Skins - Everyone & Cook, 3.1-2

I watched the first two series of this show, wary of its very young cast and writers, with low expectations. After the first episode, I was left wondering why this motley crew were even friends - they were so different. After the second episode, I began to warm up to the characters, and appreciated the now evident structure the first series would take (story arch, while exploring each character individually). After the first series, I was completely and totally in love with everything and everyone. The musical-inspired Wild World at the end of the episode sealed the deal.

Not only was the acting spectacular, the writing, too, was outstanding. It was an exploration of character rather than intense plot (though that happened also) and that's what made it so compelling. It was also interesting to see what UK culture was like. A specific, stylized facet of it, at least.

It had all the clever twists and coincidences to keep it interesting, and the strong characters to keep you invested. The second series was just as spot-on, if not better. Now that we knew the characters, the second series was free to explore them further and examine their relationships. It truly solidified the group, and convinced me they really would be friends.

I started the third series today, which features a different set of actors (the show's "second generation"). So far this is what I think:

• I don't like Effy, never did. I miss Tony and Michelle and Sid and Jal and CHRIS and Maxxie and Anwar and Cassie and not Sketch. :(
• The twins look promising. The cute skateboarder guy interested in Effy does, too. And JJ. Cook seems like a more unlikable version of Chris. Not feeling the not-lesbian, either.
• At the beginning of the first series when I thought the group didn't fit well together, I was proved wrong quickly. They were already friends, and it just took a few episodes for their dynamic to show through. However, this series, only a few of them are already friends and everyone else just hates each other. I'm not getting the sense of community, at least, that I did before, and I'm wondering if this different dynamic will be detrimental to the first series.
• I really like the drone-y music under Cook and Freddie's conversation. Effective and unique.