TV Review: Skins 6.5, 'Mini'

I’ve seen a real improvement in this generation’s stories overall, and I hope that trend continues with the final (counts quickly), five episodes?

By Chris Swanson / February 23, 2012

rating: 4

I never cared much for the character of Mini (Freya Mavor). I found her to be too self-absorbed and bitchy, and even though were made aware that she uses that self-absorbed bitchiness as a shield to keep herself from getting hurt by the world, that still doesnt compensate for the fact that I find her to be very unappealing. Nevertheless, the character was redeemed, at least somewhat, in this most recent episode. We begin with Mini and her recent boy-toy Alo (Will Merrick) shagging in a bathroom stall at a club. During the act, Alo tells Mini he loves her, which results in what I believe gymnasts term a hasty dismount. Liv (Laya Lewis) then walks in, and Alo has to sneak off. Mini stalks off and goes home, where shes stuck lying in bed listening to her mother and her mothers boyfriend having noisy sex. Matters get worse when her mother wanders in, wearing only a sheet, and takes a bottle of baby oil out with her. I hate that I had to type that sentence, I really do. The next morning, Mini gets up and vomits. Hard to blame her, really, though it turns out shes actually getting sick in the morning due to being pregnant. Yes, turns out that Alo has been working overtime and done the deed. Mini handles this by pretending it isnt happening. Unsurprisingly, it turns out Mini cant stand her mothers new boyfriend, and when she hears he plans to move in, she makes plans to move out. She calls her father (who gives off this odd Clark Kent vibe), and the next thing you know, theyre meeting in an aquarium to talk things out (Im 99% sure its the same room in the aquarium where Chris liked to hang out in series 1 and 2. Nice bit of continuity, that). They leave after she makes plans to visit him at work. Turns out daddy works at what appears to be an ad agency, and he has a rather attractive assistant named Ryan. Ryan quickly develops eyes for Mini, and she appears to return the interest. When she gets home, she finds out that Alo is waiting for her. Shes less than pleased and about to kick him out, when her mothers boyfriend asks her to make him leave. She rebels and the next thing you know, poor Alo is sleeping on the bedroom floor. The next morning, after her sickness, she kicks Alo out and runs off to Daddy. She finds him and Ryan (mostly Ryan), trying to assemble what I believe is a Hemnes bed from Ikea. Yes, this show loves its Ikea. Ive seen my own bed turn up a time or two on the program, but thats neither here nor there. Anyhow, Ryan gives her a nice red dress to wear at a party that her father is planning for the next evening. Things kind of snowball from there, and a lot happens. Franky (Dakota Blue Richards) learns that Mini is pregnant, Rich (Alexander Arnold) resurfaces from whatever hole hes been hiding in, Alex (Sam Jackson) gets to appear in an episode, and Mini learns her father is about to go to Australia. He invites her along, and suddenly she might have an easy out on dealing with her problems Mini really does come off better in this episode, acting much more like a scared little girl in private, and cranking up the bitch mode in public. I find it utterly plausible and though we saw much the same thing in her episode last year, for some reason it works better here than it did there. Perhaps Mavor has matured as an actress or something was different with the writing. Whatever it was, it worked here and didnt there, and thats something Im pleased with. Im also pleased that, while Alo and Mini had a brief conversation about Grace, the team seems to be putting that behind them, which I feel is good. The advantage to killing off a main character at the start of a series is that you get to explore the fallout. The disadvantage is that it can quickly overwhelm every other storyline, so moving past it is probably wise. Ive seen a real improvement in this generations stories overall, and I hope that trend continues with the final (counts quickly), five episodes? Five? Thats it? Goodness, were halfway done! Time flies when youre having fun, I suppose. Goodness knows, anything past the Freffy episodes certainly feels like less of a slog.