JJ (Skins series 3)

Lore & Background

The episode was filmed in November 2008. Ollie Barbieri undertook research to portray JJ's Asperger syndrome, and initially played the character as "quite mad" before "watering down" his performance. Director Charles Martin shot an unscripted scene of Barbieri destroying JJ's bedroom set to help the actor get into character, and Barbieri created the collage in JJ's room himself. The clinic scenes were filmed at Fishponds Studio, the Skins offices, after a script suggestion. The scene of JJ and Emily bonding was filmed in Bristol's Brandon Hill Park near Cabot Tower.

The episode features cameo appearances by crew members: assistant director Seth Adams as a nurse, floor runner Tom Meakin as a policeman, and three crew members as the men who fight with Cook. The location manager appeared as a mental patient. The soundtrack consists mostly of piano works by Claude Debussy, recorded by David McGuinness, following a suggestion by Bryan Elsley.

JJ visits his psychiatrist Dr Felly, who prescribes more drugs. He meets Emily at the clinic, who comes out to him. They visit Freddie to urge reconciliation with Cook, but JJ accidentally outs Emily to her twin sister Katie. JJ later discovers Cook having sex with Pandora, and Cook's drug-induced confession reveals that Effy loves Freddie and that Cook is having an affair with Pandora. JJ leaves the club, finds Emily crying, and they spend the night together; Emily offers to have sex with him so he can lose his virginity.

Reader's Guide

"JJ" drew just under one million viewers on its first broadcast and was E4's highest-rated programme of the week with a 4.8 percent audience share. Another 325,000 viewers watched on the timeshift channel E4+1. The episode received generally positive reviews from mainstream critics, with praise for JJ's friendship with Emily and the emotional impact of the ending. Digital Spy's Dan French found JJ a "lovable" character and called Cook's confession "shocking." The Sydney Morning Herald's Fergus Shiel called it a "top episode" that portrayed "teenage uncertainty that pack[s] an emotional punch."

However, the episode drew criticism from the lesbian community. Kate Murray of AfterEllen.com regarded Emily's willingness to have sex with JJ as a "classic and highly offensive stereotype" that "undermine[s] what it means to be a lesbian." She contrasted the episode with the previous one, "Naomi," written by a 19-year-old female, noting that "JJ" was written by 47-year-old male Bryan Elsley. The entertainment editor for eurOut.org criticized the episode, writing, "Welcome to the wonderful world of television, where being a lesbian and sleeping with men always goes hand in hand," though she found Emily's coming out scene "very funny" and Effy's nonchalance about Naomi's sexuality "cool."

Did You Know?

• The episode was filmed in November 2008 in the same production block as the series' eighth episode, "Effy".
• Ollie Barbieri created the collage in JJ's room himself to learn more about his character.
• The soundtrack comprises mostly piano works by Claude Debussy, recorded by David McGuinness.
• The episode's clinic scenes were filmed at Fishponds Studio, where the Skins offices are located.