I had heard about this show and had been wanting to watch it for some time, and finally ended up watching it on Netflix on Demand, which may have been a mistake. It would seem the US releases have had their music removed and replaced with inferior music, also the stream seems to be the wrong aspect ratio, so this may make the show not as enjoyable to watch as it could be (I wish I had just ordered the PAL dvd’s from England). Still even with all the problems I greatly enjoyed this show and it’s characters, and especially the first season finale. Sure this is a teen drama, but there is so much more here than they would ever allow in the states, I mean nudity, sex, and lots of drug use throughout. And really it all comes down to the characters, and I liked the characters, or at least liked watching them, as you of course do not like them all. The standout is Mike Bailey as Sid Jenkins, whose character really is the heart of the show, but he sure did deserve a less crazy girl! And it interesting that the writing team has an average of 21, because this does seem pretty realistic, if a bit too much for one group (much like Platoon was dramatized as not all of that would have happened to one group of people). I found it quite interesting to see just how different that the British school system is, as we have nothing like these 2 preparatory college years that are the last years of mandatory education. An interesting and enjoyable show, and I look forward to seeing Seasons 3 and 4 with an almost entirely new cast (Effy Stonem played by Kaya Scodelario is the younger sister of one of the main characters of the first 2 seasons and appears multiple times in these seasons before going on to Season 2 and 3). I would say worth checking out, but the music issue does make it not as enjoyable as it would have been, so only if you a fan of British television.

This is the story of a group of friends in college preparatory classes for their last 2 years of mandatory schooling and their good and bad and love and hate, and all the partying in between. We have Tony Stonem (Nicholas Hoult, the boy from About a Boy who has sure sprouted) who is tall and handsome and quite manipulative of all of his friends. His girlfriend is Michelle Richardson (April Pearson) who he calls Nips and always disparages, though she is a sweet girl who loves him. Tony’s best friend is Sid Jenkins (Mike Bailey) who not only is not good in school, but looks down on himself and still a virgin, especially because he is in love with Michelle, and everyone knows it. They try and hook Sid up with the crazy Cassie Ainsworth (Hannie Murray) who is often put away because of an eating disorder. Then we have the party animal Chris Miles (Joe Dempsie) who will take any drug at any time, and is hiding from the death of his brother at a young age. Chris pursues and eventually gets the groups psychology teacher Angie (Siwan Morris). The Muslim of the group is Anwar Kharral (Dev Patel) who follows his religion in some ways, but still does drugs, and is always trying to have sex. His best friend is the openly gay Maxxie Oliver (Mitch Hewer) who wants to not do construction like his dad, and instead wants to be a dancer. Finally we have Jal Fazer (Larissa Wilson) a talented clarinet player whose dad is in music, and whose mother left for reasons unknown.

REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS…

Cassie, Michelle, Tony, Sketch (Aimee-Ffion Edwards), Anwar, Sid, Chris, Jal and Maxxie

Through the show we see Cassie falling for Sid, but he is oblivious because of his love for Michelle, and this eventually causes her to attempt suicide and be sent away.

And we see Tony and Michelle finally have a falling out when on a trip to Russia she catches him blowing Maxxie, another of manipulative acts, where he only thinks of himself. And this after Tony keeps ending up with a posh upper-class girl from a girl school across campus. This girl is Abigail Stock (Georgina Moffat). Tony had also tried to push Michelle and Sid together, but came back as a hero. He is always manipulating those closest to him.

Michelle ends up going out with a guy named Josh Stock (Ben Lloyd Hughes) who is Abigail’s crazy brother (and their mother runs the institution that Cassie keeps getting sent to), but Tony sabotages it by stealing Josh’s phone and sending Michelle a text from it with naked photos of Josh’s sister Abigail.

Anwar sees some of Maxxie’s drawings of them, and then a drawing that seems to be his own cock, and he tells Maxxie that his religion is against homosexuality, and they have a falling out.

Tony’s younger sister Effie (Kaya Scodelario) the supercool girl goes out partying and gets arrested. Tony goes to get her out, but she is already released, and he spends the night trying to find her. He gets weird texts too, and ends up enlisting Sid, who hasn’t been talking to him. Sid and Tony end up fighting, and Sid takes off and goes and sees Cassie, and they talk.

Tony finds Effie at a party with Josh, where they have heavily drugged her, and Josh wants to force him to have sex with her to save her, but after he begs he lets him leave with Effie. Effie recovers, though their parents blame Tony.

Chris’s mom ends up skipping out on him. He thinks she is leaving for a weekend and spends all the money on a big party, which lasts for days and the house gets trashed. Angie helps him get campus housing. He ends up in an ongoing relationship with Angie, though it is screwed up when her old fiancee returns.

Michelle’s problems with are compounded by her mom and her serial marriages. First is a young gold digger, and later a rich guy with a daughter that Michelle instantly takes a dislike too.

The first season ends with Anwar’s birthday party. Maxxie wants to go, but won’t until Anwar tells his dad that Maxxie is gay, which Anway won’t do, though when the dad finally learns he is OK with it.

Tony finally realizes how wrong he is and calls Michelle to say he is sorry and that he loves her, but is hit by a bus and lays bleeding in the street with Effie holding him, crying (the first time she has shown any empotion at all).

The episode ends with Sid singing Wild World by Cat Stevens to camera with the other characters singing as well as he goes to find Cassie who is set to leave the next day for Scotland with her family. (and luckily this is on the soundtrack, such a great moment)

The next Season opens about Tony’s impairment after the bus accident. He looks OK, but his brain doesn’t work so well, and he can’t even write, and he doesn’t remember most things. And he is pissed at Sid for not coming around, though Sid was there the whole time at his bed when he was unconscious.

Sid is having a long distance relationship with Cassie, but he sees her taking her braw off in front of a guy on the computer (which she doesn’t know is on) and breaks up with her.

Maxxie starts getting stalked by a girl named Lucy but called Sketch (Aimee-Ffion Edwards). She ends up poisoning Michelle so she can get in the play and kiss Maxxie, but he is not interested at all. So she starts dating Anwar and slowly making him dress and look more and more like Maxxie.

Chris is screwing up in school, and makes a deal with Jal, and the two end starting to date, but she ends up pregnant, but does not want to tell him.

Sid’s father after being left by his wife, ends up dyeing, leaving Sid alone and depressed.

The group goes on a disastrous camping trip for Michelle’s birthday and Sid and Michelle end up hooking up, and when they return, Cassie is waiting in Sid’s room and catches them. Michelle and Sid keep seeing each other, and Cassie goes a bit crazy, staying with Chris and selling drugs, and having sex with strangers, including women.

Tony ends up going to a university open day, where he goes nuts, and has sex with a tattooed woman, and does drugs, and ends up awakening his old memories and personality, and he realizes he loves Michelle and has to get her back. He confronts Sid and Michelle who are having sex in a bathroom, and tells them this is wrong. They end up breaking up, and Michelle is still mad at him and Sid won’t walk to him.

Effie is sent to a private school, where she is befriended by the strange Pandora Moon (Lisa Backwell) and instead of doing her art assignment works to get Tony and Michelle and Sid and Cassie back together, and she manages it with Sid and Cassie, though gets kicked out of school for not doing her assignment.

It turns out that Chris has the same problem as his brother and almost dies, but recovers, and then dies and is found by Cassie who runs away to New York. Sending Sid an unsigned postcard.

Jal ends up getting an abortion. ANd then Chris’s dad tells Sid they are not invited to the funeral. Tony gets Sid to help in stealing the corpse so they can have their own funeral, but Michelle makes them return him, and they have their own funeral watching the real funeral where none of Chris’s friends are.

They get their A levels results, finding that Tony and Michelle will be going to different schools far apart. Sid did not apply to school. Anwar failed so he can’t go to school like he planned, but is invited to London with Maxxie and his new boyfriend.

Tony gives Sid a ticket to New York to find Cassie. And we see Sid searching New York for her. She works at a cafe, and met a guy, who left to go find his ex, and allowed her to stay in his place. Sid walks by where she works, but we do not see if they see each other.

The show ends with Effie in Tony’s bed, as she will be the lead in Series 3.

••••

An enjoyable intense teenage soap opera, with a lot of realism. I like the characters and the style of the show, and the stories do seem realistic at least for a certain crowd. Really a great show, and I have started watching season 3, which I like, but not as well since the cast isn’t quite as lovable, or at least they do not have someone as likable as Sid.