Skins, Vol. 1

Reviewer: Erin Donovan
Rating (out of 5): ***½

Skins is the Bristol-based BBC dramedy series following a group emotionally detached high school kids while they wreak utter havoc on their internal organs with drugs and alcohol. At the center of the gang is Tony (played by Ashton Kutcher/Tom Cruise human amalgamation Nicholas Hoult), a popular boy who is unjustly excellent at everything he attempts and uses his ceaseless charisma to undermine everyone around him; Michelle, his insecure girlfriend, who tries to break away upon learning of his deviousness but whose independence has been stunted as she replicates her mother's codependent tendencies with men; and Tony's best friend Sid, a painfully awkward virgin who is desperately in love with Michelle. The group is rounded out with Cassie, a girl who wiles away her time between suicide attempts in eating disorder clinics; Jal, the sarcastic daughter of a rap mogul who wants nothing more than to be a classical musician; Chris, a constantly-partying Lolit(o)-type who has an affair with a teacher; Maxxie, an openly gay boy who has a hard time finding people to date in their small town; and Anwar (played by Dev Patel from Slumdog Millionaire), a Muslim who prays five times a day and bristles at Maxxie's homosexuality but has no qualms with alcohol or premarital sex.

The early episodes introduce us to the eight main characters (and set the series apart stylistically) by telling an episode entirely from a single perspective. They drink a lot, take loads of pills and smoke pot all day long while putting decreasing effort into snowing their parents, who are rife with their own dysfunctions. Following the time-tested formula of teen drama, their antics are funny, exhilarating, terrifying, heartwarming and ultimately teaching. The season culminates in a searingly hilarious class trip to the bucolic Russian countryside to visit a glue factory where the almost palpable boredom leads to long-simmering tensions coming to a head.

Unlike its American counterparts, like Gossip Girl or The OC, the stakes presented in Skins are narratively and conceptually much higher. The elements meant to inspire paternal fear are deeply horrifying (ditto to the comedy, romance and heartbreak), but the stories are also told with great visual flair and cutting black humor. It's these sweeteners that may explain why the show's popularity has led to several destructive "Skins parties" that have left hundreds of thousands of dollars in property damages in their wake.

The series also can boast some hipster cred with a soundtrack that includes American indie rock acts like the Gossip, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and British indie rockers Bloc Party.

DVD extras include character video diaries.