Skins "Everyone": New Faces, Old Pitfalls

Ater much unexplained delay (was originally scheduled for 'Spring of 2009'), the third season finally got under way tonight for the UK series Skins (on BBC America). Considering pretty much all of the new cast as been replaced -- like Menudo, there's no getting old -- it's kind of like a whole new series. Just to makes sure you know where they stand, the first few minutes contain a police officer getting humiliated, the smoking of a joint, underage drinking and plenty of curse words.

Heck, I'm for all of it in a series, but here it just seemed like muscle flexing. The big story arc for much of the season is introduced right away, with JJ, Cooke and Freddie all falling for Effie. Will she tear their friendship apart? Probably, but from what I know of the friends so far, I just don't care. Sure, the second episode from each of the first two seasons redeemed the silliness of the first, but I've seen the first three, and the heart that drove the first couple seasons just seems to be missing in Skins: the New Generation (no real Cassie or Sid to be found in this lot).

Meanwhile, the annoyance of music licensing continues, with nearly every song getting stripped from each episode. Songs that were picked with great care and thought by music supervisor Alex Hancock and the writers are stripped out and replaced with tracks that have little or no relationship with their predecessor. The genius of using singing Belgium Nuns (Soeur Sourire) for Pandora? Gone and replaced with some random piano playing. Wilco, Klaxons, Liquid Liquid, F*cked Up and two from Asobi Seksu? Gone, gone, gone, gone and double gone. I'll still be watching, but I'm not sure how much value I add with these playlists of the music when it's all been stripped out.

Playlist: Skins - Episode 3.01
1. "Son the Father" - Fucked Up
2. "Freddie Theme" - Fat Segal
3. "Cook Theme" - Fat Segal
4. "Lions and Tigers" - Asobi Seksu
5. "Lady Belles" - Timothy Victor
6. "Ring the Alarm" - Beyonce
7. "Womanizer" - Britney Spears
8. "Shame on a Nigga" - Wu-Tang Clan
9. "Release Yo'Delf" - Method Man
10. "Monsters Under My Bed" - Eugene McGuinness
11. "Roundview College" - Timothy Victor
12. "I'm The Man Who Loves You" - Wilco
13. "Freddie Theme" - Fat Segal
14. "Shove it" - Santigold
15. "Cook Theme" - Fat Segal
16. "Optimo" - Liquid Liquid
17. "Mets Tons/ Dominique" - Soeur Sourire
18. "Freddie theme/ Cook theme and Drums" - Fat Segal
19. "Magick" - Klaxons
20. "Nefi and Girly" - Asobi Seksu

Previously: Low and Beholden (Episode 2.08)