Britain's E4 Skins is all my favourite television shows to watch, all rolled into one hour long episodes, detailing the lives of eight teens. Imagine the coming to age tales of Beverly Hills 90210 and Canada's Degrassi Jr. High, mixed into the drug and alcohol usage of an Intervention star and more sex than Carrie Bradshaw and cast, portrayed with hyper-literate scripting usually reserved for Dawson's Creek and the Gilmore Girls. The first season spirals around the casts ringleader Tony, a manipulative smart-ass played by that kid from About A Boy. Who would have thought he would have grown up to be hot? He has some weird Cruel Intentions tensions with his addict of a little sister, Effie, but most of the plot lines revolve around his messed up relationships with friends. There's Sid, his best friend that is inconveniently in love with his girlfriend, Michelle, so sleeps with her best friend, Cassie, the recovering OCD-anorexic that is in love with Sid. And that is just one of the complicated love stories. There is Jal the somewhat moral character of the series, in love with my personal favourite character: the pill-popping, "Fuck it" slacker Chris who has an affair with an emotional wreck of a Psychology teacher. The third triangle, well polygon, has hottie Maxxie, wanna be professional dancer and the openly gay member of the gang, his greasy-haired, grandpa-sweater-wearing stalker named Sketch, that turns former homophobe Muslim Anwar into a mini-me Maxxie, after Maxxie turns her down.
And kids, that's just the tip of the sexual tension iceberg, so you have plenty to catch up on when you download the show (cause face it- good shows never make it onto BBC America).
Other reasons to watch:
The UK has looser tv rating laws- which means you get to see a lot of skin in this aptly named show. (Maxxie, Maxxie, Maxxie!)
The plot twists: What male character gives another a blow job, cause that's what friends do? Who almost dies? Who does?
The cinematography and directing: seriously some of this can be straight art school film stuff, but the ending of season one with the whole cast singing "Wild World" is truly spine-tingling moment.
Reasons not to watch:
For some reason it is always unseasonably warm and sunny in this part of England, so if you watch this, then go to the UK in February and expect to wear off the shoulder shirts with hip huggers, you will be sorely disappointed, and, might I add, dripping wet and freezing your ass off. Or is it only freezing everytime I go there? Anyhow...
If you currently have a 14-18 year old, or were ever thinking of raising a kid in Bristol, don't. They will be cheating, drug dealing and taking, alcoholic, slutty, pregnant, thieving, lying, under-achieving, suicidal, yet strangely attractive and well-meaning brats.
Check it out at: http://www.e4.com/skins/
No comments:
Post a Comment