I’ve watched Skins since series one. I wouldn’t say that I’m passionate about the programme but I have enjoyed it and found it engaging so far. With the new series out now, from my own experience, there have been many people who think that it is shit. Now personally, I have to agree.
Some might say that I’m jumping on the bandwagon of hating the new skins but if we actually look at the episodes and characters that have been introduced, there is evidence to support this.
Ok, not everyone may agree, but I think that the first episode of a series HAS to engage the audience and get people hooked. The audience needs to feel empathy in some form for the characters, and if not empathy, sympathy. The typical message that people got from skins was about teenagers having a good time, getting drunk, doing drugs etc. Now obviously not all teenagers are as extreme as the ones showcased in Skins, but the majority all can empathise with these things. I felt that the first series was funny, witty at times and a good watch with decent characters in an almost believable setting in that they were a legitimate group of friends.
The second cast also has a wide range of characters who were all friends pretty much at some point, and if not friends, then in the same friendship group. We also had the link to the first series with Effy (and Pandora to an extent), which gave the series more meaning.
Now we come to the current series. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think that there's a direct link between any of the characters to the previous series. Apart from the college setting and Bristol, I can't see any others. It's almost as if it's an entirely new show. I wouldn't have a problem with this, if it was a decent watch, but I've found myself flicking over to other channels at the same time, rather than watch a whole episode. It hasn't had as many jokes in it, or the same character bases that we saw in the previous two casts. I'll probably continue to watch this series of Skins, but I fear that I may be forced to change my decision if this series carries on in it's dreadful style.
Sound. xx
