New episodes of Skins! :) They are very bad :(

 

Oh man, this show.  THIS SHOW.  It is so bad now!  I just finished watching the third episode of the new season, and while it and the previous two episodes had some good parts (just a few), it is overall an awful, awful show now.  It’s like the Russia episode from the first season, but ALL THE TIME (that’s how I judge Skins quality, because up until now that was the worst episode, although it is probably not nearly as bad as I remember since it had the original cast of characters that I had come to know and love, and all of those guys were much more likable than these new kids MORE ON THAT LATER).  Anyways, here are some lists:

Bad things:

• I guess the thing I hate the most is how all of the “we are a show that realistically depicts how teenagers do drugs and have sex and stuff” of Seasons 1 and 2 has been amped up so now it’s like “Look at us, we’re doing DRUGS and sexing it up ALL THE TIME!  We are so EXTREEEEEME!”  That is very obnoxious!  No one wants to listen to a bunch of kids brag about how much (vague and unspecified) DRUGS they do.  “DRUGS DRUGS DRUGS!” - kids on new Skins

• Also, the characters are not very likable for the most part.  They can be very annoying and self-obsessed!  I wouldn’t want to hang out with them!  And why is Effie such a slut now?  Boo, Effie.  Put some clothes on.

• That story line with the gangsters?  Dumb.  Why are a bunch of adults trying to beat up on a bunch of children?  Because that one kid saw the gang leader in a brothel?  And this kid is a 15-year-old sex addict who frequents brothels WITH HIS FRIENDS (actual line from Skins, season 3: “I’m never going to a brothel with you again”)?  No.  Children don’t go to brothels.  Though to be fair, this is very similar to the story arc in the first season with the Mad Twatter, who tried to hunt the old gang down after Sid bought 300 quid of spliff from him (in a brothel!) which was promptly lost when they drove the car into the river.  But somehow that seemed a lot more believable.

• A fart joke, really?  UGH.  Since when did my favorite smart (smart!) teen dramedy resort to such comedic lows?  Oh yeah, this new season.
  

Good things:

• There have been some excellent guest stars!  Gareth from The Office is the gangster (see above)!  Oh, and look here, it’s David Baddiel, fucking Effie’s mom!  I hope he comes back, he was only there for like 20 seconds.

• I liked Thomas, the African immigrant kid.  He seemed like a nice guy.  Too bad he got sent back to the Congo for partying too hard  (also, I was very proud of myself for being able to identify his thumb instrument as an mbira.  Thanks, Understanding Music class!).  That's him, looking very sad.

• And I guess two of the girls are lesbians?  Okay.  Got 2 b diverse.  By the way, this new cast is looking very much like the old one.  I’ve got it all figured out:  the lesbian twin = Maxxie, the other lesbianish girl = Jal, Cook = Chris, the slutty twin = Michelle, Pandora = Cassie, Freddy = Tony, Thomas = Anwar, JJ = Sid, and Effie = Effie.  Yup, that’s it.

• And Pandora’s crazy aunt, with the chainsaws and marijuana tea?  She was cool.
  

That’s about it, I think.  In summation, Skins is bad now, but I will keep watching.  Maybe it will get better.  Right now it is more of a hate-watching thing than a love-watching thing, though.  But we’ll see.  WE’LL SEE.

ALSO:  apparently there is going to be an American remake of Skins on MTV.  This is terrible (terrible!) news for many reasons, but mostly because MTV.  It will probably be worse than the inevitable remake of The Goonies will inevitably be (that is how I judge these things).