Teenage Nightmare: MTV’s Reinterpretation of “Skins”
The teen television drama is a canon in itself. We’re all too aware of the Walsh Twins, Seth and Summer and Ryan and Marissa (FOREVER), Dawson vs. Pacey, the murder of Keith Scott (REST IN PEACE UNCLE KEITH), and of course, the Degrassi basketball star named Jimmy Brooks who was shot by a crazy dude and tragically confined to a wheelchair before being adopted by lil’ wayne and young money.
The genre has its figureheads: Aaron Spelling. Josh Schwartz. Kevin Willamson. the latest to arrive in america are Jamie Brittain and Bryan Elsley - the creators of Skins, which initially aired in the UK beginning in 2007. its a sensation and a total phenomenon. the british format features a group of the closest of friends through their final two years of collegiate school. two seasons feature the cast, and they’re out of there, making way for a new generation. native audiences in the UK are getting ready for series 5. stateside, i personally finished series 1 last weekend, i’m midway through series 2, and shit is heavy. this stuff has got some teeth, to the point of making me uncomfortable and giving up to try watching again later (SKETCH, anyone?! heebie jeebies. mental instability). from what i’m told from those further ahead of me, i’ve barely scratched the surface. and i understand more i where people find the addiction in the shows depth. its honestly unlike any teen television programming that’s proceeded it, which i think people find fascinating. MTV premiered their american interpretation tonight, and i have words - criticism both as a fan, and as someone kind of fearful for the media-impressionable youth of america.
first off, nerd rant commence: new york magazine did a most apt job preparing their pop culture faithful for the “translation.” which was interesting becauuuuse the show that aired tonight virtually copied the british version of the pilot scene by scene, beat for beat. but in the american suburbs with a few character adjustments. i noticed at the end of the episode, brittain and elsley were credited with writing and direction - which raises a series of questions to me. did some writers’ assistant or unpaid production intern transcribe every episode for a contracted production staff in the states? are they going to be lifting and lightly reinterpreting the language in every episode? is the pair merely contributing to this american version, which will eventually go from active consultant to passive exec producer credits? (kind of like ricky gervais does with the american version of the office).
that’s the fan in me talking. i wouldn’t be writing all of this if i didn’t think a greater problem existed with this show being on the air.
its really amazing to observe the british version through an american lens because i think its WAY too extreme of a depiction of teens “here.” skins was marketed to two distinct domestic audiences: cult entertainment lovers that know about the original series OR people (probably teenage people) that have absolutely no idea an original version even exists. they just see kids raging harder than any group of teens on screen before. probably worse, they see kids raging harder than THEM. they want to be those kids?
they clearly want to be those kids. the original version spawned “skins” parties styled after the raucous ones in the show, popping up across the UK to insane fanfare. in order to kick off and increase awareness of the american premiere, MTV had a brilliant idea to invite everyone over the age of 16 in the tri-state area to a “secret” 5000-capacity warehouse space in the west village. to no surprise, the scene was ugly. sleigh bells was playing. you know, the band featured in the super raging trailer for skins on MTV. (i heard they were from brooklyn, THEY MUST BE AWESOME!!!!)
granted, i might own up to being a perpetual wuss, but i’m no prude. teens do bad things under the radar - its in their genetics. i’m guilty, we’re all guilty, and likewise the typical suburban teenager is fueled by vice, rebellion, and an unhealthy amount of drive to achieve and succeed. but skins is leading a bad example. the boundaries portrayed on screen are being pushed too far for an american audience. lets face it: in one day has anyone, in their life or right mind, heard of of a group of american teenagers buying 4 ounces of weed, partying with a pair of hookers, smoking a joint in the school bathroom stall and defraying the sent with lysol, crashing a private school house party and stealing everyone’s car keys and cell phones which then leads to stealing an actual car, crashing said car into a river, and walking home the next morning… still a virgin. ALL IN ONE DAY. the context of this show being on the air, in its current format, in america is totally wrong.
bottom line: HOW DID THIS FLY? i’m pretty sure i heard a girl say on air on MTV “this party is on some rambunctious shit.” super audible orgasms were simulated by jumping on a trampoline, masked by trees. it was implied a teenage girl was treated for pill overdoses on the reg. who is going to claim responsibility for putting this in front of impressionable kids? let alone, on THE network “for” teenagers in america. will american parents be too preoccupied to catch onto crucifying this salacious new cable show like media past?
the one question that remains is frankly what troubles me the most. in 2011, are american kids currently, factually, really THIS nuts? is behavior like the behavior exhibited on skins actually RELEVANT among teens in the united states at this cultural moment? if so, i scoff in the style of renee zellweger’s sarcasm from the quintessential ’90s alt-teen classic empire records: ”well sinead o’rebellion. shock me, shock me, shock me with that deviant behavior.”
