皮囊第七季

Effy's going to jail, Naomi's going to die, Emily's going to be even worse than death. Most of the viewer of the last episode of skins, cannot cope with tragic endings like that, including me at least for a while. For me, personally, it's not the death or prison that bothers the most, it is the non-dramatic way of telling almost nonchallently, of the most tragic ending that one can think of is happening right in front our eyes while pretend not a big deal of it. Instead of showing meanings to us, all is simply impled by. Those viewers seek for some kinda closure of the whole skins series aren't gonna get it, for there left so many lose ends; those who hope for drama aren't gonna get it, disappointed by its realistic telling of dramatic event and its anti-clamax of an ending; Those who expect twists and turns would surprise and flip at the extreme lack of it. Despite all that, we should decide to love it, after all that is the end we get in life.

The first thing needs to be clarified is that television becomes no less inferior than literature these days, at least for some good television shows like Skins, it is true. A fact we need to come to terms with. And as no sensible readers would curse the writer and demand him to rewrite an ending that he doesn't like, television is not an negotiation as well. For those who think it is, well you are so self-involved to hook on the delusion of it. That's the sole lie the life-shows nowadays are depending on you to believe, a conviction that the power's in your own hand. For Christ sake, what a convenient flattering that is! As sensible viewers, we see right through it, we accept what we got and try to appreciate the beauty of it.

After all, Skins fire. As the title suggests, it is about lights, destruction and rebirth. And a terrible beauty is born. Adulthood is such a terrible beauty. Especially for Effy, once aloof, indifferent, omniscient goodness in her little circle, washed by fire, and reborn into human. Of course, there's some sacrifice along the way. So walking out of paradise full of drugs, parties and hormones, here she is, taking three steps of becoming human as we know it.

Step one, compassion.
"I want to feel something, I want to be hurt! Come and hit me!" The girl ran into the middle of the street and exclaimed a death wish in front of world. That's near the ending of Effy's teenage years, almost the last we see her. Since then, apparently, the wish has come true. In fire, we see Effy's feeling, invisible as it always is, all over the place. The way she bites her finger nails watching Naomi on stage doing shitty comedy and being laughed at, the way she cries when being yielded at the truth of Naomi's illness, the way she goes blank hearing the doctor said the drug doesn't work and the way stares Naomi lying on the CT scan thereafter runs out of room, and the way she panics holding Naomi in her arms puking all over the place-- we never have seen Effy going through all levels of emotions before, not merely for herself, but for her best friend, for Naomi and Emily. With herself, she can be tough, takes it on her own: "I am fine", when Naomi asks she used three words as such to conclude it, even if she's not. Far from doing nothing, as Naomi accuses her to be, she's doing everything she could to hold it together, being tough for her, can't stop feeling for her but has to conceal it for her. That is not sth she told us, That's sth we sense. For those who love Naomi and Emily with such a bias to take in everything they say, myself included, might look beyond the surface and see they are blocked by own individuality as well. In fact, compassion is all Effy is in fire, "she has such big love inside of her, just needs to be let out, and the possibility to let out scares the hell of her" Effy's mom knows her nature well. Well, at least she smiles at the end, typical Effy smile, as if to say "you don't know me at all", or maybe this time, it says: "I can feel after all, i feel something". Compassion we know that is what makes us all human, and from the moment she feels it, Effy is no longer mysterious and inappoachable fairie, she is one of us, human.

Step two, mortality.
Naomi's death really provided an occasion for mourning, mourning for the beauty being tragically destroyed. It is sad, true. But it is sensible, as we consider it. After all it becomes a tradition of skins, to kill one favorite character at a time of generation. And for generation 2, Freddie is definitely not the most favorite one. It is the thing had between Naomi and Emily that makes the most wonderful thing that the make-believe world of skins had created for us. And let's face it, the most beautiful thing as it always, is irreplacable. There's no carnation for that, no reborn in it (as they are lesbians) therefore, it is immortal. This is the reason they can't survive the mortal world of adulthood. One of them has to be destroyed, and the other along with it. And as if killing our favorite couple isn't cruel enough, Effy needs to witness and learn from the tragic of all this, to see the only positive unyielding love that exists in her past world being worn out by an incurable disease of mankind. From the moment her best friend told her the illness, Effy knows it's gonna go down like this, she knows it too well, so she can't stand watching Naomi pretend like nothing and make fun of herself in a comedy, yet she complains in the most minute ways, pissing Naomi about the rent which essentially means the burden all weighs down on her- she needs to be the rock, and it's fucking hard. Neither can she offer comforts to her like innocent Dom, cause she knew it better, the truth hurts so much that she can't fathom a way to act it otherwise. Again, like I said, Mortality takes its toll, for Effy, it is the farewell paid to the old world of her past with Naomily in it, a burning ritual she has to experience descending to the world of works in her fantasy, a brave new world of men. And Naomily is the sacrifice, given that Homosexuality implies in literature a longing for death in itself. The poet and beauty must die, so the rest of us can keep on living.

Step three, helplessness.
At times we can't help but wonder why things always go terribly wrong with Effy, no matter how fucking together they all seem in the first glimpse! The onmiscent soul of this childhood circle stumbles way out of their idealistic small world and find she's merely a tool used by more onmiscent forces way sophisticated than she is. Helplessness is the condition of humanity. It breaks her charm, make her helpless. Emily says: "We idolized her." Cook's fucking Dad: "You are too pretty for your own good, that's why you destroy everything you touch." Such are the contrast between surface and core of Effy. Lights and destruction all sealed in one, waiting to be born. And in skins fire, it burst alive. It is interesting to note that in retrospect, everyone around Effy ends in various tragic ways: her parents separated, her brother got hit by a car, Freddie got killed and Cook went down for his revenge, and we thought Naomily is the only exception for they are special, how naive we are! There's a certain helpless gravity for tragic in Effy that makes her so appealing and at once so heartending. It almost seems nothing stays with her, under circumstances like that one almost certainly can't help but hold itself to blame. God knows how she serectly took the fault herself for all lost in life! In front of the mass of life, for the first time, we see her had no clue about what to do? It is Naomi in sick bed push some sense in her again, "Seriously what do we got, Effy? Well, I am going to die, what you gonna do? " That probably reminds her who she is and should be. After that, we see her picking up Emily at airport, possibly she called her up and reveal the truth as she should in the first place; then she made deal with victoria to tell on boss under sole condition that dom is untouched. She made the right choice eventually, as she used to be. Better late than never, taking responsibility for what she did like a fucking adult. It takes her edge off, which still makes me angry, not at her, but at the fucking real world of ours that rounded with such a flame in the first place. Yet the most helpless as it always was in Effy is the fact that she has to play the help all her life, which means no one helps Her, that she is truly THE most helpless one. That leads to off-putting love affair with her boss. But seriously cut her some slack, please. Leave aside the fact that boss is adulthood look-alike of Freddie, probably an unintended happy coincidence, she's lonely, and extremely so after a load of pressure landed on her, taking care of best friend mentally and financially, watchig them being happy and all that. What do we expect her to do, instead of cutting herself and going mental in the bathroom, isn't it much healthy distraction to find a man to love and entertain a little fantasy that somebody got her back? Dom and Boss, she picked the one who pays her rent, so that Naomi didn't have to. And that, for me, makes character of Eff, most lovable and lamentable beyond all.

The Effy who used to smile her mysterious smiles that says "you don't know me at all", still smiles at us in the end. Is it sort of mock or self mock? for many a thousand viewers shall this, her mock, mock out of their retardness after seeing all she went through still don't see who the hell she is; mock herself from dreaming our world to be hers therefore making effort to it; mock grown-ups down, and others yet ungotten and unborn that shall have cause to curse the city that bereaves her Eden and beloved from earth.

Skins fire comes to an end. The followings, in this order, comes pure and rise. It is interesting to note that in the trailor the order has been rearenged: it should be rise, fire, and pure. That is to say the actually serie begins in the medres, classic order of story telling. And it should be expected to return to rise in a circle, suggesting to a eternal reoccurrence of the proccess. Therefore, we have reasons to believe fire is the brutalest one, perhaps things would pick up tone a bit: in pure, it might smooth out a bit, going for depth; rise probably going to be full of struggles but worth it. But eventually, as the trailor so artisticaly hints at: three individual under one skin, going through phases, transforming into one another's life. Step by step, we walk out of ourself, into hers, into his then eventually back to our own skins. All change and changed utterly, a terrible beauty is born.

       第一次看skins是09年，那年我大二，当时已经出到了第三季。有个朋友很喜欢这部剧，也一直推荐我看。一天逛校园资源论坛的时候看到一个1-2季的合辑时候，下载完才开始看。当时年轻些，和多数人看到的一样，觉得skins就是讲一群荷尔蒙分泌旺盛的青少年，开了一场青春狂欢的爬梯。在这些角色和情结中，我们可以代入很多，比如对酒精的沉迷，对性爱的追求，甚至对大麻和烟草的依赖，还有如Cassie对Sid无可奈何的Forever love。那时我希望自己可以和他们一样，对家庭和父母的期待无所顾忌，甚至背离宗教和信仰，不管学校，不顾未来，只为青春，只为狂欢。
       从第三季开始，在评论下说要弃剧的人越来越多。我们对每两季换一批角色的设定不习惯，也更愿意相信第一二季的角色并没有离开。但是即便嫌弃，也这么两季两季的看下来了，并且越看越清晰。我开始认为编剧父子不仅仅是在讲荷尔蒙而已，而每两季都会有人死去，更像是编剧试图在以这种深刻的方式叙述他们想要对世界和青少年的看法。
       不和睦的家庭、精神疾病、性取向、药物滥用和死亡，每一个话题单独拎出来都很沉重，skins把它们都囊括进来。在第六季中Mini看着宝宝的那个挣扎表情，让我震惊到流泪。每个人心底都怀着最纯真的善意，对家人，对后代，这些感情都能够在每一季中看到。Mini父母离异，她的妈妈经常和不同的男人来往，甚至在家里大声做爱。她从破处开始就面临着选择，被朋友甚至男朋友认可，还是做一个特立独行的处女。Mini之后怀孕走投无路找到爸爸，习惯逃脱责任的爸爸成最后一点希望，却最终也将她置于不顾。Alo从得知Mini怀孕之后被惊吓到躲起来，Mini一个人去堕胎的时候看着宝宝的样子强忍着眼泪还是哭了出来。原本，Mini的家庭可以不破裂，她可以成为一个很优秀的女生，她可以不怀孕，她可以不要去面对要不要生下小孩的抉择。家庭破裂是被选择的，拥有怎样的青春是自己选择的，进行有保护措施的性爱是可以选择的，生小孩是一切选择之后产生的选择。所以，skins这些戏，这些一个个的悲剧和短暂的狂欢，是源于我们自己一个又一个的选择。
        翻skins的照片，除了很多人说弃剧，还有很多人说第七季烂。可是skins究竟讲的是什么，是嬉皮，是大麻，是酒精，是性，是青春，是狂欢？每个人都有自己的解读。Skins是这一切，又不仅仅是这一切。我们的青春的状态，源于家庭，源于社区，源于社会，也终究源于自己。如果家庭完整些，如果不是管教太宽松或是太严格，他们不会想要从传统中剥离出来。如果学校负责职业规划的大姐能再专业些，没准能安排好几个学生的生计。如果对爱情能够有所理解，Sid对Cassie的爱应该会有更多的回应。男孩特别是卢瑟尔对女神模样的女孩情有独钟，好像流了很多年的哈喇子，一旦有机会一定要上位，并且有多久待多久，还必须的念念不忘，特别骄傲。不管Cassie对他的爱有多深，似乎也看不到Cassie身上的美。讽刺的是，Cassie在第七季成了一位万众瞩目的模特。
       我很喜欢第七季，我觉得第七季升华了skins一直在叙述的庞杂的青春轶事。青春时期因为各种原因，他们选择了一种极端开放的姿态绽放青春，甚至因此而被逼面对死亡。第七季中，曾经年轻的人不再年少，Effy开始穿得像office lady，精通Excel，和boss打得火热。虽然在烦心的夜晚也会换上衣服去夜店跳一跳，但是Effy已经长大了，她和每个人一样都长大了。她不再因为别人的选择而精神分裂，她的生活开始由自己掌控。她选择怎么对待爱她的人和她爱的人，而她选择和大多数的年轻女孩一样，对帅气多金的boss情有独钟，利用爱她的可怜男孩取得情报，并且被boss利用完之后抛弃，以及让爱她的男孩溃不成军。这些都是她自己选择的结果。很多人接受不了Effy蹲号子，但你可以是Effy，你在你长大之后，在你面对这种利益抉择的时候，能够拿她做反面例子，做另一个正确的选择，那么Effy这个号子就蹲得有价值。
       对Cassie在第七季中的故事，还是没能给安排一个真爱，多少是有些怨念的。但是大家都挺开心的，毕竟大家心爱的女神成了模特，前途明朗。仔细想想，Cassie在很多时候都很冷静，比如即便孤独也拒绝滥交，以及在第一次为高端杂志做模特时拒绝中年多金男的毒品，少有朋友却不过多参与妓女邻居的邀请。她的生活并没有糟到没办法解开，她有美而不自知的特质，并且心系家庭。这样的女孩应该得到幸运的眷顾，而且编剧确实是这么做的。
       Cook的故事很沉重，在前面他为Freddie杀死一位变态的心理医生，并在第七季中一边逃亡一边做一位毒贩子。逃亡的时间，Cook有很多思考的时间，编剧也把他从没大脑的种马转变为有思想有担当的男人。Cook在第七季中面对了很多艰难的选择，并且每一个选择都能将他指向险要的境地。Charlie要Cook和他做爱，Cook第一次拒绝免去他一开始的杀身之祸，第二次因为Charlie提起他的往事没有拒绝，却将她这个定时炸弹绑在了身边，并最终害死了相爱的Emma。但Cook没有再杀死boss，是对此前杀人罪行的自我救赎。
        结局很多人不喜欢，因为剧从青春中起，就应该从青春中落。比如青春应该完美，Effy不应该蹲号子；青春应该有爱情，Cassie应该和Sid团聚；青春应该张扬跋扈，Cook应该杀死boss并且和bitch私奔。但这一切都没有发生，因为我们成长了，我们应该思考，做出一些正确的选择，为自己的人生开路。

       Cook最后的独白

you think you know death
but you don't
until you've seen it
really seen it
and it gets under your skin and lives inside you

you also think you know life
you stand on the edge of things and watch it go by
but you are not living it
not really
you're just a tourist
a ghost
and then you see it
really see it
and it gets under your skin and lives inside you

and there's no escape
there's nothing to be done, and you know what?
it's good, it's a good thing
and that's all I've got to say about it.

有一句话送给导演编剧们，来形容我看了第七季的心情：
不作死就不会死。

第七季真的很烂。可是我还是没忍住给了四星。

我说它烂，不是因为它把我最喜欢的两个女人设定成一个送进监狱，一个永远孤独。也不是因为cook大王最后两集还要作死，搞了个让无数人忍不住骂鸟东西的结局。我当然知道成长是必须的，不是每个青春期少男少女都会永远喝酒抽大麻读萨特光屁股一堆烦恼又无忧无虑无所畏惧。我也理解最终季拍成这样的纪念意义和良苦用心。

我只是觉得它搞砸了。它的前六季是靠着青春，靠着叛逆恶心凌乱，靠着纯洁自由而让人穷追不舍，可是这一季，它只剩下无奈了。它的故事讲得衣冠楚楚却乱七八糟，完全不符合英剧气质，失去了最大的优点。

给四星五星的，有几个不是因为脑补能力足够强，怀旧情绪太泛滥？


但是至少，它给了Eff，Cass和Cook一个完整的成熟世界。它表达了一种成长和妥协，同时给人物设置了新的弱点和矛盾，一种成人式的困难和成人式的解决方法，但却仍然保持青春期的视角（主人公内在的视角）去理解这些问题。从这个意义上来说，第七季似乎也总要拍成这种样子。因为我们都想不出来更好的样子了。

无论怎样长大，无论变成什么样的人，人总是会后悔的。

无论Skins最终季拍成什么样子，我们总是会一边叫骂一边流泪。

总觉得这应该是一个像彼得潘一样永远不长大的电视剧，孩子们就这么一波一波的叛逆下去，延续着这样的叛逆青春。所以看到成熟的Eff和Cook，还有这部剧沉默，大众的剧情，让我觉得跟之前的几季格格不入。但是换个角度想想这可能也应该是这样了吧，青春不可能永无止境，人不能永不长大，最终我们还是要学着懂事，学着承担。

刚开始看第一季的时候真的不是很能接受，总觉得这种小痞子，满嘴脏话，堕落的电视剧不能接受。中途弃过几次。但是后来明白了。Skins就是这些孩子叛逆，任性，不管不顾的外衣。真正在皮囊底下的是他们各种各样的脆弱与伤痕。他们到底是需要关爱的孩子。他们用他们的友情，爱情在，相互温暖着彼此。但是这跟最后一集所叙述的skins的意义完全背离。

这一季里的Eff跟COOk都长大了，都事故了，但是最后还是没给他们一个好下场。豆娘还在旁边写贴了个“喜剧”的标签。。。最后看着cook离开的背影，真的觉得好心酸，想到之前他哭着说过为什么所有人都离开我，背叛我。那个时候真的希望这个孩子能有个好结果，找个爱他的姑娘，让他安定下来。但是最后黑心的编剧还是这么让他孤零零的走了。I just so sad that it ends like this.

   五 年了来到第七季了，是该完结了么。
                                        
                                    第一集 “Fire"
 当看到Effy在办公室里一本正经的上班的时候，我噗嗤一下笑了，那个”嗑药少女“满嘴”FUCK“的女生会这样，但是细想一下，她是一个冷到骨子里的人，她知道自己要什么，她下了个决定就是，只想好好工作了。
但是她的欲望还是那么强烈，她意识到了这个年龄的欲望已经不是能靠迷幻药能解决的。她和他老板上床，非法获得信息来上位。得到她所谓的"钱”但是“钱”真的能解决所有问题了么，那为什么还是整晚不睡去"pub" 呢？不是已经妥协说，已经长大了么？最后还不是最好的朋友得癌症，在死亡面前，自己的那点欲望又算什么。

                                       第三集“PURE"
是的，我最爱的”cassie" 那个厌食症神经质女孩儿，就真的没人了解你的世界么？那个世界可正美，但是你又在逃避什么呢？“i just waiting something good things"但是真的美好的世界是靠等来的么？

你离开父母去伦敦端盘子，白天浑浑噩噩， 只有晚上才会变成你自己。但是这样逃避真的能解决问题么？

     五年前，我上大一，从一个黄土高坡上的小县城考到广外，学外语，为了适应英美国家文化，练听力，我在学校FTP上追起了skins, 当时真不懂怎么资本主义国家的孩子童年那么不幸福，小小年纪就酗酒吸毒乱搞性关系，没有一个正常的温馨的家庭生活。还是我们社会主义好。就像以前看《红与黑》《包法利夫人》《茶花女》那样，整个基调好消沉，资本主义国家，我还真的是一丁点都不羡慕。
    当时先看的第三季，全剧就只喜欢fredie, 他在开学第一天课堂上表白的一幕好浪漫，但Effy后来的表现真叫人……， 哎，effy 的生活一塌糊涂，所以才和cook 一对， 他们两个又可恨又可怜，当时多希望看到effy 和fredie 终成眷属啊，P.S. 配乐很好听，有些剧情本来不是很懂的，给配乐这么一渲染，我好像就似懂非懂了。
    英剧的等待总是很漫长，我接着看了第一第二季，合着effy的哥哥比她还胡来，是叫nick 吧，觉得他很活该，乱搞，还勾引好朋友max，我最喜欢的当然是sid和cassie了吧，他们，和别的孩子的颓废不一样，是可以从他们身上看到希望的那种，cassie不吃饭，让我好心疼，sid很窝囊，当两个人在一起就会变得不一样，爱情的力量就是如此吧，它可以给你希望，给你光明，改变你的生命。呵呵，我童话看太多了。
    第四季出来时，我大三吧，结局出来时我快砸掉电脑了，为什么会这样，社会怎么是这个样子的，很想说脏话，想骂人，成人的世界真的比我们想像的要复杂，要肮脏。真不想长大，不想长大变得和那些成人同流合污。
     第五第六季，看了一集，没感，演员剧情没有深入我的内心，果断弃剧，直到 昨天，在豆瓣英剧排行榜上看到第七季出来，而且还是头四季的老演员，我立马加班加点把六集看完了。
     谈谈感受，五年了，我好像第一次真正看懂了，不知是因为我长大了成熟了，理解能力强了，还是因为中国的成人世界和英国的越来越接近了，所以我终于深有同感了。职场的潜规则，人吃人，看到effy穿职业装努力在工作应酬，真的很不习惯，我们都会因一时错乱迷了双眼，忽略了身边更重要的一切，最后的牢狱之灾反倒是件好事，监狱，医院，精神病院，戒毒所，这些好像本来就是effy的归宿似的，至少，她找到自己了，可喜可贺。cassie， 还记得她的“wow”吗，那个瘦瘦地总不肯吃饭的女孩终于胖了一点点了，很开心能再次看到她，而且她还是那么的……pure, 那种灵气还在，而且更加懂事，为家庭承担责任，恩，好孩子，我喜欢。 cook, 这个我曾经最鄙视的人，进了贩毒团伙，搞了老大的女朋友，被发现以后带着两位女友亡命天涯。但他还是改变了，而且，是我看到的这一季改变最大，人物刻画的最好的一个，至于他的未来会怎样，我倒是放心了，因为他已经彻头彻尾地长大了。