But sometimes the music just comes straight from the episodes...

So I've been rewatching the first two seasons of "Skins" (it's the holidays, so what else am I gonna do?) - and among the many things that I noticed in my second run through (the first was almost exactly a year ago) is how different the show felt in its second season: much more serious, the characters had more depth. And I remember too how suprised I was to find myself way more moved by the Jal/Chris story, that developed so slowly and then almost seemed to come out of nowhere in the second season episode "Chris", than the whole Cassie-thing, although I love the character of Cassie and her function in the story, as the perceptive, outspoken girl that always notices everything but can't really interfere to prevent the catastrophe she sees coming (hence her name). I had pretty much the same feeling after rewatching some season three episodes and comparing them to season four so far (they could not pull off an episode like "Pandora", with its lightheartedness and simple cuteness, right now). 

Three other things: I miss friendships, as I said in my review on "Cook" (Cassie/Jal, Jal/Chris before they become a couple, Maxxie/Anwar, even Sid/Tony at times)

I forgot how wacky Pandora is in the season two episode "Effy". Lisa Backwell doesn't get enough credit for "Skins", and that makes me sad. 

I miss the Effy from season two episodes like "Tony & Maxxie", "Tony" (although the fact that Tony "finds himself" with the help of a spirit named "Beth" that looks remarkably like his sister/a female version of himself still disturbs me) and "Effy" (it's probably relevant to keep in mind how much responsibility Effy had to take up in season two, and how destructive her parents were). The writers struggled to turn her from one of the most interesting minor characters into the major one in season three, and I think they succeeded in retaining some of her most interesting qualities (most importantly how observant she is when it comes to other people, and how much she enjoys seeing stories unfold), but failed in providing her with her very own storyline. 

Anyways: 

Althea & Donna - Uptown Top Ranking

I knew Scout Niblett's cover version before and this time around I realized where I'd heard the song while watching "Jal". In other news, people who talk during Scout Niblett concerts make me mad. They are evil.