What is it with teenagers today? Is life really that bleak during adolescence? Well, yes, of course it is. But don’t worry too much as the twenties are great – enjoy that decade before you get crushed by mortgages and parasitic employers...
Anyway, the reason I ask is because British teen drama is more depressing than ever. And when I say more depressing, what I really mean is more brilliantly written, acted and addictive. Not only has Hollyoaks dug itself out of the Redmond-induced, tits’n’ass quagmire to become the only soap with any structure or storylines, but Bristol-based Skins is not only the best UK drama on any terrestrial channel at the moment, it’s also the darkest.
Despite being promoted as teenage romp about drugs, sex and parties, Skins is more tender, thought-provoking and yet funny than the likes of Shameless, Mistresses and Honest. Sketch’s disabled mum, Sid’s bullied dad, Tony’s rehabilitation after getting smashed by a truck, Jal’s pregnancy, Chris’s devastating illness. All hugely depressing, but all treated with a light touch as the assorted teens struggle to get on with their lives. Just like real life, you have to find humour in the bleakest situations.
One or two elements have become too dark – Cassie’s transformation from anorexic air-head to cynical, serial-shagging realist has been hard to take – but there’s always some humour to lighten the doom. Effie’s episode was great fun and I hope she and her barking mad new pal Pandora will show up in the next series, seeing as how the producers have decided to write out the main cast as they’re now too old…
The final two episodes promise to be darker than ever as something terrible hits the teens, and I just hope that the high quality continues with the new set of characters next year.
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