skins - 8th - Daisy

Hooters!


It's actually a Busty Bacadillo that Stanley and Abbud are eating in, at least that's the logo on the shirt of Daisy who is currently a waitress.  She is making money for her ambition.  After work you see her come home to a building complex.  She enters her apartment then begins to clean off the dinner table, does the dishes and puts away the cash she has made into an envelope filled with cash already in it.  When those chores are done, she goes in to check on her sister, Didi.  Didi is listening to music.  Daisy tells her sister to correct her wrong homework questions.  Didi is listening to a peer rapping and she starts to rap; Didi raps well.  At this point, their father, Ham, comes home to find Didi rapping and tells them to cut that out.  He disapproves of her rapping.


I am admiring Daisy for her errand running responsibility side, because I also had a job when I was 15, but my money went to sneakers.  And I sure as heck didn't come home to take care of chores.

Skip to the next scene, they are sitting at the dinner room table and Ham checks that envelope that Daisy has put cash into.  It seems that envelope full of cash is Ham's mailman salary.  It is to pay the bills and rent.  He tells his daughter, he doesn't need her working and adding to his labor.  He tells his daughter to keep the money, save it for your college fund.  Daisy tells her dad that she will be using that money for The Conservative Music School.  An album comes out and Daisy is looking at it, the artist on the CD shows "Lucia Lucero" in smaller letters "with Ham Valero".  It turns out Lucia Lucero is Daisy's mom and her dad, Ham, both used to be pianist.  You see Daisy leave the apartment late at night to go perform in a band, at like little blues spot (my first live music show was also at a little blues spot).  She plays the trumpet.  Another band member, Farley, is an old friend.  Ham does not want that life for her daughter and grabs Daisy's horn after the performance is over.  Two comments come from Daisy to her dad: "bend my horn, I'll leave and I'll never come back" and "it's no wonder she left you".  He let's go and she storms out of the blues venue.  Farley explains the only difference between Daisy and Lucia is that Daisy cares about people more, other than that she plays the trumpet well.

Daisy is sitting by the harbor contemplating why her father is on her case about pursuing music, when Abbud comes to talk to her, as a friend should come and talk to you when you're down.  During the conversation, Abbud provides a small empathetic comment about his religion that answers Daisy's comment about rules and silence.  In part of the conversation, Daisy offers Abbud No Strings Attached, "mindless gratification" sex at the harbor.  Abbud is absolutely in joy of this and never stops in pursuit of it thereafter.  They go back to Daisy's place but their plans are interrupted by Didi's party.  At the party Didi is rapping and Tony's sister, Eura, is there making out with another boy.  Abbud stops the party by going on the microphone shouting "Police! This is a raid.  Everyone stay where you are."  Everyone leaves and of course the clean up was done with the "skins" crew of friends as "cavalry".  It's 1:30am and her father comes home at 4:00am in the morning.  She says something like "you guys should get the bug out of your asses", she's referring to the Chlamydia, "and help me, you owe me for all that I've done for you guys", something like that.  It is true in all the other episodes, she was not in the center of any of the crap that went on but a mediator.  Earlier in this same episode, she was the mediator between Tea and Abbud, in which she actually became the backfire target of Tony who stepped in and overheard Daisy's comment of the whole friends and sex triangle relationship.  Tony tells Daisy she works too much, and doesn't play enough.  Teen drama!

On the second attempt to have sex Abbud is waiting for Daisy outside her building and Daisy says her sister comes home in 45 minutes, he reassures that it is plenty of time.  They enter the apartment making out but they didn't realize her father is there.  Only her father doesn't even notice, his head is down and not facing the door.  He is distraught over his broken Brennerman piano.  The Brennerman piano is broken from when Didi had her party, in which Daisy helped clean up so nicely after her sister.  Her father asks how this happened (how the piano broke) and Daisy takes the blame for her sister by saying "she had a few friends over".  Seeing the Brennerman is broke, he tells Daisy that he will be taking that money she put in the envelope earlier (in which he gave back).  The money will be taken out from the money she has been saving for the "dumb-ass audition" referring to The Conservative Music School audition fee.  Daisy runs to her room.  Daisy's dad says to Abbud, since he was standing there, to "Beat it, kid".  Abbud doesn't and with a nasty look on his face, tell's Daisy's dad that he is wrong to do that, "Daisy would never leave you because she loves you too much and she knows you can't take it.  Why don't you grow up".  Instead, after that comment by Abbud, Daisy's dad leaves.  Abbud goes to Daisy's room and grabs the money so she doesn't give it to her dad.  They have sex.  Afterwards you get an awkward vibe.  Abbud says "I'm going to go", she says "sure", "mindless sex, right", they both say it.  "Allah Akbar"

Cadie is doing better and is with Warren, they catch up with Abbud, Chris, Daisy and Stanley for just a little on the basketball court.  Cadie sinks the ball into the basket without even looking, saying something like she pretends the basketball is super heated energy and the hoop is God waiting.  This scene made no sense, except maybe to continue on that Cadie has been release and doing well with Warren.  Stanley peace out.

Farley and Daisy are sitting at the Wheatley Wing of The Conservative Music School.  They are waiting for their turn to audition.  The school staff calls her and she goes in, he tells her to pay the deposit at the end of the hall and ask her which piece she will play.  Daisy says Mozart and starts but then stops and says "Sorry, I can't do this", the guilt from her father has stopped her, she leaves without even beginning her performance.  Farley is still sitting there after Daisy has left just enjoying the music when Daisy's father comes in and they talk.  Farley explains "you're a lucky guy postman... kids like that, you better believe it".

Her dad comes home and Didi leads her dad into the living room, there sits a replacement piano, it's not a Brennerman, because Daisy could not afford it.  The piano is a Luber.  He says the Luber is a mighty fine instrument.  He mentions something about needing the money for the rent, Daisy responds with an expression like oh the rent.  He opens the lid to the keys and ask Daisy, if she has her axe, she says "Always".  She sits next to him facing the opposite way while Didi looks on.  It sets a mood for a happy family moment but also a sad one.

Contrary to the other "skins" characters, Daisy Valero has a more structured family life though of course, like every family, has issues.

Two more episodes left of "skins" Version U.S. - Season 1

Watchmen (2009)

Warning: Spoilers Ahead (I recommend watching the movie first before reading)



Richard Nixon: "The United States does not start fights. Let it be clear we maintain our strength in order to maintain peace, so any adversary should ask themselves: Do the consequences of attacking America outweigh the potential benefits?"


Rorschach's journal, October 13th 1985

From the trailer you already know that the movie is about superheroes.  When I saw the trailer on television in 2009 it didn't look interesting.  I assumed the plot and characters were going to be dull.  Exactly two years later I pick it up as a free movie from a kiosk and I recommend it.  The summary of the movie already describes it as an investigation into a murder of a fellow superhero.  The movie sets in the 1980s, when Nixon was President.  It's the cold war and America have tensions with Russia.  There are superheroes.  The plot is that they are no longer active.  Most of the superheroes are either retired or dead.  Rorschach is the narrator.  He is the investigator.

Rorschach:
(In a deep voice as one who sounds like acid reflux along with moonshine and cigarettes had burnt a bit of his lungs.)

"Edward Blake. The Comedian.
Born 1918.
Buried in the rain.
Murdered.
Is that what happens to us?
No time for friends?
Only our enemies leave roses?
Violent lives ending violently.
Blake understood . Humans are savage in nature. No matter how much you try to dress it up to disguise it. Blake saw society's true face, chose to be a parody of it. A joke. I heard a joke once.
Man goes to doctor, says he's depressed. Life seems harsh and cruel.  Says he feels all alone in a threatening world. Doctor says treatment is simple. "The great Pagliacci is in town. Go see him. That should pick you up."
Man burst into tears.
"But doctor," he says "I am Pagliacci"
Good joke.
Everybody laugh.
Roll on snare drum.
Curtains."

Edward Blake is a character that is more like an antihero rather than an actual hero.  He is a women manipulator, a rapist, a murderer, drinks, smokes, he has no moral and what you would describe as a shoot 'em and ask questions later type of "hero".  He goes against conformity and team spirit.  He's a pessimist.  He's a Black Op. for the government doing dirty work.  I see him as a part of the portrayal of the American red neck or cowboy sort of character.  Edward Blake represents part of the American culture.

Eddie Blake's would be woman Sally Jupiter, is the original Silk Spectre.  I say "would be" because Eddie Blake's indecent behavior and the fact that he tried to rape her, caused Sally Jupiter to detest him instead of love him.  In which she did.

Sally Jupiter: "Eddie Blake's funeral is today. Finally got his punchline, I guess.
Poor Eddie."

Laurie Jupiter: "Poor Eddie? After what he did to you?"

Sally Jupiter: "Oh, Laurie, you're still young. You don't know. Things change. What happened happened 40 years ago. I'm 67 years old. Everyday, the future looks a little darker. But the past... even the grimy parts of it... keep on getting brighter."

(Rape Scene)

Sally Jupiter: "Things are tough all over, cupcake. It rains on the just and the unjust alike. The Comedian was a little bit of both. And he always thought he'd get the last laugh."

(Funeral Scene)

In the end, Laurie Jupiter goes home.

Laurie Jupiter: "People's lives take them strange places.
They do strange things... and, well,
Sometimes they can't talk about them."

Sally Jupiter explains:

"You asked me why I wasn't mad at him.
Because he gave me you."

Laurie Jupiter:

"Thanks, Mom.
I love you."


Jon Osterman aka Dr. Manhattan, is a glowing blue physicist.  He can control matter and see the past and future of himself and those around him.  I guess his name comes from the Manhattan Project.  It would seem he is another superhero.  He holds the key to keeping nuclear war from destroying the human race.

During a television interview with Dr. Manhattan, the host of the show goes:

"Ms. Black, you have the first question."

Ms Black: "Dr. Manhattan, as you know the Doomsday Clock is a symbolic clock face analogizing humankind's proximity to extinction... midnight representing the threat of nuclear war.  As of now, it stands at four minutes to midnight.  Would you agree that we're that close to annihilation?"

Dr. Manhattan: "My father was a watchmaker.  He abandoned it when Einstein discovered that time is relative.  I would only agree that a symbolic clock is as nourishing to the intellect as a photograph of oxygen to a drowning man."

Ms Black: "So you're saying there is no danger."

Dr. Manhattan: "Even in a world without nuclear weapons, there would still be danger."

The character of Eddie Blake represents one side of the male American.  Eddie Blake is the hedonistic carnage image of America, the side of America that has given up on right and value instead acting on share gratification.  The reason I wanted to write about Dr. Manhattan is because he is a little more interestingly created by DC Comics.  He was human, but not so any more, in the movie it is depicted he has evolved beyond basic human traits, not just in the form of matter but in mind as well.  I once took a class in speaking.  The way Dr. Manhattan speaks is as if in equally rhythmic sequence in between words, meaning he does not speak too fast or too slow.  His speech is clear but a slant on the robot side.  His expression as if based on logic and not answering by emotion.  In the movie, it's questioned does he still have emotion, a bit of the human side left in him.  To me Dr. Manhattan represents science and technology, not just American.  The side of the world that has become saturated with it and has lost a little of it's human side.  The smartest man has fount he still does.

This scene is from after the television interview.  After Dr. Manhattan goes to Mars to seek a little escape from human agenda or complication.  He brings Laurie with him.

Dr. Manhattan: "The streets are filled with death...

And the universe will not even notice. In my opinion, the existence of life is a highly overrated phenomenon. Just look around you. Mars gets along perfectly well without so much as a microorganism.  Here, it's constant changing topographical map... flowing and shifting around the pole in ripples 10,000 years wide.  So tell me... how would all of this be greatly improved by an oil pipeline? By a shopping mall?"

Laurie Jupiter: "So, it's too much to ask for a miracle?"

Dr. Manhattan: "Miracles, by their definition, are meaningless."

Laurie Jupiter: "Oh, God, Jon!"

Dr. Manhattan: "Only what can happen does happen."

Laurie Jupiter: "Just stop your bullshit."

(Dr. Manhattan does a mind trick and flashes Laurie with an image of her life. At this point she finds that The Comedian, Eddie Blake is her father.  Laurie breaks down in tears and falls to the floor.)

Laurie Jupiter: "My life is just one big joke."

Dr. Manhattan: "I don't think your life is a joke"

Laurie Jupiter: "Yeah, well... I'm sorry if I don't trust your sense of humor."

Dr. Manhattan: "Will you smile if I admit I was wrong?"

Laurie Jupiter: "About What?"

Dr. Manhattan: "Miracles.

Events with astronomical odds of occurring... like oxygen turning into gold. I've longed to witness such an event, and yet I neglect that in human coupling millions upon millions of cells compete to create life for generation after generation until finally, your mother loves a man... Edward Blake, The Comedian, a man she has every reason to hate and out of that contradiction against unfathomable odds... it's you. Only you that emerged. To distill so specific a form from all that chaos is like turning air into gold. A miracle.

And so... I was wrong. Now dry your eyes, and let's go home."

They go home to find New York City has been the center of a nuclear attack, but it's not by the Russians, it's the power that the smartest man in the world, Ozymandias, has harnessed from Dr. Manhattan.

And the plot not only comes to it's climax but is fount by our investigators that it's Ozymandias who is the villain, or is he?  They travel to the arctic where Ozymandias (heroes name taken from the Egyptian sonnet) is hiding.  They confront him and battle.  In the battle they find that Ozymandias is the one who planned all of these events to occur.  In order to prevent nuclear war, Ozymandias plan is in order to have "A world united and at peace. There had to be a sacrifice" -Ozymandias.  The millions that died in New York City and the heroes that died with them had to "sacrifice" their lives so that America and Russia would come to terms of peace.  The plan worked, knowing Russia didn't send the nuclear attack, Dr. Manhattan is blamed and leaves earth.

Rorschach: "Out of my way. People have to be told."

Dr. Manhattan: "You know I can't let you do that." (It would seem that Ozymandias already had in his plan that Dr. Manhattan would in logic take the blame, for the better of preventing nuclear war.)

Rorschach: "Suddenly you discover humanity? Convenient."

Dr. Manhattan: "I can change almost anything... but I can't change human nature."

As Dan Dreiberg (Nite Owl the second) attacks Ozymandias, Ozymandias doesn't fight back because his job is done, he has prevented nuclear war but at a cost...

Dan Dreiberg: "No! You haven't idealized mankind, you're deformed it. You've mutilated it. That's your legacy. That's the real practical joke."

The Matrix

Ultimately we are a slave to a system no matter how wealthy or how we try to avert the systems that have been created.  The popular movies like The Matrix series gave thought into the possibility of technology on a different realm and even a bit of religion: with the Force being an old religion in Star Wars and Neo having special exceptions then bringing about the finale with Zion.  In the movie The Architect said that the Matrix was destroyed and recreated several times over, my interpretation in that in every era a Morpheus or a Neo will come along and rebel against the system only to create a bit of change then die out and the same old system of control will recreate itself in one form or another because that is nature, human nature is to evolve from it; I am not a Neo but I am definitely a supporter.  I will rebel, defy and question against any stupid system even if I am not Neo enough to fix it.  But they are just that, movies, but it evaluates philosophies of evolution.  It is why they have so much fan attraction.  I am a fan.  I was watching a few commercials on television. With all these Wii products and the adaptation or mimicking to your competitors design: the Sony Playstation Move has a motion sensor design from a wand to move the graphics on the screen, I compared it to a comment I had about certain people around me playing games.  My comment was that in the year 2111, our greatest achievement will be that of a high score in a game.  It is in my mind, slightly, that I view and this is a recreation or recapping from another blog I wrote previously about that some people’s lives are a waste, a notion that was pointed out in The Matrix by Agent Smith, we are like viruses:  "I'd like to share a revelation that I've had during my time here. It came to me when I tried to classify your species and I realized that you're not actually mammals. Every mammal on this planet instinctively develops a natural equilibrium with the surrounding environment but you humans do not. You move to an area and you multiply and multiply until every natural resource is consumed and the only way you can survive is to spread to another area. There is another organism on this planet that follows the same pattern. Do you know what is is? A virus. Human beings are a disease, a cancer of this planet. You're a plague and we are the cure."  It can be true or we just evolve very slowly, not upwards but in a diagonally sideways like pattern.  I like to call it a little bit of enlightenment.  Without restrictions, we as people could achieve so much more, but without restrictions there would be chaos beyond human rationalization.  One part of our lives is a hedonistic pursuit of things self deemed worthy, even if by those who create charities is a selfish intent to do good (Look at this joke of a charity water sold at Starbucks: Ethos; they sell it for about two dollars and only donate five cents).  Edison's one percent genius takes understanding, realization and lots of needed work put in by the other ninety-nine percent, but within the ninety-nine percent is much selfishness and greed which breaks teamwork.  Or am I contradicting myself?  Because who would put in work in teamwork if they had nothing to gain from it, maybe my suppressed former idealist side.  Imagine the changes it takes for my nurture to undergo from participating in feeding the homeless by lugging around a duffle bag of health aide and food, as well as volunteering time with kids who do not have parents or whose parents are incarcerated to me working all day and being hedonistic.

(Shortened Version) 

That man destroy life is just as miraculous a feat as that he can create it, for life is the miracle, the inexplicable. In the act of destruction, man sets himself above life; he transcends himself as a creature. Thus, is to create or to destroy, to love or to hate. -Erich Fromm

Gangland

In 1992, when the movie South Central came out, it was very impacting on the way I viewed a culture half way across the country and the neighborhood that I lived in.  In my neighborhood there were no big gangs, maybe little groups of mischievous kids, in which I was probably apart of one of them.  I was probably starting Junior High School about then, very influenced by the things I saw around me.  In those days I had two groups of friends, the ones around my neighborhood and the ones from school.  It was the early '90s and a bit of the '80s had a influence on the times.  The two groups did not intertwine.  Both groups got into bad habits.  Unfortunately, since both my parents worked, most of my upbringing was based on outside the family influence.  The friends I had around the neighborhood were a bit older than me, in High School and a few even older.  The age gap varied ten to twenty years.  The friends I had from school I met in elementary school and some anew.

Of course the friends I knew first were the ones around my neighborhood.  They consisted of mostly Chinese and a couple of Ecuadorians, most good kids.  We would ride our bicycles around the block, have water gun fights, check out a movie at the theater, play Atari or Nintendo, trade baseball cards and other activities.  A few years later it wasn't as nice as the first introduction when everyone didn't know each other and we came together because of the closeness of the area and familiar faces.  The group of friends from the neighborhood have parted ways a little and the close friendship only consisting of "hi" and simple rhetorical "how are you".  The first reason is because as we play together we play with each other's toys or what friends have.  It seems that when you play with your friends things happen and things break, not on purpose of course.  Friends argue and come across differences.  The second is status or how one changes through life influences.  Such as taking part in joining a gang and they bring that influence back to the neighborhood.  Born To Kill aka B.T.K. was a small Asian gang I had associated with at a younger age.  No I was not in the gang, but I became friends with a few.  Of course someone as young as ten to fifteen you don't have much decision making based on morals or logical decisions.  A young persons decision is based on what's around or primal decision making.  There was this kid about ten years older than me, he had the nicest bicycle on the block, the chromed out ones with hot rims.  He had a brother that was even older that we all knew and respected because he was like amongst the two oldest around the neighborhood.  He disappeared for a while.  He came back different, not just an average kid but he had spiked hair that was shaded a little blue and a badder attitude.  As a young kid, you think stuff like was cool.  We didn't realize he had joined B.T.K. until he started showing off his butterfly knives and tiny little small handgun.

In the later parts of elementary school, my two friends were a Bangladesh kid and a Vietnamese kid.  The Bangladesh young man was a good kid and we played on the school courts as normal friends.  We would remain friends until beginning of High School.  The Vietnamese young man I still know and we are both different men now.  The Vietnamese friend was a good guy at heart, great guy really, but within his circle of friends also included other Vietnamese friends along with a Brazilian kid and Mexican friends, which became my friends also.  The latter part of the previous statement is where the bad seed came in, not so much because of race but because that's who they were.  The area of Astoria, New York City is a small neighborhood.  It consist of a few hundred or so blocks, I would estimate.  It's area is a nice residential family like area to live.  However, within this area, the Queensbridge and Ravenswood (though not as bad or as how notorious NAS made the Queensbridge) housing projects are only a few blocks away.  The affordable run down houses are also a few streets away.  The area is a very diverse neighborhood.  We use to run around it and cause mischief and trouble.  It got to the point where we almost became organized: the one who could commit the baddest acts would lead or be the top of our group.

The movie South Central is about the Crip gang.  In the movie, instead of going by Crips, they used "Deuce".  It starts off with the main character Bobby Johnson being released from prison being picked up by his set of three Deuces.  The driver is his right hand man and inspiration for the gang, Ray Ray.  Ray Ray seems to be the charismatic leader.  They meet outside Bobby's old crib and this is where you find Bobby's son and his "baby's momma".  They come by a local drug dealer: Genie Lamp.  Genie Lamp is a local dealer, an average one.  The idea Ray Ray has is that Deuce will grow to take over all the dealers like Genie Lamp and turn Deuce into one big organization.  In the end he says Deuce is about 50,000 strong.  Not too long after Bobby's release, he "puts in work" by killing Genie Lamp then goes into hiding.  It's not good enough because his friends get him arrested and he is grilled by a detective causing him to do prison time for ten years.  While in prison he finds that Ray Ray is managing things selfishly, duh.  Maybe one day there will be a gang that runs things fair and square with moral and responsibility.  Bobby's son, Jimmie, is being raised by his mom by herself.  Jimmie still has the Deuce influence with his young peers and is recruited by Ray Ray as a car stereo thief.  He does well but upon stealing Willie Manchester's car stereo he gets shot in the back.  Jimmie Johnson goes through rehabilitation.  As Bobby Johnson learns his son has been shot through the fault of Ray Ray and the news that Ray Ray has turned the gang into his own selfish enterprise, he separates from the Deuces.  Being alone in prison gets him in trouble with the Aryan Brotherhood.  He is working to get paroled, he accomplishes it, but luckily only through a Muslim (Malcolm X like) set of prison inmates who buys his freedom with fifteen cartons of cigarettes and some laundry services.  He studies the ways of black history reformist and learns to free his mind from hatred through words, As-Salamu Alaykum (peace unto you).  One scene shows as an Aryan inmate brings him shoes to shine as part of his freedom contract, he gets up as to fight, but then sits down because of the peace he has just learned.  The show is a little unreal because in the end, when he gets paroled, he confronts Ray Ray and wins back the freedom of him and his son; Willie Manchester is set free, end the scene with Ray Ray in his hide out putting the gun back into his back pants, all through the power of talk and a little love.

I saw this movie as a kid and loved the gang side of the film.  I loved how when he was about to get jumped, all he had to do was throw Deuce signs and the other kids backed off.  Nine years later, as an adult, re-watching it, I loved the inspiration of how Bobby Johnson was reformed and took back his son through knowledge that people can change.  I feel very fortunate to have not had to make those decisions, though has come close.  It's amazing that one culture can travel into the homes of young children to be enticed by such power and be rich quick but behind it is a deadly influence.  In 1995, a storm of people getting cut in the face took the news of New York City.  The bloods have come to New York City but not really the Los Angeles Bloods gang.  It seems that in 1993, the UBN (United Blood Nation) was formed as an adaptation in the name of the West Coast gang.  UBN (The Eastcoast Bloods) formed in Riker's Island prison (at the upper end of Astoria) started having recruitment by slashing the faces of innocent people.  A friend of a family member who was attending Bronx Science High School was slashed in the face for his backpack.  These are influences that never leave me.  One of my former favorite music artist was Snoop Doggy Dogg and Kurupt.  I think the first mentioned was the one who made the Crips well known, it spread the blind word to blank headed youths about 'banging.  I know I was intrigued by it at a young age.  There are so many youths that fall into it or can't escape it because the influence is so strong.

skins - 7th - Michelle

Spidey Pig, Spidey Pig.  Sorry was watching parts of The Simpsons Movie before "skins" (US Version) the seventh episode came on...

The show starts out with the skins crew in Pacha, oh I forget they are in Baltimore... make it Sonar.  Michelle is screaming to Tony that she loves him, but he can't hear her because the rave or nightclub's music is too loud.

The next morning Tony wakes up in bed next to Michelle at her mom's house.  She goes to the kitchen and asks her mom: how do you know when you stop loving someone?  Her mom replies something like: when it get's complicated and smelly.  I didn't catch the precise wording, I was making a snack.  Her mom is no longer with the child molester from the previous episode.  She is now with Jackson, I mean Jason, Jackson was someone else.  It's already plotted that Michelle's mom is a whore who hates when they get "clingy".  Later she is no longer with Jason, she is with Rick (who she gets rid of to show that no man tells her what to do, to show that she is not dependant on any man) then later going on a date with her OB/GYN.  She explains to her daughter, Michelle, that's her problem, you love.

Prior to this scene, Michelle has visited the same OB/GYN for an exam.  Michelle and her mom share the same specialist.  While in the school cafeteria Michelle gets a call being informed she has Chlamydia.  Michelle freaks out and physically drops Tony to the ground, their friends look on, especially Tea who is looking on with a look of "Uh Oh!".  One of the great parts to the acting in this show is that the facial expression of these characters are liked stoned out until the time to give that subtle hint of expression on an issue that just occurred.  Michelle is now taking Doxycycline.  Michelle is informed through Daisy that not only is Tony sleeping with the girl from the All Girls School recital but several others from the school they are attending, though she left out Tea (maybe she doesn't know).  Michelle is at this point shown as oblivious or just didn't care that her beau was cheating on her.  The school counselor that Michelle has also states that her grades are all "C"s and "D"s.  The school counselor analyzes it as Michelle's bad grades are due to her popularity status, keeping up with her boyfriend and worry on appearance, ah High School nostalgia.

In Michelle's defense, Stanley confronts Tony by taking a swing at him in the bathroom; Tony moves and Stanley slams his face against the stall wall busting his nose.  Stanley still cares for Cadie, upon web cam conferencing he finds that Cadie has been released from being institutionalized and is now with a Warren.  Michelle enters class calling Tony a "Douche".  Tony in return calls her by the nickname she hates "Nips", it made her livid.  She screams out that he should put a sock in it (his penis) and screams that all the ladies should be careful because Tony has a serious case of STD.  She physically gets up and goes over to Tony and upon returning she storms and knocks Tea's purse down to have the very same Doxycycline prescription fall out of Tea's purse.  Tea has a look on her face of guilt and runs out of class.  End the scene with Michelle sitting alone concentrating on her work.  In the next scene: the upside for Stanley is Michelle comes to visit Stanley to show some love after finding Tony is a cheater.  It's fount in this episode that before Tony came into the picture, Michelle and "Stanny" (his old nickname) were really good friend, thus so to have a prince and princess relationship.  But Stanley messes up by having an American Pie "too soon" moment on Michelle's visit.

When Michelle finally goes home Tea is waiting there, this is the second visit.  The first Michelle did not know, but after spilling the Doxycycline, on this visit Michelle knows and they speak to each other.  But it's mostly from Michelle's angle.  She goes "You didn't think I notice, but I did notice.  Tea this is actually the first time I ever seen you cry" (In a sarcastic angered wicked witch tone), she goes into the house and slams the door.  Tony visits and as if Michelle were foolish again to accept the apology, he states we should get back to together, "you love me".  She does not confirm.  After they have sex, instead she goes "I want you to leave and never come back, leave the keys." Tony asks then what was this?  She replies, "you're STD compatible".  Tony goes "don't do this" and she replies "it's you who loves me.  good luck with all your shit".  In the Final scene, Michelle is with Tea's lesbian lover, Betty.  Betty introduces the Chinatown bus to Boston for thirteen dollars and they are off.  "a place where they can be left alone and no one will bother them".

NC17 means No One 17 And Under Admitted by the Motion Picture Association of America's Classification and Rating Administration.  skins is rated MA, Mature Audiences.  It would seem I'm not the only one watching it because I have seen several reviews on it including the Entertainment section of http://www.nj.com/ and http://www.wetpaint.com/.  All the details I have written about does not come from any other site, just me watching.  It would seem before I even took initiative to just write about skins, it already hit the spinning fan with heavy reviews.  In the February 7th 2011 issue of New York Magazine compared it to Glee with teen drama Gossip Girls (shamelessly when I first heard of Glee, I said what is that?).  "Don't write off "skins" just yet it's got greasy, amoral potential." "By the time this essay comes out, you'll have been through the full hype cycle for MTV's Skins twice, whether you like it or not. Even before the teen soap opera aired, it had been designated the moral outrage of the month, with the Parents Television Council accusing MTV of making kiddie porn,..." I never liked daytime soap opera like All My Children but skins intrigues my neurons.  Previously before "Michelle" was "Abbud".  Next on episode eight of the ten: "Daisy".

skins - 6th - High in the Wild

The show starts off with the four male characters Abbud, Chris, Tony and Stanley singing a mock Canadian anthem in front of a Canadian mountie.  They are making fun of the Canadian anthem, essentially Canadians.  I don't understand why some Americans ridicule Canadians, is it because there are so many French colonized areas, I understand the American dislike toward French views and opinions toward Americans.  Is it also that Canada has not ever played a large role in history, battle-wise, too neutral a country?  I know in modern times, their export of technology has played a larger role in American business but besides that what else are they known for maple syrup, scenic nature and hockey players?

The skins crew is on a class trip to Canada, where they have to pass customs security first.  The male customs agent is looking at seventeen year old cleavage, I mean, wtf?  Stanley smuggles some marijuana up the buttocks over the border and an anal check only because it was hinted that Abbud (the Indian or Middle Eastern toned complexion) character might have a bomb up his fanny.  They are on route to a camp called High in the Wild, who is lead by their self labeled "cool teacher" on the first name bases, Dave; Dave has already been to this camp himself as a youngster in which he experienced being a man in non-civilization (the wild).  In my time we called our teachers by Mr or if appropriate Miss or Mrs. then surname.  Dave is a teacher who is not your average teacher, he is out there in loony-land creating a positive beyond exceptional outlook or comment for and from every situation, including in this scene where they hit a moose.  He is super optimistic about leading the skins class of students into the wild (A camp where they have to climb a pole to symbolize defeating low self esteem and promiscuity.  Each get jerseys with a number on them where they have to earn their names back).  During one of the scenes you see the four male characters running away from Brown Paw (the camp host, Dave's spiritual guide and discipline mentor) who is assigning them camp duties.  They run from camp duties and are out in the forest looking for something that will make them "high", they find mushrooms and begin nibbling on them.  Chris catches a toad and all four take turns licking it in different parts.  They all start vomiting.  The girls also want marijuana but they are less adventure prone in finding it except when they find two gay camp counselors smoking it and they join in.  Tea sketches well.

The focus of this episode shows Tina (the other teacher chaperone) finally showing some affection toward Chris because in the other episodes Chris has been hinting affection toward her but she is hesitant because of the teacher and student relationship.  She is also fearful that she could lose her job over it.  But she has always fount him sweet because he treats her with affection.  In this episode she finally gives Chris a kiss as she resists and is revolted by the come ons of her peer Dave.  As Dave (the first volunteer) is climbing the pole, Chris pretending as by accidentally in the oxymoronic act of purposely with intent swings the safety rope and drops Dave about 40 feet.  Tina is happy and so is the skins crew for what Chris did.  The second topic involves Tea and the other lesbian girl.  Betty likes Tea, but wants a relationship.  Tea is interested in Betty but not for a serious relationship.  Abbud is in love with Tea (plotted in addition from the other episodes).  When Abbud tries to kiss Tea, she winces away from Abbud and Tea says something like "I'm not built like that".  But later on Abbud finds Tea having sex with Tony.  Tony ask was it better this time, she responds, "no Ton', no".  Abbud feels rejected; he then calls Tea a "fake" (lesbian) and later falls from the pole as he over reacts in a conversation with Tea (both on the top of the pole).  She later explains to Abbud she loves him, but in a tone only as a friends.  Abbud apologizes for what he called her before and responds the same: "I love you too... alot" (but his was a response in sincere romance).  She explained that she did it because there is this connection with Tony (male) is why she did what she did it (even though she is a lesbian).  Maybe she's bi-sexual.  Tea is a likable character it seems.  (Hell, I like the idea of lesbians also).  Abbud is then whisks away in the last scene by a crude version of an ambulance. 

I don't think this episode was worthy of writing about because it did not have good subject matters beyond character description, just did so to stay in tune.

skins - 5th

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