Skins (Series 5 Wrap-Up)

I really loved this series. To be honest, based on the the last series, this generation of Skins would always be brilliant!

The storylines in this series explored issues that have previously been seen on the show, such as taking drugs, exploring parent-child relationships and exploring sexuality. In addition, a couple of issues emerged that haven't been dealt with in the same way previously; relationships where the girl feels pressured into sex and mental illness; in a sensative way, as opposed to a melodramatic way like in the last series.

Character-wise, pretty much all of the characters are pretty likeable, maybe with this exception of Nick (Sean Teale), who is probably the only character that gets very little real development in the series. Although we get a glimpse into his rather troubled home life, domianted by wayward brother Mattie (Sebastian de Souza) and their pretty hideous father (Dorian Lough), little is developed in his journey. In this series there was less investigation into lives of the parents; in previous series' we learned about as much about the parents as we did the children, whereas in this series the only family we really spent much time with was that of Grace, whose parents David (Chris Addison) and Sonia (Jenny Jules) are pretty overbearing.

The acting in this series was also a return to form. The entire ensemble of teenagers are quite good, with perhaps the only weaker performance coming from de Souza, who seemingly only has one facial expression. I think special mention should probably go to Dakota Blue Richards as Franky, Freya Mavor as Mini, Jessica Sula as Grace and Will Merrick as Alo all of whom develop their characters thoroughly and step away from the possibly stereotypical ways in which their roles could be played. Also, despite being saddled with a less than great character, Teale does a pretty good job as Nick.

I'm really looking forward for this cast to return next year (which is a scary thought). I really like how the writers have taken a slightly gentler approach rather than attempting to be pverly 'gritty' in a way that removes the realism of situations.

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.