Skins series 5

The recent DVD release of Skins series 5 should come with a warning; it’s addictive. There are eight episodes in this new series, each so compelling that viewers may find themselves riveted on the couch for the entire 384 minutes of viewing time.

The English-made comedy/drama series follows the lives of eight teens as they discover how to negotiate family, life and friendship, deal with their own and others’ vulnerabilities, and find their place in the harsh social world of teenage life.

In series 5, we are introduced to eight new characters; Skins replaces its entire storyline and cast every two series, so there is no need to have seen earlier iterations.

There is the obligatory group of potentially nasty girls lead by Mini, a gorgeous blonde control freak who is really just a vulnerable little girl craving love and attention. Her friends are Liv, a tough party girl who uses drugs and sex to avoid her own vulnerabilities, and Grace, a sweet natured ballerina who holds a secret that could catapult her from the group if they were to find out.

The boys include Rich, a sensitive, music-loving headbanger and his best mate Alo, a sexually frustrated redheaded farm boy who must choose between family obligation and eternal youth. There’s also two brothers: competitive, sporty Nick, whose life begins to unravel as he uncovers the real source of his desire to be the best, and Matty, a darkly good looking, aloof free spirit who is not all that he seems.

Into the group comes a new kid: the intriguing Franky. She’s creative, androgynous and challenging, with whip-smart insights and determination to break with her past and be part of the group.

Each episode focuses on one of these characters. We are lead into their personal spaces, where we become privy to the environments they are attempting to reconcile by escape, confrontation and acceptance or a combination of all of these. With each character holding their own episode, we are invited to empathise with characters who, in other episodes, seem unredeemable, distasteful or one-dimensional.

The insights we gain from meeting each individual round them out and attempt to show us the complexities of the betwixt and between experience of being a teenager, where exterior toughness can mask aching vulnerability and outward sweetness masks steely resolve. The series also observes and contextualises each character’s experience of sexuality and experimentation, the importance of music, friendship, masturbation, team sport, group status, identity, drug and alcohol use and family dynamics.

The only real weakness of the through plot is in the final episode, where the eight characters come together in an ensemble piece that is a little too ludicrous and rash for this group of savvy teenagers. Regardless of this slightly ridiculous ending, there are still many unanswered questions and unresolved plot points that make series 6 a much-anticipated release.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Skins
UK, 2011, 384 mins

Out now on DVD
Distributor: Madman
Rated MA 15+