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SKINS (UK) “Franky” Review

Skins

SKINS “Franky” Series 5 Episode 1 – SKINS kicks off with a new series and whole new cast starting tonight with Franky the androgynous new girl in town. The American Skins airing on MTV has been labelled ‘the most dangerous show on TV’ (which would be enough to have me tuning in) so this original E4 version has a lot to live up too. With Skins you know what you’re gonna get, angst, drugs, sex, underage drinking and plenty of it. It’s a heightened, slightly ridiculous portrayal of teenage life but past series’ have had more depth to them with provocative story lines producing some talented young actors including the Oscar winning Dev Patel.

The opening episode of this ‘Third Generation’ of Skins is less provocative more ridiculous with the clichéd school bitch Mini with her two hanger-on sidekicks, pantomime adult characters including a sadistic sports teacher and Franky’s two camp ‘Dads’ puts the portrayal of gay couples back about twenty years feeling parodied and naff.

With Dakota Blue Richards (Franky) leading the cast there is potential for this series to rise above the ridiculous. Having made her film debut in The Golden Compass alongside Nicole Kidman she could sprinkle some Hollywood star dust over the rest of the cast, most of whom were picked from obscurity.

Each episode will focus on a different character which will give us the chance to get to know this new Skins gang. Unfortunately I wasn’t overly impressed with this first episode. The new girl in school befriended by the queen bee who rather predictably turns on her plays like every cheesy teen-flick I’ve ever seen.

Skins has always been edgy and fast-paced dealing with issues other teen dramas dare not but while the American version is hot news ruffling the feathers of every Conservative voter convinced it is the work of the devil sent to lead teenagers astray our British version seems a bit toothless and tame. I will reserve judgment and see how the next few episodes play out but it’s going to have to up its game to keep me tuning in.

What did you think of Skins opening episode? Let me know in the comment box below.

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Author: | January 28, 2011 | 18 Comments

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  • SkinsFan!

    The new episode was awful, its all fine if its called another name, but its skins man its embarrasment to the franchise man i love skins all 4 seasons the first 2 were the best. I thought season 3 and a new cast would be crap but from the first episode it showed promise and was great. But this season just looks like utter crap and the worst thing is, it’s not skins, where’s the partying and the cook and the effy, NOWHERE. Im so dissapionted, i hope it will get better but i will struggle through episode 2 just like i did with episode 1 just because i LIKED skins so much. But if its more of the same next episode i won’t be watching. Ahhhh i love skins man you don’t understand i wish they just ended the whole show all together on a high rather than such a low with this season. I hope it will show some promise but i doubt it!

  • Windmills Den

    I actually really liked it. The lack of angst, over-zealous drug usage, over-zealous sex etc was all wonderful. In the past, Skins has played out where the characters are drug-addicted maniacs. Despite a fairly liberal amount of drugs (more so than most any other teen would have access too) it was far more “realistic” (as skins can get) in regard to the sheer amount that they could have gotten away with.

    The characters also look very interesting. They were handled very well, especially Franky.

    The American skins on the other hand is relying on shock value. The characters don’t speak like real people since they’re still trying to adapt the UK version, even with the new episode (though the second episode was quit good, still relied on shock value, etc). It is simply and utterly fantastical.

    All-in-all, I appreciate the move away from angst, even if it did have cliche moments (that moment where the guy calls Frankie beautful… awful, awful scene, typical Skins fare). It was fun, thoughtful and sweet.

  • Windmills Den

    I actually really liked it. The lack of angst, over-zealous drug usage, over-zealous sex etc was all wonderful. In the past, Skins has played out where the characters are drug-addicted maniacs. Despite a fairly liberal amount of drugs (more so than most any other teen would have access too) it was far more “realistic” (as skins can get) in regard to the sheer amount that they could have gotten away with.

    The characters also look very interesting. They were handled very well, especially Franky.

    The American skins on the other hand is relying on shock value. The characters don’t speak like real people since they’re still trying to adapt the UK version, even with the new episode (though the second episode was quit good, still relied on shock value, etc). It is simply and utterly fantastical.

    All-in-all, I appreciate the move away from angst, even if it did have cliche moments (that moment where the guy calls Frankie beautful… awful, awful scene, typical Skins fare). It was fun, thoughtful and sweet.

  • Haksmusic

    I Thought the dads were decidedly not camp, nor groomed but that’s just me. Its was honestly slow and uneventful, though surprisingly engaging. I agree with Den; the sex etc. was always the least interesting part of skins, and disagree with SkinsFan and love the idea of completely reinventing the show every 2 yrs.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_5O3JRMVTEBDPSEUDXW3DCGRIGE geoffk

    i didnt find the dads any more camp than mitchell and cam from modern family….and i love mitchell and cam.

    everyone has accused skins of “borrowing” from teen series and movies that proceeded it….so maybe the writers decided to go all out and do their own take on john hughes.

    i would like to know what the writers have against the field of psychology and counseling.

    in the world of skins, shrinks are either self absorbed uncaring twits, pill pushers, or psychotic.

    as for season’s 3 and 4…too much of the sex was thrown in for shock value only….it was like porn…..”hey, weve gone 6 minutes without a sex scene….throw one in”

  • Helloagain

    I really liked this episode. A lot of skins fans are complaining about the lack of drugs and sex but i thought it was a nice change. In the previous series every kiss lead to a sex scene straight afterwards but i’m hoping this season will be different. I enjoyed the first episode and have really grown fond of Frankie.

  • Njkhk

    Total crap. I think the writers have been brainwashed by Mean Girls… :(
    Won’t be watching this series.

    • Skinsfan123

      AGREED!

    • Tom

      clearly a cunt

    • Tom

      clearly a cunt

    • SkinsFan!

      AGREED 2!

  • bellachick

    People fail to realize that this show is for TEENAGERS. mainly 16 – 18 year olds.
    The fact that you loved skins 4 years ago, does not mean much if you have aged since then. (And we all have).
    Teenagers will relate to it, that is the whole point of completely changing the cast every two seasons. All these 25year olds need to stop bashing the show so much, it really is not meant to entertain you.
    I personally think it was a genius move made by the producers. Instead of keeping the same cast and struggling to please insatiable humans, completely change the cast…and attract new audiences with every new generation.
    Genius!
    I am 20 years old and i loved the first 2 generations, but i can admit that even though it is fun to watch…i think i have outgrown skins.

  • Pancakes

    The new episode was terrible! I was so disappointed because the previous four seasons were fantastic! I don’t think I will waste my time watching the rest of the season :(

  • http://twitter.com/BeauCapone Kimberly Redway

    I’m going to give the series to warm up but I honestly think this first episode was terrible. The point was that these characters were a group of friends, all weird in the own right. The relationships were complex and went beyond just bully and victim, girlfriend and boyfriend. Consider Tony and Sid in the first series (I know it’s going a bit far back) but they were best friends even though Tony manipulated Sid and went out with the girl that Sid was in love with. Still they managed to function together in a weird way and that is what is missing. This Skins was too shallow, the episode was a lot like Mean Girls without managing to pull it off well. I also don’t think it’s because I’ve aged as someone suggested because I still enjoy other teen series on at the moment. I never really watched this for the drugs or sex it was the characters and how they developed in each episode. I doubt we will see any of this in this series at all. Very poor but I’ll give it another try.

  • Mr Skins

    First episode 8 out of 10. Hay and i’m 40 and went to UK and Bristol to see the places were it was filmed. USA saying its child porn, well get real US. Wont be visiting the US in a hurry.

  • http://twitter.com/1nwaves R V

    i liked it a lot. i hope that it will be a representation for the trans community

  • Gab

    Skins.
    There’s a certain genre just for it. It attracts a certain type of veiwers.
    Skins is everything that the real teen experinces. Not try hard degrassi style, but raw, cutting edge, heartbreaking, humourous, non glamourous truth. It shows the effects of drinking, drug taking, partying, cheating and even death. Not cutting at the end like a chick flick, producing a cliched sparkly version no one can relate too. Skins is relatable. Thats what makes it so good, so beliveable. It shows the bad times just as much as the good times, which makes you feel (cheesy bit a head) like you really know the characters, which strangely enough you do, it’s you. Or that person at school. Or on the street. Basically, it’s REAL.

    By the way, you’re a really good writer/journo!

  • Timcharleswilkes

    When it’s full of dull and I want to end my life face teens moaning, it loses it strength. The sex, drugs, profanity gave it energy. Problem with opening episode of series 5, to much time was spent on Franky and the girls, they could’ve had a proper introduction to everyone. Nick, Rich and Allo, they barely had any screen time. Series 3 intro had a proper introduction to all characters, except 1 who came into it at episode 3. So series 3 intro was the best for me, why couldn’t they have made the series 5 opener an everyone, so everyone got a proper intro, instead of having to weight to cram it into characters focused episode i.e. Rich. That’s another problem I have, they just focus and episode on one particular character instead of crossing the other story lines across like series 1 to 3 did. So an episode has to cram all that episode characterisation into an particular episode. Like Allo’s one of the cast, I know nothing about this chap, apart from the fact he likes to have sex, thats about it. Three episodes in and know nothing about him. Make it like series 1 to 3 and cross story lines over to save cramming it in to certain parts.

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