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Skins: Series 5 Episode 3: 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 3: Mini
It's my favorite day of the week, Skins Sunday! Today we get to learn more about the Queen Bee herself; Minerva McGuiness. When this season first came out a lot of people called it Mean Girls, and I still stand with my statement of; that's not a bad thing because Mean Girls was a clever, well written movie. People need to move on, yes Generation 1 of Skins was great but Generation 2 had some great moments and Generation 3 is starting to have great moments.
We start the episode of with Mini asleep with these weird light blockers, her wall has tons of photos of her and Nick. She looks at one of the pictures before getting up and making a very small breakfast of nuts, seeds, dried fruit and vitamins. She eats outside and then goes off to a gym. It cuts to the Roundview Rugby team and we see Nick. Mini is coordinating a fashion show.
We see Mr. Blood explaining how important the show is and passes the torch to Grace to talk, she says there is a hiccup. Out of the rack of clothes Franky appears and Mini is pissed but plays it off like it's fine. The clothes they made are very different and Mini hates it. Mini is quite manipulative as she explains how she wants it and David Blood lets her take full control. Mini fires Grace. It cuts to Mini and Liv walking away and Grace trying to chase her.
Grace wants her to stop being bitches, Mini goes off to find Nick. She asks him to do the fashion show and he asks her to stay over. This scene shows that she isn't ready for sex. Yes Mini is a virgin and it never explains in the show why. Now if you read the novel you get subtle hints that she may be homosexual or maybe bisexual. The show doesn't throw her sexuality in your face like some shows. They make a deal and Mini still finds a way to avoid it by making a lame excuse and then Nick leaves all smiles.
When I first saw Nick I thought he was such a dorky jock. He tries to be cool but always comes off like a nerd in a jock body. It cuts to Mini directing her models on how to walk the runway. Nick is there with his friend Rider and Liv doesn't like him. Liv and Rider dance and screw off, Nick watches them and he is getting excited so he asks about their night together. She tried to avoid it with another lie but he basically sets up a double date.
It cuts to her exercising again and then returning to her house, we hear her mom as she enters the house and it cuts to Mini hopping on her bed. She starts to look at a magazine with sex poses. We get quite a silly scene and then it gets odder when we see her mom using a shake weight. Her moth has a great thick Irish accent and she wants to meet Nick and then gives her bitter cynical advice. All men are pigs, they all want sex. We cut to them playing a game of bowling and Mini is terrible.
Nick wants to go back to his place but she wants to keep him from sex. So they play a game of drinking bowling. They each take shots when they loose points and Nick is quick to join Liv. When Nick is slightly wasted, she steals his keys. They are then kicked out of the alley for throwing four balls down one lane. Rider then says they can go to his place since Nick lost his keys. It cuts to them, smoking spliff, partially naked, playing Never have I ever. Liv and Rider start to fool around and Mini goes to the bathroom. She is very nervous and you sort of see how innocent she really is. Especially compared to Liv, who when she comes out of the bathroom is screwing Rider out in the open.
As they make out Nick says she is beautiful and she wonders if that's the only reason she is with him. Nick thinks it's him. She starts to kiss down his body and pukes on him, Nick is pissed at Mini because they haven't slept together and Liv is shocked that they haven't slept together. Nick and Liv bring her back to her place and Nick finds out she has just a mom and he barely knows anything about her. Liv tries to convince him to help Mini in the fashion show. Nick then hits on Liv, she likes it but turns over to sleep.
Mini wakes up and sees Nick and Liv really close together, you can see the hurt in her eyes. It cuts to her weight in and she frantically tries to take off her accessories because she has gained some weight. Her teacher then tells her good girls don't swallow and Mini goes on a work out marathon. Mini is trying to gather her friends for the fashion show but no one seems to be helping her. Mini is starting to freak out. Mini goes to the rec room and Rich calls her princess puke, Franky giggles and Mini leaves.
Mini goes to the boys changing room and finds Nick's phone, it had 10 missed calls. Seven from Min and three from Liv. Mini sees Liv and Nick dancing and starts to have her mental break down. Mini is having the dress put on and complains that Liv's tits stretched it out. She starts to freak out after Nick says that the dress looked better on Liv and David Blood comes to find out what is going on. Mr. Blood says she is unwell and has to go home because she fainted. The thing she had been looking forward to was now taken away.
After crying she covers herself in fake tan and other make up, things. I'm not going to try and explain what I saw. Mini then goes to Nick and tries to get him to go to his and now he is all gung-ho about the fashion show. He says he will get his reward after and then runs off. We see Alo and Grace is some vibrant green clothes, Alo having the time of his life as always. Mini looks on angrily. They are wearing the clothes that Grace and Franky created. Mini gets all teared up as she sees Liv and Nick dance together.
Liv thanks Mini like a true friend and we see Mini walk off crying, her tears making her tanner dissappear. It cuts to a club with all the kids enjoying the after party. Mini is quite pissed at her friends and berates Liv about Nick and tells her to stay away. Rich and Grace share an awkward kiss and Alo is happy for his best friend. Even when he has no lines he steals the show. I'm a big fan of Will Merrick who plays Alo and I hope this skyrockets his career.
It cuts to Mini yelling at Liv, and Liv yells back but with rationality! Liv is trying to help her out but Mini avoids her advice and goes away. Nick appears and says he will dump Mini if Liv wants. Mini is outside smoking and Franky walks over to ask for a lighter. Franky explains that she isn't trying to ruin her life. Franky then asks her to dance but before they do we see Liv fixing her stockings and Nick right behind her. They we see the creepy Matty staring at Franky, he creeps me the fuck out. His bug eyes and non blinking stare.
Mini finds Nick and she brings him to his room, Nick tries to break up with her but she says pretend today never happened. So Nick does and watches as she gets undressed. This has to be the most awkward sex scene I've seen. When I first saw this, with no knowledge that she may be a lesbian or at least not into guys, I just thought she was afraid of sex. Especially when she asks if he loves her. They way we see her mom saying that all guys are pigs and just want sex. I assumed that was why it was awkward because she has this mentality of how shit guys can be.
She awakes the next morning, reading his note, she tosses it in frustration and she walks home in probably the longest "walk of shame" and she stops by a swing set to take of her crazy shoes that probably gave her blisters. I don't know how women wear shoes like that. She sees her mom doing the same walk, I loved her mom and think Mini is a beat mean to her but that's because I grew up with a single mom and saw her struggle. So I have a soft spot for moms. The episode ends with a panned out shot of Mini walking up her street.
As always the music is wonderful, Segel has a great mix of original music and licenced music that always fits so well. The acting is quite surprisingly great, Freya Mayvor does a lot of subtle face expressions and she can also break the subtlety and be overtly exaggerated. The few scenes with Alo are always nice and we start to see the relationship of Grace and Rich. Now it isn't explained how much Nick and Liv did at the club but let's just say they hang out a bit more in some future episodes.
Having read the novel, I won't review it but I will say it does fill in some nice gaps that the show doesn't. You can see things from the novel there. Next week we get to learn more about Liv and will the Skins gang ever all be friends? In generation one they were a group of friends that had known each other. In Gen two the group became friends rather quickly at the start of college but this year seems to have two sides. Franky's side, with Rich and Alo, sort of Matty. Then we have Mini's side with Liv, Nick and Grace but Grace is sort of in the middle and truly Matty is on the outside as the unknown, talk, dark mysterious type. With huge creepy eyes!
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