Skins Fire

Lore & Background

Effy Stonem, aged 21, works as a receptionist for a London hedge fund and flatshares with Naomi Campbell (Lily Loveless), while Emily is in New York on an internship. After spotting a mistake in a company report, Effy asks market researcher Dominic (Craig Roberts) to teach her trading skills, eventually manipulating him to illegally provide insider information, making her company over a million pounds. She begins a relationship with her superior Jake (Kayvan Novak). Meanwhile, Naomi, diagnosed with cancer, struggles with her health and later finds success as a stand-up comedian.

Reader's Guide

The episode received mixed reviews, with Caroline Preece from Den of Geek noting the two-parter became progressively more bleak. Adrian Michaels of The Daily Telegraph wrote that the plot progression was extremely predictable and only the characters of Effy and Naomi were more than skin-deep, but that Skins was a triumph of slick over substance. Kathryn Prescott, who played Emily Fitch, said to the BBC that the show's ending was in the right time and that it is hard to shock viewers after a long run, ending it as such would be best rather than overdoing it. The episode marks the conclusion of the Skins series, revisiting earlier characters in young adulthood.

Did You Know?

• Effy Stonem appeared in the first four series of Skins before this episode.
• Naomi Campbell is diagnosed with cancer after avoiding a doctor for abdominal pains.
• The Financial Services Authority investigates Effy for suspected market abuse.
• Victoria, the FSA agent investigating Effy, is a former colleague who took credit for Effy's discovery.