Original post: Tueday, June 25, 2013.
Re-posted from: http://superstarrsophie.blogspot.com
Skins is a very overlooked TV show, in my opinion. Everyone who doesn't watch the show seem to think they know whatever there is to know about the show just by watching the trailer. People seem to assume the show is about reckless teenage behaviour: teenagers who engage in promiscuity, teenagers who experiment with substances and alcohol, teenagers with no responsibilities and teenagers who party the night away. Well, I guess this is partly true if you judge the show solely based on the promotion and the trailers made for it then yeah, you might think so. The people behind the show reached their purpose. They wanted to make a big hype about the show, make it controversial, revolutionary and different from the shows that were being aired at that time. It was the start of 2007 and before then, no one has ever seen a show like Skins.
I've gotta admit that I was one of the many people who assumed such things about Skins. I started watching random episodes of Skins in 2010, three years after the first episode of Series One was aired. I didn't really understand it then. I was a naive, 13 year old who found the show fun with the partying, alcohol and drug abuse scenes. Fast forward to 2013, I don't know what made me do it but I started getting into Skins again. Properly, this time. I didn't jump to any episodes. I watched every single one of them ( except for Series 6, I missed a few episodes because it's pretty hard to find them but hey! if you have proper links to it, please send them to me thank you very much!) I started shipping people, I had opinions about the characters and each generation and it looks like, I might start on my rant about everyone and everything Skins. I've kept all these thoughts to myself for quite a while now fine, maybe I've had short rants in 140 characters over Twitter with my online friend, Nayli and maybe verbally to my confused friends who unfortunately don't feel the same way as I do. So, you know what? I'll be blogging my Skins rant in parts to divide each generation. That'll make it easier for me to post (get my thoughts together) and easier for whoever wants to read it.
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| Not mine, taken from Your Skins Confessions |
Skins is full of great storylines that will definitely pull you into the show. The show is not all about how cute Nicholas Hoult looks like, I'm watching you. Yes, you whoever you are that watches the show just because of that shallow reason. You have to look past whatever it is said to be about because there is more to the show than reckless teenage behaviour. The show and the characters portrayed in it are said to be unrealistic and stereotypical. Well, they're not in my opinion. Your life might not have turned out to be the way the Skins' character's lives turned out to be but that doesn't make the show unrealistic or stereotypical. The stories written for these characters are mostly based on the stories the people behind the show are told by their friends who went through all these things. They're all real so, don't tell me that this show is unrealistic and stereotypical because it's not. I know I can't really relate to what these characters go through in each episode of the show but, I have this emotional attachment to them. I feel as if I am them when I put myself in their shoes and in their minds. I cry because I feel the pain they are going through at that time. I feel like they are me and I am them. I'm not sure if anyone else who watches the show feel that way or if it's just me. I spent like, only two weeks of my life to finish Series One to Five but, it did come with consequences. I wouldn't sleep till I finished a series so that means I stayed up most of the night till morning and that would leave me with about 1-2 hours of sleep. There was one day where I had to endure only 5 minutes of sleep and that was also the day of a big play I was apart of. I came to school feeling like I was dead.
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| (from top to bottom) Generation One, Two and Three |
Let's talk about Generation One. They divide their show to three generations. These generations just mean the generations of students. The actors are replaced every two series when the characters graduate from sixth form in Roundview College and move onto university. This also means a new generation begins after every two series. Generation One were explored in Series One and Two, Generation Two in Series Three and Four and Generation Three in Series Five and Six. One thing I love about Skins regardless of which generation it is are the actors. This show has got to be the only show (that I watch, not sure about the other shows that are put out there) that casts actors who are around the same age as the characters they portray on set. The main characters on the show are around 16 to 17 and the actors are the same ages as well. Plus, the actors in the show have had little to no acting experience prior to being casted on the show. They're mostly amateur actors and they act so well! It's unbelievable, really.
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| Not mine, taken from Your Skins Confessions |
My favorite characters in the whole of Generation One have got to be Cassie and Chris. When they moved in together, I loved them even more. The friendship they had was beautiful. I loved them together! When Chris died, I was in denial. It took me a while for me to cry because all that was in my head before I started crying was "Wait, nope. He's not dead. He's just pulling another prank on Cassie like he did the last time. No, wait he's dead. For sure." and the tears came rushing in.
The most underrated characters in Generation One have got to be Maxxie and Anwar. I wished the writers explored their characters more than they did. I really cherished the friendship they had together. I don't know how I would've rewritten their character's story lines but I'd definitely add more to it.
There were a few characters in this generation that took me some time to like them. For example, Tony and Michelle. I didn't like Tony throughout Series One because I didn't like the way he took advantage of the people around him. Deep down, I know he cares but he doesn't show it and he takes his friends especially his best friend, Sid and his girlfriend, Michelle for granted. At first, I thought the only person he genuinely cared about and he shows that he does is his younger sister, Effy. He covers for her when she goes out late at night, he takes care of her, he worries about her. I loved their brother-sister relationship throughout the show. In Series Two, I started liking him and I actually pitied him. The way his friends (mainly Sid and Michelle) turned their backs on him by hooking up with each other when he needed them most the way he did to them before while he was recovering after his coma.
Michelle, Michelle, Michelle. What's there to say about Michelle? I didn't really like her at first because she was always trying too hard. But now, I see that she had her reasons. She was always insecure with herself. Her own boyfriend doesn't compliment or love her enough to make her feel good about herself and then there's her boyfriend's best friend who worships the ground she walks on. She's confused too. She doesn't have a good family background (her mom remarries a lot). She hides her insecurity with confidence. She exudes so much confidence that nobody knows how she's actually feeling deep inside except maybe her best friend, Jal who can see through the lines.
I just have to point out the resemblance of Tony in Cassie or Cassie in Tony? I don't know. They share one thing in common besides their group of friends, their manipulative trait. While Tony uses manipulation to benefit himself, Cassie uses it as revenge. She manipulates people to hurt them the way they hate her. You can see how she treats Sid.
If you wanna start talking about ships, my favorite ships in Generation One have got to be Sid/Cassie and Chris/Jal. For a while, I did ship Chris/Angie, I'm not proud to admit that but I did ship them. I cry in frustration especially during their storylines because sometimes I just wanna punch their faces and be like "Why did you do that? No, don't do that!" Yeah, if you didn't know this already I am a very emotional shipper and tv show watcher. I can't help having an emotional attachment to fiction.
Here are some of my favorite fan videos and scenes from Generation One:
Sid/Cassie:
Jal/Chris/Angie:
Can I also point out how Skins Generation One had the best soundtrack in all of the generations. Well, actually Skins in general has the best soundtrack. They showcase so many new artistes who have done so well after their songs are used in the show. For example, Adele. It was the first time Hometown Glory was every played and the song was sent to Skins and they used it in Series Two. They also showcase so many other great musical acts like Crystal Castles and Foals who are doing so well in the music industry right now. And no one should ever forget the finale to Series One and how they ended it with a song. It was really unexpected and really different. The idea might seem a bit ridiculous but somehow it fits. Take a look for yourself. I love it so much!
Besides all the pain and sadness and drama that happened all throughout Series One and Two, there were some very funny moments that lightened up the mood of the show.
Watch 4:40 because I can't find the original footage of that scene.
I'll be back with second part to "Overlooked and Overexposed: Skins (Rant Part One). I've worked so hard on this rant, I hope everyone reading this appreciates my opinion. You can comment below, follow my blog or tweet me! Enjoy!
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