While I was out last night at Digital LA's entertainment media goes social panel at the Writers Guild, I'm hoping that many of you stayed in to watch the latest installment of Skins on BBC America.(BTW, astute viewers may have noticed the gorgeous new Skins Season Three promo currently running on BBC America which features a host of pithy quotes about the series from yours truly. Pretty flattering, to be honest.)
Given that this is the second week of the third season--and, given the cast changes, essentially a new series in and of itself--I'm extremely curious to see what you thought of last night's episode. Are the new characters growing on you more this week or are you still missing Sid, Cassie, Tony, and the rest of the original gang? Does Effy anchor the new cast? Are you intrigued by Cook or turned off by his bluster? Are the twins adorably mismatched or just misunderstood?
And, most importantly, are you going to tune in again next week?
Talk back here.
Next week on Skins ("Thomas"), Thomas arrives from the Congo homeless and penniless and lands himself in trouble with Johnny White; the gang discover that Thomas may be the answer to their problems when they realize he has one advantage over the sinister gangster.
Comments
One of the things that drew me into the show was that it largely defies expectations - while it may present itself as a teen drama, focusing on characters who fulfill stock roles, beneath that surface there is something deeper that allows you to become attached to them in a realistic way. The show was at its most stylistic, and at its best in my mind, when it went into these characters' alternate worlds and discovered something new about them.
The problem with "Cook" is that it refuses to do what I was begging it to do, which is humanize Cook. I think Cook's a complete tool, and I don't think this is a mistaken observation - the premiere establishes him as a rebel without a cause with nary a care in the world, and it's hard not to question his motives and the like. So when I realized that Episode Two was all about "Cook," I was waiting for the hook, the element of his story that would make me care about him at a level deeper than comic relief.
Instead, it was the exact opposite: the episode confirms his previous behaviour, turning him into a performing monkey, a glutton, and a sex-obsessed jerk. These elements of his character are an acquired taste, sure, and I won't lie that the episode does a mighty fine job of confirming those parts of his personality. However, I needed more than a song and dance to be able to find Cook endearing as opposed to repulsive, and this seemed as good a time as any.
I won't spoil the remainder of the season, where Cook's character does gain some complexity, but I needed more of that in this episode as someone who prefers Skins when it's being subtle and dramatic rather than when it's being brash. I like Mackenzie Crook, but the combination of his over the top performance and Cook's general "larger than life" (read: unrealistic) behaviour turns Skins into a show that doesn't capture what made the first few seasons so enjoyable.
I'm planning to keep watching, for now, but if this had been my first taste of Skins, I would not be coming back.