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Skins: Series 4 Episode 8: 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 8: Everyone
This review contains major spoilers.
Viewer discretion is advised.
Well here we are with the final episode of the series and the end of Generation two. We have lost Freddie in a brutal way, see last weeks review for the details or watch the episode. Next week I shall tear apart the MTV Skins but that is later and the end of series four is now!
The episode starts with Thomas exiting his house as he goes for a morning run through Bristol. It cuts to Cook getting in on with some random girl and it wakes Emily up because it's in the next room over but the random girl in Emily's bed is still knocked out. Thomas runs to a track and it cuts back to Emily as she gets up from her bed and she even sniffs her fingers. It then cuts back to Thomas as he jumps rope and then it cuts to a coach yelling at a chubby guy doing push ups and he notices Thomas run past.
Karen McClair is in her brother's room looking at a note he left, she wears his shirt and lays down and then calls out to him. Katie is woken up as the people are cleaning in the mental institute. Effy is looking out the window and then we see Pandora off in the distance bouncing with other mental patience. Pandora hops over to the window and crawls in. It cuts to Emily and Naomi walks in on her, apparently the girl in the bed is a straight girl and they had both been drunk so maybe she didn't cheat on Naomi.
It cuts to Pandora, Effy and Katie, they then play an original song that Pandora made with a strange musical device. It's a cute song about how Effy shouldn't hurt her self. Effy even smiles and plays the maracas. It pans over to John Foster looking super creepy and then cuts to Cook and Naomi in the kitchen as they listen to the chick that Cook banged shit. Aecia introduces herself and it takes Naomi a few tries to get her name right. It then cuts back to Effy as she sits alone and we hear screams.
Effy looks up as John Foster begins to talk to her about how hard it is to move on. Effy mentions that Freddie had run away and he doesn't even bat an eye and then says that he is leaving his position at the hospital. She asks if she should say thank you and he says "we don't know yet but yes." This dude is super creepy and the actor Hugo Speer does a fantastic job as a pseudo villain. Effy then hears Freddie in her head and calls out to him.
Emily goes into her room and the girl Mandy is awake and wonders why Naomi is still around. Mandy is quite protective for a girl that hasn't even done anything with Emily. Plus she was awake when Naomi had made a few comments and even looked at her naked under the covers. Mandy didn't appreciate that but then she gets up and says she doesn't want to be fucked around with. Mandy kisses Emily and she says don't, Mandy then talks about what she would do with her and then is called down for breakfast.
Karen is waiting outside of Naomi's place and then sees Thomas, she walks over and they introduce themselves. Karen talks about how she likes all the wrong things and Thomas listens to her mouth a gap. He says he likes to run, he runs like a dog, his words. Apparently there is a plan to win Pandora back while he teaches Katie French. It cuts to Cook being made out with, JJ holding the baby Albert. Karen and Thomas just sitting around while Emily looks out the window.
Naomi coincidentally calls Arcia, Effy and then Cook realizes that she sort of looks like Effy. Cook and Karen walk off and Karen wants to know where her brother is. She then smacks him when he remarks that Freddie only found him because Cook stole Effy. She hands him a notebook and wants him to find Freddie. The notebook has "I love her" written all in it and Cook falls to his knees and cries. Realizing the something is up, Freddie hasn't been heard from in a week and this notebook proves that he probably wouldn't leave Effy behind.
It cuts to a drunk Naomi as she parties by herself and then JJ takes baby Albert away as Pandora and Katie come in. Naomi is shocked when everyone is gone and Mandy stands up to leave and Naomi wants to know why everyone is so piss-y. Naomi starts to dance with Mandy and Mandy looks over to Emily as she dances with Naomi. Naomi then explains that her and Emily had problems, this is quite awkward. Mandy then cops a feel on Naomi and even kisses her after saying that if Naomi doesn't want Emily then she dose, Naomi then slaps her.
Emily is crying and then it cuts to Katie as she is learning French with Thomas and it is making Pandora jealous. Katie then kisses Thomas and realizes that she did wrong because she wants to help Pandora not steal Katie. Thomas takes his leave and he says that Katie is beautiful in many ways but he can't stop loving Pandora. It cuts to Emily in bed and she turns over to see Naomi, Emily says she loves her and Naomi tells her to not lie and then she puts her shirt on and leaves.
It cuts to Cook as he is looking through the notebook and in big bold letters he sees, "John Foster Wants to Hurt her!" Cook also believes he hears Freddie and then talks to the sky, it then cuts to Thomas running and then cuts back to Naomi's place. Pandora is laying down and wakes up because the music is so loud, then Arcia appears with cops. They are here to get Cook and Pandora grabs some of the weed before she tells Cook to run. The police enter to look for Cook but by then he is gone.
It cuts back to Thomas and the coach walks over to him asking what he is doing. Thomas explains that he does many things and doesn't want to run for white-y and the coach says neither does he after yelling at the fat white guy he is training. It cuts to Cook entering the shed and Effy is in there wearing one of Freddie's shirts. She asks if he fucked everything up and he says yeah and then she says that today is Freddie's birthday. Effy says that Freddie probably got scared but she can't handle not knowing. Cook then hands her the notbook of Freddie's that he had been reading and she realizes how much he loved her.
Cook promises that they will find him and then JJ enters the shed and he knew they were going to be there. He then brings Pandora in and she says that she is going to Harvard on a history scholarship. Really? Pandora going to Harvard and not Oxford or a more reasonable school? It then cuts to Naomi in her messed up house, talking to her mother on the phone and she says she maybe going to Goldsmith and after she hangs up she says "It's all over."
Karen goes outside to her shed and wonders what they are doing, they are having a party because Freddie would like it and they preform a dance routine while Effy and Pandora watch. Naomi is sitting in her bed looking sad and alone, she is naked as she cuddles up with a shirt, I assume that it's Emily's shirt. Thomas is waiting outside Freddie's shed and then Katie and Emily appear to the party. Katie is pissed that the party is basically the gang playing cards and JJ is still grossed out at what Karen had said.
Naomi then enters and says the most romantic apology, it is a must see moment and it even choked me up. The Naomi Emily relationship is one of the best for Skins next to Sid and Cassie but this one gets a conclusion as the Sid and Cassie one is left open and unknown. After the proclamation of love the gang has one mighty blow out party, I have a feeling it was also like a wrap party for the series.
Cook is outside taking a leak when he notices someone in Freddie's room, he calls out his name and tosses a rock and than sees someone leaving the house. Cook follows John Foster, he had broken into Freddie's house. It cuts back to Thomas and Pandora, Thomas got a scholorship and is going away to America and magically he is going to Harvard. What a one and a million chance that that would happen. This is an example of poor writing, having such a perfect end to the Pandora Thomas relationship as them both going to a prodigious school as Harvard.
Cook enters the house of John Foster, he begins to look through his things and finds bloody clothes, they are Freddie's clothes. John Foster confronts him and grabs his trusty bat, Cook asks him what he has done and John tells him to not be stupid. Cook realizes what is going on and doesn't listen to Foster when he is told to kneel down. Foster hits him in the cut and then Cook says that he doesn't know who he is. Foster says he is worthless and doesn't deserve Effy but Foster believes he does.
The final moments of the show are Cook explaining how he is nothing and he has nothing to loose. He yells I'm Cook! and charges at Foster and it cuts to the credits leaving the fate of both of these men unknown. So much like the end of series 2 we are left with questions, the biggest being did Cook survive? What will happen to Effy? And how to hell did Pandora get into Harvard!? But all in all this was a good series, I still prefer the first generation but this series at it's best it competes with series one and at it's worst it is pretty awful!
The music in this episode is superb and the writing is very strong in parts. I'm truly excited to start the next Generation of skins but we are making a quick pit stop to Canada I uh mean Rhode Island to see the "American" Skins, okay it's filmed in Canada so we will call it MTV Skins and not USA Skins. But most American shows are shot in Canada now anyways! Next week I bring the hate on MTV Skins oh you will feel the rage of a real Skins fanboy!
Source: www.e4.com/skins/ , http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skins_%28TV_series%29 ,http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0840196/episodes#season-2 , http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sixth_form
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