The American edit of Skins: Volume 1 left off a rather sublime ending of Sid singing "Wild World" by Cat Stevens as the gang finishes out their night's activities. The ending takes on a decidedly different, cheerier feeling but was it more appropriate than the US version? After a crazy night of debauchery, there were friendships broken, lives imperiled and so forth - but most importantly Tony has been hit by a bus. Walking around singing a Cat Stevens song is interesting, though a bit corny, and doesn't quite end on the melancholy note required for a proper transition into Skins: Volume 2. Considering the events of Skins: Volume 2 the upbeat UK ending seems even more deceptive and inappropriate; maybe that was the series' creators' attempts at Shakespearian levity between bouts of tragedy or maybe it was genuinely a moment of corny weakness - whatever the case, the lighthearted cheer of Skins: Volume 1 takes a backseat for a more drama-packed second installment.
Where the first season felt uneven in its coverage of the characters beyond Tony, Michelle, Sid and Cassie, the second season shifts its focus between two separate and almost entirely divergent storylines.
On one hand we have the evolving love square of Tony (Nicholas Hoult), Michelle (April Pearson), Sid (Mike Bailey) and Cassie (Hannah Murray) complicated even further by Tony's new mental status. As Sid and Michelle deal with their puppy-love inspired guilt, Tony skulks about in the background attempting to recover his mental capacities; meanwhile Cassie becomes a devious heart breaker with little shame. No one involved can claim to be happy, but then again it's Skins, being happy has little to do with life or romance.
The biggest emergence (and improvement) to the second volume of Skins is the storyline of Chris (Joseph Dempsie) and Jal (Larissa Wilson). Living on his own, Chris struggles with a plethora of issues: abandonment, questioning his self-worth and motivation. With his touchstone of stability out of his life, Chris has come detached from any and all semblance of responsibility. Jal steps in and extends the shine of her stability over yet another soul. The quality that had so many people walking all over her now opens her up to the most meaningful relationship she's ever had. The Chris and Jal relationship brings a breath of fresh air to Skins. Having to watch the wringing of garments that was the Tony/Sid/Michelle/Cassie show had run its course halfway through the first season - this unexpected relationship opens up and changes the show for the better.
In Skins, some things change and some don't. While Chris and Jal got taken into the limelight, Anwar (Dev Patel) and Maxxie (Mitch Hewer) stayed consistently in the background. Even with the odd Maxxie-stalker plotline, the dynamic goofy duo never really rises above the depth of coverage they received in the first season. Frankly, that's not such a bad thing. These two were interesting to a point but never developed to a point that necessitated their presence in the series. Oddly, the most interesting addition to the Maxxie and Anwar storyline was the presence of comedian Bill Bailey as the blue-collar and disproving father of Maxxie.
Initially Skins: Volume 2 seems like it's going to follow the formulaic route it established in the original series, but the arc of Chris and Jal saves the series. Without their characters it would have been almost unbearably similar to the first - again, narrowly avoided. Of course, were it not for the genuine likeability of the Chris character and the incessantly patient Jal the end of Skins: Volume 2 wouldn't feel half as fulfilling as it does. After two seasons of seeing these characters flail about in their circumstances, the closure they get, as bittersweet as it is, satisfies; even if the satisfaction is wrapped in emotional barbed wire.
DVD Bonus Features
There's a hefty heaping of little extra featurettes on the final disc of Skins: Volume 2. First off we have "Christmas with Skins", a "Night Before Christmas" parody following Chris and Anwar who have a decidedly disappointing Christmas with an over-the-top cheesy ending. "Musical Auditions" is a slightly humorous sketch piece of numerous comical personalities trying out for the college musical. It's never quite as funny as it wants to be - like Carlos Mencia. "Tony's Nightmare", an interestingly tortured piece, has a Tony and Sid moment that's decidedly odd. Tony attempts to put together a puzzle of himself (such a clever metaphor) as Sid delivers foreboding lines of a remarkably unfriendly nature. The piece titled "Cassandra" keeps up with the odd nature of Cassie's character in the second volume of Skins. There are a few other features, and overall they're only for the true fans of the show. If you're watching Skins: Volume 2 to waste time the extra features will be more involved than you want to get.
Skins: Volume 2 avoided the gaping maw of a trap that, by all accounts, it should have fallen in to. Following the Tony, Sid, Michelle and Cassie love triangle to a point where the audience couldn't care less would have been easy; instead they gradually retired that plot in favor of a deeper exploration of characters that deserved it after a season of supporting roles. Skins: Volume 2 feels different from the first in all the ways required for a series to survive and stay fresh - it dialed back the sheer chaos and debauchery in favor of a more mature course of drama.
"Skins: Volume 2" is on sale April 14, 2009 and is rated NR. Drama, Television. Directed by Adam Smith, Charles Martin, Simon Massey. Written by Bryan Elsley, Jamie Brittain, Jack Thorne, Ben Schiffer. Starring April Pearson, Dev Patel, Hannah Murray, Joseph Dempsie, Larissa Wilson, Mike Bailey, Mitch Hewer, Nicholas Hoult.
