Sex, Drugs, more drugs, more sex and a bit of drama...I love it (Skins)

Member Name: nay_money

Product:	Skins
Date:	13/03/09 (159 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: It's a good take on life through a teenager's eyes

Disadvantages: It's not to everyones taste, strong language, sex scenes, drug taking

Skins is a Bafta winning drama about a group of teenage friends. Series 3 is currently being shown on E4 on a Thursday evening at 10pm. It was confirmed yesterday that there will be a series 4, but nothing else about it has been revealed as yet. The show is set in Bristol.

I am going to write about Series 3 only.

There was a whole new cast for series 3 except for 2 members who were both in series 2. They are Effy and Pandora.

The show is about a group of teenagers, their constant drug taking, sexual antics and the general trials that teenagers have to deal with. The group come up against all sorts of dilemma's ranging from where can Cook get more pills from? where can we find a party to have some fun? Going on a shroom fueled spooky camping trip that all ended in tears, and so on.

Freddie, Cook and JJ have been best friends from a young age, but Freddie and JJ are getting sick of Having to Get Cook out of trouble, he just seems to light a fuse and everyone else has to deal with the explosions that then ensue. The other reason they start to fall out is because the all fancy Effy but only Cook has "had" her, repeatedly.
Effy is a bit of a wild child who seems to be getting worse. She clearly has feelings for Freddie, but because of all the hurt she has seen in her life she won't let him get too close. She takes any drugs she can get a hold of.
Panda finds love with the new boy Thomas.
There is a guest appearance from Mackenzie Crook in the first 2 or 3 episodes, he plays a gangster.

Each episode of the series is centered around one of the main characters in particular with the others playing a smaller roll.

The Characters
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Effy Stonem played by Kaya Scodelario - She is the popular girl that all the girls want to be like and all the guys want to be with. She comes from a family who let her do what she likes. During this series the troubles at home with her parents, takes it's toll on Effy and helps her on her way to spiral even more out of control. Effy tries not to get too attached to anyone or anything as she fears disappointment.

Freddie McLair played by Luke Pasqualino - He is quite laid back and smokes a fair bit of weed. He is a skater boy, so anytime anything is bothering him, he will be at the skate park, he has been best fiends for many years with Cook and JJ, but their friendship takes a major beating during this series on several occasions.

Cook played by Jack O'Connell - He is the troublemaker of the group. He does whatever and whoever he wants, without thinking about the consequences. He is always on the look out for any kind of drugs he can get his hands on. He is quite loud and fears no-one.

JJ Jones played by Ollie Barbieri - JJ is autistic and has to take a cocktail of pills to keeps his life as normal as possible. He is a virgin and is the shy quiet guy of the group, he never shows his emotions.

Thomas Tomone played by Merveille Lukeba - Thomas is a very friendly boy who has just arrived in Bristol from Congo. He has come to study and make a better life for himself and his family. He soon falls for Panda, and becomes part of the group.

Pandora Moon played by Lisa Backwell - Panda comes from a middle class background and is a little eccentric. She is very naive and is best friends with Effy. She is not much into sex, drugs and all the rest, but she doesn't take a lot of persuasion. She comes out of her shell a lot in this series.

Naomi Campbell played by Lily Loveless - She is the intelligent one that has high hopes for her future. She is unsure of her sexual preference but explores this during the series.

Katie Fitch played by Megan Prescott - Katie is the identical twin of Emily. Katie is the more outgoing one and bosses Emily a lot. Katie fancies herself as one of the popular girls.

Emily Fitch played by Kathryn Prescott - Emily lives life in the shadow of her twin. She doesn't say much and just seems to tag along. She has been hiding a secret about her sexuality. She eventually plucks up the courage though to tell Naomi how she feels about her.


My Opinion
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I have watched all 3 series of Skins and loved all of them, at the start of series 3 though I thought is was going to be difficult to get in to with them having changed most of the cast but I think it is by far the best one, It has waned a little since then though but not a lot. I like all the characters, but my favourite's are Panda and Cook. Panda has some really great one liners, whilst Cooks antics keep me entertained. I love how it is unpredictable and just when you think things cannot get any worse, they do. I will continue it and I hope these characters will be in series 4 too, although I would like to see some of the characters from the first 2 series too.

Skins is not for everyone, but I hope that reading this will help you choose.

Summary: It's for the young at heart