The first four seasons of the British television series Skins have been released on DVD in the United States, but seasons five through seven have not. That is particularly irritating to those of us who cannot get enough of the series that has featured actors Nicholas Hoult (Warm Bodies), Joe Dempsie (Game of Thrones) and Dev Patel (The Newsroom), to name three of the talented alumni. For those not familiar with Skins, the cast is changed almost completely at the end of every second series. As a result, series 5 features a brand new cast of characters, but they still live in Bristol, England and attend Roundview College. I recently had an opportunity to watch the eight episodes that comprise series 5 on Netflix and once again creators Bryan Elsley and Jamie Brittain have developed interesting and relatable characters and have cast talented young actors to fill the roles.
Something old refers to the setting, and two employees of Roundview College; David Blood (Chris Addison) who appeared in series 3 and 4, and Doug (Giles Thomas), who is the only character to appear in all of the series (and he is hysterical). Their presence adds another degree of continuity to Skins, which is appreciated by regular viewers. Something new would apply to the majority of the characters, including Alo, Franky, Mini, Grace, Matty and Nick. In my opinion, they do not resemble any of the cast members of the previous two generations, either in looks or personality. However, both Rich and Liv appear to be extensions of Sid and Jal from series 1 and 2, so I consider aspects of the characters to be "borrowed.". However, both characters are likable and interesting, even though Rich (especially when he cuts his hair) reminded me of Sid and Liv is basically Jal 2.0. They even look enough alike to be related in some way. Finally, the blue refers to Dakota Blue Richards, who portrays Franky.
The themes of the first four series, including broken homes, drug use and sexuality, are present in series 5 as well. For instance, Franky is adopted and has two dads, Nick and Matty's mother is not seen or talked about, Liv's father is absent and Mini does not discuss her parents, who are divorced. Rich and Grace live with their parents and both seem relatively stable, while Alo is not quite as stable, but just needs to grow up. The drug use is rampant, like it was in previous series and I assume that this is at least a somewhat realistic depiction of actual teenage behavior. If it is, I am glad that I do not have children or I would be worried about them 24/7. There is no central gay character in series 5, but Franky's aforementioned fathers are a seemingly happy couple and both Matty and Liv appear to have bisexual tendencies.
The storylines depicted in series 5 are what you might expect - youngsters trying to find their way to adulthood and making emotional decisions that come back to haunt them along the way, which includes the seemingly constant rebellion against authority figures. In addition, they are all looking for someone to love, but are not mature enough yet to separate physical attraction from emotional well being. Franky's attraction to Matty is an excellent example. Despite the character flaws and the bad decision making, I found myself liking all of the characters and rooting for them to make their lives better. One way they attempt to do that is through the strong bond of friendship, which helps in settling internal disputes and allows them to move forward together. They pose a united front against parents or adults who try to stop them from living their lives and being happy, or at least doing what they think will make them happy.
One interesting aspect of the casting for the fifth series is the heartthrob brothers, Matty and Nick, who are portrayed by Sebastian de Souza and Sean Teale, respectively. Usually, average looking actors are cast in the principal roles, so this is a welcome change. However, I never want to see a series of Skins featuring a group of beautiful people, that would not feel right and would be boring. The ensemble cast all deliver fine work in their respective roles, but I want to single out Jessica Sula as Grace, Laya Lewis as Liv and Sebastian de Souza as Matty. Sula has a strong and confident screen presence, Lewis plays conflict, uncertainty and hurt very well, and de Souza has the exotic good looks that make Theo James (Golden Boy) so appealing.
While I enjoyed series 5, I will not render a verdict on the overall quality of this generation of Skins until I have watched series 6, but I am impressed so far. In the past, I have posted a blog entry on individual episodes of each series, but I do not plan to do that for series 5 until I can purchase the DVD set. For those interested in reading my thoughts on seasons 1-4 of Skins, use the search box or click on the label "Skins" that appears at the end of this blog entry. For those Skins fans who have yet to see series 5, you will not be disappointed. Finally, like the first four series, music is used superbly throughout each episode and helps to further the various storylines.
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