I'm thinking of writing some Skins recaps because a)there seem to be no recaps of gen 1, which is a heartbreak, b)there aren't that many sites recapping gen 3 because two of the three sites that recapped gen 2 are lesbian sites, c)no one who recaps Skins writes about disability very well, which is frustrating because d)there are a few really good portrayals, and a lot more that are worth discussing.
I don't know when I will do this and I'll probably just write on whichever episodes I feel like writing about. I'm also not sure whether I should do the recaps here or on Bad Brains Wearing Clothes (Zoe is that legit? At all?).
Some thoughts: (SPOILERS)
1. JJ/Emily isn't offensive to me as a lesbian. Should it be offensive to me as an Autistic person?
2. 1x02=awesome. But what are Cassie's food issues like after this? Do they immediately go away or are there signs of them still being around later?
3. 2x09: "I stopped eating and everyone had to do what I said. It was the happiest time of my life." Is this a)a retcon by the writers, b)a retcon by Cassie, c)actually supported by series 1?
4. Why 4x06 sucks both because of the series arc, and because it unnecessarily brings in disability issues and then doesn't address them properly.
5. Did Sketch turn evil because she has to OMG physically support her mom?
6. Does Cassie actually change dramatically, or did we just read her wrong because of her scripts?
7. What would have been a better way to introduce and portray Effy's bad brains?
8. True or false: if someone can't get an erection, you can't have sex or a relationship with them.
9. Overprotective parents and their relationship to real or imaginary disabilities--Cadie, JJ, and Pandora. Also, what is lost in the transition from Cassie to Cadie.
10. Terrible doctors and their relationship to real or imaginary disabilities--Cassie, Cadie, JJ, and Effy.
11. Why is Mini so awesome?
12. Josh. (I'm referring to both the character, and the only person who will probably read these recaps.)
PS--I'm actually thinking I may do this in the summer. We'll see.
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I would read the recaps! I love recaps! More than the actual shows sometimes.
ReplyDeleteI think this would entail broadening the scope of bbwc but I'd be up for it.
IF YOU DON'T LOVE SKINS YOU'RE NOT INVITED
ReplyDeletealso, um I could talk about what the characters are wearing in each episode
because I'm gay
Gosh.. you're spot on, I would read these so hard. Quited excited actually.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry I don't have more Skins thoughts to share myself these days. I think I'm subconsciously trying to cool my obsesseion a bit cos.. well I watched the show for the first time in late 2008, but by mid-2009 it had pretty much taken over my life, hitting another high during S4 airing.
I dunno if I'm just bad at managing my special interests, but when I hear people say bad things about Skins (which I do A LOT it's such a polarising show) it hurts and makes me down and anxious (like the poor ratings and responce to S5 are doing!) and I know thats really irrational/beyond ridiculous, but I still feel it! So I guess I'm trying to moderate the intensity of my attachement to the show.
I use to spit out Skins essays for fun though.. I mean my specialist subject was always S2 Cassie apologism. I think a lot of the places they took the character that series where pretty essential in terms of fairly and responsibly portraying mental illness (her S1 charaterisation could perhaps be seen as a little idealised) and I do steadfastly believe her characterisation is consitant thoughtout (with the exception of how she is some other character's episodes.. written with less care). For example you can see her self-centred callousness in S1 in her "realtionship" with Simon at the care home and her kindness thoughout S2 in acting as Chris's carer or in that Unseen Skins with the old man. In short I don't think she changed super dramtically, I feel the scripts just zoomed in on different aspects of the same picture.
In short, I think Cassie had a good heart competing with a bad brain, which something I can relate to.
Oh gosh.. you've set me off ranting, can't wait for your recaps, essays and what not. It would be lovely to see a book of Skins fan writing and essays one day.
Also... Skins Josh.. I almost forgot about him. I know he rather dramtically subverts this, but why are fictional Joshs always stereotypical hunks and dreamboys? I mean.. I feel I let the side SO down..
Also I've thought about doing a re-write of S4, with a special focus on making the Effy stuff work more. I'd cut out the Sophia storyline and have the series start with an attempted suicide by Effy at Thomas's club night (with drugs supplied by Naomi via Cook etc)and introduce Foster from the first episode, initally as a positive influence.
will you please write some stuff? I love Cassie (hence my disastrous attempt at pincurls where I ended up looking like Michelle instead) but I have a lot of trouble understanding her.
ReplyDeleteThat is SUCH a good idea about Effy. That would be awesome. We should write this (if I'm invited).
Also I want to reorganize everything with JJ. (I had some Internet gooeyness about this yesterday.)
My Skins love is embarrassing too. Sometimes I have to watch the Wild World video to get up in the morning.
also, I don't know if you've been watching US Skins (and if not, good for you) but listen to this shit from the last episode.
ReplyDelete(Stan's dad is like Sid's dad, Cadie's mom is really overprotective.)
Cadie's mom: You get a call in third grade and the teacher says, "We really like Cadie, but we have some concerns." And after that it's not whether she sees someone or whether she takes someone, but who she sees and what she takes.
Stan: I think my dad got that call in third grade. He just yelled at me for being stupid.
Cadie's mom: He sounds like a good dad.
WTF I CAN'T EVEN BEGIN TO TALK ABOUT HOW DUMB THIS IS.
1. Cadie and Stan are the same, Cadie's disability was created by her parents??
2. There are only two possible reactions to badbrains, drowning someone in "treatment" or ignoring that they're having trouble??
maybe this is supposed to be ironic since Stan's dad clearly isn't a good dad? I DON'T KNOW. I THINK THE SHOW DOESN'T EVEN KNOW.
also, sorry I just wrote ten responses--but you should come to the livejournal community, we all love s5 there.
ReplyDeleteNo, I'm not watching US Skins.. but not out of purism.. more laziness!
ReplyDeleteI'd love you to join in the S4 re-write, you're a much better fiction writer than me. I suppose the main issue pulling out Sophia and established bad brained Effy from the first episode causes is what do in alternative to how the Sophia thing effected the other characters. Would we have Effy having a fling with Naomi? Actually.. I think I'd like to do something totally different with Naomily entirely in S4. Their storyline sucked.. but what? Any suggestions?
We disagree on JJ's S4 episode.. but what would you have done with him in that series instead? Again, very interested!
Understanding Cassie is easy for me, cos I'm basically her in an older, less pretty, more male body. Our psychology is spookily alike. I vomited out all my Cassie essays on IMDB.. and they've long been deleted. Though I've I get a spurt of mental energy I'll do some blogging/recapping myself and try and restate some of my thoughts.
oh, and wow livejournal! That's retro. I don't think I've been on that site for the better part of a half a decade.
ReplyDeletegosh maybe instead of doing this on bad brains wearing clothes you and I should just start our own bad brains watching skins website??? hoorays?
ReplyDelete^ this would be great but possibly... refine the very concept of "niche interest"?
ReplyDeleteOne day we'll start a Skins university. I'll be the head of Cassieology and you'll man the JJ studies depeartment and wow, life will be beautiful.
<3333333
ReplyDeleteI don't even think it's that niche though because all the Skins recapping sites are lesbian sites. So our site would be a disabled site.
okay, and JJ's s4 episode sucks! how can you not think this?
ReplyDeleteLook at poor Thomas and Pandora and Naomily. They were broken up forever for NO REASON. Imagine if that episode could have been Pandora or Naomi's episode. Actually they could have gotten rid of Freddie or Effy's episode since it's the same fucking episode and then they could have had two free episodes for Pandora and Naomi. Problem solved.
Orrrr Pandora and JJ could have gotten together so it could still have been JJ's episode. All would have been well. And then JJ could actually have been involved in the arc which he wasn't--which was why his episode was so dumb, it was just like "let's give JJ some stuff he probably wants, to make up for not having him in the show anymore more or less."