"But these guys caught me. It's what MATES do."
All right! Skins S5 finale thoughts, most of them flaily! Boy are they ever flaily! Because, this finale. This finale. This was me during the final twenty minutes:
OH, KIDS.
*I’m of two minds about Grace and Rich’s not-wedding. I really thought they could have gone all the way and shown us what a teen marriage could be like. Because it really does happen, and Skins could have excelled at showing us one. But then they could have used it to show how teen marriages fail, and of course they were both so young in the first place, so…it’s a good thing they didn’t go through with it?
…But one day they will and they will have big-haired, head-banging, Shakespeare reciting babies for ever and ever.
“Why did you cut your lovely hair?” NO WORDS. I am getting a kick out of how the fandom rejoiced when Rich cut his hair ( and hello, how adorable is he under that mop?), but then we find out Grace loved his silly long hair, Grace loves him for who he is always. Then in the end they’re running through the field and he is carrying her, and hold me someone, I ship these two so hard.
Auuuugh, I am still so terrified of the ways the writers could mess with them in series six. I am going to have to quote Jessica Sula:
I just want Grace and Rich to be a steady couple. So many Skins characters always break up, so it’d be great to have some familiarity. Not all teenage couples break up all the time. Okay, yeah they do! But some are sweethearts and go through their tiffs and stay together.
You tell them, Jessica! OTP for freaking ever. Jamie Brittain and company this is your big damn ship, your Naomily for generation three. Recognize that and don’t mess it up, por favor!
*Nick is the dorkiest dorkface to ever dork. Can I say how happy I am that the boy turned out blundering and socially awkward after all? Also: the ~Al and Nicholas~ double act and Nick screaming at “Al” to leave him to the bears and “We’re in Somerset, Nick!” and Alo running like hell and Nick limping like hell, and stop it right now you two because I might die laughing.
*Please, series six, do right by Alo. I don’t want him to be the next JJ: so much potential wasted on one sappy random pair-up (JJ was my favorite gen two boy, but seriously.) I very much want to see the growing up that he told his parents he would do.
(And uh…I am still kinda hoping Mini’s bisexual because I still have a sailboat for these two, if not a ship. :p )
*So, I reserved judgement up till the end and now I’ll say it: I love Liv and Mini quite a bit! I love them the most when they love each other. Oh Liv, I think understand you now. Her break-up scene with Matty was so well-done. Finally, I got why they clung on together so long: they were still trying and trying and trying to recapture the magic of that very first day. And they couldn’t, and they were falling apart, and I love how they accepted that. I hope they’ll be friends, though (if series six doesn’t get them back together). And I really, really want to see Liv fix herself and know what she wants from life. Laya is so good at showing us the self-assurance she can have if she tries.
*As for Mini, do I even need to say anything? Freya Mavor = GODDESS, okay?
But here’s my unpopular opinion: I really, really can’t see Franky and Mini in a relationship. I thought Mini’s crush on her was so sad and true to her character, and I’m glad they’re so close now (we should’ve seen more of that, but I’m glad), however I can’t see them together together, you know? Mini’s still the one pushing it, dominating, and Franky is shutting down and imploding. And besides, I honestly can’t see Franky in an actual romance with anyone: not with Matty or Mini or Liv. Plus there is still Franky’s ‘dark past’ the writers were hinting at, so... I don’t know. It’s a huge fandom ship now, but I just don’t know.
*Errr, this is probably unpopular too: Matty and Franky’s connection makes a whole lot of sense to me. Not in a romantic way exactly: it’s just that they both see something in this other person that is as far from normal as they both feel. I really loved their text messages and big hug in the end (*ducks tomatoes*). Like I said, I don’t really want to see them dating, but I would love to see more of their friendship. My Franky OTP is Franky/friendship apparently.
*The last twenty minutes, the love letter to all of them and to their friendship and to hanging on together no matter what... YES. Yes, yes, yesssss, it hit my friendship kink so hard it probably made a freaking crater!
“Yeah. I fell...down a freaking k-hole actually. But these guys caught me. It’s what mates do. ‘Cause it’s screwed up out there, I don’t know if you’ve been out there lately but we have a go. Whatever comes, we have a good go at it. ‘Cause it’s all we can do.”
BRAVO. This? THIS is the very heart of Skins. The writers nailed it all over again, this is made out of the same magical stuff that made the first cast so good. “Baby, it’s a wild world”, however, “It’s screwed up at there, but we have a go at it.” YES.
*In conclusion, I am so very happy that I gave this show another chance. I have fallen back in love (so much love!) with it. These kids are very close to my heart now, and I want them all to be okay and even more awesome next season, and I am rooting for a good ending for this generation. (aka no you-know-whats/what-you-did-to-Freds-and-Chris; you can do it, writers. You CAN; it would be the best twist of all, don’t you see?)
*They are my second favorite gen. Absolutely. Like the song (I think it was a song?) says: Make new friends but keep the old. One is silver, the other is gold.
Everything was beautiful and nothing hurt.
OH, KIDS.
*I’m of two minds about Grace and Rich’s not-wedding. I really thought they could have gone all the way and shown us what a teen marriage could be like. Because it really does happen, and Skins could have excelled at showing us one. But then they could have used it to show how teen marriages fail, and of course they were both so young in the first place, so…it’s a good thing they didn’t go through with it?
…But one day they will and they will have big-haired, head-banging, Shakespeare reciting babies for ever and ever.
“Why did you cut your lovely hair?” NO WORDS. I am getting a kick out of how the fandom rejoiced when Rich cut his hair ( and hello, how adorable is he under that mop?), but then we find out Grace loved his silly long hair, Grace loves him for who he is always. Then in the end they’re running through the field and he is carrying her, and hold me someone, I ship these two so hard.
Auuuugh, I am still so terrified of the ways the writers could mess with them in series six. I am going to have to quote Jessica Sula:
I just want Grace and Rich to be a steady couple. So many Skins characters always break up, so it’d be great to have some familiarity. Not all teenage couples break up all the time. Okay, yeah they do! But some are sweethearts and go through their tiffs and stay together.
You tell them, Jessica! OTP for freaking ever. Jamie Brittain and company this is your big damn ship, your Naomily for generation three. Recognize that and don’t mess it up, por favor!
*Nick is the dorkiest dorkface to ever dork. Can I say how happy I am that the boy turned out blundering and socially awkward after all? Also: the ~Al and Nicholas~ double act and Nick screaming at “Al” to leave him to the bears and “We’re in Somerset, Nick!” and Alo running like hell and Nick limping like hell, and stop it right now you two because I might die laughing.
*Please, series six, do right by Alo. I don’t want him to be the next JJ: so much potential wasted on one sappy random pair-up (JJ was my favorite gen two boy, but seriously.) I very much want to see the growing up that he told his parents he would do.
(And uh…I am still kinda hoping Mini’s bisexual because I still have a sailboat for these two, if not a ship. :p )
*So, I reserved judgement up till the end and now I’ll say it: I love Liv and Mini quite a bit! I love them the most when they love each other. Oh Liv, I think understand you now. Her break-up scene with Matty was so well-done. Finally, I got why they clung on together so long: they were still trying and trying and trying to recapture the magic of that very first day. And they couldn’t, and they were falling apart, and I love how they accepted that. I hope they’ll be friends, though (if series six doesn’t get them back together). And I really, really want to see Liv fix herself and know what she wants from life. Laya is so good at showing us the self-assurance she can have if she tries.
*As for Mini, do I even need to say anything? Freya Mavor = GODDESS, okay?
But here’s my unpopular opinion: I really, really can’t see Franky and Mini in a relationship. I thought Mini’s crush on her was so sad and true to her character, and I’m glad they’re so close now (we should’ve seen more of that, but I’m glad), however I can’t see them together together, you know? Mini’s still the one pushing it, dominating, and Franky is shutting down and imploding. And besides, I honestly can’t see Franky in an actual romance with anyone: not with Matty or Mini or Liv. Plus there is still Franky’s ‘dark past’ the writers were hinting at, so... I don’t know. It’s a huge fandom ship now, but I just don’t know.
*Errr, this is probably unpopular too: Matty and Franky’s connection makes a whole lot of sense to me. Not in a romantic way exactly: it’s just that they both see something in this other person that is as far from normal as they both feel. I really loved their text messages and big hug in the end (*ducks tomatoes*). Like I said, I don’t really want to see them dating, but I would love to see more of their friendship. My Franky OTP is Franky/friendship apparently.
*The last twenty minutes, the love letter to all of them and to their friendship and to hanging on together no matter what... YES. Yes, yes, yesssss, it hit my friendship kink so hard it probably made a freaking crater!
“Yeah. I fell...down a freaking k-hole actually. But these guys caught me. It’s what mates do. ‘Cause it’s screwed up out there, I don’t know if you’ve been out there lately but we have a go. Whatever comes, we have a good go at it. ‘Cause it’s all we can do.”
BRAVO. This? THIS is the very heart of Skins. The writers nailed it all over again, this is made out of the same magical stuff that made the first cast so good. “Baby, it’s a wild world”, however, “It’s screwed up at there, but we have a go at it.” YES.
*In conclusion, I am so very happy that I gave this show another chance. I have fallen back in love (so much love!) with it. These kids are very close to my heart now, and I want them all to be okay and even more awesome next season, and I am rooting for a good ending for this generation. (aka no you-know-whats/what-you-did-to-Freds-and-Chris; you can do it, writers. You CAN; it would be the best twist of all, don’t you see?)
*They are my second favorite gen. Absolutely. Like the song (I think it was a song?) says: Make new friends but keep the old. One is silver, the other is gold.
Everything was beautiful and nothing hurt.