SKINS: AAAAAAAAH NO WHAT IS THIS

So, we are almost done with the real Skins now.  Just one episode left after this one!  This last episode, which was an Effy episode, was . . . interesting, shall we say.  Still not sure how I feel about it?  Anyways.  Let's just get to the RECAP.

Effy is now living at a mental health clinic and seeing a psychiatrist because of how she is severely depressed these days.  AW YEAH ANOTHER FUNTIMES EPISODE.  He seems like a pretty reasonable adult.  Let's be honest, he's a bit intense, but he seems alright, and it's good that Effy is getting some professional help.  He tells her to forgot all the bad things that ever happened to her, like when she saw Tony get mowed over by that bus ages ago.  Interesting.  Also, it turns out her name is Elizabeth, which closes the case on Skins Mystery #327, What is 'Effy' Short For? 

The psychiatrist thinks Effy is ready to go home again, so she goes home.  Her mom helps her get situated, and shows her around her room, which is really clean and organized now.  There's no cocaine in sight even!  Next, Effy goes to visit Freddie for the first time since she tried to kill herself and he saved her life but then she got mad at him for saving her life and told him to fuck off (that was a fun episode!).  He's really happy to see her.  It's nice that he's been so kind to Effy during this difficult time.  He must really love her!  Harmonicas play loudly over dialogue.

Effy goes back to school, where she has some nice moments with Pandora and Naomi.  They get their A-levels back, and Effy failed all of them because she was in a mental health clinic and didn't take the tests.  So she asks the principal if she can retake the test, but he's like "Nope, watch me shred your records and write up a new one where you have all A's so that our school gets more money and I become rich as hell from all this sweet rewritten A-level records gold!"  This upsets Effy, so she tells her psychiatrist about it but he's like "just forget it, erase all the bad memories from your mind."

Stylish mental patient and friend.

Effy goes out with the gang to some pub, where they all read out their A-level results.  Some guys did good, others did bad.  Thomas got expelled for some reason!  YES ANOTHER MYSTERY.  Effy is feeling super moody and tells everyone that she's quitting the gang and will never see them again.  "Goodbye forever, everyone" she says.  Freddie is like, "What, does that include me?" and she's like "Yeah, sorry" and Katie titters because this is like the third time Effy's dumped Freddie since not too long ago.  Effy goes outside and finds Cook lurking around, and she wonders why he is not in prison anymore.  Good question!  WHY IS HE NOT IN PRISON ANYMORE?!?!  He tells Effy he still loves her.  Skins Mystery #719, Does Cook Still Love Effy?, SOLVED.

Effy goes to the psychiatrist again, and he erases some bad stuff from her mind.  It looks like he's using hypnosis?  Maybe?  It's weird.

Effy runs into Freddie and he's mad about being dumped again by the Love of his Life for no apparent reason.  It's a legitimate concern!  Effy says he made her go crazy so she doesn't want to be around him anymore.  Okay.

Then Effy goes to a park and Cook comes up and says "Hi Effy" and she's like "who's Effy?" and Cook is like "lol wut" and she's like "no really, my name is Elizabeth" and Cook is like "right."  It seems like she really doesn't remember Cook at all WHICH IS REALLY WEIRD.  But they have a nice chat and then go out for a night of partying.  CAREFUL, EFFY.  She is careful, though, and things are going well until they walk by the place where Tony got run over and she has flashbacks of Tony getting run over and then stands in the middle of the road and tries to kill herself again.  YIKES THIS IS TERRIBLE.  Cook saves her though (good job, Cook!), and takes her to Freddie's for help but Freddie is like "dude why did you bring her here, she just broke up with me and I was getting ready to run away from home" and Cook is like "um, she is the Love of Your Life!  You need to help her not die!" (good point, Cook!).  

A heart-to-heart on a bench?!  WHAT?!?!?!

And so Freddie takes Effy to the mental clinic.  She tells him she's sorry for being mean and dumping him so many times, and he's like "it's okay, I love you and will never leave you again!" which is sweet.  Then the psychiatrist walks in and Freddie tells him to fuck off because of how he is making Effy even more crazy, it seems.  GOOD JOB, FREDDIE!  

Freddie then goes to the psychiatrist's house, which seems kind of weird.  Why did the psychiatrist want him to visit his house?  "Why did you want me to visit your house?" Freddie asks.  The psychiatrist tells Freddie about how he's been using some interesting new techniques on Effy, ones that other psychiatrists may not approve of.  Freddie's like "Yeah, whatever dude, just stay away from the Love of My Life, you're making her go really crazy and I don't appreciate it" but the psychiatrist is really intent on working with Effy.  So Freddie is like, "fuck this joint, I'm gonna go see how the Love of My Life is doing" and goes to leave, but the door is locked, which is very suspicious.  The psychiatrist then comes at Freddie with a cricket bat and straight BASHES HIS HEAD IN WITH SAID CRICKET BAT WHAT THE EVERLIVING FUCK WAS THAT.

THOUGHTS:

• WOW things have taken a turn for the grim!  I thought Effy's deep depression and various suicide attempts were enough to strike utter sadness into the hearts of every viewer, but I guess not!  Someone needed to get BASHED IN THE HEAD WITH A CRICKET BAT by a deranged psychiatrist.  Of course, we can can't be absolutely certain that Freddie is really dead, because we didn't see any of this?  We just saw a lot of blood getting splashed on the psychiatrist's front door?  But he seems pretty dead.  Which is unfortunate, since I was really starting to like Freddie this season.  And he was getting good at the acting!  I mean, he still wasn't my favorite (SO glad JJ did not get murdered!), but really, WAS THIS REALLY NECESSARY???  Did they kill him off just because they are developing a new trend in which a well-liked male character dies a painful, bloody death in the penultimate episode of each generation (RIP Chris.  Never forget.)????  And what's going to happen next week?  Will anyone even find out about that Freddie's dead or just forget all about him because he was planning on running away?  Will Effy find out and then become even more depressed because the Love of Her Life got his brains bashed in by one of the few adults she was able to confide in?  This sounds really terrible and not fun at all.  In any case, this is what Freddie dying makes me feel like:

 "Sad"

and

"Disappointed"

• On a less depressing note, Effy is really pretty and I'm going to miss looking at her face when this season is over.  And because this is my blog and I do what I want around here, here's a nice picture of Effy's face.