Skins, The New MTV Drama

I was going to write a whole post on MTV and how it’s gone downhill, especially with the introduction of the new show “Skins” not to mention the reality TV disasters about teen pregnancy and parenting.

But, I’m not going to write about MTV at all. Except that I think it should change it’s name. Because it’s not about music anymore.

I want MY MTV. The one I grew up with from the 80’s. With Martha Quinn, Nina Blackwood, Mark Goodman and Alan Hunter. And Duran Duran videos.

Anywhoo…

Skins.

My friend Ooph is asking for parents/bloggers to come together to try to get MTV to take this show off the air or that we should block MTV from our televisions.

I love Ooph for taking such a passionate stand.

I decided that I should research more about this show before I wrote on the subject. So, I decided that I’d watch one of the episodes as opposed to reading all the news articles.

I sat at my kitchen table with my laptop, tried to set aside any prejudice I may have from all the hoopla that is going on about this show all over the interwebs and I watched.

I let the drama unfold.

Open mouthed.

Aghast.

I think that another thing I can say was a little mortified.

My thoughts are so all over the place about this show that I’m having a hard time organizing them so i’ll just do, in random order, what comes to mind.

If a show is supposed to be about high school aged kids UNDER 18, then why does it have a MA rating? Generally, shows about 17 year olds would attract that age group but if it has a “for mature audience only” type warning attached to it, then it’s NOT for kids that it’s trying to attract.

Unless the parents don’t give a rat’s tuchas about the little sign of caution there and let them watch it anyways.

If you don’t like this show, if you have SUCH STRONG opinions against it and think it’s going to be the ruination of our children’s generation, then forbid your children from watching it. This show is so far fetched and so exaggerated that it borderlines ridiculosity.

I only watched the first episode but I watched an interview with the cast in regards to that first episode. They claim that it’s just an introduction to give the viewer an idea about the inner workings of each character. The characters, in my opinion, are just exaggerations on people we all knew growing up. They are like the Breakfast Club on steroids. We have the druggie, the virginal nerd, the jock, the rich girl, the emo and some new ones. Only, unlike Hughes Breakfast Club characters, there are no relatable ones in this show. And if there are? Oy

I’m not impressed. I thought the characters were kind of boring and, on the most part, very flat acting.

My son watched it with me, he’s 15. I wanted to get his thoughts on it.

He hated it, thought it was completely ridiculous and embarrassingly stupid. He’s in high school. He doesn’t know ANYONE like ANY of those characters.

My ex-husband was in the kitchen with us too. He went on a tirade about how there is no parenting going on in the show and where are the ramifications that these kids will have to meet?

I told him to shut up.

On that part, I came up with this analogy…on my very own.

This show, Skins, is about the subculture of teens. Parents aren’t around, 24/7 EVER. I compared it to Charlie Brown. You know there are parents but they are all gibberish in the background. Because it’s NOT ABOUT THE PARENTS. It’s about the kids.

Teen culture. The culture of being a teen. Blah.

When I was 17, I was at a party and completely wasted, drunk out of my gourd. The police came and tried (unsuccessfully) to break up the party. While the police were inside, giving my friend a ticket, I had SOMEHOW climbed into the police car to check it out. Hello, illegal. Luckily I didn’t get caught.

My point…kids do stupid things and don’t necessarily ever get in trouble for them. The parents NEVER find out. Unless, as an adult, that person becomes a blogger and tells all 😉

So. I don’t like this show. I heard the BBC version is very good and that MTV is ruining it.

True dat.

I’m not going to be one that thinks the show should be banned. I’m not going to say it’s OK that my kids watch it though.

Personally, I think 16 and Pregnant and Teen Mom are way worse shows. Because of the fact that they are real life television. The shows may not show anything glamorous about being a pregnant teen or teen mom but they make it more appealing with the lure of being a MTV reality star.

That is what I have more problems with.

Skins though?

It’s doomed to flop on it’s own, I figure. It’s just not a good show.

And from some of the reviews I read online, that’s the prediction.

Right now, it’s all about the shock value and hype.

The reality is, at this moment the show is dull and the characters are unmemorable.

After a few more episodes, our kids are going to be standing alongside us, fists pumping in the air, battle-crying old school…”WE WANT OUR MTV”.

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