TV Drama: Critical Study

Skins, S03, E02

Brief Episode Synopsis:
On Cook's 17th birthday, his mates gather at his uncle's pub for a party that turns out to be boring. They are about to leave when Freddie's sister Karen calls and tells them about her best friend Kayleigh's engagement party. They then set off to crash the party.

Cook's antics get the attention of Kayleigh's father, gangster Johnny White. The night soon degenerates into a brawl. The gang manage to escape, but split up afterward after Cook tries to come onto the girls. Freddie tells him he is tired of looking after him and leaves Cook and JJ to go to a local stripclub/prostitute agency, where JJ refuses to go further than kissing and Cook overhears Johnny White in the next room. He plans to blackmail him, and the gangster antagonizes him until JJ has to forcibly restrain Cook from beating him. Cook realises what he's done when Johhny tells him: "The next time I see you...you're dead." He leaves and ends up outside Freddie's house at six in the morning, and the two share an intense heart-to-heart about their friendship, while Freddie agrees to look after him again.

DIALOGUE:

This episode clearly gives us an insight into the character of Cook, in particular his interesting relationship with Freddie. Throughout the episode, the dialogue conveys his personality as lairy, fun and out of control....

COOK

Im 17 today so all bets are off, do what the f**k you like, flush your heads down the toilet, eat grapes off each other...if partying's a crime, who's going to get arrested first? LET'S GO F*****G MENTAL!!!

Cook's dialogue is very frequent in this episode, often without a reply. He has the air of someone who doesn't care what anyone thinks of him, with no purpose but to rebel for the sake of it. The language is laddish, working class and un-pronounced.We can see from language such as "do what the f**k you like" and "Let's go f*****g mental!", and his repeated use of swear words, that he is purposefully trying to attain attention and get a reputation as someone who is out of control. But the dialogue also gives the sense that he is hiding some other emotion, as it is so obviously attention-seeking, brutish and care-free. In contrast to this near-beginning speech, Cook's conversation with Freddie near the end of the episode reveals something about Cook and his best friend's character, too, something that we could guess was going to happen from how exaggerated and over the top Cook's dialogue is: The dialogue sets Cook up to trip over himself.

The revealing conversation with Freddie:

COOK

So what we doing today then?-

FREDDIE

Didn't you hear what I said last night?

COOK

Ah, cummon, man, you was just in a bad mood.

FREDDIE

Yeah, I was. 'Cos you almost got us killed.

COOK

(Sniggers) Yeah, sorry 'bout that.

FREDDIE

You're apologising. That's a first.

(silence)

COOK

...Somethin' happened. I wasn't me. Well, I was me...but I dunno. I did somethin' stupid-

FREDDIE

That's nothing new.

COOK

Somethin' really stupid - somethin' i wouldn't have done if you were there-

FREDDIE

Right, so you've - you've come here to ask me to look after you all the time? Make sure you don't do anything stupid ever again?

COOK

(smiles) somethin' like that.

FREDDIE

No.

COOK

What?

FREDDIE

I'm not gonna do that.

COOK

Why not?

FREDDIE

'Cos lately - it's like you go looking for trouble.

COOK

I wouldn't say no...

FREDDIE

Do you wanna die mate? Is that what you want? You're drinking yourself to death, you're fighting gangsters...I don't even wanna know what happened last night. You're killing youself to impress some pissed up old wanker in a pub.

(pause)

Why are you smiling?

COOK

Because it's us. Isn't it? Me you and JJ. Best mates for life.

FREDDIE

You're not taking me with you. Ok?

COOK

I f*****g love you, man. I f*****g love you to bits.

FREDDIE

I...I...Yeah. Ok. But you've gotta stop all this crazy shit.

COOK

(laughs) Shuttit, yer pussy.