Skins Musings, s06 e01
Another year, another series of Skins.
For anyone who might have decided to read this who doesn't know much about Skins, they change cast every two years. This means that the second year of a cast is always more developed and considerably more dramatic, compared to the first series anyway.
Tonight was the première of the first episode of series six, which just happened to fall on my birthday.
This episode was written by Daddy Skins, also know as Bryan Elsley. He is, in my opinion (and in the opinion of some others) a genius. In the fourth series there were a lot of controversial issues and his episode (the finale) was, well, he did exactly what I wish would have happened throughout the series - he made it fun, he made it dramatic, he made it the right mix of angst, fluff and Skins-ness.
So who better to kick start series six?
He wasn't there was series five, he was working on Skins US, and though I enjoyed it, I did feel like it missed his presence.
Anyway, onwards to the episode.
It had a great mix of drama, of Skins-ness (aka, sex, drugs, alcohol, parties, etc.), angst and lots of humour. It made me laugh, it made me want to cry, it made me want to shout and scream at the television.
There was some interesting character development.
Most notable were two of three 'relationships' we caught a glimpse of.
Rich and Grace were together and happy in series five so they're the third relationship that I don't have much to say about, except that Rich is extremely sweet and loving towards his girlfriend and that's so lovely to see. He can be a bit cold, in that he's a hard rocker, so it's not his bravado to be soppy.
Mini and Alo - they are an unlikely couple. He's a geeky farm boy who is obsessed with porn and drugs and she is a bitchy (though she does have a softer side) popular girl who has a lot of confidence issues. It wasn't something anyone really saw coming, unless you count a brief scene in series five where they had a conversation. They're not really a couple, they're not in a relationship, but it is an interesting dynamic and I'm really exciting for what is to come.
Matty and Franky - the big one, the really big one. When we left them at the end of series five they were sort of on the cusp of something. I didn't expect them to come back not just in the midst of a relationship but seemingly at the end of it. She's changed. I was confused about that at first, then it hit me. In series five she was very androgynous, she didn't have a sense of identity, nor did she have any stable relationships (including friendships). It seems almost sudden for her to suddenly be dressing feminine and sleeping with boys, as Mini said herself "she was more fun when we thought she could be a lesbian". But at the end of the episode we saw her in a jacket that was large and a lot more similar to her style in series five. Having stable relationships and a boyfriend seemed to free her from her demons, it was like she had the power to be herself, to discover her identity and to feel comfortable in it. Then she dumped her boyfriend and he went on the run, whilst one of her best friends ended up in hospital...she reverts back to her more masculine clothing, to her comfort zone, to the place where she feels okay. So the change may be sudden, but it makes sense.
So, the characters who aren't included in the couples?
Liv - she's doing her thing, we've never really got along, I don't hate her but we stay out of each other's way, haha.
Nick - he's been doing his thing too, bit like Liv really. Neither here nor there, he was funny, that's about it.
Rider - a guest star in the last series, I hope we'll see more of him in this one because he's a dick. But he's a loveable dick. He's, not a very nice person, but I guess that makes him kind of fun.
Overall, I really enjoyed the episode. The mix of drama and fun was right and made me feel very happy with how it all turned out. I'm excited for what is coming next.
And the best thing of all?
Well, Bryan Elsley deleted his Twitter account so I couldn't tell him how awesome I thought it was...but his daughter, who wrote episodes 5 and 9, follows me on Twitter and he just happened to be sat with her. So he saw my tweet! Very happy. He's a lovely man from everything I've seen/heard of him. They're such a great family. True Skins family.
For anyone who might have decided to read this who doesn't know much about Skins, they change cast every two years. This means that the second year of a cast is always more developed and considerably more dramatic, compared to the first series anyway.
Tonight was the première of the first episode of series six, which just happened to fall on my birthday.
This episode was written by Daddy Skins, also know as Bryan Elsley. He is, in my opinion (and in the opinion of some others) a genius. In the fourth series there were a lot of controversial issues and his episode (the finale) was, well, he did exactly what I wish would have happened throughout the series - he made it fun, he made it dramatic, he made it the right mix of angst, fluff and Skins-ness.
So who better to kick start series six?
He wasn't there was series five, he was working on Skins US, and though I enjoyed it, I did feel like it missed his presence.
Anyway, onwards to the episode.
It had a great mix of drama, of Skins-ness (aka, sex, drugs, alcohol, parties, etc.), angst and lots of humour. It made me laugh, it made me want to cry, it made me want to shout and scream at the television.
There was some interesting character development.
Most notable were two of three 'relationships' we caught a glimpse of.
Rich and Grace were together and happy in series five so they're the third relationship that I don't have much to say about, except that Rich is extremely sweet and loving towards his girlfriend and that's so lovely to see. He can be a bit cold, in that he's a hard rocker, so it's not his bravado to be soppy.
Mini and Alo - they are an unlikely couple. He's a geeky farm boy who is obsessed with porn and drugs and she is a bitchy (though she does have a softer side) popular girl who has a lot of confidence issues. It wasn't something anyone really saw coming, unless you count a brief scene in series five where they had a conversation. They're not really a couple, they're not in a relationship, but it is an interesting dynamic and I'm really exciting for what is to come.
Matty and Franky - the big one, the really big one. When we left them at the end of series five they were sort of on the cusp of something. I didn't expect them to come back not just in the midst of a relationship but seemingly at the end of it. She's changed. I was confused about that at first, then it hit me. In series five she was very androgynous, she didn't have a sense of identity, nor did she have any stable relationships (including friendships). It seems almost sudden for her to suddenly be dressing feminine and sleeping with boys, as Mini said herself "she was more fun when we thought she could be a lesbian". But at the end of the episode we saw her in a jacket that was large and a lot more similar to her style in series five. Having stable relationships and a boyfriend seemed to free her from her demons, it was like she had the power to be herself, to discover her identity and to feel comfortable in it. Then she dumped her boyfriend and he went on the run, whilst one of her best friends ended up in hospital...she reverts back to her more masculine clothing, to her comfort zone, to the place where she feels okay. So the change may be sudden, but it makes sense.
So, the characters who aren't included in the couples?
Liv - she's doing her thing, we've never really got along, I don't hate her but we stay out of each other's way, haha.
Nick - he's been doing his thing too, bit like Liv really. Neither here nor there, he was funny, that's about it.
Rider - a guest star in the last series, I hope we'll see more of him in this one because he's a dick. But he's a loveable dick. He's, not a very nice person, but I guess that makes him kind of fun.
Overall, I really enjoyed the episode. The mix of drama and fun was right and made me feel very happy with how it all turned out. I'm excited for what is coming next.
And the best thing of all?
Well, Bryan Elsley deleted his Twitter account so I couldn't tell him how awesome I thought it was...but his daughter, who wrote episodes 5 and 9, follows me on Twitter and he just happened to be sat with her. So he saw my tweet! Very happy. He's a lovely man from everything I've seen/heard of him. They're such a great family. True Skins family.