Skins Season 3 Fandom Primer
As I've made a recent habit of dispensing Skins fic recs, I thought I'd do a little fandom primer in case there's anyone who's been curious about the show but unsure if they want to check it out via our lovely internets... LINK THIS AND SPREAD THE LOVE.
Per Wikipedia: "Skins is a BAFTA-winning comedic teen drama that follows a group of teenagers from Bristol, England, as they grow up."
The themes and setting of the show are the real main characters -- as after every 2 seasons the cast changes. We are currently in S3, which is like a Season 1 except that some of the bit players and the universe carried over from Season 1-2. It's not necessary to see the first 2 Seasons to understand Season 3. It stands completely on its own. Seasons of Skins are about 10 episodes long. The season finale for Season 3 aired on 3/26/09.
When I try to explain the show to other Americans, I usually spout off something like, 'it's a cross between the movie Kids and Dawson's Creek that would air on HBO'.
A mix of wacky comedy and melodrama, expect lots of teenagers being destructive, constantly on drugs, having casual sex, and pining after each other. Everyone has sexual tension with just about everyone else.
So this is the deal:
I suggest watching these youtube videos to get a feel and see if it's something you'd like:
(a) 4 minute trailer, mostly including Episode 1 scenes. Gives a good idea of what the show is like. (4 minutes)
(b) an introduction to the twins (4 minutes)
(c) clip of Cook/Freddie conflict (1 minute)
(d) drinking in the pub (1 minute)
(e) Freddie/Cook reconciling in the early morning (aka the birth of the F/C ship) (3 minutes)
(f) a bit of Emily/Naomi femslash (1.5 minutes)
(g) and JJ/Cook/Freddie/Effy dynamics (1.5 minutes)
(h) ending with Freddie/Cook fuckedupness <3333333333 (1 minute)
+ An adorable and slashy JJ/Freddie/Cook webisode: "Last Bus" (Skins has these extra short webisodes they release throughout the season on the official website)
Current Cast Introductions:
I believe most characters are 16 at the start of the season (though Cook turns 17 in episode 2). All attend the same high school/college and are in the same "form" (aka grade). An explanation of the type of school they attend is here, thanks to lasultrix
THOMAS: African immigrant from Congo who just recently came to England. Very sweet, huggable, and loyal. Can recognize very good weed. Special Skills: All kinds of music; goat tending. Love interest for Pandora.
JJ: Best friend to Freddie and Cook, who have been a trio since early childhood. Special skills: complicated maths, trivia, and magic tricks. Suffers from an autism spectrum disorder - likely Aspergers - and can become fixated, introverted, and distressed in moments of high excitement and/or tension. JJ needs stability and it pains him to see conflict between Cook and Freddie. He has an obvious attraction for girls, but has never kissed anyone as of the start of the series. Tends to be very adorable when being kissed on the cheek or tickled by Cook.
NAOMI: An outsider, who's confrontational and self-protective. Idealistic and political minded. Unlike much of female student body, she's generally irritated with Cook. Her primary love interest seems to be Emily, though the full extent of her bisexuality is undetermined. Naomi is clearly lonely and a bit isolated, but prefers to push others away to forestall future rejection.
FREDDIE: Best friend to JJ and Cook, he has become increasingly frustrated & exhausted with Cook's tendency towards excess and self-destruction. Angst also comes from a dead!Mommy and spoiled!sister. Loves skateboarding and clothes that don't fit. His primary love interest is Effy, who fascinates him from day one. Cook, of course, immediately begins sleeping with her. As Cook alternates between pulling him close and pushing him away, Freddie struggles to balance his sincere love for Cook with his fury at both Cook's self-sabotage and his power plays.
EFFY: The sole continuing character from Season 1-2, Effy is the younger sister of S1-2 main character Tony whom she kind of secretly idolized (despite - or perhaps because of - the fact that he was a manipulative, mildly sociopathic control freak). Season 1-2 backstory tells us that Effy is sincerely Fucked Up, prone to not speaking for long periods of time and being dead inside. Prior to Season 3, she was drugged and raped by some guys her brother pissed off, oh and then her brother was then hit by a bus and brain damaged. FOR REALZ. So Effy now mostly stands around smoking and being jaded, and engages in lots of casual sex and drugs. Likes: said drugs, casual sex, and not feeling anything. Dislikes: love. Romantic interests are Freddie and Cook.
COOK: Best friend to Freddie and JJ. Likes: everything & everyone under the sun, especially any type of mood altering substance that can be drank, smoked, or snorted. Dislikes: feeling Freddie slip away. Cook's motivations are often illusive and layered. Though he appears at first glance to be driven solely by drugs, sex, and chaos occasionally the audience catches a glimpse of real vulnerability and a capacity for tenderness. Viewers may differ on whether or not Cook has canon UST with Freddie - I'm of the personal opinion that the subtext is deliberate and we're supposed to read some of that into Cook's reactions and behavior.
PANDORA: Best friend to Effy, Pandora is a bubbly born follower. She's eager to misbehave, but in a fresh, innocent sort of way. It's unclear whether the viewer is intended to believe Pandora is "slow" (i.e. below average IQ) or merely poorly socialized and eccentric (possibly both). Primary love interest appears to be Thomas.
EMILY: The gay twin and part-time doormat to her pushy and popular twin. At first glance Emily appears to be quiet and shy, but she can be biting if pushed to it and her ability to go for what she wants is something that characters like Freddie and JJ would deeply envy. The less time she spends with her twin, the more she comes out of her shell. Romantic interest is Naomi, for whom she pines most prettily.
KATIE: The straight twin, Katie looooooves the cock and has a sublimely ridiculous footballer boyfriend. Likes: public displays of affection; wearing no underwear. Katie's strong personality tends to walk all over Emily and she's likely oblivious to most of her twin's feelings and personality. Managed to be completely unaware that her twin is a lesbian.
Fic Links:
I've previously posted recs for Season 3 fic here and here and here.
skinsfans: general community for all things Skins related. Episode preview links, pic spams, icons, vids, fanmixes, etc. Rather high traffic for a smaller fandom. Lots of misc posts, low mod activity/control. note: Members should be able to locate all the Season 3 episodes via this community.
skinsfic: general fanfic community, welcomes gen, het, slash/femslash. Though most of the traffic is about the current season, you'll still see Season 1-2 posts.
jjcook: shipper community for the JJ/Cook pairing
cookfreddie: shipper community for the Freddie/Cook pairing
naomi_x_emily: shipper community for the Naomi/Emily pairing
Vid Links
Half-Boyfriend (Cook/Freddie)
Easier to Lie (The Cook-Freddie-Effy Triangle) *which possibly did not intend to demonstrate subtext between all parties, but totally does anyway
Stolen (Naomi/Emily)
Effy Stonem(Effy gen vid, mostly S1-2 through opening of S3)
Per Wikipedia: "Skins is a BAFTA-winning comedic teen drama that follows a group of teenagers from Bristol, England, as they grow up."
The themes and setting of the show are the real main characters -- as after every 2 seasons the cast changes. We are currently in S3, which is like a Season 1 except that some of the bit players and the universe carried over from Season 1-2. It's not necessary to see the first 2 Seasons to understand Season 3. It stands completely on its own. Seasons of Skins are about 10 episodes long. The season finale for Season 3 aired on 3/26/09.
When I try to explain the show to other Americans, I usually spout off something like, 'it's a cross between the movie Kids and Dawson's Creek that would air on HBO'.
A mix of wacky comedy and melodrama, expect lots of teenagers being destructive, constantly on drugs, having casual sex, and pining after each other. Everyone has sexual tension with just about everyone else.
So this is the deal:
I suggest watching these youtube videos to get a feel and see if it's something you'd like:
(a) 4 minute trailer, mostly including Episode 1 scenes. Gives a good idea of what the show is like. (4 minutes)
(b) an introduction to the twins (4 minutes)
(c) clip of Cook/Freddie conflict (1 minute)
(d) drinking in the pub (1 minute)
(e) Freddie/Cook reconciling in the early morning (aka the birth of the F/C ship) (3 minutes)
(f) a bit of Emily/Naomi femslash (1.5 minutes)
(g) and JJ/Cook/Freddie/Effy dynamics (1.5 minutes)
(h) ending with Freddie/Cook fuckedupness <3333333333 (1 minute)
+ An adorable and slashy JJ/Freddie/Cook webisode: "Last Bus" (Skins has these extra short webisodes they release throughout the season on the official website)
Current Cast Introductions:
I believe most characters are 16 at the start of the season (though Cook turns 17 in episode 2). All attend the same high school/college and are in the same "form" (aka grade). An explanation of the type of school they attend is here, thanks to lasultrix
THOMAS: African immigrant from Congo who just recently came to England. Very sweet, huggable, and loyal. Can recognize very good weed. Special Skills: All kinds of music; goat tending. Love interest for Pandora.
JJ: Best friend to Freddie and Cook, who have been a trio since early childhood. Special skills: complicated maths, trivia, and magic tricks. Suffers from an autism spectrum disorder - likely Aspergers - and can become fixated, introverted, and distressed in moments of high excitement and/or tension. JJ needs stability and it pains him to see conflict between Cook and Freddie. He has an obvious attraction for girls, but has never kissed anyone as of the start of the series. Tends to be very adorable when being kissed on the cheek or tickled by Cook.
NAOMI: An outsider, who's confrontational and self-protective. Idealistic and political minded. Unlike much of female student body, she's generally irritated with Cook. Her primary love interest seems to be Emily, though the full extent of her bisexuality is undetermined. Naomi is clearly lonely and a bit isolated, but prefers to push others away to forestall future rejection.
FREDDIE: Best friend to JJ and Cook, he has become increasingly frustrated & exhausted with Cook's tendency towards excess and self-destruction. Angst also comes from a dead!Mommy and spoiled!sister. Loves skateboarding and clothes that don't fit. His primary love interest is Effy, who fascinates him from day one. Cook, of course, immediately begins sleeping with her. As Cook alternates between pulling him close and pushing him away, Freddie struggles to balance his sincere love for Cook with his fury at both Cook's self-sabotage and his power plays.
EFFY: The sole continuing character from Season 1-2, Effy is the younger sister of S1-2 main character Tony whom she kind of secretly idolized (despite - or perhaps because of - the fact that he was a manipulative, mildly sociopathic control freak). Season 1-2 backstory tells us that Effy is sincerely Fucked Up, prone to not speaking for long periods of time and being dead inside. Prior to Season 3, she was drugged and raped by some guys her brother pissed off, oh and then her brother was then hit by a bus and brain damaged. FOR REALZ. So Effy now mostly stands around smoking and being jaded, and engages in lots of casual sex and drugs. Likes: said drugs, casual sex, and not feeling anything. Dislikes: love. Romantic interests are Freddie and Cook.
COOK: Best friend to Freddie and JJ. Likes: everything & everyone under the sun, especially any type of mood altering substance that can be drank, smoked, or snorted. Dislikes: feeling Freddie slip away. Cook's motivations are often illusive and layered. Though he appears at first glance to be driven solely by drugs, sex, and chaos occasionally the audience catches a glimpse of real vulnerability and a capacity for tenderness. Viewers may differ on whether or not Cook has canon UST with Freddie - I'm of the personal opinion that the subtext is deliberate and we're supposed to read some of that into Cook's reactions and behavior.
PANDORA: Best friend to Effy, Pandora is a bubbly born follower. She's eager to misbehave, but in a fresh, innocent sort of way. It's unclear whether the viewer is intended to believe Pandora is "slow" (i.e. below average IQ) or merely poorly socialized and eccentric (possibly both). Primary love interest appears to be Thomas.
EMILY: The gay twin and part-time doormat to her pushy and popular twin. At first glance Emily appears to be quiet and shy, but she can be biting if pushed to it and her ability to go for what she wants is something that characters like Freddie and JJ would deeply envy. The less time she spends with her twin, the more she comes out of her shell. Romantic interest is Naomi, for whom she pines most prettily.
KATIE: The straight twin, Katie looooooves the cock and has a sublimely ridiculous footballer boyfriend. Likes: public displays of affection; wearing no underwear. Katie's strong personality tends to walk all over Emily and she's likely oblivious to most of her twin's feelings and personality. Managed to be completely unaware that her twin is a lesbian.
Fic Links:
I've previously posted recs for Season 3 fic here and here and here.
skinsfans: general community for all things Skins related. Episode preview links, pic spams, icons, vids, fanmixes, etc. Rather high traffic for a smaller fandom. Lots of misc posts, low mod activity/control. note: Members should be able to locate all the Season 3 episodes via this community.
skinsfic: general fanfic community, welcomes gen, het, slash/femslash. Though most of the traffic is about the current season, you'll still see Season 1-2 posts.
jjcook: shipper community for the JJ/Cook pairing
cookfreddie: shipper community for the Freddie/Cook pairing
naomi_x_emily: shipper community for the Naomi/Emily pairing
Vid Links
Half-Boyfriend (Cook/Freddie)
Easier to Lie (The Cook-Freddie-Effy Triangle) *which possibly did not intend to demonstrate subtext between all parties, but totally does anyway
Stolen (Naomi/Emily)
Effy Stonem(Effy gen vid, mostly S1-2 through opening of S3)