Skins: Series 2

Skins

E4/Channel 4, February - April 2008

Those of you who know me also know that I love Skins. The first series spoke to me in a way that no other TV show had done for some time, despite accusations from my peers that I am "too old" to watch it.

The second series follows the same formula of following a group of friends, with specific episodes ostensibly focusing on specific characters (although arguably in a looser fashion than in the first series).

As with my review of the first series, it would be remiss of me to give away too much of the plot, if you haven't seen it yet. Suffice to say, much of the drama still centres on Tony (do not assume from this that he is alive and well after his accident at the end of Series 1), Sid and Michelle, with greater roles for Maxxie, Effy, Jal and Chris. The cameos from the "adults" continue apace, with welcome appearances from Bill Bailey and the wonderful Mark Heap, amongst others.

This series does have a different feel from the first one. There is more to this than sex and drugs, although there continues to be plenty of both, with every major cast member getting their kit off to a greater or lesser extent; I know that Mitch Hewer and Nicholas Hoult both have legions of female fans, and they will not be disappointed. The issues explored are much darker and "grown-up" than the first series, although bordering on Grange Hill style cliches at times.

If you want to know what happens, there are plenty of sites which can tell you; all I will say is that there are two deaths and plenty of genuine grief, and that this will be the last series with the current cast. This decision has apparently met with derision on forums and messageboards, but seems perfectly logical to me; the series ends with the gang saying their goodbyes as they leave college, so it would be difficult to sustain the current format with the same cast. I also do not mind the idea of freshening it up a bit - whether it works or not remains to be seen. It is not giving too much away to reveal that the closing scene shows that Effy will be a mainstay of the next series.

In my opinion, this series was perhaps less enjoyable than the debut season, but that is not a bad thing - it shows the greater emphasis on plot and issues, sometimes at the expense of the laughs that peppered the first series. If I had to choose, I would again pick Chris as my favourite character; by far the greatest comedian, with a heartbreaking background story (and once again, it is Chris' story that is most likely to be the tear-jerker).

Overall, not as good as the first season, but still, in comparison to the other dramas on television, a worthy show with great acting from the young cast.

Click here for a review by Charlie Brooker in The Guardian - warning, this contains a spoiler for the first episode!

Please note: I have not been able to post a link to the official E4 Skins site, as every time I try to access it, it makes my browser crash...