Customer Reviews

Skins, Vol. 3

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Excellent season, different from the previous 2, but pretty good. Great themes BUT do not get the BBC America because scenes are deleted and the music is completely different--you're better off watching it on youtube.

I was about to give up on the third season of Skins with all of its new characters. While I didn't want to prejudge based on my affinity for the characters in the first two seasons, my main reason for wanting to give up on it was because of the writers and directors complete dependence on flatulence and regurgitation. I got so tired of watching people throw up on screen, and then combined with all of the fart jokes, I figured that the writers had nothing to offer so this was all they could do. But I stayed with it and they did start to explore the hidden complexity of the characters and it got better. Not great yet, but better. So, if you want to try this season out, don't miss the first two or three episodes, but don't be completely put off by the stupidity of them either.

Ah, "Skins". E4's fine TV show centering around the lives of various teenagers as they go through... er... life. There's the smart ones, the pretty ones, the gay ones, the sluts, the virgins, the brains, etc. In the first generation there were some excellent characters and some deep, intelligent stories. Now we have here the debut series for the second generation of the series and something is just a bit off.

It's hard to say exactly what the problem is. I know part of it is that there's no one with the charm of Sid or the chemistry between him and Tony. Most of the leads seem very self-centered and one-dimensional. Some of them, like JJ, are pretty neat and fun to spend time with, but others just aren't. Effy is annoying, Freddy is too emo to live (as it were), Naomi is basically just there but doesn't do much. Basically the cast just isn't as interesting as they were in the first two series.

But that's not to say that this a bad set of stories. It's quite good, actually. You do get quite a lot of angst and lots of times when you want to throttle everyone on screen, and it's definitely not as deep as the first two series, but it does have its charms and some moments of real humor and emotion.

Overall it's still something I'd recommend, because even if it's not as good as the first two series, it's still better than much of what's out there.

I stumbled across Skins even before it made it's way to the U.S. At first i was not sure how I felt about it but pretty soon I was hooked. I loved all the characters and it crept up on me. I would see that the next epsiode would be about Sid and think,"eh he's not my favorite," and so would not be really excited to see that episode but once I started to watch the actual episode I found myself, laughing, tearing up and pretty much engrossed in his story. First two seasons were beautiful and poignant. The characters were never what you thought they were even at the beginning of each episode as there was always a new layer to discover. When I found out that their journey ended at the end of Season 2, I literally had to take a break and process all that I saw. I actually cried at the end, something I rarely do with shows unless I truly love them.

I gave Season three a three star rating solely becaise I love the first two and am now loyal. But the feeling I had in the first two seasons about not being completley into a character before I watched their episode continues to persist even after an epiosode finishes in this season. I am not sure why they chose Effy as the central character ( I guess she is the one link from the first two seasons). How many times can we see her annhilate herself before it gets old. She is not interesting to watch at all. Pandora just gets on my nerves with her big clumsy self. I keep thinking when are they going to stop dressing up Freddie in girl's clothes. If this was part of his identity it would be one thing,but the fact that he is wearing a shirt with no sleeves and really fem pants at the same time he is trying to get Effy just makes me laugh. The twins are boring and I am not sure what Naomi's role is.

These characters do not mesh the way the others do and I find that I don't really care what happens to them. A part of me feels that I continue to watch in hopes that an old character makes a guest appearance and we get to see what happened to them.

I grew up watching and loving Degrassi (both Junior High and Next Generation) and this is like the X rated version of them. However I wish this show would follow Degrassi in giving us a little bit more time with the original characters we grew to enjoy rather than every 2 years foisting a new group on us.

The third season of Skins does not disappoint. Though it bids farewell to the first generation of characters, it introduces us to the equally-engaging Generation 2. As sad as I was to see some of our favorite characters like Sid, Cassie, and Tony go, season three gives us many new great characters including Freddy (the boy-next-door skater), Cook (the party-hardy bad boy), and the twins Emily and Katie (who may look identical but couldn't be more different from each other).

However, not all Gen 1 characters were left behind - I was thrilled to see Effy Stonem brought back, as well as her dorky and hilarious pal Pandora. Season three really revolves around Effy and her transformation from girl to woman (however rocky that may be). Almost as soon as the season begins she finds herself the center of a destructive love triangle with best friends Freddy and Cook, but as the season draws to a close, we get a glimpse that there may be more going on in Effy's mind than just your average teenage angst. Kaya Scodelario perfects the enigmatic Effy in this season and continues to make her, in my opinion, one of the most intriguing characters of the whole show.

My favorite additions to this season are Freddy and Cook. Freddy (Luke Pasqualino) has instant chemistry with Effy and their attraction gives the season a lot of its momentum as well as drama, causing problems for several other characters in its wake. Cook, played to absolute perfection by Jack O'Connell, is an instant bad-boy favorite. He drinks, smokes, and curses his way through life not caring about anything or anyone, meanwhile vying for Effy's affections, much to Freddy's dismay.

This show has always had the trifecta of plotline, character development, and dialogue. Season 3 easily meets the high standard already set by the first two seasons. The performance from each and every actor is spot-on and though many of these kids have never acted before, for me that has always been part of the beauty of it. Each character is type-casted to perfection, making every word spoken so completely real, believable and relatable, it can't even compare to any other teen drama. The show has also mastered that difficult balance of humor and drama. You will be laughing out loud one minute and then close to tears the next.

Yes, Skins is a mature show, and yes, there is a LOT of drug/alcohol use, smoking, sex, swearing etc., (and I certainly wouldn't recommend it to anyone under the age of 14), but it IS a fantastically-made and strikingly honest story about growing up. A must-see series for any young person dealing with life, Skins will always be my favorite show on TV, hands down.

Don't get me wrong, I'm in love with Generation 1, they will always be Skins and they have a special place in my heart but Generation 2 is pretty good as well.

I loved both series 1 and 2 with the first generation characters. I just don't think anyone or anything could have lived up to the great storylines of the first generation. Series 3 is still enjoyable though. We just didn't feel the same urgency to crank though the entire series in a weekend like we had with the first two. I'm looking forward to series 4 to see how the story continues.

New personalities continue the party. A bit darker than vol 1 or 2. Still brilliant story telling. Deeply affective. Sometimes hold on for the ride. Still addictive. Simply wow.

new characters are great
i did miss the old characters at first but it doesnt take long for the new guys to grow on you
and also my faviourite reurns (effy) and most of the story revolves around her which is good
some very hard hitting stuff in these new seasons.
highly recomended

Very, very good. Something you could never see on US TV. I can't wait to get vol. 4 in January.