Effy is Artful: Falling Apart and Coming Together on "Skins"

Just a few quick words about this week's episode of Skins, which focused on Tony's younger sister Effy, she of the few words, kohl-rimmed eyes, and old soul who will be the focal character of Season Three of Skins, kicking off early next year in the UK.

Last night's episode of Skins ("Effy") also introduced the new character of Pandora (Lisa Backwell)--who will also appear in the third season of the hit series, alongside Effy (Kaya Scodelario)--and pushed the series' focus onto Effy Stonem, who in true Effy-fashion managed in the course of about a day to heal three fractured relationships, clean up her family's home (and get her mother Anthea into full Sleeping Beauty mode for her father's surprise arrival), and get Tony's watch fixed and inscribed for Michelle... all seemingly without blinking an eye or breaking a sweat.

It would seem that Effy has truly inherited her older brother's gift of manipulation but without its more Svengali-like aspects (a plus, I would say) and she uses her gifts in this episode to help the people around her, all while claiming to fail to see the purpose of love.

While the episode purported to focus on Effy and her private school chum, the action actually unfolded mainly around Sid and Cassie and Tony and Michelle. I'm glad that Sid and Cassie finally got a chance to scream at one another (even if Sid still doesn't seem to know that Cassie never slept with those guys in Scotland) and make up. It's been killing me to have these two apart and to see Cassie just spiral downwards as she has been in a haze of sex, drugs, and, well, more meaningless sex with anything that moves.

And Michelle's look of surprise and wonder at seeing the repaired watch (with its inscription of "Forever" on the back) spoke volumes about the healing ability of love and the power of forgiveness. (In her case, both of herself and of Tony for "abandoning" her during his accident and recovery.)

Offering Sid the chance to get back together with Cassie, Effy forces him to complete her art class assignment: to embody a true emotion in a piece of art... and inevitably gives Sid's best work ("Hopeless") to Pandora to turn in. Effy, meanwhile, tells her batty teacher that her piece is conceptual and "all around us" but can't be seen by everyone.

If that isn't the gift of a true artist, I don't know what is.

In two weeks on Skins ("Jal"), Jal has a tough decision to make as her secret pregnancy reaches the second trimester and she has a crucial audition to prepare for; Chris asks Jal to move in with him; the gang preps for their A-Level exams.