pretty certain Simon regrets almost everything he did that day."
---------------------------------------------------
3. SKINS: "AND I'D SAY 'WITCH HAZEL? WHAT ARE YOU 90? GIVE ME SOME FUCKING PAINKILLERS.'" [Tony, Cassie, etc] ; s02e06
"Hey Cass, are we going somewhere?"
"Oh yes."
Yes, we are. And it is "fucking fantastic" with MASSIVE original track by Daniel Kaluuya. There's something about this scene that really makes me smile. Not only does it actually work realistically time-wise (Instead of, I dunno, some chick taking MDMA & throwing herself off a balcony literally 2 minutes later. Then have it all blamed on the drugs. WHATEVER, SKINS. Just whatever.), the atmosphere is... right. The reactions are right. And I have never seen such a graphic and dead-on representation on television of peaking on E than how Tony does it here. It makes me all warm and fuzzy inside. I think there's a lot in the first generation of Skins that has been lost in the second. There's a slightly under-stated authenticity to the experiences that are definitely lacking in the 2nd Gen, as they seem to be aiming for "edginess", "drama" and "shock value" over actual realism and credibility. Seriously, don't even get me started on all the issues in Gen2's party scenes. But this scene solidifies for me the lengths Skins would go to back in the day to keep it real.
[A special shout-out to MC Toby Welch. I'd put this scene on the list too, but it's already got so much Skins already.]
---------------------------------------------------
2. MISFITS: "I'M OFF ME TITS" [Kelly] ; s01e04
Another banging track.
[Side note: Just to point out, Lee (Kelly's boyfriend) is Jal's almost-brother.)
I had a really difficult time deciding between this scene and #1 just because it's so... familiar (to use that word again). This is what partying is like half the time. It's not all fun and games and smiles and love. Sometimes you get fucked to the point where you need air, and then pass out and need to virtually be carried home. Now, before anyone starts judging me, heh, everyone's been here. I have been on the "helping" side of this equation more often than not. I've had friends puke on my shoes, want to kiss me with sick breath, need coats, scream at themselves, and had to literally drag them home from clubs. Hell, I've broken into a car once or twice. (Before you go calling the police, it was the car of a dude I was with and he didn't have his keys but he needed something out of it. Both times actually I knew who's car it was.) But really, my point is that Kelly's overwhelmed reaction is so well-done, her fucked-up-ness, hell, they even got the JAW-CLENCHING down. Attention to detail. Majorly. Every part of Kelly's travels are so dead on that it makes me think I'm watching home videos. All in all, I think Misfits handles its party scenes FAR better than this gen of Skins. Misfits doesn't have to try hard. It just is.
But all that said...
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1. SKINS: "YOU LOVE HER COZ SHE'S DEAD" [Emily/Cook] ; s03e07
If this had been based purely on realism, then Misfits would have clinched it. However, it's not solely that. I fucking LOVED this scene. I would say, it is unequivocally my #1 favourite scene in all of Skins. I can't exactly say why for sure, but I think it's a combination of the music, the dancing, the colours, & the sheer joy and familiarity of Emily's behaviour, and Cook's too. It is a fucking top night when you are that sweaty and that happy and just fucking rocking out to the music. And really, the wonderful memories this evokes are just... lovely. When I go out, this is norm. It's the only way I can honestly call it a successful night out. There is possibly no better feeling... (I said "possibly"). I know a lot of ladies are repulsed or even offended by Cook's blatant gropage of an obviously thoroughly intoxicated Emily, but, whatever. That honest doesn't bother me in the slightest. It's just what happens in clubs. And, at the risk of sounding like some anti-feminist, I thought it was pretty hot. And I think it helps that I've been here, and yeah, usually it's pretty gross for boys to just come up and molest you, but sometimes --- get ready to hate me --- it can be fun. For a little while, at least. [And then that's why you have friends and twin sister's to come along and pull you away when it gets too much]. I also didn't think Cook meant anything bad by any of it. But that isn't really why I like this scene anyway.
I love the dancing, the dazed expression on Emily's face as she attempts to take it all in, the freedom. I don't think I've seen any character on Skins quite as uninhibited as Emily during this scene. It's uplifting in a sense, to me anyway. And I like seeing Emily like this, cos, tbh, she is not my favourite character (I'd say there are about 4 ahead of her in the queue, from Gen2 alone). So, it's a pretty big deal for me to be so in love with a scene featuring her.
There is just so much fucking energy.
I think that's why it's #1.
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So, there you have it. Maybe if I watched less cartoons and more teen dramas, this wouldn't be as Skins-centric but what are ya gonna do? I wanted to also do the 5 worst party scenes but I got lazy. (In summary: the opening scene of Skins 4x01 (despite Segal's BANGER), pretty much all of Cook's S3 ep, and every episode of Gossip Girl.) I feel like I'm missing a whole programme altogther. Hrmm. And no, I won't count reality TV shows like The Hills or Peak Season, even tho they have some fun scenes too. WHAT AM I MISSING? Oh well. Hope you enjoyed it.
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