SKINS-ICAL ME!

    Okay...Skins rocks the entire fucking universe!! Notice how I just used a swear word...it's all because of that glorious, brutally honest, uncensored, smokin' hot show! After a month and a half of undying devotion, tonight I finished watching all the episodes of Skins. I can even tell you when I started- 25th of February- the weekend before my final exams. 42 days- 37 episodes and this is my verdict. (Spoiler Alert!)


    Let's go character-wise first.


Gen 1:


    1) Tony- The Guy Who Could Do Anything; Skins starts with his face and his infamous blanket. Nicholas Hoult as Tony Stonem might very well be the protagonist of the first generation of Skins. Tony is gorgeous, popular, smart, manipulative, evil, caring and brilliant. He is one of my most favourite characters ever. I do have a thing for bad boys and while he wasn't technically a bad bad boy like Cook, he was the good guy with the evil side. I love the fact that he could do almost anything he wanted. It's admirable- his instant "leadership quality in the wrongest things possible", whether it's selling spliff or stealing a coffin. And he is the best looking of all the characters...which helps. Oh the days I have spent dying over his dark hair, his light eyes, his perfect mouth, his occasionally kiddish face, and his amazing body. Also his voice and his genius mean comments are pretty kick-arse. He is pretty much the God of the series.


    2) Cassie- She's thin, she's blonde, she says WOW an awful lot; Again one of my most favourite characters ever and probably the most original one of the series. Nothing like Cassie has ever been seen...and Hannah Murray plays her brilliantly. Cassie, who is introduced to us as the girl with wide eyes and an eating disorder, turned out to be so much more. Not only was she the most profound one, her character is the one with the most complexities and depth. And also she is, in her own words, quite lovely. She probably had the best fashion sense in all of the show and with her fairy-taley voice, she is the quintessential girl who seems ethereal and believable at the same time.


    3) Sid- The Lovable Geek; okay so he wasn't the most original character. A similar geek who is desperate to get laid can be seen everywhere- Seth Cohen in the OC, everyone in Superbad etc. But with a manipulative best friend like Tony, an intense love for Tony's girlfriend Michelle and the presence of Cassie, sets Sid quite apart. He is the guy everyone feels for. With Cassie, Sid (who is played by Mike Bailey), makes the best couple of the whole series. I mean he is amongst the only characters I can identify with...almost.


    4) Chris- The Hero; Now I am going to use this describing word and more appropriately later again, but Chris was a sort of hero. He was the one who made us laugh the most and in the end cry the most. It was awful when he died! His love for Angie first and then for Jal was adorable and endearing. He, played by Joe Dempsie, is the hero of this generation because of his ability to say "Yes" and "Fuck it". Very few people can truly do that and I, as well as the gang salute him for that.


    5) Michelle- The Real Girl; Sure she was called "Nips" and had the longest legs ever, however Michelle was more of a normal girl than anyone in the show. She was the one who was pretty, had genuine boy problems and came out as a cool and fun person throughout. I would put up for Tony and Michelle one of the hottest couples in the series. We all loved their scenes together and didn't exactly mind the Sid affair either. Michelle wasn't just the dumb pretty girl, but she had a realistic role and was played very appropriately by the very hot April Pearson.


    6) Maxxie- The Gay Best Friend; Okay everyone I know loves Maxxie, played by Mitch Hewer. I liked him, no doubt, but he wasn't my most favourite character ever. But his dancing talent, his innocence and his character was very admirable. I think the scene between him and Tony, when Tony "gives him head" scared me shitless but it was okay. I love his and Anwar's friendship! And the way he is described by Tony, "He's a bit new, he's a bit cool, he's a bit gay."


    7) Jal- The Talent; she was one of the most boring characters for me in the first seres, with the mental mobsterish family but I really liked her towards the ending of the second series. Her speech for Chris is epic and the fact that everyone was crying was very believable. Also I liked her friendship with Michelle a lot, especially in the unseen episode. Jal was played by Larissa Wilson.


    8) Anwar- The Muslim Boy; Okay he was my least favourite character except Sketch. But I guess I could identify a lot with his whole Muslim condition. I liked him the first series but the whole deal with Sketch was creepy. However I like how he ended up leaving her and going with Maxxie to London. I couldn't believe Dev Patel, who portrayed Anwar was this ready to get naked ever.


    9) Effy- The Mysterious girl; I quite liked her in the first generation. I liked her attachment to Tony and her way of doing things. However, the second generation pretty much changed that opinion of mine.




Gen 2:


    1) Cook- The Hero; What a character. Since it's only been hours since I saw his last scene, I can't help but be in complete awe of him. I hated him in the beginning, his constant drinking and laughing and hogging and fucking...but he turned out to be so much more than that. I loved him and Effy together- their whole Sid Vicious and Nancy Spungen thing and I do secretly hope that they will get together. I think they are the hottest of all the couples. His friendship with Freddie and JJ, his ability to seduce every girl, his kiddish qualities mixed with that of nothing less than an action hero is incredulous. And he has such a cute face, along with a killer body. Also the way he says "I'M COOK!" is just brilliant. He is another one of my most favourite characters ever. He is played by Jack O' Connell.


    2) JJ- The Adorable one; I just love him. And I also know for a fact that no girl can resist loving him. He is soo cute, with his childish face and hobbity hair. I love his singing and his ukulele and his devotion to Lara and his magic. Also the way he is nervous and then so sure of himself. Everyone wants a friend like JJ...just because he is one of the most caring characters ever.


    3) Naomi- The Perfect Girl; She was such a brilliant character. I love her love for Emily. She's strong, smart, beautiful and played by Lily Loveless (ironic). Her hippie mum and surname are hilarious. She is quite fun. I actually secretly also wanted her and Cook to get together but her declaration of love in the end to Emily is just so heart-wrenchingly beautiful.


    4) Thomas- The Real Gentleman; I took an instant liking to him from his first scene. With the whole African background and a strong sense of responsibility, he was one of the most admirable characters of the show. I really like his strength and honesty and his love for Pandora. Also Thomas's (played by Merveille Lukeba) musical talent adds to his incredible character.


    5) Emily- The Pretty Redhead; I have a thing for redheads and though it may seem a little weird saying this about a lesbian, I really don't care. I found her adorable and the whole Naomily thing was real nice. They too were one of the hottest couples. She was a very pretty character and was played by Kathryn Prescott.

    6) Katie- "I'm Katie Fucking Fitch, who the fuck are you?"; I pretty much hated her in the first series but with that line, there was an instant respect for her. She grew up in the series and became a very nice person. I like her big sisterliness thing and she too is a real woman. She is played by Megan Prescott. 


    7) Pandora- NOT Useless; I loved Panda ever since the first generation. I guess I can sort of identify with her too. She's cute, confused and innocent. Her love for Thomas is really sweet. I love how trustworthy she is and her ability to make a fool of herself and not even realizing that. She is played by Lisa Blackwell.


    8) Freddie- Gone; So before I started watching this entire generation, I was told that he'll die. So I never really attached myself to his character, unlike Chris. But then again, I really think I wouldn't have liked  him any ways. Sure he was very hot and made the last hot couple with Effy, and was very caring too, I just found him very boring. His death was rather unfortunate and scary, but what else was there really to expect? He fell for Effy for Pete's sake and didn't have a strong character like Cook or JJ. He was played by Luke Pasqualino


    9) Effy- The Psychotic Freak; My description might seem a bit harsh but it is totally true. Of course she is totally gorgeous and played by the divine Kaya Scodelario, but when she goes crack, she really goes crack. And of all the people to go for counselling, she goes to the almost equally cracked John Foster. I got really scared of her towards the end and think she is the creepiest character in the whole show after Sketch and John Foster.


    Other characters that I liked were Angie, Sid's dad, Johnny White, James Fitch, Anthea and Karen.


    As a whole I liked the first generation more as they were less dramatic but then again felt like I really knew everyone from the second generation more. I love the fact that almost everyone sings ( I don't think Dev Patel can sing). And I cannot wait for the third generation along with the film with all three generations!!!


    Skins is a groundbreaking show with an excellent storyline, brilliant characters, talented cast, amazing soundtrack, and unexpected turns and twists. It is entertainment as it's best, as not only is it funny, dramatic, young, scary and a whole lot of other things, it is also an eye opener. I would include in the list of the most life-changing movies/shows for myself.