Secret Shame #3: Skins

As I wrote the subject of this blog, another edition of Secret Shames (though they clearly are not so secret anymore), I realized that all of my secret shames so far have been British (terrible pop music and Hugh Grant). So, with this edition I will be keeping with the theme of things that are British, but next time I'll try to be more wordly.

I should also note that I did not discover this secret shame for myself, but rather, I heard about it first from one of my roommates in college and then when I saw that the E4 British series "Skins" was on Netflix Instant I watched the first two seasons in about three days. I am addicted to that show.

A brief synopsis of "Skins" makes it sound a little trashy, but I promise it's not totally trashy so bear with me. It follows eight teenagers (16-18) who live in Bristol and it basically is a drama about their life. And there is tons of it.

These kids drink a lot, they do drugs, they have tons of sex, they steal things, they pop pills, they have severe addictions and eating disorders...the list goes on and on. What I like about the show, which is pretty dramatic, is that though their lives are terribly unrealistic in some sense, in others they are very realistic. They seem like real people.

The cast of the first series is an enjoyable group. I found myself liking almost all the main characters, which almost never happens when I watch ensemble dramas like this. It's funny and heartbreaking and raw, while being entertaining and exaggerated.

The series is directed at teens, which is partially why I am so ashamed of myself for watching it, yet, I really like it. In the show, especially the first series, it has some oddball moments, such as Sid singing Cat Stevens "Wild World." This show has full on swearing, graphic sex and nudity, and literal witnessing of things such as overdosing and lots of fighting. Plus, someone gets hits by a bus and it's not funny at all. Not even in a 'Mean Girls' kind of way.

In short, I feel like this series could be shallow, but I swear it's not. I feel like a loser getting absorbed into the lives of completely fictious people, but at the same time, I really enjoy it.