Skins (UK) Recap – What Just Happened?!?

I haven’t posted recaps for the last three episodes of Skins because of my schedule. But the episodes “Katie”, “Freddie”, and “J.J” basically went like this: The Fitches went bankrupt, Katie and Emily more or less made up, Naomi and Emily did not, Pandora still clearly loves Thomas, JJ got a girlfriend, JJ and Thomas have the best scenes together, Cook broke out of prison, Freddie dealt with a manic-depressive, bipolar Effy and Effy attempted suicide. Now that we’re caught up, let’s get on with the recap.

There is a HUGE spoiler in this recap. Read at your own risk.

This week’s episode focused on Effy’s recovery and her return to normal life: home, Roundview, friends, and Freddie.

We begin with Effy still in the hospital and with her psychiatrist, John Foster (a name I wish I didn’t have to remember). She’s talking about Tony, who apparently has done very well for himself at Cardiff. But it is not his successes she needs to talk about. John Foster wants to talk about Tony’s bus accident that ended Series 1. I find it odd that the bus accident is being revisited after all this time, and that it has been deemed one of the root problems of her depression.

Only her mother and Naomi visit Effy at the hospital. We’ll learn later that Freddie was not allowed.

Foster declares Effy well enough to go home and she returns to her old room that is now spotless and clean. Her first stop is to visit Freddie. She tells him that she loves him, but Effy is still not ready to be in a relationship. Effy heads to Roundview with Panda and the gang receives their A-levels. Effy learns that she received all A’s, not because she earned it but because Mr. Blood wants to keep the college rankings up. This understandably rubs Effy the wrong way and a subsequent scene we see how she handles it.

This scene is my favorite and probably the best of the episode. If only it had ended here, Effy breaks up with Freddie (again) and then runs into Cook. The love triangle continues. Cook tells her that he loves her and Effy, still angry from her speech to the gang, tells him to piss off.

Effy returns to John Foster and we are beginning to learn that this psychiatrist is not all together. He treats her with hypnotism so that she can forget Freddie. It does the trick. When Freddie tries to reason with Effy but she doesn’t respond. Cook tries to intervene and meets Elizabeth.

James and Elizabeth go to a party and it seems that they are starting fresh. But things suddenly take a turn for the worse.They are walking down the street where Tony was struck by the bus. Effy knows she has been on the street before but can’t remember why. It becomes clear that Effy simply doesn’t remember Cook. She runs away and stands in the middle of traffic. Cook saves her just in time and she asks to be taken to Freddie.

Effy is sent back to the hospital. This time Freddie is allowed to visit her. Although Effy is not entirely well yet, this is a sign that things could change for Effy and in this couple’s relationship. If only…

I don’t want to get into what happens next. It is the most unsettling moment I’ve seen on television is quite some time. For some reason John Foster calls Freddie to his house. They get into an argument about Effy’s care. Freddie tells him that Effy does not want him to be her psychiatrist any longer. John however tells Freddie he can’t let that happen. He picks up a baseball bat and …

I’m shaking my head right now in disbelief. Did that really just happen? I’ve always liked the second generation and have seen it as separate from the first generation. But this. This was awful. From Effy’s breakdown to Freddie’s apparent murder (it has been more or less confirmed by the show’s web site). Skins, you have jumped the shark.

Thoughts on last night’s episode?