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Pop Watch: Skins, Episode 10 – Series 2 Finale

PopSugarUK — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 02:55:00 -0700

So, that's it then? Last night we said a proper goodbye to Chris. And, for that matter, Sid, Tony, Cassie, Jal, Anwar, Michelle, Maxxie, Posh Kenneth and Sketch as Skins series 2 came to an end. So here, for the final time, are my thoughts on this episode...

The dreaded A-level results day fell on the same day as Chris's funeral, and everyone agreed not to open their results until they'd said goodbye to Chris. Well. Anwar was a little impatient and worried about his future, didn't get the results he wanted and spoke to Sketch (always a bad plan) who told him he'd be stuck right there forever, left behind. Dev Patel did some great acting throughout this episode (incidentally he's next starring in Danny Boyle's new movie Slumdog Millionaire.)
I never tire of seeing people wake up under Tony's 'naked people' sheets. Especially when Sid's head is on top of the woman's body.

For more of my thoughts on this tear-jerking goodbye to the current Skins cast, just read more

John Thomson showed up as a really, really bad funeral director. He had no idea what to say, for example: "It's nice though; a father burying his son... It's not nice... It's a nice novelty for me though..." Oh dear.
Chris's Dad did not want the gang at the funeral to maintain Chris's image to his family. Shame that Chris's family didn't care at all over the past two seasons. Just saying...
Tony to the rescue. Kind of. He suggested stealing the coffin. Which led to my highlight of the episode, watching Sid and Tony steal the coffin whilst the funeral director and Chris's Dad were talking in the house. And I loved the crazy pop soundtrack of their Italian Job-style car chase, "Sound Of The Underground" and "Oops I Did It Again". I think Chris would have loved that too.
Jal, however... not so impressed. She told them to return the coffin, which caused a very amusing reverse of the original sequence as the funeral director apologised for not locking the hearse:

FD:"I'm not a thinker, I don't think."
Chris's Dad: "Why would they do this?"
FD: "ASBO culture... or Arabs. It's one of the As..."
Jal had the abortion. Which put paid to the possible cliche ending of 'Jal has the baby and calls it Chris' some people were expecting, which I was actually incredibly happy about. That would have been a complete cop-out. Michelle took Jal to the zoo to cheer her up and showed her where she first met Chris when she was seven, by the aquarium. Ah the fishes...
The gang showed up to the funeral, but stayed at a distance, and Jal delivered her own speech eventually drowning out the priest conducting the funeral. It was a tearjerker. And then the fireworks... gorgeous fireworks exploding to "Seven Nation Army" by the White Stripes. Perfect. RIP Chris.
The gang hung around at the cemetery after dark to smoke, drink and open their A-level results. The inevitable had been put off enough. Watching their reactions to the results felt oh so familiar. That pride that you'd got through it and made it to the other side, but the depressing thought things would never be the same again. Michelle and Tony did well, so the lovebirds will be separated at Cardiff and York Universities.
Jal and Chris's Dad had a sweet chat in the rain at Chris's grave, where he showed his remarkable similarity to Chris in his attitude to parenthood. He apologised for not letting them attend the funeral, and Jal accepted it.
Remember Cassie? Well she's still in New York, and she has the coin that Jal won in the casino and Chris took into surgery - the lucky coin. Meanwhile Tony and Michelle has bought Sid a ticket to New York so that he can see a certain someone.

Tony: "She's thin, she's blonde, she says "wow" a lot..."
Maxxie was about to leave with James, but he was worried about Anwar who went missing after the funeral. He showed up at the coach station to say goodbye to Maxxie, though. Despite the Sketch business, their friendship has been lovely throughout the series. And then Maxxie invited Anwar to go to London with them, and they all leave together on the coach. YAY ANWAR!
Saddest goodbye ever award goes to Tony and Sid's awkward hugging in front of the airport. Tony's crying made me get all misty-eyed. I love the way they portray male friendship in this show – they're rubbish at talking about anything, but they care deeply for each other.

Tony: "I always loved you the best, Sid."
Sid arrives in New York, searches around for a while, and eventually finds himself outside the cafe Cassie's working in. They don't see each other though. I like to think they did... just after the fade to black.
The credits with the clips was fab, and a nice touch.

All in all, I genuinely thought this episode was a great portrayal of that moment when you have to go out into the big wide world. Be it Uni or real life. Your friendship group splits up to all different sides of the country and you don't feel ready for it. Relationships are forced to end, seeing each other every day becomes seeing each other every few months and all you have are the memories. Nothing's set in stone, there are no completely perfect endings. Not everything was wrapped up with a shiny bow a la The OC etc.

But enough about me, what did you think of this final episode?

(Images courtesy of Channel 4)

Pop Watch: Skins, Episode 7 "Effy"

PopSugarUK — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 02:00:00 -0700

Can you believe we're seven episodes into the second season of Skins? Only three more episodes are left for the majority of this cast. Well, except the star of this week's episode, Effy, who will lead the next season's band of troublemakers.

So Tony and Effy's house was an absolute mess – their Dad's away and their Mum was still pretty affected by everything that happened with Tony. And she was also taking his medication. Michelle wasn't replying to any of Tony's rather stalker-like contact. And Effy's still at the school with the interesting uniform – love that hat.

Her art teacher was very amusing, and inappropriate. But Effy's having a little problem with her emotional artistic inspiration. Enter new girl Pandora, who the art teacher invited to either paint, or get naked and pose. What a welcome to a new school. Not that it mattered, as Pandora is oblivious and fully admitted she was "useless", although she didn't go for the naked option, so that's something. The foolish/brilliant (I'm not sure which at this point) art teacher assigned Effy as Pandora's mentor.

For more of my thoughts, the rest of the recap and to let me know what you thought, just read more

Effy's acquaintance Jake arrived and he was pretty obsessed with the idea of sleeping with Effy, much to her annoyance. So he bothered her while I was pretty sure Pandora was hanging herself from a tree, but it turned out it was by her ankle. I'm not loving Pandora.

Sid showed up at the Stonem's house to see Tony and there's all kinds of tension going on there. Pandora opened Tony's parcel from Michelle, which ended up being the watch he bought her all crushed. I enjoyed Sid and Tony's awkward couch-based chat, and their secret handshake. Although every time Sid took a sip of that gone-off milk I felt a little ill. So, Sid had to get Michelle back for Tony in order for them to be friends, and Effy brings in some bargaining tools – if Sid does her emotional art homework, Effy will sort out their "soap opera" for him.

Effy took Pandora to Cassie to pick up their drugs for the evening, where Pandora was shocked by Cassie's new lifestyle (sleeping with everyone.) So Effy's first attempts to try and sort the Sid/Cassie thing don't go brilliantly, but the girl's scheming, that's for sure. And Pandora fell for Tony and got stoned. Oh, how I consistently wanted to slap her round the face and shout "wake up!" during this episode. Which I suppose is what Effy's doing with slightly more unorthodox methods.

Sid's first art attempt using four biros wasn't great, although I enjoyed it, so he was stuck in Effy's room while she, Pandora and Tony went out. Enter my favourite supporting character for a while - the doorman. I think I'd prefer it if he was in it more often, and Pandora... left. The doorman wouldn't let Tony in, but did allow the much younger Effy and Pandora into the club. And Jake was inside too, to sell the weed. Drugged-up Pandora danced like a maniac, and Tony was stuck outside reading the doorman's novel draft, kindly recommending that the "orgy scene comes before the disemboweling of the elvic hoard". Apparently this was good advice as he finally got into the club, only to see Effy giving away Michelle's watch and then being lovingly attacked by Pandora.

Meanwhile back at their place, Sid finally found his emotion using alcohol. After the clan returned we saw that Jake had found his way back to Effy's place and was sleeping in her room, ready to collect the prize he won for making over £100 from the weed. And what a prize – Effy set him up with Cassie, who he bonded with over her pet snails Sidley and Mischa. These people were obviously all wheels in Effy's little plan, as she was outside taking photos of the two kissing, which she then taped to the sleeping Sid. An odd tactic, but whatever works to get them all back together with the right people.

Effy must be a great person to have in your family – Michelle received her watch back, all fixed and with "Forever" engraved in the back of it. Yay. Meanwhile, seeing those photos, Sid ran to Chris's place to see Cassie and Chris threatened him rather noncommittally before disappearing. And the showdown begun.

Sid told Cassie he never loved Michelle, that he loved her. That she wasn't there when his Dad died and Michelle was. And, after a little more fighting and some crying, they kissed! Hurrah! I enjoyed Chris's little interruption as usual – I think you can tell I love almost everything Chris does. Meanwhile, Tony called Michelle again, who finally answered to say "I love you too" before hanging up. Good progress.

And so we go back to Effy's school, where it turned out, Sid's picture was for Pandora, and Effy's piece... well, she's turning in a 'conceptual piece' that no-one can see. And so she knows she'll be expelled. Dad Stonem comes back at the end of the week and the house looks super-clean. And Tony's all happy and, well, I would say back to normal, but... Tony's a new normal now. A happy, more-regularly-nice normal.

So next week is Jal, and it's a fantastic episode. How's she dealing with her pregnancy? And Cassie has secrets. Secrets about other people. It's going to be good, I can tell you that right now.

But that was Effy's episode – she sorted everything out as usual. Bravo to her! What did you think of this one? Did you prefer it to the insanity of last week? Or did Pandora make you want to scream? Let me know!

(Images courtesy of Channel 4)

Pop Watch: Skins, Episode 8 "Jal"

PopSugarUK — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 01:00:00 -0700

Okay. I'm stilll a little upset by the events in last night's episode of Skins, not to mention the fact the cast will be replaced next season. Seeing it in black and white is a little sad, even if I was aware it was going to happen. Anyway, we were back with Jal last night and her crazy family, which meant we got a little more Chris too!

I wasn't a massive fan of Jal in series one, and her episode was honestly one of the ones I didn't enjoy too much. But this series has really amped up the storylines for her, and Larissa Wilson is doing really well with them. I was pleased to see her family and extended family again, I often forget what a mad house she lives in, but it was sad that her dad won't give Chris the time of day. I guess if he doesn't watch the series then he's probably going to be a little concerned. Scratch that... if he watched the series that could make things even worse.

The A-levels are days away for the teens, so it's a pretty nerve-wracking time for some of the characters. Anyway, Jal's practicing her clarinet as she has an audition to get into music college. The scene where she was in her room, checking herself out in the mirror, crying a little and trying to practice for her audition as so sad. Oh, and Chris is taking pills out of a medicine bottle. And not looking happy about it. Something's up.

For more of my thoughts on this heart-breaking episode as well as a recap, just read more

Cassie know something's going on with Jal, as she's some kind of genius, so she tries to coax Jal's secret out of her whilst she's revising. Her impersonation of Jal was dead-on, and she told Jal she knows she's pregnant and not telling Chris. Cassie hints she knows something about Chris too before disappearing back to her room... and he then walks through the door, all adorable.

At college the next day, Maxxie introduces James as his new boyfriend, and Sketch doesn't look too happy. As we found out earlier, Michelle's still speaking only in Spanish to Jal in preparation for her exam. So that doesn't really help Jal to tell her she's pregnant, she does it in Spanish, and Michelle doesn't understand. Then Tony showed up and took her off somewhere so he could carry her books – it's still slightly freaking me out that he's being so nice these days. Of course Cassie shows up and whisks Jal away to a terrible high street casino, where the guy in the booth seems to know everything about them bar their real names. Cassie goes there to escape apparently. And continues to hint that 'other people have secrets'. I was getting a huge knot in my stomach when she kept saying that, as it can only mean badness for Chris, right? Jal wins a special gold coin at the casino and heads over to Chris's place. Before not going in, and just walking away.

Chris is lying in bed looking worried and waiting for Jal, who hasn't shown up. Oh dear. Meanwhile, Jal is summoned for a family meeting where they announce they're starting the 'Do You!' clothing range and are trying to get her Dad to invest. Jal's not too interested... and blurts out that she's pregnant, leaving the rest of them stunned. Her Dad follows her out the room and asks her what her plan is, gives her her options and tells her he's so disappointed in her. Jal asks where her absent Mum is and he leaves the room, visibly upset. Her brothers come in and hug her though, which is a nice family moment. Until one of them has the inspiration to start a 'Do You!' baby range.

Chris is waiting outside when Jal leaves her house for her audition, but she's rushing and won't speak to him properly. Chris keeps saying things like "we'll run out of time" – he doesn't want her to go to the audition and move away – and his little speech made me so sad. Especially when he said "I could be dying and you wouldn't know about it" and I knew it was going to be bad. As always he leaves her on a joke, before shoving his hands in his pockets and walking away. Oh Chris.

Jal goes for the hardest piece at her music audition after being slightly taunted by those auditioning her. And she plays superbly. Michelle goes to Chris's place to see Jal (having worked out what she was told earlier) but Cassie opens the door. Michelle wants to tell Chris, but Cassie tells her he's gone to bed as he's not feeling well again. There's still a little bad blood between Cassie and Michelle from the whole Sid/Tony situation.

Jal comes home to an empty house, and then sees her Mum in the kitchen making food for her. It's not clear how long it's been since they've seen each other but it's been a long time. It turns out that her Mum and Dad have been speaking over the years, and she knows Jal is pregnant. That doesn't make up for her absence over the years though, and Jal goes to leave. Her Mum leaves her by saying that the one thing her father couldn't forgive was the fact she lied to him. And she tells her not to make the same mistake with Chris. Wise words.

And so it's finally time for the Spanish aural exam, and Jal tells her examiner she's pregnant in a long speech in Spanish. Pretty impressive. Michelle's waiting for her outside and gives her a massive hug. And so it's time to go and tell Chris. She's prepared – she's dealt with a lot over the past couple of days. But the door to his flat is open, and Cassie is sat on the kitchen table all curled up and tells her that she's been trying to call her. Oh no.

The next thing we see (after an advert break that felt like it was an hour long) the girls are sat in the hospital, and Cassie reminds Jal she's not the only one with a secret and that there's something wrong with Chris – he fell on the floor with blood in his ear and Cassie didn't know what to do. Jal goes in to see him, and he's hooked up to machines in a hospital bed. He's pretty drugged up and doesn't realise it's Jal. He tells her everything is cool and when she asks what pills he's been taking, he tells her it's a secret, and not to tell Jal – because if she tells Jal then she won't move in with him anymore. Chris! And that's when she tells him she's pregnant and trying to work out what to do. He's pretty much out of it though.

The nurse tells Jal that Chris is having an operation – he has swelling on his brain caused by a clot, and it's hereditary. Remember his brother died when he was younger? So sad. And Jal panics, chasing after his bed as he's taken down to surgery. He lightens the mood slightly with a typical Chris-quip as he drifts in and out of consciousness and she gives him the gold coin from the casino, telling him it's all the luck that she's got. And so he's wheeled off into surgery, holding up the coin so she can see. Okay. He has to be okay, right?

Next week it's Cassie... lets hope it reveals a little about her state of mind at the moment. And that will be the second-to-last episode with this cast. Anyway, lets focus on the present, not the future. What did you think of the episode? Did you suspect something was going to be going on with Chris, or did that completely come out of the blue for you? And how are you liking Jal these days?

(Images courtesy of Channel 4)

Link Time!

BellaSugar — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 09:00:21 -0800

L'Oreal is in trouble because of this ad FabSugar UK
The top 10 beauty sample sites - Makeup and Beauty Blog
The latest Nars lip pencils get a big "enh" - Temptalia
Peep the copious amounts of makeup at Allure HQ - Allure
Would ethics stop you from using this skin cream? - Glamour
More on the sad death of model Daul Kim - The Cut
Heidi Klum is proud to be the "curvy" model - People Style Watch
What's behind the hype over Shu Uemura's new hair product? - Stylelist
Celebs, bloggers, and yours truly share Thanksgiving memories - Lemondrop

Pop Watch: Skins, Episode 9 "Cassie"

PopSugarUK — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 02:28:00 -0700

So last night's Skins episode was the penultimate one for this cast, and this time we were given a little insight into the mind of Cassie. And lets face it, we've kind of needed that this season, as she's become more messed up and less likeable. As always I really want to know what you all thought of Cassie's episode too, so make sure you leave some comments as you read my thoughts and let me know!

First off, how amazing was the soundtrack to last night's episode? I loved it. Check out the Skins Music Guide from the production team for further info on it.
Joe Dempsie's performance as Chris was fantastic, through and through. The myriad of emotions he let out through his eyes really portrayed Chris as the multi-layered character the scripts describe. I was blown away. And Hannah Murray put in her best performance to date also, without a doubt. Especially in the final scenes.
So, Chris was seriously ill after his hospitalisation at the end of episode 8, but discharged himself so he could chill at home. All his friends rallied around in varying degrees – Anwar ate his grapes, Tony offered him a spliff, Jal was scared, but Cassie was 100% there for him.

If you didn't see last night's episode then don't read any further, but if you have and what to read more of my thoughts on the episode, just read more

RIP Chris!! Oh so sad, even though I did know it was going to happen. I guess we're going to have to say goodbye to them all next week as the series ends, but I'm still teary about the fact my favourite character died. Did you shed a tear?
But lets rewind a little, who else is curious about Chris's impression of Mick Hucknall from Simply Red?!
Sid and Cassie were still having major problems, mainly due to Sid's ridiculous inability to stop mentioning Michelle. He's always been fairly oblivious, but come on! No wonder Cassie's still so unhappy.
Jal was mostly absent from this episode, which was so sad as it was Chris's final one. Chris asked Cassie to tell him again about Jal not leaving his side at the hospital, as it gave him more hope that she loved him. So sweet and sad. And he felt so bad for not telling her he was ill, that broke my heart a little.
I really laughed when Cassie sent Sid in to change Chris's groin bandages despite the fact she's already done them. Chris headbutting Sid gave me a much-needed giggle. Although perhaps not the best thing to do when you have a hereditary brain illness?

That crazy disco sequence in Cassie's rescheduled A-level exam was a little insane.
Vanilla with spaghetti and meatballs? Cherries and nuts in the Smash? That meal Sid prepared for Chris, Tony, Michelle, Sid and Cassie sounded hideous! Bless Chris though, he just chowed it on down happily whilst the others picked at it.
And it was at the meal that Chris found out something was up with Jal – offscreen she told him she was pregnant and that she wasn't sure she wanted to keep it. When he spoke to Cassie about it the next morning it was obvious he wanted the baby even though he said "I'm not really qualified to be a dad. I don't know what they do." He just looked heartbroken. Meanwhile, Jal had disappeared off to the recalls for her music college auditions.
Chris's Mum returned, albeit briefly, and hinted to Cassie that the reason she had left was because she knew this illness would take Chris from her. Chris didn't see her, and didn't even find out she'd visited. But he was inside crying when Cassie got back into the flat, proving how much of a front he was putting up.
Quote of the episode: Cassie to Chris "You're right about Adam Sandler – he's quite sweet if you keep the sound down." True words.
And then it happened. Chris was excited about the Monkey Man t-shirt Cassie had shoplifted for him, and when he was gushing "I can't wait to show...." he realised he couldn't remember his girlfriend's name. Jal. He got dizzy, Cassie panicked, and then he died. From the sound effects I'm guessing Cassie called an ambulance, and then she packed her things and left...
...for New York! A great place to escape to if you ask me. She ended up meeting a seen-it-all NY cabbie who she managed to soften, before ending up in a cafe and wangling her way into staying at a guy named Adam's apartment to stay. But he left her too, and she ended up alone in NYC, running through the streets.

I'll leave you with Chris's final message.... to God. It's an extra that hasn't been aired on TV, and takes place between episode 8 and this one. So yes. He's really gone.

Join with me and keep repeating – "It's only a TV show, it's only a TV show, it's only a TV show..."

The final episode's up next week, but as always, let me know what you thought of this one.

(Images courtesy of Channel 4)

BellaTV: Get Ashley Greene's Gorgeous Glow

BellaSugar — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 14:00:02 -0800

Celebrity makeup artist Jamie Greenberg has created some of Ashley Greene’s hottest red-carpet looks. In today's episode of BellaTV, she shows us the insider steps to re-create Ashley’s glowing skin and glamorous eyes. Watch now!

Say Hello to Our New Beauty Video Channel, BellaTV!

BellaSugar — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 11:00:29 -0800

If you're a fan of our daily PopSugar Rush, you'll love this news. We're so excited about the launch of BellaTV, the ultimate video channel for beauty junkies everywhere. A lineup of original shows - three fresh episodes weekly - covers the wide world of beauty, including the latest hair, makeup, skin, and nail trends, celebrity how-tos, tips and tricks, and more!

In today's show, we reveal the secrets to achieving Sienna Miller's beachy hair with the help of her stylist Daniel Erdman. Check out his easy step-by-step instructions for creating these sexy tousled waves at home. Watch now!

Pop Watch: Skins - Series Three, Episode Seven "JJ"

PopSugarUK — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 03:49:55 -0800

This week's Skins focused on the mostly quiet, oddball of the group, JJ. We found out about his autism, got a glimpse into what his world and views of his friends are like, and generally got to know a little more about him and his take on the twisted goings on within the gang.

Just like last week, I've compiled a list of ten talking points that you can use as a jumping off point to discuss the episode in the comments. I can't wait to read your thoughts! Just read more.

JJ’s autistic and his doctor does not seem to treat him very well, he obviously needs someone to talk to. He's used to being different, and is teased by the kids on his street as well as his closest friends. The huge diagram on his bedroom wall helps him sort out all of his many many thoughts.
While at the doctor's JJ says he doesn’t think his friends like him, because they hate each other and don’t listen to his thoughts and his feelings. The Cook and Freddie dilemma is getting to him a lot, stressing him out, and making him worry.
I love JJ’s newfound close friendship with Emily - after their chance meeting and matching prescriptions at the doctor’s surgery, they seem to understand each other. She tells him to ask for things he wants.
Wow, Freddie's sleeping with Katie! I didn't like Freddie’s treatment of JJ after he caught them in bed together. A moment of selfishness, although he seems caring most of the time. Cook talks about JJ behind his back too. He's generally disregarded by his friends. But this was the episode he made them take notice.
JJ confesses his feelings for Effy to her, and asks her to stop messing with his friends. Then he mistakenly let slip that Cook’s sleeping with someone else.
Cook can still be so disgusting, but I still can’t hope liking him a lot. It has a lot to do with Jack O’Connell - he's such a great actor, definitely a talent to watch.
I knew it was all going to go downhill when Cook took JJ’s pills, following the failed deal. Especially as a side effect was telling the truth.
Emily confesses to JJ she likes girls, and Naomi pretty much confesses the same to Effy in this episode. I enjoyed Effy and Naomi's bonding moment, and Katie seems almost accepting of Naomi outside the club for once.
Boy, did Cook speak the truth. He tells Freddie that Effy loves him and she can’t handle it so she has sex with Cook too. And also confesses he’s having sex with Pandora in front of Thomas. Eek.
Emily gets JJ out of his teddy bear pyjamas and has sex with him as a favour. I loved his mum’s smile at the end as he saw her son interacting at the breakfast table with a girl. Noticing he was growing up. Such a touching moment to end with.

So, let me know all your thoughts about this week's episode - I can't wait to read them!

Front Page: Mormons Help Bring Gay Rights to Salt Lake City

TresSugar — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 08:00:10 -0800

After the Mormon Church backed Salt Lake City ordinances that would bar housing and employment discrimination against gays, the laws passed unanimously last night. - AP
The American Medical Association is urging the federal government to loosen the classification of marijuana so the drug can be used for clinical research. - LA Times
Some victims said they still didn't feel closure after watching DC sniper John Allen Muhammad die last night of lethal injection. - CNN
Germany is in shock after a star soccer player committed suicide.- AP
Baseball great Sammy Sosa says a skin cream made his skin appear white in recent photos. - New York Daily News

Pop Watch: Skins - Series Three, Episode Two "Cook"

PopSugarUK — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 03:03:09 -0800

This week's episode of Skins was the first one where we got a particular insight into one of the new characters, and this second episode focused on Cook, played by Jack O'Connell. We also found out a little more about the other members of the gang, and got some hints about where some storylines were headed before a brand new castmember is introduced next week!

Mackenzie Crook, best known for The Office, guest-starred as gangster Johnny White, who will have more dealings with the gang in future episodes. So, without further ado, here's my thoughts on last night's episode.

It was Cook’s 17th birthday, and he invited "half the college" to his uncle’s pub to witness a night Cook believes will go down in history. Unfortunately no-one else was as entertained as he was, maybe because he'd drunk so much already.
I enjoyed the cut between Cook shouting "Let's go f*cking mental!" and then the gang sat round the table in little party hats singing "For he's a jolly good fellow..."
Also, I'm still wowed by JJ's magic tricks. If I had a friend who could do magic that well then I'd always be entertained!

To read more of my thoughts and to leave your own, just read more.

It's clear that excess is Cook's middle name. He sings loud, drinks all the time, the 8am spliff of the first episode kinda sums it up, and when Emily brings him a huge cake for his birthday he eats it all in front of them, right there in the pub.
I want to like Cook, I really do. I love Jack O'Connell and the character definitely has elements of the much-loved Chris about him, but he was a little bit too much this episode. It was understandable when Freddie told him he'd had enough of him, because the kid is insane. I think this could have been proved with a little less vehemence, but I have faith that as the series progresses we'll get even more of an insight into why he drinks all the time, I suppose his drug dealing landlord Uncle gave us a hint into his upbringing.
They all head off to the engagement party that Freddie's sister is at, where Cook proceeds to flirt outrageously with the bride to be. In the form of a song form. A very confident song . Which makes her gangster dad rather angry.
So, I smell a love triangle a-brewing, what with Effy and Freddie looking at each other in the pub, and Freddie's shocked reaction to the fact Cook slept with Effy on the first day of college. Who will she end up with? Neither?
Pandora proved how dippy she was when after watching the others snort the drugs, she swallowed the rest of the bag. Oh dear.
I laughed out loud at Johnny's speech at the engagement party, with the cheesy music in the background. As his daughter's fiance is part of a rival gang, he said he hoped they could now get along, "Still f*cking each other but in a good way."
Naomi leaves the party before it all kicks off, and asks Emily why her sister thinks that she's gay, hinting that Emily is. I'm looking forward to finding out the backstory on these two.
Meanwhile, JJ had his first ever kiss in a brothel. Cook is really not a good influence.
After torturing the tied-down Johnny a little in the brothel, the gangster taunts Cook about his mum which ends up with him almost hitting terrified JJ in a rage. Poor JJ, he's just trying to be a good friend.
I thought that one good thing about all the noise for the majority of the episode was that the moment of quiet where Cook was just sat in Freddie's shed waiting for him was all the more interesting and poignant.
Freddie's so so worried Cook's trying to get himself killed, with the drinking and the gangster fights. There were a couple of sweet moments between them in the shed.
And the episode ends like it began with Cook singing loudly while walking down the street, and it's definitely not the last we'll see of Johnny, who pops up in the preview for next week's episode!

So, what did you think of this week's episode? Let me know all your thoughts in the comments below!

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