Character Analysis: Skins

Freddie Mclair "Maybe I'll Break Yours."

Once again, creds goes to tumblr user: kerouacophy

This is a look at the personality and overall essence of the character of Freddie Mclair. 

I was doing research for this particular analysis hoping to flesh out Freddie when all of a sudden I got an epiphany. 

When it comes to who Freddie is as a personality and as a person. It is hard to think of individual passions and interests that he has. We know he is an avid pot smoker and he also loves to skateboard. Other than that though I cannot tell you what he is interested in, what he is passionate for, or anything else in terms of him being Freddie. Everything about Freddie seems to be about his relationships. 

We knot that his Mom committed suicide after battling chronic depression. From her death Freddie resented his Dad for letting her die. Their relationship is sour and tense. Many times with Freddie talking to his Dad with disrespect and his Dad talking to Freddie with tones of disappointment. His Dad often tells Freddie that he has no ambition and that he is aimless. That he needs to find direction. Freddie also has a sister Karen who is quite ambitious and tries to become a famous singer and dancer via reality show. Freddie gets upset every time that Karen uses their Mom as a way to get votes. It is obvious that the death of his Mom is key to understanding Freddie and it has a hold over him. 

This sense of aimless passivity seems to have been purposeful in the development of the character. His father and Cook both mention his passivity in various ways throughout the two series. Even in Freddie’s profile on the E4 website for Series 3 mentioned that Freddie seems to be lacking that “va-va-va voom” as if pointing out there is a passion and spark missing from Freddie’s life. 

I cannot talk about Freddie without mentioning the other musketeers JJ and Cook. Freddie acts like a surrogate mother for the both of them. Freddie is good with JJ when he gets locked on. He is also the person who keeps Cook from doing dumb things. I was thinking to myself as to why Freddie who seems so chill would be friends with JJ and Cook. It dawned on me. I wonder if the death of his mother created a superman complex in him. He wants to save people, because his mother was not saved. So he gravitated to Cook and JJ two people who need people to talk them down from things like a fit or burning bridges. They need him; therefore, he responds to them in that way. 

This would also explain his attraction and his actions toward Effy. I wonder if there was something about Effy that reminded him of his Mom. She is an unattainable beautiful mess that he wants all for himself. Because he has never had anything to himself. He wants her. When they get together and Effy starts to spiral down the path of depression. His life became a sequel only the victim of depression is his new girlfriend instead of his mother. He tries to keep her from going to the doctors due to feeling that the reason his mother committed suicide was due to his father allowing his Mom to receive psychiatric support. He tries to avoid it at all costs and take the burden on himself instead. In the hopes of saving her. 

Then lastly there is his relationship with his Granddad who tells him that he must get proper care for Effy and that he must let go of the blame he has for his father. That it is unfair. After Effy attempts suicide Freddie starts to question and get scared, because he does not want to lose someone again. When Effy starts to be under the influence of John Foster he gets upset with Effy and plans to run away before talking with Cook who tells him to stay. 

Of course he goes to John Foster’s house at his invitation also in the name of playing the hero. Only to be put into a situation that ends up with him losing his life. 

Freddie definitely has a hero complex. Most of his bio on E4 talks about other people and not himself. He lacks the motivation to fight for himself and fight to be an individual. He instead focuses his attentions on others. Being attracted to people who seem to need him. 

Then you have Naomi’s words about Hamlet who seems to be a character that works with Freddie.

"Hamlet is basically a teenage boy. He’s got these desires, but he doesn’t have the bottle to reach out for them. So he goes mad and wanks off about Ophelia and ends up so boring that someone has to kill him." 

Meaning he is a boy who has all these feelings of love, protectiveness, and lust; but has no spark to go after what he wants. He has a hard time fighting. Effy brings it out of him some, but compared to other characters he is quite passive. Of course we all know what happened to Freddie in the end. 

He’s an aimless fellow who loves deeply and desires to be the hero due to the fact he lost his mother to suicide at a young age.