Flow of Madness

I wrote in my Franky vs. Effy post that there always going to be characters that have things in common due to the similarities of the human experience. No one is unique one trait, one experience, or one problem at a time. However we are all unique in the combination of all these things put together to make one’s life story. Skins has many themes both in terms of characters and the issues that the show addresses. This post is dedicated to finding the common thread among all three generation characters. Meaning which characters are most similar in terms of story and/or personality. I was inspired by everything-skins who began thinking about these combinations. 

Fun-Loving/Chaos: Chris, Cook, and Alex. 

People may look at me strange with this one, but just play along for a second. All three of these characters party hard and live hard in their own ways. Cook was definitely the more amplified of the three in terms of what he was willing to do and the consequences he was willing to endure in order to chase fun. Chris of course the first proponent of the “fuck it” attitude where fun and easy rule over boring and hard. Then you have Alex who relies on a dice to determine his actions. No matter what this dice lands on he must do it and face the consequences. All three of these characters have an element of self-destruction, all three of these characters are the life of the party, and all three of these characters inject a sense of chaos into their group of friends. 

Eccentric/Not Fitting in Fully in the World: Cassie, JJ, and Grace

These characters are all extremely different in many ways; however, they also have a couple of huge similarities. They are all intelligent characters who see the world better than many people give them credit for. They all do not seem to fit into the world perfectly. All three of these characters could be perceived by the outside world as strange and not fully there. Yet in many ways these three characters understand people and see the truth beyond the bullshit. Ultimately they are all characters who wished at some point in the series that their friends would just get their shit together and see what is right in front of them. Cassie in terms of Sid but also Jal/Chris. JJ in terms of Freddie and Cook. Grace in terms of the entire gang in Episode 5x7. 

Girls with Fight In Them: Michelle, Katie, and Mini 

Again each one of these girls have a different motivation and a different back story to explain why they are the way they are. However all three of these girls are known to be the “bitchy” ones. The ones who confront people, slap a bitch up if needed, and have the best insults. They sometimes come across as put together in the eyes of the rest of the world. Yet they all have a vulnerability as well. 

Passive: Sid, Freddie, and Matty

Again each exhibit a different kind of passivity and all have different reasons for it as well. Sid is someone who is really insecure and who is use to being a follower. He has a hard time demanding things and fighting for things he wants. He let’s life happen to him. I argue that Freddie in a sense does the same. Out of Cook and Freddie…Cook was the one who had more fire and more fight. It took him a long time to finally go after what he wanted (Effy) then after Effy telling him that her psychiatrist said she couldn’t see him anymore he was ready to run off until he talked with Cook and went to see Foster. Matty is another one who at times looks like he will go after what he wants yet does it in such a low-key way. He also ran from the scene of the crash and has been laying low for quite some time now. I feel like all three of these characters just don’t have that burning fire that lives inside of them that will get things done unless someone else intervenes. Like Tony with Sid and Cook with Freddie. Doesn’t mean they are bad character at all it just means they are passive ones. 

Explosives: (Tony, Effy, and Nick) 

These three characters have so much going on inside them that they are liable to crack at times. They show this in different ways. Tony tries to control everyone and plays with people like pawns in a chess game. Effy just has that innate explosive personality where you are not sure which Effy you are going to get and what she will be in the mood to do. Nick is someone who feels things intensely and in many ways I think he keeps those feeling hidden. Then they come out in violent waves. Like when he smashes his house. These are all characters that have the potential to crack and crack big. 

Cynics with Walls: (Jal, Naomi, and Rich)

All of them have a healthy dose of cynicism and an icy exterior that must be broken through to reach sensitive hearts. Naomi and Rich have more in common than they do with Jal; however, Jal is still in this category. Jal is someone is more practical in terms of her cynicism. In that she doesn’t drink, doesn’t get into trouble, and has an air of judgment toward her friends who act stupid. Chris was able to get through her walls and we learned that Jal can be a pretty kick ass person as well. Naomi is a political cynic afraid of getting close, because she hates not having power. Love makes you defenseless and she hates that. It takes her a long time to fully accept Emily and she made a stupid mistake along the way. Rich is someone who hid behind the label Metal to keep himself at a distance from the world. He fights Grace at first until he sees that she is an absolutely gorgeous girl who he wants to love. 

Sex Obsessed & Secret Relationships: (Anwar and Alo)

They are also really different characters. Alo definitely has more depth and more heart than Anwar does in my opinion. They both are portrayed as characters who masterbate and chase tail. They also both had secret relationships. Anwar hid his relationship with Sketch (understandable) and Alo hid his relationship with Mini (forced).

Sweet Characters Escaping Family Expectations: (Maxxie & Emily)

Both characters are sweet and kind and are escaping some kind of strange family situation. Maxxie wants to be a dancer and his Dad wants him to be a builder like him. This creates a strain in their relationship in terms of Maxxie feeling like his father is not accepting his dream as valid. Emily is trying to escape her Mom and Katie in the beginning from trying to force her into being someone she is not. She is gay and she is in love with Naomi and that is something that they just need to get use to.

Characters I Couldn’t Fit/Not Sure: 

Franky and Effy could be linked in terms of magnetism. People are drawn to these characters. I honestly think that Franky is her own character in this instance. 

Thomas 

Liv she’s her own biscuit queeness. 

Pandora might be eccentric…however she is not as worldly aware as JJ, Grace, and Cassie.