Tonight, the seventh and (at least for now) final series of E4's seminal teen drama Skins begins. Over its six years on the air, its had both high points and low points but its impact on a previously rather lame genre filled with teenage characters played by actors in their mid to late twenties is undeniable. It was touted as being full of drug-fuelled raves and rampant sex (which it is) but the viewers were won over by the quality of the writing and how relatable the characters and stories were rather than how good the sex scenes were. A sad truth of life is that (apart from Bruce Forsyth) all things must come to an end and the time has come for Skins to leave our screens. But not before it gets a proper swansong in the form of three two-part stories: Skins: Fire, Skins: Rise, and Skins: Pure. Despite Skins legacy, theres a definite sense of trepidation about these final episodes. The programme is using a different format, has fewer episodes than ever before, and is bringing back previous characters rather than creating new ones. It could end well or be a pretty big misfire. Which is why we have reasons to be optimistic and pessimistic about it. And because I hate to end on a negative, Ill start with the reasons why were not optimistic...
4. It Means More Focus On Cook And Effy
Its not a groundless argument that Cook and especially Effy are Skins most overexposed characters. Effy was the only main character present for the whole of Generation 1 and 2, the primary focus of Series 3 was her relationship with Cook and Freddie, and her mental illness was the overriding story arc for the second half of Series 4. And as for Cook, he was one third of Series 3s love triangle of doom and got a lot more focus beyond that, pretty much being the second main character behind Effy with every episode of Series 3 bar one dealing with his antics in some way. So after that huge amount of time in the spotlight, rather than them being left to the side for the programme's endgame, theyre both getting two episodes devoted entirely to them, meaning that theyll each have had an hour and a half more screentime by the time Series 7 ends. Bringing back two of the most notable characters is a smart move in terms of attracting viewers (particularly since Series 3 and 4 have a very large and vocal fanbase) and has a sense of gravitas and ceremony to it, but it may have been better to give an episode over to one or two of the characters that previously had less exposure. Like following Maxxie and Anwars post-exam life in London for instance. Of course this is all subjective and if youre a fan of Cook and Effy, youll most likely love these episodes. But personally I just think weve seen far too much of them already and that their final appearances should have been in Series 4, leaving room for some of the other characters to get one last moment in the spotlight before the programme ends.