Content warning: this article discusses eating disorders, mental health, and violence.
Upon its debut on British channel E4 in 2007, Skins set a precedent for dark, gritty coming-of-age television. The three generations of characters are markedly different from many other high school-based shows of the era, weighed down by the very real problems they face on a daily basis.
The series tracks each character’s journey in a raw way that depicts them as troubled and flawed, rather than optimistic and innocent. Given the darkness around them, these teens often speak in a mature manner far beyond their years. These are wise young people who are struggling through their adolescence. Many of them are outspoken and loud, while others only speak when they have something important to say.
“I Will Love You Forever, Sid … That’s The Problem.”
![Skins UK: 10 Quotes That Defined The Series](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Sid-and-Cassie-Skins-Cropped.jpg)
Sid and Cassie’s romance throughout the first two seasons is a game of cat-and-mouse. Cassie is quick to acknowledge her feelings towards him, while Sid is preoccupied with his attraction to Michelle.
When Sid finally gives Cassie a real chance, he fails her miserably and breaks her heart. However, even after everything, Cassie confesses that she still loves him. Sid feels momentarily redeemed and validated, until Cassie says, “That’s the problem.” Unrequited and unhealthy romantic relationships are a running theme throughout all three generations of Skins.
“She Just Smiled. You Know, That Effy Smile That Means, ‘You Don’t Know Me …'”
![Effy from Skins smiles at Cook](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Effy-Stonem-skins-girls-27649248-1600-900-Cropped.jpg)
Effy Stonem is often a difficult character to gauge. The people around her rarely know what she’s thinking or what motivates her – even her mom. Anthea sympathizes with Freddie when he fails to understand Effy’s downward spiral, but her words offer him little consolation.
She talks about playing hide and seek with her when Effy was only four, and that she couldn’t find her daughter for hours. When she finally found Effy, she smiled in a such way that Anthea says was, “You don’t know me at all. And you never will.” Years later, nobody really knows who Effy is inside.
“Nobody Breaks My Heart.”
![Effy from Skins eats a potato fry](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Effie-Skins-Cropped.jpg)
Freddie and Effy’s first meeting is a momentous moment in the series. Effy is one of the most iconic and recognizable characters of the series – and perhaps its genre – but the way she treats people shouldn’t be glorified the same way her elusive mystique is.
Nevertheless, her first scene with Freddie is electric with tension and chemistry. He feels as if they’ve made a meaningful connection, but Effie wants to play games with him. In fact, she gives him a list of tasks to complete by the end of the day to win her attention. She tries to discourage his advances because she warns him that she’ll break his heart. “I might break yours,” he says, but Effie shakes her head no.
“It’s Kind Of Easy When You’ve Got Nothing Because Nothing Can’t Be Taken Away From You.”
![Chris from Skins holds the camera and smiles](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/skins-chris-skins-post-skins-walls-please-preferably-from-season-1680x1050-wallpaper-www.wallpaperhi.com-66-Cropped.jpg)
Chris is one of the most upbeat and optimistic characters in the series, despite the amount of grief and loss in his life. At times, Chris really does have nothing: no home, no family, no way to earn an income, and no prospects of a future.
However, even at his lowest points, Chris manages to look on the bright side. He prefers having nothing to lose, while others around him may not understand this perspective.
“I Care.”
![Sid and Cassie hold hands laying on the trampoline in Skins](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Cassie-and-Sid-Skins-Cropped.jpg)
Sid takes a long time to warm up to Cassie. At first, he thinks she’s strange and doesn’t even consider that she could be someone he’s romantically interested in. Nevertheless, the two spend a lot of time together and get to know each other.
Even though Sid thinks she’s strange compared to his other friends, he begins to sympathize with her. She opens up to him about her inner struggles and her eating disorder, telling him that nobody cares enough to notice how much it affects her. Sid pauses and hesitantly tells her that he cares. This is the true beginning of a meaningful bond between these two characters.
“I’m Katie F***ing Fitch; Who The F*** Are You?”
![Katie Fitch from Skins bending over and yelling at someone](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Katie-Fitch-Skins-Cropped.jpg)
Many of the most iconic Skins characters are members of Gen 2. Katie Fitch is an easily distinguishable character, loud, assertive, outspoken, but also surprisingly fragile and sensitive. One of her most powerful moments comes when everything in her life seems to be falling apart.
Katie has just learned that she can’t have children, while her parents separate, and her mother learns that her former husband has left them broke. Katie is waitressing at a hen’s party – the bride-to-be is her ex-boyfriend’s fiancée – when she sees Freddie with Effy, who pushes her buttons. Katie loses her temper when the bride treats her like a servant, so Katie punches her in the face and asserts her autonomy. Her anger is understandable, if a little shocking, and something that speaks to all of the characters’ feelings at the way the world has treated them.
“Do You Know What Hurts The Most About A Broken Heart? Not Being Able To Remember How You Felt Before.”
![Cassie from Skins](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/maxresdefault-Cropped-2-2.jpg)
Cassie often has a worldly and philosophical way of looking at things. She’s a deep thinker, introspective and reflective, and this is something that people like Sid don’t quite understand about her. She’s more mature than he is, and his feelings don’t seem to run as far as hers – at least, he often doesn’t show those around him how he feels until it’s too late.
When Cassie moves in with Chris, she’s preoccupied with her recent breakup with Sid. Chris seems too stunned to really comment on her observation about broken hearts, but he doesn’t ignore her, either. Both of them are at a similar emotional stage in their lives, where they feel like they’ve been left with nothing but each other.
“It’s Hard Telling People Things About Yourself, Isn’t It?”
![Emily Fitch from Skins side profile](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Emily-Fitch-Skins-Cropped.jpg)
Emily Fitch grows up in a rather hostile environment where she feels like she can’t truly be herself. Early in season 3, the audience learns that she’s gay, but her family and most of her peers don’t know this. When they finally do learn about her sexuality, many of them treat her terribly.
Emily’s mother refuses to understand Emily’s announcement, so she moves out of the house just when Katie needs her the most. Naomi, too, takes a long time to be as open about her sexuality as Emily is. Thus, it’s a significant moment for Emily to begin encouraging her friends to talk about their struggles. Throughout the entire series, this is something the teens consistently fail to do. They bottle up their thoughts and emotions, which leads to conflict – both internal and external.
“That’s The Great Thing About The Universe: Unpredictable.”
![](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/42919a3b607db446d3edc510532423b3-Cropped.jpg)
After publicly cheating on Michelle on purpose, Tony explains to Sid why he did it. Sid, however, takes a little longer to catch on to Tony’s skewed logic. Tony proudly admits that he did it on purpose, suggesting that now Sid is free to date Michelle.
Tony talks about how particles in the universe randomly collide to create change, and that’s essentially what he’s done in their social circle. “That’s why [the universe]’s so much fun,” Tony concludes. He likes being in control and manipulating the order of events around him, even if he claims to like unpredictability.
“F*** It For Chris.”
![Chris and Jal put stickers on each other's foreheads in Skins](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Chris-and-Jal-Skins-Cropped.jpg)
Chris’s death leaves a lasting impact on the series, but it’s not the first time a fan-favorite, pure-intentioned character dies in Skins. It is, however, the first time the teens experience loss of this degree. The characters would have felt the loss keenly regardless of which of their friends died, but Chris is a particularly beloved character because of his free-spiritedness, generosity, and optimism.
Michelle attempts to console Jal after his death, and the two reminisce on the times they spent with Chris. Jal remembers the deal they made before they became a couple: Chris would stop saying “f*** it” and try to change his hopeless situation, and Jal will stop saying “no” to everything. However, after his death, “f*** it” begins to take on a different meaning for Jal. Along with the rest of Chris’s friends, Jal realizes she shouldn’t let things stop her anymore. Chris did things “because he could; because he was,” she says at his funeral.