Skins 3x08 "Effy"

Effy has never been a big talker. She still says more with the way she moves, the way she watch people and analyze them. And when she says something it’s mostly because she wants, have or just feel like it. Though the last thing don’t happen that often.

The episode starts with Effy riding Cook and we can hear Cook’s lustful moans while the camera focus on Effy’s face that don’t give away a feeling, nothing. It’s just empty. She stops bumping up and down and instead rolls off Cook. They both seem unhappy. They get dressed, Cook leaves and Effy goes to the bathroom where she sits in her towel after a shower, sad and calls Freddie who doesn’t answer. When she gets down the kitchen her mom sits there:

She leaves her mom in the kitchen and goes to Freddie. She collects herself outside the shed before she enters. Obviously someone had forgotten to tell her about Freddie and Katie. Freddie and Katie is making out in the couch Katie notice Effy;

Freddie: “Karen I told you…!”
Katie: “Hi Effy”
Freddie freeze up before he faces her.

Katie: “Babe I’m not being funny but you look like microwave shit. What’s up?”
Effy: “Nothing!”
Effy turns away and is about to walk out the door.
Katie: “Oh my god listen. It’s really good you’re here actually. You can drive right?”
Effy: “Yeah Why?”
Katie: “Cos… me and Freddie are having a party tonight in the woods. What’s it called again honey?”
Freddie: “Gobbler’s End”
He stands up and walks to take Katie’s hand.
Katie: “That’s right! You should come!”
Freddie: “I was gonna borrow dad’s car but now he has to take Karen to an audition.” Freddie and Katie speak the same words in a rumble. Then Katie starts laughing.
Katie: “We’re always doing that.”
Effy: “Maybe. I’ll have to ask my mom if I can borrow the car.”
Katie: “Cool! Ehm… can we ask you something though. Me and Freddie wants this to be like a quiet thing. Erm not some kind of, what did I call it before?”
Freddie: “Pike ho-down!”
Katie: “Thanks babe!”
Effy: “So…?”
Katie: “So Cook’s not invited, cos we don’t like him.”
Effy: “Like I said. I have to ask my mom!”
Katie: “Okay you’d just have a little think about it and let us know yeah? I’m going to have a shower. You coming JC?”
Freddie: “ Yeah in a min hun, yeah!”
Katie walks out the shed leaving Effy by the door and Freddie in the couch. He stands up and walks up to Effy.
Freddie: “You should come!”
Effy: “You want me to come?”
Effy turns to walk out the room when she doesn’t get an answer.
Freddie: “Why are you here?”
Effy: “Came to tell you something!”
Freddie: “Yeah?”
Effy: “Your shed has changed.”
Freddie: “Effy…!”
Effy: “I’ll see you later yeah?”
Freddie: “Effy…!” she has already left the shed.

Outside the house a panic attack is about to take over. She pukes on her shoes, take them off, dump them in the dumpster and walk away.
The next we know they all are in the car. Effy driving, Katie, Freddie, Emily, Naomi, JJ, Pandora and Thomas. They all joke around and seem to be really happy.
Cook walks down the street of Effy’s house with a cake in one hand and a couple of bags in the other.
Ringing the bell with his head Effy’s mother answer the door. He wants to give Effy a treat though her mother doesn’t understands why since they’ve broke up. Apparently Cook wasn’t aware of this. Effy’s mom grabs the cake and shuts the door in his face leaving him with the grocery bags and where she is, Gobblers End. He seriously looks sad, which I found kind of surprising since he fucks around behind her back.
The car is still on the road with people still laughing about, well everyone but Effy. Panda gets a call from Cook and she dismisses him mostly since Thomas sits right behind her. Tries to break the silence asking if it’s the right way. Katie thinks so since the map speaks to her… or well the map says so. Well apparently Katie and the map didn’t have such a good relationship as she though since they end up “lost”. They stop at a gas station where a mad Katie comes out fighting with the map that ends up in the trashcan. But when a Jeep with three ugly, slightly scary men comes everything seems to be fine. They show them the way while Katie goes to buy something at the gas store. Though when she’s there one of the scary men comes in thinking she wants to have sex with him. But oooh he was wrong. She storms out making one of the other scary dudes miss when he’s showing off his mad shooting skills. The dude with the gun gets mad and starts picking on Katie too, Freddie steps in with his flopping lips and they all get into the car while Effy leave a “Whatever… Freak!” comment. They drive away following the direction they got from the three scary men.
It was around this point I though… “Ooh a horror movie cliché!” and it didn’t get better when the car starts to follow them and threatening them with rifles. The Jeep breaks down before them, then back away and drives away.

They finally arrive at Gobblers End. They take their stuff and start to hike. May I say, how can people hike in those clothes? I mean a fur coat! Duuuh not even Cruella De Vil would do that AND she loves her fur coats.

JJ who can’t stand that Thomas acts like he does not know about Panda and Cook. Freddie tells him to deal with it. Well the conversations from the car to their destination seem pretty narrow and boring.
They find the place and people start to howl like lunatics on crack. Effy don’t seem to enjoy it as much as the others since she walks away. In the woods she walks about and accidently finds mushrooms, funny mushrooms. When she gets back she goes to talk to Panda who seems pretty sad.

Everyone flocks around Effy and starts to take mushrooms. Katie who gets mad, sad and irritated goes away and sits down away from the others and tries not to cry.

Panda: “How long till it kicks in Ef?”
Effy: “Not long!”

Soon a party’s going on. Sparklers + darkness + music = Partay!!!
Well a party for everyone but Katie who stands on the outside watching in. During their rush Freddie tries to fish out what Effy wanted to say to him in the shed, though she gets saved by Katie who comes to keep him away from Effy. Effy walks off a takes a shower of leaves.
Its full moon

, Effy lays on the ground half asleep. Freddie lay next to her with Katie. Panda comes and lay down with Effy. Effy take Freddie’s hand while no one else sees. They both seem very happy before Effy falls asleep.

Katie: “Listen Effy. I didn’t even want you here in the first place and you’ve ruined my night. The only reason I invited you was because you can drive and you sort of embarrass yourself, don’t you thing? It’s pretty sad throwing yourself at your mates boyfriends really!”
Effy: “Katie… come sit down!”
Katie: “I’m not being nasty or anything. I don’t even think you realize you’re doing it. It’s just… it makes you look like a de

sperate whore.”

Wow that was a nice way to wake up, right? Katie walks away leaving Effy still on the ground, thinking.
Effy soon realizes that their bags are missing, gone up in smoke, kapoof. Katie goes all angry and starts cursing while everyone gets really tense. They hear a gunshot not far from there. Strange sounds from the woods, more shots, they get down to take cover. Then they see a flashlight and someone is coming towards them shouting. Effy grabs a wood stick and slung it at the attacker. Ripping of his mask they reali

ze it’s Cook. He first tries to tell them there were some guys who took the bags but then confesses anyway.

Cook: “I was just trying to freak you out!”
Freddie: “Why?”
Cook: “Cos I thought it would be funny. And it totally was. ‘Ooh Turn of the lights, Ooh we’re gonna die!’”
Katie walks over and pushes Cook down with her foot.
Katie: “What the fuck are you doing here?”
Cook: “Well you

know me. When I smell a shin dig I’m there.”
Katie: “Yeah well you weren’t invited so you can just fuck off!”
Cook: “Ooh, but we’re having such a nice time. Your tits look fucking mint from this angle by the way.”
Freddie grabs Cook up and do the face to face thing again (episode 4)
Freddie: “What’s your fucking problem?”
Cook: “Like you don’t remember. What you want? My fucking blood? You’ve fucking taking everything else. You’ve taken fucking JJ and now you’ve nicked her as well” Effy “She hasn’t told you has she? Fuck me! I’m so glad I didn’t miss this.”
Katie: “What’s going on?”
Cook: “Effy doesn’t want me anymore. Do you princess?”
Effy: “No!”
Katie: “So…? Why should we care? Freddie is with me now. Right Freddie? Freddie! FREDDIE!”
Freddie: “Right!”
Katie: “I’m going for a walk!”
Freddie: “Katie…!”
Cook: “I though she took that pretty well don’t you?”
JJ: “Just go. No one wants you here, No one likes you. So JUST FUCKING GO!”
Naomi: “Do as he says… Fuck off!”
JJ, Naomi and Emily leaves.
Cook: “Whatever! Have nice lives all of you. Coming? Nah“ Effy shakes her head “Yeah stay here with your
‘friends’. Look at their little faces. You’re all such whizzer chums aren’t ya? Aren’t that right Ef? Isn’t that right Panda? Panda has been worried lately Ef. Says she’s not seeing each other as much as you used to. Isn’t that right Panda, yeah? I said to her Cook cake. Maybe if you didn’t spend as much time with my cock in your mouth…!”
Panda: “Shut Up!” pushes him “I can’t, come on Thomas!” try to drag him away.
Thomas: “Stop! It’s fine… I know”
Panda: “No, no, no…!”
Effy: “Wait! It was one time right? Your party. It was only once right? I need to sit down!”
Cook: “Erh, Sorry slugger. I don’t think you heard! Me… Fucked… Your… Girlfriend… Like multiple times.”
Thomas: “What you want me to say?”
Cook: “I don’t want you to say nothing, Hit me! Come on… come on hit me.”
Thomas: “It’s such a sadly …!”
Panda: “Thomas please, I stopped it. I love you, just give me a chance!”
Thomas: “I’ve given chances and you haven’t taken them. Time and Time again you’ve lied to me. It’s too late now. I fell in love with this… she was good, she was honest and donuts and now she’s gone. This new one… I don’t like her. She makes my heart hurts.”
Panda punches Cook and then runs after Thomas. Cook starts laughing.

Effy starts to see things that’s not there, she sees, feels how something is crawling over her. Freddie tries to calm her down which ends up in Effy running away into the woods.
Tripping on hallucinogenic drugs can just as soon end up in bad visions. Guessing Cooks truth telling didn’t help. Running around the forest she runs into Katie. Katie sees Effy’s panic and tries to help while all Effy sees is Katie attacking her which ends up in Effy smacking a stone in Katie’s head and leaves her there.
Effy wakes up Freddie and I think she wants to tell him about the whole Katie being passed out in the woods part but instead they kiss and get undressed.
Next morning Naomi and Emily walks out from a tent, Naomi takes a leaf out of Emily’s hair. Very cute if I may say so. Then JJ comes stumbling out of the same tent.

JJ: “Pefh! A bit cramped in there. Me, two girls in one tent, a nightmare. You ladies like to wriggle don’t you? Anyway I need a wee and a tic tac.”
Freddie and Effy comes walking back.
Freddie: “Good morning!”
Naomi: “Morning!”
JJ: “Has anyone seen Pandora or Thomas?”
Emily: “And where is Katie? Though she would be with you Fred!”
Freddie: “Probably still asleep.”
He goes to look but no Katie is found. Effy looks worried while Freddie goes to look into Panda and Thomas tent and there she sits… Panda that is.
Panda: “Thomas gone home. He’s gone. I gotta go now please.”

They go on a search hunt. Effy stops Freddie to tell him something but then chooses not to. They don’t find her and goes back towards Bristol.
During a rest stop Effy calls someone, think it’s the hospital, and tell him what she’s done and where to find Katie. She tells him to send an ambulance.
Sitting half paralyzed in the car Effy’s mom comes out to help her daughter inside. She even helps Effy wash herself clean from all the mud, leafs and so on while Effy just sits there crying. Later on she wakes up and she tries to call people starting with Pandora then Freddie then Emily then Naomi and least JJ. No one answers. Finally someone returns her call. Freddie who’s meeting Emily at the hospital where Katie now lays. Nine stitches and still unconscious Effy feels relived she’s not dead. She heads there to show her respect, but when she gets there Katie already has woken up and told them it was all Effy’s fault. It all ends up in Freddie, Panda and Emily dumping her.

Cook: “It’s you and me babe. It’s always gonna be you and me. It’s always you and me.”

Cook has picked Effy up in a stolen car. They don’t know where they’re going but it’s obvious they’re not coming back in a while. Effy falls asleep against the car window.

Where is all this going to end?
I really think this was a great episode. It was really interesting to see an episode that doesn’t rely that much on the conversations since Effy doesn’t talk that much. Her expressions are just wow and the other’s also play really well. Even though they didn’t have that ‘big’ parts in the episode. It focused on the relationships between Effy, Panda, Freddie and Katie.
Also the soundtrack was mind blowing. Really great and loved the simplicity of the episode.

-Elin