Flow of Madness

Despite fan criticism and preferences. I wanted to take this moment to list 50 reasons why ‘Skins’ is one of my favorite shows. 

1. Each Generation introduces amazing characters that are fun to analyze, love, hate, and cry over. 
2. Skins has some of the best cinematography seen on television and even better than some movies. 
3. That every two series we get to meet and learn about new characters and then get emotional when we know we have to say goodbye. 
4. I like that it is a show that doesn’t preach or teach. It just shows you what it is like to be a teenager and lets us make our own decisions about the issues at hand.
5. I enjoy that this is a show in which you feel things oppose to being told things. I have never cried as much as I do when I am watching ‘Skins’ because it is raw. 
6. The writers and creators are shameless and will dive into issues most people would be uncomfortable addressing. 
    
7. It breaks down perceptions in a way that most shows fail to. Showing that peer judgments about other peers can be terribly wrong. How we view our parents can be terribly wrong and how our parents view us can be terribly wrong. Same with teachers that underestimate and label their students…and maybe even students underestimating their teachers. Bitches can be sweet and sweet people can be bitches. Don’t trust first impressions fully. 
8. Best use of music of any television show especially in Series 5 and Series 6 when the music became just as important as the acting. In fact in some of the episodes the music drove the scenes opposed to enhance a scene. 
9. That every episode is told from a different perspective so we can get inside the psychology of each of the characters. 
10. That every character has a strange quirk like Rich’s moisturizing, JJ’s science obsession, Chris’s fish, etc. Each character has a symbol. 
11. That the creators and crew put so much effort to match fashion with the characters to enhance their personalities. 
12. Not to mention each of the rooms as well tells you quite a bit about the character whether its Rich’s dark room with metal stuff all around, Chris’s messy room with pill containers tacked on the wall, or Pandora’s sweet and innocent room. 
13. I enjoy that we get to know the families of the characters which also adds to our understanding of the psychology of the characters and makes you feel like you are getting a well rounded picture of the character. 
14. The British humor. The wit of Skins is on point. 
15. The epic party scenes that make you need to suspend disbelief but at the same time impresses you, because they are always so visually amazing. 
16. Doug… the existence of Doug. 
17. Real human moments that make you feel something. There are so many moments that just bring me to tears. In every Generation. 
18. Though the show is sensationalized and definitely extreme in terms of drugs and alcohol. There is still a real life humanity that exists in all the characters that every one of us can relate to in varying degrees. 
19. I love that it portrays being a teenager as a feeling. It is this feeling that every moment means something. That every love is vital. That every friendship is legendary. How you feel so passionate and so apathetic at the same time. Being a teen is such a heightened time and Skins shows us this with perfect. Better than any other show. 
20. I enjoy that the characters are of varying wealth and have varying home lives. It shows the diversity of life. Compared to Gossip Girl and most American Teen shows it tends to show a more affluent population. 
21. I enjoy the friendships and how each friendship is unique: Rich/Alo, Michelle/Jal, Sid/Tony, Freddie/JJ/Cook, Pandora/Effy, Rich/Liv, Grace/Franky, Franky/Mini, etc. The friendships are just as interesting as the characters themselves. 
22. I enjoy the relationships as well: Rich/Grace, Naomi/Emily, Chris/Jal, etc. For the same reason they each show a different side of being in love. 
23. Jack Thorne is a brilliant writer. 
24. The streets of Bristol add to the show. Let’s be honest. Whenever I see a street shot. I go “SO FUCKING SKINS.” 
25. Brilliantly uniquely attractive women: Hannah Murray, Lily Loveless, Jess Sula, Freya Mavor, etc. So gorgeous. 
26. Amazingly adorable and good looking men: Joe Dempsie, Jack O’Connell, Alex Arnold, Sean Teale, Nick Hoult, etc. Amen. 
27. I enjoy the show is filled with young mostly unknown talent who surprises us with their mad skills. Acting is not a weakness with Skins. 
28. It is one of the few shows about teenagers in which I can actually write every single day a piece of analysis about. Because the show has quite a bit of depth. 
29. The use of symbolism is also quite amazing as my film studies friend said. This is a team of creative people that thinks about every shot and is not afraid to use subtle things to set the mood of the shot. Or give clues about the motivation of the characters. 
30. I enjoy that every Generation brings something new to the show and each Generation focuses on different themes. 
31. I enjoy that every one of us can get into discussions and disagree about which Generation is better and which characters are brilliant. Because the discussions are brilliant especially when respectful and it just shows that the show is just as diverse as its audience
32. That Skins has made benches cool. Seriously whether its a bench on Brandon Hill or on the side of the road. Skins has made benches the place of monumental development and introspection. 
33. ‘Skins’ has some of the most philosophically profound quotes and they are quotes that not only can young people relate to but across generations. 
34. I like that it shows the complexity of relationships and how they show relationships change over time. 
35. I enjoy that they capture not just the excitement of leaving college but that underlying fear that we all have when major changes are coming our way. Change is good but before great change comes quite a bit of doubt. Skins shows that quite well. 
36. That they show that no matter who you are…we all have secrets. Some bigger than others. We all have a vulnerable side we fight not to show. 
37. I enjoy that the show includes elements of LGBT issues and I know several people who come from more rural areas who do not have that much exposure to the LGBT culture tell me that Skins has made them more open minded and aware about things. 
38. That I can talk about Skins on a creative, psychological, sociological, and philosophical level. 
39. Even though adults are uncomfortable about some of the content of the show it actually could be used as a tool to educate and start important conversations about real issues that exist in our world. 
40. That it portrayed an kid with Aspergers being underestimated and showed that he is capable of anything. That he would be alright. Putting aside the label and the misunderstandings that come up with Aspergers. 
41. Let’s be honest…there are some epic sex scenes in Skins that are quite steamy. 
42. I even liked that with Mini it showed her losing her virginity in the worst way to show the bad side of sex especially for girls. 
43. The awesome cast members seriously. I root for most of them and they are all quite different. 
44. That it has introduced me to the dogma of “Fuck It” and Biscuits. 
45. I like that sometimes you can hate characters you love and learn to love characters you hate. Showing imperfection. 
46. The opening titles are always gorgeous and I also enjoy that every Series the main theme gets modified to give each Series a unique sound yet hold something familiar as well. 
47. I also like that they invite young talent to the show besides the actors. Like young script writers such as Daniel Lovett. It cultivates young talent and expression better than any other show. 
48. It is a show that was ground breaking it really was in terms of putting all those elements together. Young talent, cinematography, music, and fashion. It created something quite unique. 
49. I love that it is set in Bristol and not London. It is a unique place with quite a bit of beauty. Maybe even rough around the edges which adds to the show greatly. 
50. I love that it gave me a chance to write about interesting characters and meet amazing people like you.