Skins: Low and Beholden

As BBC America's Skins quickly approaches it's season finale, knowledge that the whole cast (save Effy) won't be back kind of alters how you view events. To keep the series real, the characters are moving on to University, and even those that aren't, like Chris, are moving on in their own way. I've found the stories of Chris & Jal, both separate and together, to be the most fascinating of the bunch, so knowing this episode was this season's "Jal" entry, expectations were high -- and it (mostly) didn't disappoint.

This second season (airing back-to-back with the first) has gotten more and more daring with it's music choices, thanks to the ever growing confidence of music supervisor Alex Hancock. Not that US audiences would know, given that the music is stripped out.

This week was like a Trojan Records primer, with obscure reggae classics from Althea & Donna, Pat Kelly and The Uniques backing Jal's struggle with her pregnancy. Also setting in the moody mood is Eluvium's "Genius and The Thieves," a haunting piano-based instrumental from their excellent album An Accidental Memory in the Case of Death, a title that no doubt influenced the choice of song, given the heavy foreshadowing throughout of Chris' medical issue.

If that wasn't enough, while Jal tries to find out what's wrong with Chris, Low's "Sunflower" plays in the background, with lyrics giving away what we think is going to happen to our favorite misunderstood pill-popper:

When they found your body
Giant X's on your eyes
With your half of the ransom
You bought some sweet, sweet, sweet
Sweet sunflowers
And gave them to the night

That song, and the Stars of the Lid song that proceeds it, squeeze even the most resistant tears right out of your eye sockets, and was a much-talked-about scene across the pond. Watch the video below, with that word of warning in mind.



Of course, US audience saw the scene with replacement music and, suffice to say, the mood was quite different -- let's just say, a lot less wet in the eye region.

Playlist: Skins - Episode 2.08
1. "Uptown Ranking" - Althea and Donna
2. "Jus a Rascal" - Dizzee Rascal
3. "Ass n Titties" - DJ Assault
4. "Fix Up Look Sharp" - Dizzee Rascal
5. "Genius and Thieves" - Eluvium
6. "How Long" - Pat Kelly
7. "Objection Overruled" - Gregory Isaacs
8. "School Da" - Stage Coach
9. "La La Land" - Herve>
10. "Five Star Day" - Aqueduct
11. "Your rights/My rights" - Mad Professor
12. "Ophelia" - Tommy Evans
13. "The Glitters Part Two" - Fat Segal
14. "Cradle" - Fat Segal
15. "Clarinet Concertino" - Carl Maria Von Weber
16. "Requiem for Dying Mother Pt. 1" - Stars of the Lid
17. "Sunflower" - Low
18. "My Conversation" - The Uniques

Here's the original version broken up into five parts, for your enjoyment: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5

Previously: Music and Loss (Episode 2.03)