Customer Reviews

Skins, Vol. 1

5 star:		(31)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I've been watching TV for as long as I can remember, and I've never seen a show quite like "Skins".

The program centers around a group of teenage friends living in England. They smoke, they drink, they do drugs, they party, they have sex. They do what teenagers around the world do (or more often, especially with the sex part, merely wish they were doing). Pretty standard fare for most teenage dramas, actually, except that since this is British TV, they don't censor everything; you actually get to see bits of the sex, hear lots of the swearing and see quite a bit of naked flesh.

Nothing like a bit of titilation.

But had the show been nothing but titilation, it wouldn't have kept my interest. From the very first episode, I found myself really drawn into the storylines, and coming to like most of the characters. I started to care about them and their lives.

Consider for example the character of Tony. He seems initially to be just a total wanker, but as the show goes you see that he actually has some layers to him, ones he doesn't know are there.

Or consider Anwar, a reasonably devout Muslim who finds himself torn between faith and friendship due to the fact that his best friend, Maxxie, is gay.

Or consider Cassie, an anorexic girl who is falling rapidly in love with Sid, who happens to be in love with Michelle, who happens to be Tony's girlfriend. Who Tony might be in love with the viewer is welcome to guess, though I'm inclined to suspect it's both Michelle and Sid...

Or consider Jal, the sweet young clarinet player. Or Chris, a wonderful young man with more teeth than brain cells. Or Michelle. Or Maxxie. Or Sid. Any of the characters, all the of characters, are fascinating.

The show isn't without its imperfections, of course. It's a bit exaggerated and unrealistic, but who cares? Most TV is. On the other hand, "Skins" is daring, entertaining, effed-up and wonderfully brilliant! What other show would've given such a "WTF?!" ending to the first series as this one did?

"Skins" isn't for everyone, but I loved it, and can't wait to own it on DVD!

*** UPDATE ***

So amazingly I got the DVDs today, the day before the street date. I won't tell if you won't tell. :) Because of this, I can answer all the questions we've been wondering. Well, most of them, anyhow. I don't know if the music was left intact from the broadcasts cause I never really paid attention.


Anyhow, the DVDs are not the episodes as they were broadcast here in the USA. They are not censored for language or nudity, which is a plus for those of me who like to see these sorts of things as they were intended!

There is one thing that was completely cut out from the DVDs however. At the end of the last episode of series one, there was this very odd, very surreal moment where the cast, more or less in character, were singing Cat Stevens' song "Wild World". Due to copyright issues that entire scene is cut. You get the moments right before and right after, but the scene itself is gone. Happily that's what the YouTube is for and if you go there, you can see the last scene as it was meant to be.

Sadly there's no commentary on the DVDs, but you do get the video diaries and ancillary storylines the Brits got, so that's all good. Overall, a package well worth getting your hands on!

"Skins" is one of the best "teen dramas" in existence, and one of the few for which this label isn't actually an insult. Intelligent, gritty, unpredictable and sporting one of the most likable casts in existence, it's a must-watch, no matter what type of shows you normally like.

BUT the Region 2 DVD editions of First AND Second Seasons are missing about 80% of the original music. It's replaced by cheap "background" songs. And the music is a vital part of what makes "Skins" so special. Without them the DVDs are only worth so much as the extras on them. I really hope the Region 1 edition will have the normal OST. If that's the case, I'm buying it, even though I already have the UK DVDs.

I watched this show all first season and fell in love with it during the trippy final scene of the season (episode 9). I have recomended it to many friends. Just got the DVD set today and guess what? That scene, THE scene that pushed the show way above the usual. has been edited out for the dvd release! how could they? To see it you'll have to catch a rerun on BBC america. I would have given this 5 stars but with all the editing 3 is all it gets. How dissapointing!

Thanks to BBCA and DVD, I now have the opportunity to catch up with Britain's hit television series, which may be a bit worse for wear as it travels across the ocean.

I was reluctant to purchase Skins on DVD after reading many complaints over the replacement of music due to licensing issues, most notably the final musical sequence in the finale to Season 1.

I have yet to find a definitive source of information to detail the changes, if any, between the original airing of the shows on British television and the recent broadcast on BBCA, but I have thus far been taking great pains to compare the DVD versions of episodes from both Seasons 1 & 2 with those aired on BBCA.

As far as Season 1 is concerned, aside from the first and final episodes, the DVD versions are musically identical to the versions aired on BBCA. Again, I do not know if the BBCA versions are different from the original broadcasts on E4.

In the series opener, Tony wakes, turns on his stereo and works out to Chingy's "Right Thurr", a hip-hop single that has been replaced with a less-than-ideal incidental track on the DVD. Although the song replacement here makes little sense, especially as the scene evolves with Tony's father screaming to compete with the blaring music, it's a minor nitpick and can be overlooked even if it is the opening scene - and, hence, sets the tone - for the series. The real question is whether we believe that Tony would be playing (and working out to) the incidental music on his stereo and if he would use it to distract his father while his sister returns home from being out all night; probably not.

Later, Tony's rendition of "On the Street Where You Live" from the show "My Fair Lady" has been replaced by an original composition, whose words have been carefully written in an attempt to keep the on screen singers' lips synched with the new vocals. This effort succeeds to a certain extent, but it does not take a sharp eye to notice that the song does not quite match. Still, even this musical adjustment can be forgiven, even if the original song choice does play better leading into the shot of Sid landing on the street where Tony's drug dealer lives.

The only other noticeable musical alteration is, indeed, the most significant and the most aggravating of all. I'm referring, of course, to the notorious "Wild World" montage, a sequence that has been completely removed from the DVD version. For a season finale to lose its "finale" due to a music licensing issue is a shame, but this instance is an even greater shame in that the deleted sequence lends its episode a powerful punch, surreal as it may be, that is sadly lacking in the edited version. I watched both versions and found myself sobbing uncontrollably during the musical montage and its subsequent bench scene; the bench scene, which remains intact, draws barely a tear when preceded immediately by the shot of Michelle in the bathroom stall.

The montage works on so many levels. It provides stark contrast to the gravity of the scene immediately preceding it; shots of couples with expressions of post-party elation on their faces as they rest in each other's embraces while they remain completely unaware of the tragedy that has befallen one of their companions. It also heightens the emotion of each character performing the song and offers a moment of reflection on all that has gone before in Season 1 while Sid searches desperately for Cassie, who moves toward her own destination. The surreal imagery of this montage cements "Skins" as an extremely unique program.

I've only watched and compared the first five episodes of Season 2 but, aside from scenes edited for television (due to sexual content), the musical content appears to be precisely the same between the DVD and the BBCA versions. I did notice that a graphic sex scene between Chris and Angie had been cut for television broadcast, but that's to be expected.

In conclusion: Although I have decided to record the first and final episodes from Season 1 onto DVD from BBCA, I am confident enough to view the remaining episodes as they appear on the DVD.

UPDATE: I have finished viewing Season 2 and can confirm that, between both seasons, only the first and final episodes of Season 1 on the DVD have been altered musically from their respective versions on BBCA.

I've read all the reviews about the sex and the drugs and the nudity, etc. etc....but that is so not what makes this show stand out. It's the intelligence and care that is put into every aspect of the production. I have not seen a tv show about teens handled this well since "My So Called Life" was taken off the air. This show is so beyond the inane drivel that passes for the life of the American teen we get here in The States.

The cast is outstanding. They are not just a bunch of pretty faces cobbled together with hopes that they will create a following on thier good looks and fashion sense. These kids are individually interesting. They act like seasoned pros and are given ample room to shine.

And...I have to say the writing was such a huge surprise to me. As I'm watching each episode, I've come to realize that where an American show would dumb it down, or take one idea or emotional issue and make a full hour of tv out of it, Skins just takes every idea as far as it will go. Just when you think an episode is about to end it takes off in another surprising and intelligent direction. The writing and directing is so emotionally precise and magnetic you are just unable to look away. Each episode is like a mini movie...the level of care on every aspect from character, soundtrack, emotion, writing, directing, cinematography, editing, etc etc is something we just don't get on American television anymore.

My only disappointment is that British tv shows that I love only seem to last about two seasons, which is just so sad. I could have definitely followed this lot into adulthood. I want to continue to laugh and cry with these kids....they're so interesting to watch.

Something must be said for a TV series that makes you feel so involved that you want to go out there and do all the things portrayed in each episode. You feel alive, dirty, sexy, drunk, high, you feel everything that they feel. Skins is the representation of teenagers today. Whether you believe the drug abuse, child abuse, self abuse, friendships, relationships, parties, raves, duffs, people characters actually is a true representation is irrelevant. What is relevant is that everyone can identify to the characters in one way or another. Skins makes you believe in what is Real. It is a Sensation.

I can't believe that the creators of Skins have let what was a really good show get butchered like this. I originally watched recordings of the original E4 broadcasts of the series, which are fully intact, and it became one of my favorite tv shows ever. However, the versions that aired on BBC America and the DVD releases have been so emasculated by the removal of the original soundtrack and even the final scene of series 1, that I have to wonder why anyone would bother to watch them. Skins is a great show unlike anything you could see on American television, but I recommend viewing the original broadcasts. I will NOT be purchasing the DVD's, and I recommend everyone else do the same.

Skins is one of my all time favorite shows, but the DVD Series 1 Collection is quite a disappointment. The sound quality is terrible. The sound volume goes up and down through out many scenes. At first I thought it was just a defective disk...but all three disks have the same problem. I had DVRed several episodes from BBC America and compared them to make sure. For instance, in episode 4 where Tony is singing with the choir, you can barely hear his voice at all, but you can hear Abigail singing. On the BBC America version you can can Tony quite clearly. In many other scenes the volume just goes up and down like someone is playing with the volume control on the remote. Just terrible.

The worse thing of all is that they cut the musical scene at the end of episode 9! It was the most important scene to end the first season and was the highlight of the entire series.

I can't express enough how angry I am.

The versions that aired on BBC America and the DVD releases have been so emasculated by the removal of the original soundtrack and even the final scene of series 1, that I have to wonder why anyone would bother to watch them.

This show is absolutely amazing and addictive. I wish half of the American shows I watch could go where this show goes almost every episode. Worth watching!!