Skins

Skins is one of the best shows I have ever watched. It is raw, honest and emotional beyond words. It consists of three different generations/slightly different casts with two seasons per generation. And finally it concludes with a seventh season that picks up some of the previous characters to give them a proper send off into adult life.

Generation 1 (Season 1 and 2) is the main one people love. It is the original that made people fall in love with Skins in the first place. It is amazingly well made and will always be a classic. This generation tends to be most peoples favorite. I think Cassie and Chris in particular are some really interesting characters you will fall in love with. The ending left a lot unanswered though, and that made me a bit disappointed.

Generation 2 (Season 3 and 4) is also a lot of people's favorite, and that has a lot to do with Freddie/Effy and the character of Cook. It is a lot darker than the first generation, and it contains a lot more drugs. A bit raunchier I would say. But I still loved it. The ending of this one was a double-edged sword. Because even though the last scene was iconic and JUST GOLD, there was still SO MUCH stuff left unanswered, and that made me even more frustrated than the mysterious ending of the first generation.

Generation 3 (Season 5 and 6) was different from the previous generations. A lot of people didn't like this generation, but honestly I loved that one too. It is more positive in some sorts. It had some really heartbreaking stories, yet some really lovely moments. And this ending nailed it. A good ending that made me feel content, and happy I actually watched all generations. And yeah, this ending made me cry like a baby.

I would give 10/10 for both generation 1 and 2, a 8/10 for generation 3, and a 8/10 for season 7 with previous characters.

Seriously, watch all generations. It will give you such a sense of the entire show, and once you reach that final scene in season 6 you will be so glad you watched it all the way through. The generations were all perfect and unique in their own way, and I couldn't say "watch this/that generation and forget the rest", because they complete each other, and I love them all so much.

<3

I can't stress enough how wonderful all these characters are, all very distinct, deep and you learn to care deeply about each one in a short space of time.

Damn shame series one has ended so soon - but the final episode, especially the final sequence has given me both shivers and tears even on the second viewing - and I'm a grown man in my 30's.

This is NOT just a teeny-drama, it's top quality essential viewing for anyone with an open mind.

Really want to learn more about these characters, I want to share their lives - so let's be having Series 2 straight away please!

Edit:

Series 2 was good, although not as good as 1, still way better than most things out there. I think those who dislike it so strongly probably gave up too early.

Series 3 however - what a disappointment! The writing has gone childish, simplistic and without any of the strong plots of the first two series. Cook - the most dislikable character, is over-used in every episode so far and completely overpowers every other character. It's gone from a great show about the lives of several people, to a badly written situdrama about one character being an idiot, with other people on the sidelines.

Series 1: 10/10 Series 2: 9/10 Series 3: 2/10

Huge disappointment.

After re watching Series 1-4 for the third time, Skins still blows my mind how brilliant this show is. Skins has enough drama for all of those in need of that section and enough hilarious comedy to keep those involved who would otherwise stray away from a show with only drama. All of the characters are absolutely riveting and I can guarantee after watching either series that you will have at least 1, possibly more favorite characters that you are so attached to that you will feel every emotion they do and scream at your television (Series 4 finale anybody?). While there are a very small amount of hiccups that make you question the plot at times(A character getting into Harvard on an athletic scholarship after being expelled from school? Not likely), Skins is still an absolutely gripping ride that will leave you wasting a whole day going through a season of the show leaving your other plans for the day as only a fore thought. I urge anyone reading this who has not watched Skins to go on Netflix (instant stream!) or any of the 389561805 websites that stream Skins to watch the first season through. If the pilot turns you off, just give it the next few episodes until you find your character because once you are in, Skins takes you on a wonderful journey of character based "dramedy" that any fan of television should love.

What's it all about?

A group of British teenagers living edgy lifestyles while being ignored by authority. Not as bad as it sounds.

Overall qualities:

+ has more than a few good young actors - actually, some of them are brilliant;

+ cinematography is great;

+ writing is much better than what you'd expect;

+ doesn't talk down at its audience;

+ a lot of thought is put into the soundtrack;

+ a lot of complex characters.

Overall structure of the show:

Each series (or "season") has eight to ten episodes. Each episode focuses in one character (occasionally two) or in the whole ensemble. The show changes its main cast every two series. The first series of each generation is introductory and aims to bring depth to each main character while still advancing parallel plot lines. The second series of each generation is always (always) darker and aims to deconstruct and change characters and established relationships by making them go through complicated (and sometimes extreme) situations.

Review of each series and each generation:

• series one -

It's a very well-constructed series, consistently great from beginning to end. The major setbacks are very few and far between. I could say with some confidence that if you disliked this series, the show just isn't for you, and you can probably stop watching. The episodes show the lives of each character and what sets them apart from their group of friends. Incompetent authority and neglectful parenting are recurring themes.

• series two -

This one is more complicated. As I said before, the second series of each generation is always darker, and this series follows that rule, albeit to a lesser extent than the other even series that follow. In my opinion, it's just as well-constructed as the previous one, and possibly even more emotionally poignant, but not everyone approves of the shift to more dramatic plots. New themes include death, acquired disabilities, stalking etc.

• overall view of generation one -

The first generation has two big qualities that the other two lack: great ensemble dynamic and consistently great writing, both from beginning to end. It's the fan favorite generation for a reason.

I know this makes the other two generations not look so good, but read on.

• series three -

As a lot of people know, the only links this generation has to the previous one are Effy and Pandora, who were minor characters throughout series one and two. The new characters take a bit longer to find their footing when compared to the old ones. This series is good overall, if you ignore the stupidity of a certain episode, and there are some genuinely brilliant moments. Questionable parenting and neglectful authority are still recurring themes, along with complicated and potentially dysfunctional relationships.

• series four -

Another complicated series. It's even darker than series two and, therefore, even more controversial. Some of the themes are death, mental disorders, cheating etc. But the real problem with this series, in my opinion, is that there is a huge contrast in quality between episodes. There are eight of them: four are amazing and four are either so-so or just plain bad. The messy structure and the rushed ending can be explained by an unexpected budget cut – they had to fit ten episodes into eight. Watch it with a grain of salt, appreciate it when it's wonderful and try not to rage when it's awful.

• overall view of generation two -

It is mostly good, occasionally wonderful, and then the budget cut – and a few other things – happened. Try not to compare it to generation one too much. These are very different characters.

• series five -

I've seen a lot of hate towards this one. Most of it stems from attachment to the previous generations, I think, and also because the characters here are very different from the others, as in their lives are not as "edgy", and a lot of people think the absurdity is the charm of Skins. If you get past that and embrace new, interesting takes on old textbook themes, you might like it. It is, in my opinion, the best series out of the six. It is wonderfully structured and written, and I have very few complaints about the choices the creative team made - they managed to bring depth to each character while still developing an interesting ensemble dynamic. Identity is the big theme here.

• series six -

Ironically enough, this might be the worst series. And not as in, "slightly worse than the worst series so far", but as in "much worse than the worst series so far". I have a lot of issues with the general direction they took with this one; to me, it seemed like they were being dark (darker than series two or four) for the sake of being dark, and some story lines were just plain unnecessary, while others felt like rehashes. Believe me, if you dislike the first episodes, you might as well just stop watching altogether, because it gets worse. Guilty over the death of a loved one is the theme here.

• overall view of generation three -

Everything was better than all that came before, and then series six happened. Watch series five and pretend that "Everyone" (5x08) was the generation three finale.

Moral of the story:

Watch series one to five and embrace new characters as they come.

Let's hope series seven will bring Skins some of its dignity back.

This series impacted me in such a painful and good way. It's incredibly heartbreaking to look back on this show, not solely because of the shocking deaths or the amazing lives they had but also due to the teen angst that reminds me of my own hopeless teenage dreams and struggles that still haunt me :'(

by the way I've only watched generation 1&2