Line #62 YMMV/Skins


1	!!'''The film:'''
2	* FridgeHorror: Two drive-thru windows for a liquor store. The current laws have established that drinking and driving is illegal. That said, it is still not uncommon for people to get pulled over for drinking and driving. How the company that insures the liquor store did not see the huge liability of having TWO drive-thru windows is beyond comprehension.
3	* RetroactiveRecognition: Herbie is played by Noah Watts, better known by some many years later as [[VideoGame/AssassinsCreedIII Ratohnhaké:ton, a.k.a. Connor]].
4
5	!!'''The series:'''
6	* ActorShipping:
7	** Lily Loveless and Kathryn Prescott Will. Not. Stop. with the ShipTease.
8	** Also, Jack O'Connell and Kaya Scodelario, who were actually together for quite a while. The shipping started up again after Kaya's boyfriend [[Series/ShamelessUK Elliot Tittensor]] (dubbed "Etit" by the fandom) was accused of attempted murder.
9	** There have also been reports that James Newman and Creator/SofiaBlackDElia, who play Tony and Tea in the US remake, are dating.
10	* AlasPoorScrappy:
11	** While never ''universally'' despised, [[spoiler: Freddie]] did have a large and vocal {{Hatedom}} (mostly because of DieForOurShip, though there were also some who just found him boring). Yet the fandom was outraged by his death.
12	** Jenna Fitch is few people's favorite supporting character, thanks to her insistent homophobia toward Emily, but her reaction in Katie's episode to the Fitches losing their house (due to her husband's money mismanagement, and despite her best efforts to keep things afloat) had some fans feeling for her.
13	* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation: Why did Josh invite Michelle to the rich kids' party at the sports club? Did he want her there to witness him extract a confession from Tony, or would he have aborted his EvilPlan had she agreed? Even if she learned the truth, the harrowing lengths he took to prove it would probably have torpedoed his apparent hopes of reconciliation anyway. Or was this too an act, would he have been content to share the fall with Tony?
14	* AssPull: Cook's abrupt, offscreen, and glossed over [[spoiler:escape from incarceration]] in the fourth season, which undermines the emotional conclusion of his focus episode and reeks of StatusQuoIsGod.
15	* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: The entire soundtrack - this is a show that pays very careful attention to its soundtrack.
16	** Though not part of the show's actual storylines, it really doesn't get much better than the "Skins Theme" by Fat Segal.
17	** "Wild World". That is all.
18	** Music/{{Adele}}'s "Hometown Glory" playing in the scene where [[spoiler: an alienated, and now truly alone Cassie, who had ran off to New York after Chris's death takes a bite out of an apple and breaks down in tears]] is particularly poignant and upsetting considering the character.
19	** "True". On. Ukeleles.
20	*** Followed up with "Gold" at the end of the following scene, which somehow also manages to work with the credits and "Next Time" trailer perfectly.
21	** Für Elise over the climax of the Music/NapalmDeath concert.
22	** Alo's dubstepisode is made of this.
23	* BigLippedAlligatorMoment:
24	** Emily's [[spoiler:night out in Paris - you know the bit I mean]] in the novel.
25	** At the end of season one, Sid (and others) singing "Wild World".
26	* BizarroEpisode: Season 2, episode 6 is a very strange episode - it's not certain if everything or possibly even anything that is going on is real, and it incorporates elements of Jungian psychology. An unusual example in that it is in fact a very important part of the show's continuity, [[spoiler: finally bringing Tony back to his pre-accident state.]]
27	* BrokenBase:
28	** The biggest base break came with the introduction of the whole new cast in Series 3, and then yet another one in Series 5. The "best generation" debate (or even the "is it worth watching past X" one) will likely never be resolved.
29	*** The announcement of a U.S. remake also caused a bit of this: whether it had any chance of being good, whether "true ''Skins'' fans" should bother tuning in or not.
30	** The Tea/Tony ship in the US version. A lot of lesbian fans were enraged and saw it as an insulting cliche of lesbian characters. A lot of straight fans are convinced that Tea and Tony actually do belong together and that Tea is really [[NoBisexuals straight]], or will [[CureYourGays become straight]]. Cue flamewar.
31	** There have been some debates about whether Tony (Stonem) and Cassie were truly bisexual or were just messing around considering after their brief one-episode "flings" it was never brought up again. There were much stronger debates about Frankie and Mini's sexual orientation (and the former's gender identity) in the third generation, but season 6 seemed to RetCon nearly everybody's previously established character arcs that nothing was ever confirmed.
32	* CatharsisFactor: After a season of unsympathetic behaviour and largely evading responsibility for her contribution to [[spoiler:Grace's death,]] Franky is smacked with a blunt TheReasonYouSuckSpeech courtesy of Liv, apparently the only member of the gang willing to call her out.
33	--->'''Liv''': [[LampshadeHanging Am I the only one who dares speak to you about your bullshit?]]
34	* CharacterRerailment:
35	** Effy received a lot of criticism initially for the random shifts in her personality with every new series. It's finally explained in Series 4: [[spoiler: she was a StepfordSmiler all along and the various shifts were all different masks for her truly disturbed mental state, which finally sees the light of day (although there were BeneathTheMask moments before) in her final series]].
36	** Naomi's possession of the ConflictBall in the time between the end of S3 and Emily's S4 episode is explained in the end, [[spoiler: in her AnguishedDeclarationOfLove, as being because she was afraid of how fast their relationship was moving and of how strong her feelings for Emily were]].
37	* CompleteMonster: [[PsychoPsychologist Dr. John T. Foster]], from season 4's "Effy" and "Everyone," Effy's [[TheShrink counselor]] after she [[spoiler: attempts suicide]], reveals himself to be a twisted StalkerWithACrush for his teenage patient. Knowing Effy's mental issues, Foster steadily makes them worse while [[MindRape alienating her from her family and friends to break her down]] to virtually a BlankSlate to rebuild as he likes. When her lover Freddy stumbles upon Foster's secret, [[spoiler: Foster ambushes him with [[BatterUp a baseball bat]] and [[MurderTheHypotenuse beats him to death]] before attempting to manipulate Effy further into his clutches. When Freddy's friend, the delinquent boy Cook, discovers the truth of Freddy's death, Foster attempts to murder him as well.]]
38	* CreatorsPet:
39	** ''Definitely'' Tony Snyder in the US remake. Some would also count Matty, for Series 5.
40	** Definitely Franky in Series 6. Fans were not happy with the changes to the character, which wouldn't have been so bad if Franky hadn't been the major focus of the series.
41	** Effy, who is a BaseBreakingCharacter amongst fans but gets ''six'' centric episodes over the course of the series (most protagonists got one or two, and some, such as Anwar, didn't even get one to themselves). The majority of Generation Two's drama also centred around her, and by result of her LoveTriangle with Freddie and Cook, even some of ''their'' episodes ended up focusing disproportionately on her.
42	* CrossesTheLineTwice: Osama! The Musical is not very tasteful, but it's hysterical.
43	* DieForOurShip:
44	** The reason a lot of people didn't like Michelle.
45	** [[spoiler: Freddie]] also got quite a bit of this when it became clear that he and Effy were the OfficialCouple.
46	** {{Parodied\|Trope}} by the Naomily fandom with their reactions to Mandy/Mandeh; she was an obvious RomanticFalseLead from the start, but that didn't mean the fans weren't going to have their fun with unflattering {{Fan Nickname}}s and memes while it lasted.
47	*** More serious with some Naomily shippers' attitudes toward JJ, even though he was an even clearer case (to the point where "RomanticFalseLead" would be generous). By the time of the scene that made the fans mad, Emily was already completely out to him and had had sex with Naomi, and [[spoiler: she even told JJ that their sex was a "one-time-only charity event"]].
48	* EnsembleDarkhorse:
49	** Josh gets this in some corners, in spite (or perhaps because) of his dark streak. Same goes for Luke of the third generation.
50	** Posh Kenneth is also well-loved by a lot of fans, especially since Creator/DanielKaluuya became a [[RetroactiveRecognition Hollywood star.]]
51	** James Fitch had quite an amount of popularity, and was someone people wanted for the third generation, while realising he wasn't old enough. Alas, as the third generation was the last, he never would be.
52	* FanNickname:
53	** Sorry Mandy but being the threat to the Naomily ship has earned you the unflattering name of "Giant-Not-Naomi".
54	** And after a [[CreatorBacklash stroppy]] Merveille Lukeba (Thomas) [[Website/{{Twitter}} tweeted]] about "the nation's favourite lesbian couple", it became a nickname for Naomily the fans were [[AppropriatedAppellation only too happy to pick up]].
55	*** Some fans also use "DJ Merv" as a sarcastic nickname for him -- his big ego has not made him particularly well liked within fandom.
56	** Alo, Rich, Grace and Franky are called the Fab Four.
57	** The Triangle of Doom - referring to the second generation's LoveTriangle of Freddie/Effy/Cook.
58	** In a similar vein, the Franky/Matty/Liv triangle in generation 3 has been nicknamed "FML", for the characters' initials and most fans' reaction to it.
59	* FanonDiscontinuity: It's a not a good idea to mention Skins Fire to anyone.
60	* FanPreferredCouple:
61	** Cassie/Sid in the original series, till they eventually ascended to OfficialCouple status.
62	*** Anwar/Maxxie definitely seemed to be the prefered HoYay pairing, though the near-canon Maxxie/Tony had some fans as well.
63	** Cook/Effy has a huge following, and in some corners of the fandom, like the Website/LiveJournal Skins community, it is more popular than [[OfficialCouple Freddie/Effy]]. And then there's [[HoYay Cook/Freddie]]...
64	** For Gen 3, [[LesYay Franky/Mini]], or Minky if you like, is probably the most popular ship except maybe [[OfficialCouple Rich/Grace]]. It's infinitely more popular than [[MasochismTango Mini/Nick]] [[spoiler: considering it's effectively been sunk]] and ahead of [[OddFriendship Alo/Mini]], which is a popular pairing following Alo's season 5 episode. (And it's obviously way more popular than [[OfficialCouple Franky's relationships with the Levan Brotherrs]], some of the least popular canon couples in the history of ''Skins''.)
65	* FirstInstallmentWins: The UK version remains widely adored as a ground-breaking teenage drama and always keeps adding to its massive cult following while the US remake is now largely forgotten, the latter of which struggled with an already vocal {{Hatedom}} from fans of the original show to major MoralGuardian controversy over its racier scenes and subject matter, plus generally unenthused stateside reviews and lukewarm fan support.
66	** For some of the fandom who thinks the First Generation was always the "true Skins generation" and found the second/third group of characters to be somewhat inferior.
67	* GatewaySeries: Many fans of the series (particularly international ones) were subsequently introduced to other British teen shows such as ''Series/{{Misfits}}'' and ''Series/TheInbetweeners''.
68	* GeniusBonus:
69	** YMMV, but Jal's S1 episode seems to be a lot more enjoyable for classical music fans and/or former band geeks than for those who aren't into music. Classical fans will also recognize the two pieces she performs in the episode - the opening solo from Gershwin's ''Rhapsody in Blue'' and [[Music/WolfgangAmadeusMozart Mozart's]] Clarinet Concerto - as two staples of the clarinet repertoire. In fact, they're popular requirements as an orchestral excerpt and a concerto (respectively) for university auditions, which Jal will be up for in a year. ShownTheirWork, indeed.
70	** In generation 2, there's also the use of various Debussy works throughout JJ's S3 episode.
71	** The various books Tony and Cassie read as members of the GeniusBookClub are often related to the events of the episodes in which they are seen. For example, Tony reading ''[[Creator/FriedrichNietzsche Thus Spake Zarathustra]]'' in Sid's S1 episode which features Tony at his most [[{{Ubermensch}} Übermenschian]], or ''Literature/OrangesAreNotTheOnlyFruit'' (about a young girl coming to terms with her homosexuality) in the episode where he [[spoiler: has sex with Maxxie]]. Cassie's choice of Creator/MargaretAtwood's ''The Edible Woman'' to read to Chris in her S2 episode functions more as a nod back to her struggle with anorexia in S1, but could also be seen as foreshadowing: A major theme of the book is alienation, something Cassie would experience as a result of [[spoiler: Chris's death]].
72	* HarsherInHindsight:
73	** This one:
74	-->'''Chris''': "[[spoiler: Yeah, you'll move in with him and I could be, like, dying, yeah, and you wouldn't even know about it.]]"
75	*** The next episode... (sob)
76	** In Freddie's episode in Series 3, [[spoiler: Naomi answers a question in English class about Hamlet, comparing Hamlet to a teenage boy and very obviously drawing parallels between him and Freddie. She finishes by saying (paraphrasing here) "... he ends up ''so'' boring somebody has to kill him." Until Effy's episode in Series 4, that was a harmless joke.]]
77	*** It's interesting because [[spoiler: the few fans who defend the decision to kill Freddie off say exactly that - that he had become too boring and there was nothing left for the show to do with him.]]
78	** In Katie's episode in Series 4, Katie initially refuses a cigarette from Effy, and when the latter asks her what's she's so afraid of, Katie answers "Uh, cancer?" to which Effy just raises her eyebrows looking unimpressed and shrugs. Comes Skins: Fire, [[spoiler: and Naomi admits that ''she'' has cancer by shouting ''"CANCER, okay!? I've got fucking cancer! You win!"'', leaving Effy completely horrified]].
79	* SugarWiki/HeReallyCanAct: Chris Addison in Rich's series 6 episode.
80	* HollywoodHomely:
81	** While most human beings would look plain-jane standing next to Effy, it becomes more than a bit extreme to see men's dismissive-to-nearly-disgusted reaction to Pandora, despite being played by the quite attractive Lisa Blackwell- she largely seems to be given funny haircuts, less makeup and little-girl clothes that are supposed to indicate she's unattractive.
82	** Sketch of the first generation may have had a different body type than most of the other girls (though actually a quite similar one to Katie and Emily of the next generation -- and Katie managed to be an AlphaBitch), worn boyish clothes and had perpetually creepy expressions. But she still looked good enough that a JerkAss teacher calling her ugly, or even Maxxie and Anwar considering her 'a five' to Anwar's 'seven' weren't really justified.
83	* IncestSubtext: A TON between Tony and Effy (who seem like genderbent {{Expy}}s of each other), even {{Lampshade\|Hanging}}d during Tony's episode in season two when discussing why he may screw up so many of his relationships in life is because he just always wanted to [[NoYay have sex with his sister]].
84	* InformedWrongness: Sid being blamed by several characters for [[Spoiler: Cassie's suicide attempt]] in the first season hit a sore spot with some viewers who have been in similar real-life situations, as despite him at worst him being aloof to her during the episode and not honoring their date it was far too much to place the blame squarely him for Cassie's then-unstable mental health, considering many factors were clearly contributing to it at the time.
85	* LGBTFanbase: Got a ''lot'' of this with the Naomi/Emily coupling in the third and fourth series, elevating them to SuperCouple status and earning the series much of its overseas fanbase. The American version aimed for this with lesbian character Tea, but lost it when they decided to pair her with a male character.
86	* MemeticMolester: From Gen 3, Matty has become one of these on account of his creepy stares and a certain trailer.
87	* MisaimedFandom: Cassie was one of the chief [[WeightWoe pro-ana]] icons of the late 00s; her good looks, endearing quirks, and Creator/HannahMurray's compelling performance ensured the character became as much an inspiration as a deconstruction of the struggle's glamour. For many who used Website/{{Tumblr}} during the show's run, Cassie is best known as "that girl the ED crowd crowned their goddess."
88	* MoralEventHorizon: John Foster, of the second generation, crosses this with the brutal murder of [[spoiler: Freddie]].
89	** Josh Stock polevaults over the line when he tries to force Tony to have sex with his sister. Although given how he's satisfied just by Tony's begging in crying, he might have been shooting only at this from the beginning.
90	** Tony himself, taking Josh sister's Abigail pornographic photos and ''sending it to all on Josh's contact list from his phone''. [[WhatHappenedToTheMouse Somehow it doesn't seem to have any legal repercussions after]].
91	* {{Narm}}:
92	** Freddie's line to Effy in 3x05 is definitely this: ''"Now I've told you. '''Now you know'''."''
93	** Also, Matty to Franky:
94	-->''"Then why do I see a fucking beautiful headfuck thing?"''
95	** Effy's breakdown in 4x07: ''"No that never happened! It happened but it never happened! It happened but it never happened! '''It happened but it never happened'''!"''
96	** At the end of season 4: ''"I'M COOOOOK!"''
97	* NightmareFuel:
98	** In season 2, [[spoiler:Chris]]'s death by hemorrhage is both terrifying and also very realistically portrayed, between [[spoiler: the blood from his mouth and nose, the memory loss, the vomiting, convulsions, and, most scarily, the speed in which it happens.]]
99	** In season 4, [[spoiler:Freddie]]'s death. A grown man, jealous of his teenage patient's relationship with her boyfriend, [[spoiler:brutally beats said boyfriend (''a teenager'') to death with a bat.]]
100	** Dr. Foster [[AxCrazy in]] [[CompleteMonster general]], really. He is easily the creepiest character in the entire series, and his depravity has even more terrifying implications with the events of the final episode of Generation 2: [[spoiler: he lures Cook to his home with the intention of killing him. Who’s to say that Foster would have just stopped at killing Freddie and Cook? It wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility that people like JJ, Pandora, Tony, Anthea, and others could have also been targeted in order to destroy all of Effy’s connections aside from him.]]
101	* NoSuchThingAsBadPublicity: Subverted with the US version. It lost eight advertisers due to the [[MoralGuardians Parents Television Council's]] trumped-up charges of it being "child porn." It was eventually canceled at the end of the season, though it's hard to say if its low ratings were solely due to the controversy, because of MTV not promoting it well enough, because of low fan and critical reception, or a combination of the three.
102	* NoYay:
103	** When Maxxie and Sketch kiss in Osama! The Musical, especially when Maxxie, as a good actor, puts his all into it. We're quickly relieved when we hear him whispering to Sketch that he felt nothing and hated kissing her.
104	** [[spoiler: The Franky, Matty and Liv threesome is considered NoYay in universe and by many Fans, starting with Matty's reaction to the implication of ThreeWaySex with the two girls, and later Franky's FreakOut when Matty is on top of her.]]
105	** Certain fans' reactions to Tea/Tony in the US remake, because of Tea's sexual orientation. Also Tea's in-universe reaction to all of their sexual encounters.
106	*** Also how a lot of people reacted to [[spoiler: when Emily had sex with JJ]] in the original, for the same reasons.
107	* OnceOriginalNowCommon: Nowadays it can be hard to see how Skins once felt so ground-breaking for it's rather diverse portrayal of teen stories. Maxxie being already out and proud with his family and friends and not having to go through a Coming Out story? Not only showing how a same-sex relationship came to be but how they deal with the trials and tribulations (and struggle to remain faithful) once they are officially a couple? The experience of an immigrant teen adjusting to a new country? Another dealing with Aspergers syndrome? The head-on exploration of it's teens mental health struggles (despite the somewhat negative {{Strawman}} view of mental health professionals)? The fairly experimental writing and occassional dips into a more surreal tone of a fairly based-in-reality teen drama? All fairly new territory back when the show first aired, now they're completely common place in almost any modern, serious-minded show revolving around the teenage experience that it can feel less surprising or even innovative in hindsight.
108	* PlatonicWritingRomanticReading:
109	** Effy's first major piece of dialogue was a short on the Season 1 DVD; arguably, an elaborate metaphor detailing her desire to leave everyone and everything else behind just to be with Tony. ([[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=STr9SPVH_Rg ''And they went and found a nice little house to live in together. Her and her brother.'']]) Katie's attachment to Emily in their Series 3 episode also seems a bit strong to be sisterly (getting jealous of ''Naomi'', Emily's ''love interest''). Overall, one gets the impression that the ''Skins'' writers have a bit of trouble writing sibling relationships that don't include IncestSubtext, and it's not like the fans haven't picked up on it (Stonemcest is surprisingly popular in the fanbase for [[BrotherSisterIncest what it is]]).
110	** Tea and Tony in the US remake. [[WordOfGod Bryan Elsley and Sofia Black D'elia]] have indicated in interviews (see below under "Ship Sinking") that Tea is supposed to be clearly uncomfortable whenever she's with Tony, that there's no sexual/romantic attraction and she's mistaking a friendship-type chemistry for that. However, many fans see Tea as having more chemistry with Tony than with Betty or any other girl on the show, and it continues to be one of the most popular ships among Skins US fans (it's currently second in the MTV poll after Michelle/Stanley). The reaction is unsurprising when you realize how much time the show has developed the Tony/Tea relationship compared to others, including Tea/Betty. Even with the series finale, where [[spoiler: Tea apologies for leading Tony on and chooses Betty]] as a way of finally sinking the Tony/Tea ship, we still see [[spoiler: Tony write Tea a love letter, and the two characters holding hands after they find Eura]]. With even ''Michelle'' interpreting the latter as a sign that the two are still together, how can you expect the viewers to react differently?
111	* PortmanteauCoupleName: "Naomily", universally accepted by the fanbase within about half a second. There's also "Freffy".
112	** There are also the much less well-known Sassie(Sid/Cassie), Chral(Chris/Jal), Ceffy(Cook/Effy), Jatie(JJ/Katie), Keffy(Katie/Effy) and Taxxie(Tony/Maxxie).
113	** There's also Effily (Effy/Emily), Pantho (Panda/Thomas), Nookie (Cook/Naomi), Frook (Freddie/Cook), and Catie (Cook/Katie).
114	*** From the third generation, Minky (Mini/Franky) and possilbly Malo(Mini/Alo).
115	*** Also from gen three we have the unfortunate Fatty/Fratty/Manky (Franky/Matty, which is essentially universally disliked) and Nilo (Nick/Alo).
116	* RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap: Cook, for his SpotlightStealingSquad tendecies, and Katie, for her almost cartoonishly AlphaBitch qualities, had their fair share of detractors in Season 3 due to their respective reasons, but got effectively on better terms with the fandom during their spotlight Season 4 episodes as they got a far more nuanced portrayal, and Cook in particular became one of the show's most popular characters.
117	* RetroactiveRecognition:
118	** Creator/DevPatel after ''Film/SlumdogMillionaire'', his StarMakingRole.
119	** Creator/JoeDempsie (Chris) as Gendry and Hannah Murray (Cassie) as Gilly on ''Series/GameOfThrones''.
120	** Kaya Scodelario (Effy) and Creator/NicholasHoult (Tony) are much bigger stars now than they were before ''Skins'', starring in movies like ''Film/{{Clash of the Titans\|2010}}'' and ''Film/XMenFirstClass'' respectively. Scodelario was even once considered for the role of [[Film/TheHungerGames Katniss Everdeen]], though she lost out to Creator/JenniferLawrence (who is, coincidentally, Nicholas Hoult's real-life girlfriend). Scodelario did get the main female role in another dystopian young adult book-to-movie adaptation - Teresa Agnes in ''Film/TheMazeRunnerSeries''.
121	** Lily Loveless (Naomi) is now starring on ''Series/TheFades''. The aforementioned Joe Dempsie also came in later on, as another main character.
122	** Luke Pasqualino (Freddie), after playing Paolo the groom on ''Series/TheBorgias''.
123	** Kathryn Prescott (Emily) on the MTV series ''Finding Carter''.
124	** Creator/DanielKaluuya after his ''Series/BlackMirror'' episode or his StarMakingRole in ''Film/GetOut2017''.
125	* RomanticPlotTumor: Even among those who didn't have strong feelings about the Freddie-Effy-Cook love triangle, the way that the Freddie/Effy plot basically swallowed up the plot focus in series 4, at the expense of other characters and romances (especially Thomas and Pandora), tends to be seen as this. Even in series 3, this was frequently mentioned among the complaints of those who didn't like them together in the first place (besides those who just didn't like that [[FanPreferredCouple he wasn't Cook]]): they basically a. meet b. continue to stare at each other, and yet it's insistently treated as a great and deep love.
126	** Franky in Gen 3 was a magnet for this; the legitimately compelling social issues seeded in her debut episode were largely pushed to the wayside in favour of various romance plots that revealed very little about her character. Apparently, her and Matty's [[ShipsThatPassInTheNight thirty seconds of screentime]] together in the first episode created a powerful enough connection between them to sink his vastly more fleshed out relationship with Liv, and [[spoiler:his brother Nick's]] romantic interest in her in the following season came ''completely'' out of nowhere. Neither of their characters benefited from entering her orbit either.
127	* RonTheDeathEater:
128	** Certain fans' reaction to Emily in S4. As a result of Naomi's cheating, Emily tried to find love elsewhere, hooking up with a total of ''two'' other girls during the season (only ''one'' of those "hook-ups" being sexual). And yet, the way you hear fans going on about Emily "turning slutty," you'd think she'd shagged every lesbian in Bristol.
129	** Also some fans' reactions to Michelle in S2 for getting in between OneTruePairing Sid and Cassie - despite the fact that they had already broken up due to Sid misinterpreting Cassie's video. Similar to Emily above, many called her a "slut" or "whore" for getting with Sid, even in comparison to Cassie, who actually went through a period of extreme promiscuity in S2.
130	** There's a small, but VocalMinority of the lesbian fans in the series who hate JJ because of that one scene at the end of his S3 episode where [[spoiler: he gets a pity shag from [[LipstickLesbian Emily]]]].
131	* TheScrappy: In terms of minor characters, Jenna Fitch for her over-the-top homophobia (although she became more sympathetic in Katie's S4 episode), and Andrea for being a one-person ConflictBall in the S4 premiere.
132	** Season 7’s "Rise" has Charlie who screws around which leads to her boyfriend turning into a homicidal stalker, and she still tries to seduce Cook despite knowing that his girlfriend Emma is clearly hurt by it.
133	* SeasonalRot: Both the following generations got accusations of this, though it was a BrokenBase as they all still have their fans:
134	** While it was perhaps inevitable due to the near complete recasting, early on the second generation got a lot of flack for what felt like a really uneven overall tone, from far more frequent use of broad CringeComedy and rather silly subplots (the one with gangsters immediately comes to mind) that felt like an odd contrast to the more serious teen drama that was otherwise still present, and some were especially put off by Cook constantly and boorishly grabbing the spotlight in episodes that were supposed to focus on other characters. While the darker Season 4 was generally viewed as more consitent in style and tone and had some excellent mid-season episodes that were considered among the best in the entire show, it was considered a mess overall storytelling wise that was definitely not helped by the episode order being cut (with some characters not even getting their own specific episode) and with the Freddy/Effy/Cook love triangle taking far too much screentime while other relationships either remained underdevoloped (partcularly Thomas and JJ's newfound friendship) or left in a Series/MakeItOrBreakIt holding pattern all season long (Naomi/Emily and Thomas/Panda's romances, respectively).
135	** The third generation as a whole got complaints for being less focused and engaging than the previous entries, espcecially since Season 6 seemed to rewrite so much of the story and character's arcs that were established in the previous season. Generally there was just an overall ToughActToFollow feel that led to a somewhat unceremonious fade out for the original series.
136	* ShipSinking:
137	** Generation 1:
138	*** [[spoiler: Sid/Michelle]] appeared to be in the latter's S1 episode. They actually ''were'' in Effy's episode in S2.
139	*** [[spoiler: Tony/Maxxie]] in Michelle's S1 episode. [[spoiler: Tony/Abigail]] in Sid's S2 episode.
140	*** Both [[spoiler: Chris/Angie]] and [[spoiler: Anwar/Sketch]] in Chris's S2 episode.
141	** Generation 2:
142	*** [[spoiler: Cook to Naomi]]: "I'm never gonna get to bone you, am I?"
143	*** [[spoiler: Cook and Effy]] are also effectively laid to rest in the same episode.
144	*** Effy [[spoiler: choosing Freddie over Cook]] in the S3 finale sank [[spoiler: Freddie/Katie]].
145	*** With JJ being an EnsembleDarkhorse and all, some fans of his were disappointed that [[spoiler:his fling with Emily really was just a "pity-shag"]], despite it being sunk before it began due to IncompatibleOrientation.
146	** Generation 3:
147	*** [[spoiler: Mini and Nick]] are sunk in the latter's S5 episode,[[spoiler:Liv and Nick]] are sunk in his episode,and [[spoiler: Matty and Liv]] are sunk in the S5 finale. Weirdly, the show hooked up Mini with [[spoiler: Alo]] in S6 without really doing anything to definitively sink [[spoiler: Mini/Franky]] other than just never mentioning it again. S6 also featured the sinking of [[spoiler: Rich/Grace]] (thanks to the latter's death) and the rising ''and'' sinking of [[spoiler: Liv/Alex]] (thanks to IncompatibleOrientation).
148	** U.S. Remake:
149	*** Though it hasn't been sunk in-story yet, [[WordOfGod Bryan Elsley]] effectively made it clear in [[http://www.afterellen.com/2011/02/skins-boss-bryan-elsley-talks-tea-tony-and-naomily this interview]] that Tea is indeed a lesbian and she is not going to end up with Tony. [[spoiler: The series finale was supposed to sink it in canon.
150	*** The events of Tina's episode sunk [[spoiler: her relationship with Chris]].
151	* ShipsThatPassInTheNight:
152	** Some view Matty and Franky this way. While there was definite [[UnresolvedSexualTension UST]] beforehand (despite the fact that they've barely interacted) it was possibly jarring to see [[spoiler: Matty all but admit his love for Franky in Grace's episode]].
153	** Some fans of the US remake felt that Stanley/Cadie was just a particularly desperate attempt to follow the original (where Sid/Cassie were easily the first generation's most popular OfficialCouple), and that Stanley's attraction to Cadie was never really explained.
154	** Franky seems to have a knack for attracting this, as Nick's interest in her in S6 also came completely out of nowhere.
155	** [[spoiler: Mini/Alo]] arguably had some hints in S5, but they were ''extremely'' subtle, especially under the mountain of Mini/Franky subtext in that season. So when the S6 premiere featured [[spoiler: Mini ''jumping at'' Alo in bed]], plenty of fans reacted with accusations of this.
156	* ShipToShipCombat:
157	** Averted in UK Gen 1 with Sid/Michelle vs. Sid/Cassie - fans overwhelmingly preferred the latter, even those who weren't big Cassie fans.
158	** Freddie/Effy vs. Cook/Effy in Gen 2.
159	** From Gen 3 there's Mini/Franky vs. Mini/Alo. Largely averted with Mini/Franky vs. Franky/Matty, due to Matty being TheScrappy.
160	* StrawmanHasAPoint: Sketch's speech to Anwar in the S2 finale. She's wrong to try to alienate him from his friends just to make him be with her, but she's right that years down the road, he and his friends will probably grow apart to at least some degree.
161	* SuperCouple: People thought ''Sid/Cassie'' was popular and universally adored by fans... and then along came Generation 2, and Naomi/Emily not only became perhaps the most beloved couple in the show's history, but the pairing became icons in LGBT media visibility, acclaimed and celebrated well outside the ''Skins'' fandom. Granted, this has become common for a lot of LGBT characters, especially on shows aimed at teenagers: but few couples, same-sex ''or'' opposite-sex, get a book just on the ship itself, or have phrases coined about them like "the Naomily phenomenon."
162	* TakeThatScrappy: Season 3, episode 8 got a major one where Effy and Katie meet alone in the woods and Katie, who was still clearly steaming about the apparent (off-camera) advances made by Effy towards Freddie starts out trying to excarbate Effy's already bad shroom trip by lying about bug's all over her arms, then proceeding to verbally taunt her which leads to some aggressive but hardly overpowering physical slapping... and for defense Effy [[spoiler: [[DisproportionateRetribution bashes her head in with a rock]]... and ends up leaving her in the woods only belatedly trying to call an ambulance with no indication if she's even still alive (which brings up the major in-universe WhatHappenedToTheMouse as to why the rest of the group was so non-chalant that their friend has all of a sudden gone missing and all end up leaving the campsite anyway). It became rather apparent how low the fandom's opinion was of Katie that many instantly rose to defend Effy over her with some even saying that the near-manslaughter (though Katie survived) was completely justified as self-defense.]]
163	* TearJerker: [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/TearJerker/SKins Now has its own page.]]
164	* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot:
165	** It's generally accepted within the fanbase that S4 spent way too much time on Effy and Freddie, while wasting a lot of storylines with more potential like Thomas and Pandora's relationship issues, or developing Thomas and JJ's friendship (which seemingly came out of nowhere). Effy's S4 episode, in particular, elicited a lot of comments along the lines of "It would have been such a beautiful episode if it weren't for the [[DroppedABridgeOnHim horrible ending!]]"
166	** S6 got this with every character and plot, but particularly with regard to Franky (whose character seemed to be completely rewritten for S6) as well as Mini's [[spoiler: sexual orientation]].
167	** Skins: Fire, particularly its absolutely abhorred Naomi/Emily subplot, which many thought was tangential to Effy's main storyline and not remotely necessary, considering it just squeezed in the show's most popular couple for a brutal helping of anti-Fanservice. For that matter, ''Rise'', while the best-received of the ''Skins'' specials, suffers for glossing over the circumstances behind Cook's [[spoiler:murder of Foster]] to the point where [[spoiler:Freddie's death]] is not even vaguely alluded to. Cook dreaming of ''that'' murdered friend instead of [[AssholeVictim Jason]] might have reconciled this.
168	* TrappedByMountainLions: Some think Sketch as a character was this in season 2, since her story had so little to do with the overall story arc of the season (and was it's own brand of BizarroEpisode). She mostly disappeared in and out of the season as the AbhorrentAdmirer and StalkerWithACrush to [[IncompatibleOrientation the openly gay Maxxie]] and a sort of FriendsWithBenefits with his best friend Anwar when she couldn't get her way, but she had so little to do with the character devolopment of either nor did her brief terrorizing of Michelle play much into the rest of the season at all, questioning why this was necessary to get such a prominent place in the S2 cast and her own entire episode (even over other main characters) when her story seem so disjointed from all the other drama that was going on.
169	** JJ's romancing of single mom Lara had some accusations of this, mainly again in how little it had to do with the rest of the group's overall arc of the season and the fact that she seemed to disappear completely from the show afterwards, with only JJ briefly babysitting her child in the series finale providing the only indication that she even still existed at all.
170	* UnintentionallyUnsympathetic: The series ran on GreyAndGreyMorality for most of its conflicts, but the Gen 3 gang accorded Franky ''far'' too much grace in her spat with Matty for how much of its resultant tragedy was due to her [[TookALevelInJerkass inexplicable]] hostility and selfishness. It's not until the eighth episode that another character was given leave to point out how deeply unsympathetic she'd become.
171	* ValuesDissonance:
172	** Chris and Angie's relationship, for American viewers. As [[PaedoHunt the relevant trope]] illustrates, American media tends to take a particularly strong stance against TeacherStudentRomance, even compared to other modern Western nations. It's probably why Chris and Tina's relationship in the U.S. remake ended with [[spoiler: Tina being fired and charged as a sex offender, and prohibited from contacting Chris again]], instead of the more neutral UK ending, where [[spoiler: Angie never gets found out and never loses her job - Chris simply chooses Jal in the end and Angie skips town]]. Angie did commit just as much of a crime as her American counterpart (even with the UK's age of consent being 16 -- similar to many US states -- teachers and students are an exception), but it was treated as less taboo (even if it's been viewed in a more negative light in recent years than it was when the show was first on the air). Compare only a few years previously, Brit group {{Music/Busted}}'s "What I Go To School For" was about a student who crushes on his teacher and ends up starting a relationship with her; a cover by the American Jonas Brothers changed it to a crush on a fellow student.
173	** A decade ago, "lesbian" characters who slept with men were a dime a dozen, often the only way to get homophobic viewers to accept them. However, the US remake of ''Skins'' ignited quite a controversy over Tea, a character touted as a "confident lesbian," spending so much time mooning over and sleeping with Tony, with even a lot of straight reviewers attacking it for relying on a tired and offensive cliche. Along with a similar firestorm over ''Film/TheKidsAreAllRight'', it showed just how much attitudes towards LGBT people have changed. Many also suggested that the show just say she was bisexual with a preference for women, but TV series were still getting over the preference for NoBisexuals.
174	* {{Wangst}}: Effy was treated - by the show, other characters and herself - like a tragic heroine for her family situation in season 3 (her mother having an affair and then parents divorcing), which could be completely justified... but maybe not in the show where ''the majority'' of characters had it worse and didn't receive nearly as much attention for it. Pandora actually calls Effy out on this and the treatment of Effy and the tragedy surrounding her had more to do with her unstable mental health.
175	* WhatDoYouMeanItsNotForKids: The show promoted as a YA series about teenagers and their trials and tribulations, filled with top-name actors and young teen performers, many of whom went on to stardom, plus boatloads of critical acclaim. At first, it might seem like a great show for kids and teens to watch, but then the sex scenes begin. And the drug taking. Not to mention the [[DarkerAndEdgier dark tone]] that begins to take off during season 4, culminating in the brutal murder of a main character, something that would disturb younger viewers. Skins is often cited as an example of people misunderstanding what YA (young adult) means; far from being synonymous with "family" viewing, so R-rated material is considered acceptable.
176	* WTHCostumingDepartment: Common fan reactions to Freddie's and Liv's wardrobes on the show, and occasionally individual items on other characters, like Mini's gold bike shorts.
177	* TheWoobie:
178	** Let's face it, everyone from the first generation took turns at being the Woobie. Cassie and Chris, for many reasons; Michelle, due to Tony's cheating; Sid, due to the twists and turns with his relationship with Cassie as well as [[spoiler: his dad's death]]; Maxxie, first because of Anwar's homophobia and then Sketch's stalking; and in the latter half of Series 2, Jal more than anyone (as Michelle helpfully points out). Even ''Tony'' had his turn thanks to [[spoiler: his accident]]. And Anwar finally gets his moment in the generation finale when he [[spoiler: flunks ALL his A-levels, thinking he's stuck in Bristol forever with just Sketch]].
179	** Second Generation had JJ, Emily, Pandora and Freddie. Also Cook and Effy, in S4. Even Katie got some Woobie bits in her S4 episode.
180	** Franky, completely, in her episode. Mini became a ''big'' Woobie later on, with all the crap she was put through by Nick and Liv. And Alo and Grace each took turns in their episodes.
181	** In the US remake, Michelle and Betty.
182	* XPacHeat:
183	** Merveille Lukeba's big ego made him very unpopular in the fandom - particularly during S4, when Merv ranted and raved on Website/{{Twitter}} about how fans were more interested in Naomily than in Thomas and Pandora, even insulting Kathryn Prescott and Lily Loveless's acting skills.
184	** James Newman from the US version was absolutely hated as much as Tony for his lack of acting skills

Context YMMV / Skins