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Skins: Series 1 Episode 7: A look back at British Teen Drama/Comedy.
Now if you have read the first review you know what this show is about if now, here it is! Quick overview to catch you up; Skins is a British series set in Bristol South West England, it revolves around a group of teens that are going through sixth form, (or Key Stage 5) is the final (optional) two years of secondary schooling when students are sixteen to eighteen years of age and normally prepare for their A-level examinations. The term is used for describing the final two years spent in a secondary school contrary to a sixth form college (UK use) where students start at age sixteen after leaving secondary school.
Episode 7: Michelle
Now we are getting close to the end of series one and this episode shakes things up a bit. Here is Michelle everyone! Remember in Russia she had just seen Tony get very close with Maxxie.
We start the episode off with a close up of Michelle she is watching the group goof off and when she sees Tony and Maxxie they stand out in her mind. She walks over furiously and punches Tony square in the face saying she never wants to see him again. She gave him some time to confess what he did in Russia but he hasn’t. Tony as cocky as always says she will come back; Jal chases after her friend Michelle and asks who Tony had screwed again and then lists off a name of people he had gone around with. Michelle never wants to hear it and even goes on to insinuate that Jal has even slept with him.
Maxxie tries to apologies but she shrugs him off, she is pissed and acting out, damn hormones! We cut to Angie and she gets a call from someone (Chris) and he says some dirty things and is over heard by a drunken Michelle. Poor Angie is always in the right place at the wrong time. Michelle believes it’s her fault (it isn’t) and she does the smart thing and tells Tony to leave her alone. Obviously with more colorful language and then Chris pops in spouting off about how much Angie wants him and gets to see Angie and Michelle in matching garb that is form fitting.
They both get a ride from Angie and after Michelle is dropped off, Chris tries to explain how they are meant to be but Angie says she is never doing it again and ahem well she doesn’t keep that lie up for long…
Tony is at Michelle’s window he is tossing pebbles up and reciting Romeo and Juliet when Sid comes around the corner and confronts him. He tells him to back off and leave her alone, Sid is rarely like this and he even goes as far as punching him after Tony says the city is boring and no matter who gets hurt it doesn’t matter if it alleviates the boredom. More proof of Tony’s sociopathic nature, we cut to the morning with Michelle’s step dad (played by Danny Dyer), he is a younger annoying guy that Michelle has no respect for.
Her mom (played by Arabella Weir) never pays attention to her (that is a constant theme for the series) and we cut to the class room. Chris looks pleased and when Tony enters the room some drama occurs and Chris says it’s like an episode of “The OC” that was after he gets a slap from some random chick. After Michelle leaves the room due to the report Tony is reading the guilt bottled up in Maxxie pops open and he explains what happens in Russia.
Michelle sees Abigail from across the courtyard and she goes over to her; she wants to know how many times her and Tony got it on and this makes Abby snap, must not have taken her meds today and she is soon stopped by the guy she was talking with. It’s Josh, her brother and she walks away happy as Abby is held back yelling random swears and threats. Michelle continues to ignore Tony but can’t stop looking at pictures of him on her cell phone.
He comes by and asks her how long this will go on for and asks him to profess his love like she is the only woman he sees and he doesn’t give an answer to her liking. We cut to Sid and he is looking through some photos and when he sees one of Cassie he decides to call but her answering machine says she isn’t listening so don’t bother leaving a message. Michelle is at his door and asks how much he loves her and in his own way he says he does and then they are in his room, fooling around and Sid is so nervous he can’t get it up.
He says it feels weird because they are good friends and he believes he fancies someone else, she starts to cry and his father walks in to see his son and a half naked girl in his room; crying. He is ecstatic that his son isn’t gay and then it cuts to Sid and Michelle going to visit Cassie in the hospital. Cassie is as spacy as she always is and Sid has something to tell her, he is sorry for how he acted and hopes for another chance and she would give it to him if she wasn’t with Simon she would. Simon is played by James Buckley (He is Jay in E4’s The Inbetweeners) and it was quite a surprise to see him with short hair and not being a compulsive liar.
Michelle meets some interesting new people at the mental hospital and meets up with Josh, his mother owns the place. He asks her out and she stays happy until she comes home to see her step dad’s new project. Her mom is not too happy with the business venture and they get into a fight and Michelle assumes that he’s gone but she is forced to apologize and does so in a great way. We cut away to the date with Josh and Michelle, she complains about her stepdad and he explains how is psychiatrist mother is a bit insane, ironic. There is a connection and for some reason I didn’t like him, maybe I was channeling Tony’s jealousy but in retrospect Josh is a decent guy.
Tony meets up with Abigail and he has a project on the human body a photographic one to be exact. For a change Michelle is being treated with respect and love and even asks Josh is one of her tits is larger than the other but soon says never mind. Josh needs to take pills because he slightly unstable a lot like his sister. Malcolm ups and leaves because he couldn’t hack it and gives a strange party gift that is quickly broken by Michelle right in front of him.
We cut to Tony looking through his photos of Abigail; he puts them on his phone, he has a plan. He pays a guy to steal Josh’s phone and transfers the photos over to it. Michelle makes a reference from “To Have or To Have Not” a 1944 film, I’m assume she has heard the line in other forms of media but is cut off with a kiss from Josh; who still has no idea his phone has been nicked.
Tony then uses Josh’s phone to text the photos to Michelle; Tony continues to quote from Romeo and Juliet as he is sending the texts. Michelle calls Jal explaining the situation about how Josh sent half naked photos of his sister because he said he was crazy. Tony the jerkwad you love or hate? I have a so-so liking, some episodes I find him to be great and others he is an asshole. What a great character.
Michelle comes home to her mom heart broken and she comforts her and soon Michelle gets comfort from Jal as she shows her the pictures. Josh keeps calling and she has ignored each one and in the bar she is at with Jal, she bumps into Malcolm and he explains why he did what he did and she helps reunite her mother and stepdad. Tony finally confronts her and off handily remarks about the whole Josh thing, he says he is sorry and that he loves her and she asks him to beg.
Here is where I stop soiling and tell you to watch the damn show already! This is a great episode not the best but it has so many great moments. It has yet another great soundtrack and it’s better that next weeks episode, yeah because next review I show some hate. Maybe hate is too strong a word but Effy has her own episode and she is the only character with 4 episodes devoted only to her. She is my least favorite character in Skins canon and it’s probably because she is boring and in 4 of the 5 series. The only character to surpass her is the assistant principle Doug who appears in all 5 series at least one.
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