So where was I the last few days with plenty of time to relax and wind down from my much needed vacation? Besides the occasional tennis sessions and flower shopping for my now emptier apartment, I've been watching the British television sensation, Skins. I've heard great things about the series and I was interested in how twisted and cliche the Brits can make teen dramas compared to the American counterparts such as 'Gossip Girl' and 'The OC'. And after all, this was the show that got Dev Patel cast in Slumdog Millionaire.
It took awhile to get used to weird, dry edits but once I broke through, I could see why this show can be so addictive. I mean, I did watch 19 episodes in two days! That's almost '24-esque'. You have bunch of junkie teenagers who all have some degree of morality inside them and yet they know they're young and it's okay to screw up (intentionally) because of it. Yes, there are very cliche and overdramatic story arcs such as:
- Resident gay teen has a straight stalker who's sleeping with the teen's best friend.
- The good girl gets pregnant by the party boy.
- Best friends fighting over the same it-girl.
And of course, drugs, alcohol and more sex. The only thing missing here is the jock. I tried not liking the series and any of the characters but with just 19 episodes, the show managed to get me not to continue watching the third season because the creators revamped the show and cast a brand new group of characters and I was not quite ready to let go of the ones I just digested. Yes, Tony and company will leave a positive mark in my memory for the time being, but for how long?
Watch a very intense scene about a bad boy who's getting his due here.
