Skins (Series 5)

A new year means a new intake for one of the most-talked about English teen drama. After the anti-climax of Series 4, I was intrigued as to how this new series would start; and it appears that it's going to be a return to the character-driven focus of Generation 1 (which was the one that featured Nicholas Hoult and Dev Patel).

This episode opens with the androgynous Franky (Dakota Blue Richards) starting college in Bristol, having moved away from Oxford to escape bullying. Despite her attempts to blend in, her unique dress sense marks her out to school popular girl Mini (Freya Mavor), who eagerly grabs the first joke at her expense, which is then exacerbated on the hockey field. However, although Mini and her friends Liv (Laya Lewis) and Grace (Jessica Sula) seem out to get her, especially when Franky rejects Mini's attempts to make her over, Franky does discover some good people in Bristol. These are Alo (Will Merrick) and Rich (Alexander Arnold), who don't like Mini that much, and Grace herself, who thinks Franky's 'awesome'.

I liked that this time the opening episode didn't feature any overly controversial scenes; people may think this makes Skins but seeing an episode 'only' feature a little bit of drug taking is refreshing; it's nice to see that perhaps the writers are heading towards a more mature outlook on the programme. There are some fun one-liners still, and the soundtrack of the show is still brilliant; Skins has always used a really good range of songs, that in my mind have become almost synonymous with the show (for instance, 'Standing in the Way of Control' by The Gossip).

Although maybe it is a little early to talk performances, Dakota Blue Richards is very good as Franky, having moved on hugely since I saw her as Lyra in The Golden Compass. I also loved the character of Grace, and Jessica Sula does a really good job as making her amusing and not just silly. I'm also intrigued by the character of Mini, as Freya Mavor gives her a good edge of insecurity despite the tough exterior.

I'm looking forward to watching the rest of this series, and I'm hoping that Skins returns to the cleverness of the first two series.