Fittingly, just in time for my final Skins recap, I ran into Dev Patel at a bar. That’s it, that’s the anecdote. He was very tall and cute and wearing a plaid shirt and I had to scooch past him on my way back from the bathroom.
It’s not a particularly fancy bar which means Dev can obviously hang. I wonder if he reads my Skins recaps… Dev, if you’re reading this, next time is on me!
Anyways, here we are at the end of our Skins watch and it’s been completely depressing! Of course, the last episode doesn’t change that especially in the wake of Chris’s death, but the best thing about Skins is that, at least for me, the final episode reminds me of why I stuck through the drudge because I give a shit about these characters—even if they can be the worst.
It’s post-finals for the Skins gang and they’ve all decided to wait and open their results together after Chris’s funeral. Of course none of them are freaking out at all (they all are). Here’s what we learn about everyone.
Michelle
She’s trying her best to be a good friend to Jal, which is obviously hard. But she takes her to the aquarium where she met Chris when she was eight, so I think Michelle’s doing a good job. She’s also contemplating her future and whether or not Tony even fits in it.
After getting their finals, it’s official that Michelle is going to York and Tony to Cardiff. They sit in silence in the car together—that kind of ending silence. She does make a funny joke about knew she wanted to have sex with him the first time she met him. She asks Tony if they were good together—and he responds that they were better than that. BYE MY HEART.
Tony
In OG Tony fashion, he decides that they should “steal Chris’s funeral,” which includes taking the casket. Yep, this is going to be a great idea.
They actually pull off stealing Chris for a minute until Chris’s dad realizes what’s going on. Tony and Sid end up on a pretty epic car chase with Chris’s coffin roped on top of the car. Tony’s insistent that they’ve done the right thing.
Tony buys Sid a plane ticket to NYC to find Cassie. Their good bye is so moving. I mean Tony and Sid kiss (too bad not like that), hug and then Tony tells him that he always loved Sid the best. AND TONY’S FACE AFTER. It’s so sad.
Sid
Sid’s a mess as always! He’s drunk, in Tony’s bed and having a sex dream about Cassie. It’s completely awkward. His mom is trying to be supportive but he’s not interested. He is interested in the postcard from NYC that he gets that is obviously from Cassie.
Chris’s dad shows up to speak with Sid and tells him that he and all their friends are banned from the funeral. I mean this is fucked up considering that WHERE HAS CHRIS’S DAD BEEN?!
He’s taking this uninvited from the funeral pretty personally and calls Tony to talk who hatches their plan.
After Tony sends Sid to NYC, he wanders around the city looking for Cassie. He ends up right outside of her restaurant and WE NEVER KNOW IF THEY FIND EACH OTHER.
Maxxie
Maxxie’s gotten serious with his boyfriend who he is moving to London with. James is probably excited for that but is currently fearful of the coffin in the living room. What no one knew is that they are leaving for London immediately.
He’s super concerned about Anwar failing and wants to say goodbye to him. Maxxie loves Anwar so much that he asks him to go to London with him and James. Thankfully Anwar decides to go with them.
Jal
Jal’s miserable, there’s no other way to put it. She tells Michelle that she had the abortion but needed to do it alone. Jal’s pissed about everything—the abortion, Chris dying, Michelle taking her to the zoo. Michelle’s advice seems helpful or at least her presence is comforting. When Jal sees that casket in the living room, she rightfully freaks out and tells them to return it, which is a miracle that they do.
They get everyone together to stand above the funeral and Jal says a speech about one of Chris’s heroes. It’s totally sad. I cried. And I cried some more. It’s also a moment where you question why they didn’t have Jal do more on this show.
Post funeral she has a nice moment with Chris’s dad—who doesn’t seem like he deserves many. It’s pretty sad when Jal tells him he would have liked her.
Anwar
Anwar is super stressed about receiving his final marks but is determined to not open it until after Chris’s funeral. That idea lasts for literally five minutes and he opens the envelope. From his face it doesn’t look very good.
Anwar goes to Sketch for advice—SKETCH—so yeah he’d didn’t do very well. Sketch is just as scary as always which Anwar should KNOW BY NOW! Anyways Sketch also gives him the most depressing news—that all his friends will eventually will forget about him. NOT HELPFUL SKETCH!
Sketch gets realllll thirsty on Anwar because she knows he’s not going anywhere like her. Girl, when you have to tell a dude, “let’s just start this life,” nothing is going to sound less appealing. So he decides to go to London and leaves Sketch behind.
On That Finals Tip
Everyone passed except for Anwar.
Necessary Everyone Judgment
Random Observations
- Tony and Sid should have made out right? Do we think they ever accidentally did?
- Appreciate that Cassie’s still pulling stunt queen moves by sending Sid a BLANK postcard from another continent.
- Sid left the most comments on Chris’s Facebook.
- “I never get to say goodbye.” Aw Sid.
- Anwar’s mom asks if he’s masturbating before she goes into his room.
- Jal doesn’t like animals.
- I love that everyone’s advice in this episode is “fuck it” for Chris.
- Chris’s dad sucks so hard.
- Impressive that Tony can drive like a stunt driver that after his insane accident.
- How horrifying is it that Chris’s dad was prepared to fake out Chris’s own funeral.
- The fireworks for Chris were a perfect touch.
- Cassie’s working at a restaurant and hanging out in NYC still.
- Sid told tell Tony and Michelle that you’ve all seen each other naked.
- Sid never gets rid of that dumb hat <3
- The episode ends with Effy in Tony’s bed looking exactly like him in the first episode.
That’s it! Thanks for sticking with this rewatch with me. I’m taking a break for a bit, but if you have any show suggestions for a future rewatch, let me know.
About the Contributor:
Kerensa Cadenas is a writer living in Los Angeles. She grew up on binge reading Sweet Valley High and watching Saved by the Bell at a very young age. Hence, she is now unable to grow out of this life-long phase. She loves terrible teen television, young adult novels and probably listens to One Direction more than she should. She also enjoys more adult things like margaritas on patios and dance parties. A Marcus Flutie/Nate Archibald man-hybrid remains her ideal.
