Zefiro

Omg I knew this episode was going to save my thoughts about season 6 for the moment.

I loved it.Alex you're perfect.Him and his gran were adorable.I knew she was going to die.The idea of a funeral for both his gran and Grace was really good.
I thought Mini and Franky were finally written good too."She told me you showed her your dick!" I have not loved Franky for a long time.Mini's reaction was angsty and I liked it. Liv/Mini I had so many feelings.
I kind of liked the fact this episode mirrored a bot Liv/Matty storyline in Liv's episode. The ending is just what Liv really needed all along. Since last season. I'm so glad for Liv/Alex.
I was so glad Nick had more screentime.Finally! The boy was marvelous. I'm hoping for Nick and Alex
Come and gay me was definitely perfection,Nick. Now next time say this to Alex
I'm happy we had buttsex even though it was short :'(

I've liked the fact we have seen the gang dealing with Grace loss through someone's else eyes. I hate it when they focus on dramatic things just for the sake of having the audience moved. I prefer it when it's balanced.

Edit: Liv's outfits were horrible anyway I felt uncomfortable while I was looking at her.

NinjaPenguinOnSkis

Short and sweet. Loved the Grandmother. Liv was grand. her haters can basically sit and spin. Bored to death by Alex. Bored by Nick. Franky is heading just where I said she was last year. Of course no one will give me credit for it. Mini's calling out for Alo was louder than a bomb. She is feeling something for that boy. We knew already he was falling for her. There are rumours Mini is headed into shark infested waters.
I wouldn't doubt it. People were so obsessed with crowning her the new Queen of Skins many neglected to note she was a fake who wasn't exactly rolling in money. Stay tuned.

minyita

Alex had probably one of the best family-storylines ever in Skins, imo. It was touching, sad and beautifully connected with Grace's dead without being pathetic. It's sad that he came so late to join this generation, I still don't feel I've learned enough about him, but we still have Liv's episode, so yea.

The guy who made the memorial-service for Grace - hm yeah. I can totally understand the reaction from Franky and badass!Liv - I would probably do the same. I always loved Liv, and I could never stand all the hate she got last season, so I'm glad to see that people are actually enjoying her and her friendship with Alex now.

I love their friendship, even if Liv had a little crush on Alex, but that's just Liv. I guess, she fall easily for guys who seem mysterious and carefree. I think it's beautifully solved, that they're buddies in the end, without being angsty in their friendship.

And I'm still so exited about all the beautiful Malo moments It's obvious that she has also some feelings for him she can't deal in this weird situation right now, but they're always sitting next to each other, and when she called him after opening this coffin, I was so happy I mean, she could just scream, ****, ****, or whatever, or could even called one of her other friends, and she doesn't even called him farmboy or stuff, just his name.

Although I'm a Frick shipper, I'd like to see something going on between Nick and Alex, imo they share a great chemistry together.

Definitely the best episode so far, the thing with the coffin was so typical skins in a wtf? - way :'D

NinjaPenguinOnSkis

Like many have said before. No visible funeral=Grace is alive.

minyita

naa, I wouldn't say this .. maybe rich is with blood or something, and he's actually allowed to go to her funeral, but I think until Rich is not back in bristol, no one knows if Grace is still alive.
Actually I think she's dead, it would cheapen the ending scene of 6x02 if she isn't.

NinjaPenguinOnSkis

Good points. it's a huge gamble to believe it. I feel it goes along with the head games Skins likes to play. They pride themselves on masking pretentiousness as 'high art.' I'm sticking with my theory.

heimweh

Really liked this episode. Alex was great and so was his friendship with Liv. I probably loved his relationship with the granny even more, seeing him taking care of her was really sweet (and that apron )
My favourite scene would be the dancing with Alex, Liv and the granny; the bathroom scene when he tells Liv he's gay and she opens up about Grace, and the finale when they're swimming.
Now I just hope we'll see more of him, even though I doubt he'll have lot of screentime until Liv's ep

Tugi

Maybe in Nick's tho?

I thought this episode was great. Fantastic writing and plot that felt pretty believable even with all the quirks.
I think they did a very good job introducing Alex and making him a unique character that gives this gen a fresh element that they were needing imo. He's not that full of mystery after all, he's just a guy who seems to have a positive attitude through life but has his own issues and maybe a different way of living.
His interaction with Liv felt very natural and I enjoyed their scenes very much. I'm glad they didn't make a big deal out of her crushing on him and then he being gay, it all had a nice flow to it.

The best part really was the relationship with the grandma. I think in Skins, and that's one of the things that makes this show a standout a lot of times, the family has a big importance. Even if the parents/grandparents/siblings are caricatures they still play an important role in defining the main characters and in this one they did it all well. There were laughs, there was cutness and there were tears. Well done really. And it beats any other family dynamic this gen has had. (Tbh I have only really appreciated Liv's family so far)

I liked how there was some focus in Liv and Mini, although I don't think it all played out very well. A lot of it felt very forced to me. I think they were acting in character but I was missing some more layers to Mini. It's something she had last year even when she was acting in the most terrible ways and I'm not feeling this time. I can't wait for her episode and to know everything that is actually going on with her. Cause it seems there's stuff messing her up that is not just Grace's death.

Felt very meh about the gambling scene and that scene where the gang is all depressed and then they go dance also felt a bit ott.
otoh the memorial scene was great. The dude with the lighter killed me.

It could turn out that she's alive but as of right now I don't think it's a game Skins is playing and I don't see a reason to question for a minute if she's alive. I don't need to see a body to believe it or to see her die.
Episode 2 and especially the emotions and how raw the last scene was are enough to make me believe she's dead. That was real. I can't possible imagine her turning out alive without making everything cheap and nonsense.

mte. Good or bad ratings don't affect the way I see an episode, but you gotta love how they spin it. I actually understand these are the results of 2 weeks together. You go channel 4, for comparing 14 days to 60 minutes. That is brilliant.

PS: Oh, and I could have done without Franky's phone call to Matty. I can understand she's sad and maybe even feels some sort of guilt, but I don't get how this all hating Matty is playing out. Taking into account how it all happened, maybe it would be better if Franky wasn't playing the hate and blame game.
Other than that she was pretty alright in the memorial scene and in the boat.

HP-Skins

I love Alex the way he is just willing to do random things for the sake of it is great he's totally crazy, but I like it. I also liked how he brought the group together at the end they needed that, and I loved that this episode was through his eyes instead of one of the others. I think they would be too sad right now since it is the start of the grieving period.

It also had the perfect balance of emotion and light humour imo

One thing though, to me the lack of 3 members of the cast is very obvious, it just seems like the group is shrinking and shrinking even though I know there are obvious reasons for their absence.

Beached

One of the most convincing character intros I've seen in a while and I don't feel as though I've watched an episode as complete as this since early S5, maybe earlier. Alex's and the family background felt so well executed and his blending into the existing and the new totally plausible. The relative lack of aggro was a bonus too although when it came I was still having trouble believing. It's not the cast performances, but the circumstances. It doesn't fit with me that the grief would be that overwhelming for some of them which either leaves it feeling forced, or, that Grace isn't the only thing on some minds atm. That said i enjoyed the final scenes on the boat.

The only other nag is where this leaves Alex for the rest of the series. I feel he's been written to the point were he's not quite in the fold but where it leaves plenty of possibilities. I wouldn't want for those to be quietly forgotten with this ep. Hugely impressed overall. Same for the soundtrack.

HP-Skins

Does anyone know the ratings?

heimweh

Skins climbed to 446k (2.5%) for E4 from 10pm
'Whitechapel' beaten by Queen Diamond Jubilee programme - TV News - Digital Spy

Dark-Zero

Im really glad people like Alex the way i do.

-LNJ-

Despite a slow start, I really enjoyed this episode, and I really enjoyed Alex! For some reason I’ve always had a hard time connecting with and appreciating the male characters compared to the girls (my Top 5 before this season were Mini, Naomi, Tony, Effy, Cassie; I never clicked with the Cook or Rich hype and loathed Sid) but I’m already a huge fan of Alex. I love how powerfully perceptive he is, and how the writers actually implemented that into his story instead of expecting us to assume it like they sometimes did with Effy or Cassie. And he’s such a breath of fresh air for the group dynamics; now more than ever they need someone carefree and positive to bring them through their grief, and I think he would have been a valuable member of the gang regardless of Grace’s situation. The obvious similarities in his exploits with Liv this episode and her’s with Matty last season lead me to believe he’s a sort of reimagining of Matty, who happens to be the only part of season five that I was left disappointed and frustrated by. Considering how much I enjoy Alex and the actor playing him, it’s sort of sad to think of the possibility of spending two seasons with him instead of one with Matty and one with him. Some other observations

-At this point, I think I will appreciate and enjoy the season much more as a holistic piece rather than fragmented episodes, which is actually how I feel about a season two…we’ll see if the story arcs manage to come close to the level of completeness and interestingness that S2 had. Currently, I’m really appreciating Grace’s early death as the catalyst for the drama throughout the season, and I’m wondering if the theatrical insanity that caused it could have been toned down. Furthermore, I think she was a great choice to kill off; there was obvious foreshadowing and she was the bridge character who connected both groups last season so everyone is affected. Plus as a whole she was on the simpler side, and instead of going the Cassie/Emily route and transforming the sweet girl into a vindictive monster she was able to die as a kind of martyr.

-I think they’re doing a phenomenal job at balancing character emphasis and focus, perhaps better than ever before. Franky got the main focus in Ep1, with the others aside from Liv and Nick getting a decent bit. Rich was obviously emphasized in Ep2, with Alo coming in second and Liv and Mini tied for third while the others didn’t receive much (or any, if they’re Nick). And in this ep, Alex and Liv basically shared a very insular spotlight with Mini getting the remaining scrap of non-group focus. So Franky got a lot at first before dwindling pretty extremely, and with the next ep she’ll obviously receive the most again, and although Nick has received the least overall so far, it seems like the next episode may do what Alex’s did for Liv and shine some focus there. (Know that I’m basically not including Matty or Grace as part of the gang this season)

-Speaking to that distribution of focus, I think it’s an interesting change for Skins. Where Tony had the undeniable spotlight in Gen1 and Maxxie and Anwar had more bit roles, and Effy-Cook-Freddie were the leads of Gen2 with Pandora, Thomas, and Katie in the (far more undeserved) backseat, Gen3 has a much less distinct “main character”. It’s technically Franky, but we’ve gone two episodes with only a few lines from her in each, so it’s clear that’s not the case. I’m undecided on which I would prefer for Gen3; it worked for Tony and co because the backseat characters were simple enough to not need attention, but in Gen2 it was a huge disservice to characters with a lot of untapped potential.

- Franky and Mini were the two characters who changed most drastically in the first episode, and Franky’s brief scenes the past two episodes felt like a return to form, which is promising. Not entirely promising, however, when you consider how little she’s actually done in the two episodes...the next one focusing on her will be a huge sign of what to expect and how to understand her for the remainder of the season. Mini, unfortunately, still feels like an entirely different character, which breaks my heart as she was one of my all-time favorite characters of the show. The cattiness is still there, and I love seeing her lash out at everyone in anger, but the root of it has changed. Last season, control was the most important thing to her, and she used her propensity towards cruelty as a way of manipulating others and controlling the situations in her life, and when we saw how desperately she sought that control, it gave an immense vulnerability and heart to the character. This season, she just comes off as an incredibly shallow and almost vapid character, focused solely on seeking **** instead of control. I know the character was loved and hated, and that in itself was a sign that she was at least three-dimensional and well-written; so far this season she just seems a bit “blah” and it’s so disappointing! I just HOPE that it turns around in her episode and the true Mini comes back.

Emanified

All so eloquently put.

I especially love your analysis of Mini.