It seems remarkable to think for the obsessed fans that we are halfway through the fourth series of E4’s award-winning teen drama Skins. With only four episodes left for the current cast, before they all get replaced, I felt it was a good opportunity to sum up my feelings on the current series.
All fans were promised at the start of this series that Skins was going to be darker, deeper and grittier than ever before and there is no doubt that this has turned out to be the case. The death of a random girl, Sophia at a club night just two minutes into episode 1 highlighted the consequential actions that many have felt already throughout the series.
Episode one focused on Sophia’s death and held some severe ramifications for Thomas. Thomas (Merveille Lukaba) was under-used in the last series, so it was only right for him to have the first episode this time around. It showed his weaknesses and struggles, which left him questioning his beliefs, friends and family. He then strayed away from Pandora (Lisa Blackwell) with the beautiful vicar’s daughter Andrea. Well there are some uses for a hospital laundry room I guess…It spelt the end for Thomas and Pandora’s relationship and probably best, it had been going downhill ever since Pandora ended up being charmed by the Cookie Monster, Cook (Jack O’Connell).
If the first episode was a little bit vague for a few, the second episode reminded the viewers of the drama and emotion that can be felt through watching a TV programme religiously. For Emily (Kathryn Prescott), the second episode saw her character go through a vast amount of feelings and expressions, which led to the unravelling for a dark secret. Emily and her new sweetheart, Naomi (Lily Loveless) return from the summer break as loved-up as ever. However, Naomi is being haunted by Sophia’s death, as she dealt the MDMLA which sent Sophia to the balcony pole in the nightclub that resulted in her death. Immediately, ‘Naomily’ is put under scrutiny, as Emily tries to get to the bottom of Sophia’s demise, as she is convinced Naomi is hiding something from her. Along with leaving home, the stress piles up on Emily and in a dramatic rooftop scene, sees a sketchbook which confirms the worst suspicions for her and to the shock of the audience, reveals that Naomi had an affair with Sophia. For now, ‘Naomily’ is another relationship that has taken a battering from shocking revelations, but unlike Thomas & Pandora, has more chance of surviving.
Episode three saw attention turn to the volatile Cook, and his downward spiral, which began with him beating up an unlucky individual infront of 83 witnesses at a house party. We meet Cook’s mum, whose lack of parenting skills have meant that Cook has had to grow up the hard way, probably leading to his violent swings in behaviour. After smashing up a Bentley, he confides in Naomi, who is still hurting from previous revelations. Cook realises he must start taking responsibility for his actions, and not only admits the assault at the party; he reveals to the police that he dealt Sophia the powder, not Naomi. A two-week sentence in custody follows, but will it see a different Cookie when he leaves.
Last night, Katie (Megan Prescott) got her turn to star in her own episode. Once again, it was a one-hour madness peak, which saw the Fitch family go through an emotional rollercoaster, leading to the repossession of their house. Katie is also told that she can’t have any kids in the future, devastating her, but rather than going on a complete downward spiral, she works especially hard to get all the Fitch family, including the out-of-control Emily back together as one, strong unit. It was the best episode by far in the series, possibly in Skins history, as it was full of emotion, drama, funny lines and quirks and for once, a satisfactory ending.
In the coming weeks, Freddie, JJ & Effy will all have their turns to star in their own episodes, before the finale, but there seems to be more questions than answers developing so far in this series. Is JJ going to get his girl? Can Naomi & Emily sort out their differences? Will Cook be a better person for his stint in jail? Has Effy gone too far and blown her love dream with Freddie? The next month is bound to answer all these questions and more. There is no doubt however, that ‘Generation 2’ of Skins have left their mark on the show and hopefully, very prosperous acting careers in the future.
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