Tuesday, November 5, 2013

A Beautiful Disaster

Sidenote that probably distracts from my ever so deep writing: I have no idea how these GIF things work but they blow my mind. It's just like in Harry Potter!
    Why is it that we, or at least some of us, are so undeniably attracted to that which is bad for us? Why is there something so romantic about a beautiful disaster? The latest character to get me thinking about this topic is Cook from Skins (the UK version, not the shit American one). The beauty of Skins is that it depicts teen life without candy-coating it. People drink, do drugs, have bad parents, fall in and out of love, develop eating disorders and mental illnesses, and experience the simultaneous boredom and excitement that is being a teenager. Yes, it is angsty and dramatic, but isn't that how it feels as a teen?
    On Skins, the amazing Jack O'Connell (from This is England) plays Cook, who at the beginning of the series is a druggie and class clown who is the eternal life of the party. He's charismatic, handsome, and down right fucked up. From the first episode, which features him smoking in the boys room, drinking whisky from the bottle during lunch, setting fire to lockers, and showing teachers his tatted ass, you can't take your eyes off of him.
     When it comes to Cook, from the beginning you know he's destined for the gutter, and yet, somehow that adds to his charm. Throughout the series we see how bad his home life really is, and with it, realize that Cook believes that nothing good will ever stay with him. Why does this make him all the more attractive? He's a complete mess and still there are over five-hundred tumblrs dedicated solely to him (yes, I actually looked this up). Since Skins is so realistic, we all know what his future holds. Cook's eventual fate is revealed in Skins:Rise and, as anyone would predict, it's not exactly a happy ending. Don't we all know a Cook in real life? Someone you can't save from themselves? Why are we attracted to them? Do we want to fix them? Do we all have daddy issues? Are we all just plain fucked up? I  don't know the answer to this question but I do know that I've fallen for a lot of Cooks. Why is it that a physical embodiment of tragedy and disaster is also so impossibly beautiful. It makes me think that if there is a devil (personally think that's complete bullshit, but whatever) he must be absolutely stunning.
Come on, this should not be an attractive thing...

Sidenote #2: Skins features the hottest lesbian couple ever, Emily and Naomi, in a very deep, sweet, and realistic manor. Apart from the awesome way in which a somewhat controversial couple is depicted, they're, like, really attractive. I'm pretty sure they could turn anyone gay (just kidding... kind of!)

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