Skins: Juventude à Flor da Pele

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.

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

When this show first came out, i saw the trailer on the TV and thought it looked absolutely rubbish. However when the series one DVD came out my mum (yes my mum likes skins! and she's 42!)said that i might want to give it a chance. So i did and it's fantastic, nothing like i thought it was going to be. I don't see why some people have got all flustered about it exaggerating teenager's lives. Im 18 and personally my life is nothing like that of the skins bunch, but the show didn't set out to depict real life. It's an entertaining and funny show with a surprising amount of depth sometimes. If you have a sense of humour this show will appeal to you, if you don't or you have a very selective sense of humour then give it a pass or expect to be disappointed. Skins is what you make it, take it or leave it, it's up to you.

The 1st generation of Skins (Season 1/2) is an immensely gripping British Drama, with great acting, story lines, and lovable characters. It's funny, emotional, weird, and deciphers the lives of British teenager years fantastically well, and in such a way that it's impossible to not like any of the characters. No other television show has made me laugh, cry and feel for the characters like this before.

After the departure of the characters we've come to know and love, a new, less likable bunch arrive. I'm not sure if these where the writers intentions, but season 3 - 7 fail to grab the essence of the original two season's. The acting isn't even comparable to the 1st generation, the humor level is dumbed down to fart jokes and penis jokes, which is something the 1st never did, or if so, did in a way that didn't make it seem forced or even remotely like cheap writing.

There are a few good moments and a few characters that made me laugh a couple of times, but these are the characters that are just copies of the old ones, and these same characters seem as if they are trying to balance the weight of the entire show on their shoulders.

It's just not the same, and because you get so emotionally attached to the first generation's excellently written characters, narratives and style, it's hard to fall in love again.

Season one and two - 9/10

Season 3-7 - 6.5.

It's good to look to look over to Channel 4's sister channel E4 and find good quality British drama on our TV's. Skins is a fantastic and invigorating in-look in to the lives of modern day students.

The first two series had a fantastic cast, most of whom who had never acted before but some familiar faces including About A Boy's Nicholas Hoult and Slumdog Millioanire's Dev Patel who played Tony and Anwar respectively. The cast all worked really well together and it came across perfectly, especially in the second series. The characters they portray; the musical nerd, the lay about, the girl with the eating disorder, the religious one, the metro-sexual, etc. Characters that young people can identify with easily, in every day life, in their surroundings.

The third series was a risky strategy, in which they overhauled all their main characters from the first two series and got a new ensemble cast, or what has become to be referred to, as the ''second generation''. However the show has still been able to keep its sharp edge and shock factor, with some fantastic new characters and actors for the third and current fourth series. Some of the more entertaining and fascinating ones include naive Pandora Moon portrayed by Lisa Blackwell, bad boy 'Cook' portrayed by Jack O'Connel and individualistic twins Emily and Katie Finch.

The lifestyle the group has is glammed up slightly, especially in the early episodes and initial advertisements. Some may argue this is not 'real life', but its television, what is? Some of the party and group scenes are shot extremely well and capture the essence of the modern day lifestyles of the late 2000's perfectly. The show does boast some intriguing and dramatic story lines and selects its actors very well. Its admirable for the production team to encourage young actors (along with the amazing adult guest stars), writers, fashion designers, set designers, etc to join the show. The musical score is something that has to be mentioned, it's some of the best in today's television programmes. Even the opening credits, the music from Fat Seggal is fresh and inspirational.

As the ''second generation'' comes to an end this year (or so we assume) it will be interesting if the show will be revived again.

All in all Skins is something that we don't have a lot of on our screens. Channel 4 should be applauded and continue to invest in programmes such as Skins to appeal to today's generation of young adults.