Skins: Season One, "Everyone"

Series One, Episode Nine, “Everyone”

Skins will rarely be all that good at either premieres or finales. “Everyone” is a measured episode, balancing out its time amongst most of the characters (minus the consistently put-upon Jal) and wrapping up the season’s major narratives. It also rarely has anything to say we didn’t already know or inadequately lays down new storylines. 

Without the deep dives of the previous set of episodes, the finale is occasionally uncertain what to do with its newfound structure. Skins is much better as a character study than a coherent long-run narrative. The series is not consistently-enough written episode to episode to make all of its story fragments come together into some bigger, grander statement. It’s a series fueled by emotional earnestness not internal consistency. 

So what doesn’t work? Well, the Cassie and Sid stuff is largely sweet, but simultaneously feels like a stalling tactic (until that lovely closing image where they hold hands). Chris was never going to end up with Angie because Skins at least has some sense of realism. Tony’s desire to turn himself around and be a decent person fails to register because not enough groundwork has been laid down. 

The one story that does work, Anwar and Maxxie’s, is the story the season has most poorly serviced. This is primarily due to the episode using Anwar and Maxxie’s story as its fulcrum, as Anwar’s 17th birthday creates a centerpiece for the episode. The story is made all the more beautiful and moving for how it ends with Anwar’s dad (played by Inder Manocha) casually accepting Maxxie’s sexuality. His speech deserves to be reprinted here in full:

“It's a fucking stupid, messed up world. I've got my God; he speaks to me every day. Some things I just can't work out, so I leave them be. Okay? Even if I think they're wrong. Because I know, one day he'll make me understand. I've got that trust; it's called belief. I'm a lucky man.”

That scene is the sort of lifeblood of Skins. Skins is excellent at drawing on the connections in relationships. What Skins understands particularly well is that for most of us we’re scared if we reveal our true selves to someone that they’ll reject us. Usually those people who would accept our true selves are right there in front of us, but we’re often too insecure or ignorant to realize it.

Those moments are to be found throughout this episode in both comedic and dramatic forms. Effy telling Tony he’s a “wanker” is amusing, but also feels like a culmination of both of those characters’ stories and their relationship. Tony aiding Sid in his pursuit of Cassie shows his growth as a person, even if stealing Mr. Jenkins’ car reveals this change is only incremental. 

The previous episode was a better summation of what this season was attempting. The two major arcs of Tony’s comeuppance and Sid’s self-actualization were fulfilled (not always in a well-handled manner, but still in a narratively understandable fashion). This is a problem inherent to Skins, which is more interested in meandering down interesting (sometimes head-scratchable) tangents than telling a straightforward, cleanly tied-up story. The show tends to arrive at finales clueless how to move forward. But those tangents often produce satisfying, beautiful moments, and, thus, it’s occasionally easy to forgive the series. 

Grade: B

Stray Observations:

-Tony gets hit by a bus. Because, why not. And then a cover of Cat Steven’s “Wild World” takes place. This moment really shouldn’t work. It’s strange and totally at odds with the storytelling Skins previously established. But it’s so exuberant and out-of-left field that it somehow manages to make some sort of sense. 

-There’s a great little moment where Jal, Maxxie and Anwar are sitting down with partners, exhausted from dancing too much. It’s such a well-observed moment. 

-To its credit, Skins recognizes the impracticality of Chris and Angie’s relationship, and how it is impossible to exist long-term. 

“Really, Skins?” (Stupid Things Skins Did): Sid getting mistaken for a mentally unstable person. The implication that Angie’s fiancé is a closeted gay. Anwar’s sisters essentially pimping out a girl to Anwar. The big fight that breaks out at the party (particularly Anwar busting out expert karate moves).