Skins US - ...

Skins US: 1x09 Tina. 

I always watch the episodes at least twice for the recaps, but I COULDN'T WATCH THIS EPISODE A SECOND TIME and it wouldn't benefit my relationship with the characters and the show as a whole at all if I made the memories of certain aspects more permanent. Therefore, short review.

•  "Gross, and no."
• This could have been a sincerely interesting episode because it is based on a new and intriguing (in theory) idea: the short period of time Skins documents is meant to end. The finale for the first generation was perfect because it showed these wonderful characters moving on, which is what they are meant to do after college. Tina hasn't moved on. She's settled into a life that resembles being that age but she is terribly out of place at the same time because she isn't 17 anymore. 
• The concept worked in theory, but it was executed terribly: Tina isn't a sympathetic character. She is more infantile than most of the characters themselves are, which was most obvious in her interactions with Daisy ("we felt like we needed to go with someone more responsible") and with actual grown-ups (the scene in the car with the neighbour was almost TOO awkward to watch and I never ever want to see it again). I also have a lot of respect for teachers and the fact that they have this responsibility: and, while teachers on Skins usually are OTT characters contributing, mostly, comic relief, they've barely ever gone TOO much over the top (with the exception of Tom and I HATED TOM, but not as much as I hate THAT guy), and, at their best, contributed surprisingly truthful moments to the show (Harriet, especially). I don't believe in Tina. Usually I don't consider "this doesn't correspond to anything I know from my own life so it must be false" as valid criticism but I can't really help it in this case. We had loads of young teachers who had just started in my school and, while they weren't all sufficiently prepared to deal with a bunch of teenagers, not acting like teenagers themselves didn't seem like a problem for them (and the consumption of alcohol during outings and school trips was common).  Maybe it would have helped to know a bit more about Tina's background to understand why she has issues with relating to adults and finds it hard to draw the necessary lines between herself and her students, but that would have required a completely different  and more complex approach; WHY DON'T YOU HAVE FRIENDS YOUR OWN AGE, TINA?
• And then they brought the police into it. 
• Let's talk about Dave: he's a stalker, he steals stuff from his students, he violates the privacy of his students, he sexually molested Tina on the trip to Canada and broke into her apartment. There is a certain point when ridiculous characters cross a line into serious John Foster territory, and that line has been crossed ages ago and yet, someone still seems to think it's appropriate to utilize this character for comic relief.
• And I spent about 30 of the 39 minutes picking out extras in the background who might have had a more interesting story to tell. 
• The scene in the class room with the computers is exactly how I remember computer science class.
• "All of you are guilty of stealing my soul"
• Chris. I would be fine with his character if there wasn't this lingering suspicion that I am supposed to find him charming and endearing, when he really isn't. 
• The episode started and ended (Chris showing the detective where Tina "touched him") with a rape joke, returned to the good old "hey there's jizz in my bed" and I'm fairly sure there was a comment regarding Daisy's tits in there too.
• Cadie steals every single scene. This could have been a completely different show if it had focused on the stronger characters (and actors), and part of me hopes that they'll get a second shot with another season (part of me really doesn't). 

• Tony: I get why everybody else hates me. Why you?
  Cadie: I don't hate you. I don't hate tornados or tsunamis or earthquakes or volcanos and I don't hate tidal waves or astroids or any other destructive force of nature.
  [...]
  Daisy: You should just leave.

• Basically I want a Michelle-Daisy-Cadie spin-off. The jury's still out on Tea, especially since whoever wrote this episode didn't put one single thought into the fact that Tea at this point in the show is supposed to be slightly evolved from the Tea we met in the first episode.
• Daisy and Abbud together work, but there isn't really any competition.
• "Oh. Weird."
• DID I FALL ASLEEP? SHALL I GO NOW?

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