A quick post on a serious television obsession. I have been totally devoted to the British series Skins for years. I love the plot lines, the characters, the very real way that they approach topics without being exploitive (drugs, pregnancy, illness – mental and physical). I can’t remember how I got into it, or who told me about it, but I watched the first season in about a day, and then re-watched every episode for weeks afterwards pausing and replaying my favorite scenes. I would stay up late into the night so that I could see the new episodes online the day they premiered in Britain when the 2nd season came out.
So first a quick introduction (from wikipedia, but then they are correct this time around and it was just right there — such easy information, so sue me):
“Skins is a British show that follows a group of teenagers in Bristol, South West England, through the two years of sixth form. The show is notable for its casting of amateur actors and young writers. The cast are entirely replaced every two series, when the characters leave sixth form.”
Here is the a so famous promo pic of the first cast (you may recognize some of them from a whole-lotta other projects, i.e. Slumdog Millionaire anyone?):
I was devoted to this cast. They were engaging, raw and heartfelt, and their quirks!! They really spoke to me. They made me feel like I wasn’t alone, like there are others out there that march to their own drummer, like everyone does, and it is the people that make you feel otherwise that are the outsiders.
The second cast was interesting, but the development of the characters was lacking. If you feel otherwise let me know, tell me why!
Character development aside, the plot kept you interested, big time!
Now here is a shot of the new cast:
Now, I haven’t seen a single episode, or know anything about the characters, but there seems to be a lack of serious eye-candy that the first 4 seasons really used to their advantage. Classically good-looking men like Tony and Freddie and the delicately beautiful Effy really brought in an audience and then the plot-lines kept them. Time will tell, and anyways I ended up swooning over the quirkier, nerdy Sid more than any other character.
All that aside, the street fashion and the music in the new series had best DE-LI-VER! The music in the first four seasons was mind-blowing. Every track was inspired, every sound perfectly fit the characters, the mood, the environment. The skins official website lets you go through all the music as they were used for each characters soundtrack , it is a haven for obscure titles, and mega-hits that you never knew existed. Check it out!
Here is the theme song. It’s by Fats Segal and hearing just the first few notes can get me going.
Enjoy!
xoxo
Amanda
P.S. A Skins film is also in production, as well as an American adaptation by MTV, set in Baltimore, Maryland. I do not feel good about this. I am downright disturbed by the American adaptation, unless AMC or HBO is doing it, you know it can have the same edge, the language and content, I fear, will be dialed down big time.