Tony Stonem
Encyclopedia
Anthony "Tony" Stonem is a fictional character
from the British
television series Skins
. Portrayed by Nicholas Hoult
, the character was created by Bryan Elsley
; Tony was the series' central character in its first and second series, from 2007-2008. In the first series, the character is considered an anti-hero
, and in some respects his actions are very antagonist
ic due to his sociopathic tendencies. However, this changes in the second series after he becomes a victim of a subdural hematoma
and, as a result, becomes more vulnerable. Hoult, along with the other starring actors of the first two series, departed the show after its second season. The character was subsequently alluded to in episodes of the third and fourth series, which centred around Tony's sister Effy
, played by Kaya Scodelario
. In the 2011 North American adaptation
of the show, Tony is played by actor James Newman, and the character's surname is changed to Snyder.
(April Pearson
) and best friend Sid
(Mike Bailey
). In "Sid", he displays his love for "control and manipulation" and fondness for the unpredictability of the universe, comparing the lives of those around to him to the functions of subatomic particles. In the Unseen Skins episode "The Cat & The Duck", Michelle characterises Tony as like ice, "cold and transparent."
Tony's sexual encounters are supposedly vast. In "Michelle", Jal Fazer
(Larissa Wilson
) is able to recall a long list of his conquests. Michelle later puts to Abigail Stock (Georgina Moffat
) that he "fucks everyone... including boys." In "Anwar and Maxxie", Tony attempts an oral tryst with his gay
friend Maxxie (Mitch Hewer
). Tony does not specify a sexual orientation but he says to Maxxie that he simply wants "to try something new". In a psychology lesson, he equates sex with power and his lust for both is portrayed in his presentation. An aspect of his subconscious (portrayed as a college headmaster) refers to him as "polysexual
", in series two's "Tony" episode. Bryan Elsley characterizes Tony's attempt to seduce Maxxie as an exploration of the character's sexual fluidity; in season one of the American adaptation, Maxxie's character is replaced by the lesbian character Tea (Sofia Black D'Elia
), and her sexual fluidity is substituted for Tony's. In the British series, Tony fits the older television and film archetype of the "narcissistic, controlling, and stereotypically sociopathic 'bad bisexual'".
Tony's reading habits give insight into his personality. In "Tony", the book he reads in the bathroom is La Nausée
by Jean-Paul Sartre
, a novel about existentialism
and defining oneself. In "Sid", he is shown reading Friedrich Nietzsche
's Thus Spoke Zarathustra
, a book which challenges existing moral values. In "Maxxie and Anwar
" he reads Jeanette Winterson
's Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit
, a book about a young girl struggling with her homosexuality. In the "Tony" episode of series 2, he is seen reading Ayn Rand
's Atlas Shrugged
, while sitting on the train.
before turning 17 for fear of being associated with a perceived loser. After momentarily suggesting Sid may lose it to Michelle, he later reveals he was referring to Cassie
(Hannah Murray
). He orders Sid to acquire some weed from local drug dealer Madison Twatter, and eventually ends up driving a stolen car with his friends into the harbour where the drugs are lost.
Tony also begins a flirtatious relationship with local rich girl Abigail, which develops in "Jal" when he is spotted kissing her by Jal, and later in "Sid" where he uses her to break up with Michelle, claiming that he is doing it for Sid, to give him an opportunity to pursue his crush, only to get back with her in an attempt to emotionally damage Sid and Michelle. In "Maxxie and Anwar", on a school trip to Russia
he aggressively and persistently tries to perform oral sex
on his gay
friend Maxxie, only to find he is bad at it. Michelle witnesses this and is shocked, and believing he could be in the closet
, probes him to reveal any secrets he may be carrying.
In "Michelle", the episode starts with Michelle watching him as he continues to behave flirtatiously around Maxxie. Enraged, Michelle walks over to, punches and subsequently dumps him after he fails to tell her about his encounter with Maxxie, and she learns of various other affairs. He is subsequently punched by Sid and later slapped by another a girl in psychology lesson as punishment for the incident. After Michelle starts a relationship with Abigail's brother, Josh, Tony then schemes to get her back. He takes sexual pictures of Abigail, and then transmits them to Josh's phone, from where he sends them to Michelle in order to make him think he's as crazy as his sister. Tony attempts a reconciliation, but she still turns him down.
In "Effy", Tony comes to terms with the destructive nature of his machinations when faced with a chase to find his sister, Effy Stonem
and is given a terrible proposition: he must have sex with his unconscious sister if he wants her back from her captors. This scares him to tears, enough for Josh to tell him his lesson has been learned and let him go. His friendship with Sid is reaffirmed as Sid is the only one there for him in his crisis.
Later, in the series finale, Tony repays his debt to Sid by removing him from a mental institution and taking Sid to find Cassie. After leaving Sid at Anwar
(Dev Patel
)'s party, he tries to call Michelle, but loses her signal, resorting to standing in the middle of the road to get the signal back. He confesses to Michelle that he really does love her but is cut short when he is run over by a bus. Michelle is left staring at her phone as, elsewhere, Effy holds his bleeding body in shock, and the episode ends with Tony's status unclear.
. He has shown to have lost most of his characteristic wit and confidence that was present in series 1. In a conversation with Maxxie's mum he states that "I'm stupid now" and on a bus he holds Maxxie's hand for security after a bus drives past. Having lost the ability to write among other disabilities, he finally manages to scribble his name by "dancing" his way through, with guidance from Maxxie.
In "Sketch", Tony starts to show visible signs of his previous affection for Michelle, but the consequences of his accident keep the relationship from working. Their brief sexual encounter reveals to Tony and the audience he has been rendered impotent as a result of the accident. Later on - he actively searches for her after the School Play when Michelle does not appear as a result of Sketch
(Aimee Ffion-Edwards) having poisoned her. He tells Michelle that he thinks he told her that he loved her the night of his accident, however the conclusion is left on a slightly ambiguous note on whether or not he was guessing.
In "Sid", Tony is seen to have improved more, however his language tends to get jumbled. At the end of the episode he successfully learns how to hold a cigarette. He helps Sid come to terms with his father's death, even by shutting his eyelids. The pair embark on an emotional embrace in a club which symbolizes their shattered friendship and the pain the two are both suffering.
In "Michelle", Michelle perseveres with Tony and attempts to seduce him despite the protests of Mrs. Stonem, Tony's mother. However Michelle's attempts fail with Tony still showing visible sexual difficulty, Michelle gets upset that Tony is still not 'better for her' - and leaves, stressing that she needs more time. Tony decides not to accompany the rest of the group on Michelle's birthday holiday but still gets her a present. After Michelle has had sex with Sid on the beach she finds that the birthday present is her watch that he was wearing at the time of his accident, with a note from Tony reading 'You said you needed some time'.
In "Chris", Tony has started learning to swim again. He is seen in the pool with his father with a beginner's swimming group. He speaks to Chris
(Joe Dempsie) afterwards proclaiming that he will 'Get everything back again' and that's including Michelle - and shows visible disgust when finding out Sid and Michelle have become a couple.
In "Tony", Tony is shown attempting to return to his own lifestyle, which translates into going to clubs and taking drugs. After Cassie gives Tony an ecstasy pill, Tony confronts Sid and Michelle (who are now in a full-blown sexual relationship) expressing his sarcasm at how happy he is for them. Straight after this - he begins to react badly from the drugs and has a panic attack in the toilets. A mysterious girl approaches him and reveals details about Tony's life despite her being a stranger. On the train ride up to a university open day - Tony is approached by a man who has visible horrific burns. The man tells Tony the story of how he came to be disfigured. Later on Tony attends an open day at University where he is in group interview with the same (Now unscathed) man he met on the train. The mysterious girl is also at the meeting and verbally attacks the head of the university. After being ejected from the interview, Tony and the girl embark on many misdemeanors throughout the course of the day. It slowly becomes apparent to the viewer that the girl may be a figment of Tony's imagination - for example when the girl encourages (and successfully teaches) Tony how to swim, he is found alone in the pool. However when interrogated about why he was in the pool, and Tony tries to explain about the girl, he is instructed to "not go with her." Later on Tony meets two promiscuous flatmates with the girl, who gave the girl a tattoo. Later on Tony and the girl consummate, and Tony regains his sexual libido
. At the end of the episode, Tony is shown to have regained the majority of his intelligence and confidence. He then goes to tell Sid and Michelle that he loves them both and announces his disapproval of their sexual relationship. In its closing scenes, the tattoo that the girl had marked on her back is seen on Tony's, the implication being that the girl had been a creation of Tony's subconscious, ergo the manifestation of his animus or inner nature.
In the final episode Tony receives better grades than all his friends in A-Levels; 3 A's and a B. He also helps Sid steal Chris' coffin and later return it. Tony is also heading to Cardiff Uni and sees off Sid, who is leaving to find Cassie in New York. As Sid leaves, Tony is unable to hold back his tears. At the end of the episode, Tony and Michelle discuss their relationship and it is unknown if they will continue it through University.
in being an unlikable character with whom audiences fail to connect, "because there's barely any recognition. Tony isn't believable." Unlike Davies' character, Tony's narrative thrust is one towards being brought down, to suffer, and to show the audience that Tony's behaviour is wrong; to do this, "They had to mow him down in the finale to make us care!"
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
from the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
television series Skins
Skins (TV series)
Skins is a BAFTA award-winning British teen drama that follows a group of teenagers in Bristol, South West England, through the two years of college. The controversial plot line explores issues such as dysfunctional families, mental illness , adolescent sexuality, substance abuse and death...
. Portrayed by Nicholas Hoult
Nicholas Hoult
Nicholas Caradoc Hoult is an English actor, best known for playing Marcus Brewer in the 2002 film About a Boy, Tony Stonem in the E4, BAFTA-winning television series Skins, and Beast in the X-Men prequel, X-Men: First Class.-Early life:Hoult was born in Wokingham, Berkshire, the third of four...
, the character was created by Bryan Elsley
Bryan Elsley
Bryan Elsley is a Scottish television writer, known most notably for the co-creation of E4 teen drama Skins with his son, Jamie Brittain...
; Tony was the series' central character in its first and second series, from 2007-2008. In the first series, the character is considered an anti-hero
Anti-hero
In fiction, an antihero is generally considered to be a protagonist whose character is at least in some regards conspicuously contrary to that of the archetypal hero, and is in some instances its antithesis in which the character is generally useless at being a hero or heroine when they're...
, and in some respects his actions are very antagonist
Antagonist
An antagonist is a character, group of characters, or institution, that represents the opposition against which the protagonist must contend...
ic due to his sociopathic tendencies. However, this changes in the second series after he becomes a victim of a subdural hematoma
Subdural hematoma
A subdural hematoma or subdural haematoma , also known as a subdural haemorrhage , is a type of haematoma, a form of traumatic brain injury. Blood gathers within the outermost meningeal layer, between the dura mater, which adheres to the skull, and the arachnoid mater, which envelops the brain...
and, as a result, becomes more vulnerable. Hoult, along with the other starring actors of the first two series, departed the show after its second season. The character was subsequently alluded to in episodes of the third and fourth series, which centred around Tony's sister Effy
Effy Stonem
Elizabeth "Effy" Stonem is a fictional character in the television series Skins, played by Kaya Scodelario. She is the only main character to appear in more than two series. She appears in all of the first four series...
, played by Kaya Scodelario
Kaya Scodelario
Kaya Rose Scodelario is a British actress and model. She is best known for her role as Effy Stonem in the E4 drama Skins.-Skins :...
. In the 2011 North American adaptation
Skins (North American TV series)
Skins is an American teen drama. It is an adaptation of the original British teen drama of the same name. The show premiered on January 17, 2011 on MTV in the U.S. and on Movie Central and The Movie Network in Canada...
of the show, Tony is played by actor James Newman, and the character's surname is changed to Snyder.
Characterisation
Tony appears to be a very handsome, popular and academically gifted young man, with a typical English middle-class background. He plays cruel games with his family and friends, in particular those closest to him, his girlfriend MichelleMichelle Richardson
Michelle 'Chelle' Richardson is a fictional character in the television series Skins played by April Pearson.-Characterisation:Michelle is portrayed initially as primarily interested in serving her boyfriend Tony Stonem's needs and in "looking shaggable" which she places as her primary function,...
(April Pearson
April Pearson
April Janet Pearson is an English actress best known for her role as Michelle Richardson in the E4 teen drama series, Skins.-Career:Pearson joined a theatre group, located in Bristol, at just three years old...
) and best friend Sid
Sid Jenkins
Sidney "Sid" Jenkins is a fictional character in the television series Skins portrayed by Mike Bailey. In the first series, Sid is portrayed as a nice guy stereotype, an unlucky virgin who is nervous around girls, and has low self-esteem. Tony Stonem is his role model, whom he frequently looks up to...
(Mike Bailey
Mike Bailey (actor)
Michael James Bailey is an English actor and singer from Bristol, best known for playing the role of Sid Jenkins in the first two series of the British teen drama Skins.-Career:...
). In "Sid", he displays his love for "control and manipulation" and fondness for the unpredictability of the universe, comparing the lives of those around to him to the functions of subatomic particles. In the Unseen Skins episode "The Cat & The Duck", Michelle characterises Tony as like ice, "cold and transparent."
Tony's sexual encounters are supposedly vast. In "Michelle", Jal Fazer
Jal Fazer
Jalander "Jal" Fazer is a fictional character in the television series Skins portrayed by Larissa Wilson.-Characterization:Jal is described by the official Skins website as "super bright and the most talented young clarinet player in the country"...
(Larissa Wilson
Larissa Wilson
Larissa Hope Wilson is an English television and film actress from Bristol. She is best known for her role as Jal Fazer in the first two seasons of Skins....
) is able to recall a long list of his conquests. Michelle later puts to Abigail Stock (Georgina Moffat
Georgina Moffat
Georgina Moffat is an Australian / English singer-songwriter, actress and model. Georgina currently uses an alias for her music career. She is the great granddaughter of poet, actress and muse Iris Tree, the granddaughter of Ivan Moffat, and the great great granddaughter of RADA founder Sir...
) that he "fucks everyone... including boys." In "Anwar and Maxxie", Tony attempts an oral tryst with his gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
friend Maxxie (Mitch Hewer
Mitch Hewer
Mitchell Scott "Mitch" Hewer is an English actor, who is best known for his role of Maxxie Oliver in the E4 teen drama, Skins. He has also starred in Britannia High as the all around talent Danny Miller...
). Tony does not specify a sexual orientation but he says to Maxxie that he simply wants "to try something new". In a psychology lesson, he equates sex with power and his lust for both is portrayed in his presentation. An aspect of his subconscious (portrayed as a college headmaster) refers to him as "polysexual
Polysexuality
Polysexuality is the attraction to more than one gender or sex. It should not be confused with polyamory, the ability to be romantically involved with more than one person at once.-Gender definition:...
", in series two's "Tony" episode. Bryan Elsley characterizes Tony's attempt to seduce Maxxie as an exploration of the character's sexual fluidity; in season one of the American adaptation, Maxxie's character is replaced by the lesbian character Tea (Sofia Black D'Elia
Sofia Black D'Elia
Sofia Black D'Elia is an American actress. She is best known for her roles as Bailey Wells in All My Children and as Tea Marvelli in Skins. She is of Jewish and Italian descent.- Life and career :...
), and her sexual fluidity is substituted for Tony's. In the British series, Tony fits the older television and film archetype of the "narcissistic, controlling, and stereotypically sociopathic 'bad bisexual'".
Tony's reading habits give insight into his personality. In "Tony", the book he reads in the bathroom is La Nausée
Nausea (book)
Nausea is an epistolary novel by the existentialist philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre, which was published in 1938 and written while he was teaching at the lycée of Le Havre...
by Jean-Paul Sartre
Jean-Paul Sartre
Jean-Paul Charles Aymard Sartre was a French existentialist philosopher, playwright, novelist, screenwriter, political activist, biographer, and literary critic. He was one of the leading figures in 20th century French philosophy, particularly Marxism, and was one of the key figures in literary...
, a novel about existentialism
Existentialism
Existentialism is a term applied to a school of 19th- and 20th-century philosophers who, despite profound doctrinal differences, shared the belief that philosophical thinking begins with the human subject—not merely the thinking subject, but the acting, feeling, living human individual...
and defining oneself. In "Sid", he is shown reading Friedrich Nietzsche
Friedrich Nietzsche
Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche was a 19th-century German philosopher, poet, composer and classical philologist...
's Thus Spoke Zarathustra
Thus Spoke Zarathustra
Thus Spoke Zarathustra: A Book for All and None is a philosophical novel by German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, composed in four parts between 1883 and 1885...
, a book which challenges existing moral values. In "Maxxie and Anwar
Maxxie and Anwar
"Maxxie and Anwar" is the sixth episode of British television programme Skins. It was written by Simon Amstell and Ben Schiffer and was directed by Chris Clough. It aired on E4 on 1 March 2007...
" he reads Jeanette Winterson
Jeanette Winterson
Jeanette Winterson OBE is a British novelist.-Early years:Winterson was born in Manchester and adopted on 21 January 1960. She was raised in Accrington, Lancashire, by Constance and John William Winterson...
's Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit
Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit
Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit is a novel by Jeanette Winterson published in 1985, which she subsequently adapted into a BBC television drama...
, a book about a young girl struggling with her homosexuality. In the "Tony" episode of series 2, he is seen reading Ayn Rand
Ayn Rand
Ayn Rand was a Russian-American novelist, philosopher, playwright, and screenwriter. She is known for her two best-selling novels The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged and for developing a philosophical system she called Objectivism....
's Atlas Shrugged
Atlas Shrugged
Atlas Shrugged is a novel by Ayn Rand, first published in 1957 in the United States. Rand's fourth and last novel, it was also her longest, and the one she considered to be her magnum opus in the realm of fiction writing...
, while sitting on the train.
Series 1
In the episode "Tony", he attempts to help his best friend Sid to lose his virginityVirginity
Virginity refers to the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. There are cultural and religious traditions which place special value and significance on this state, especially in the case of unmarried females, associated with notions of personal purity, honor and worth...
before turning 17 for fear of being associated with a perceived loser. After momentarily suggesting Sid may lose it to Michelle, he later reveals he was referring to Cassie
Cassie Ainsworth
Cassandra "Cassie" Ainsworth is a fictional character in the television series Skins who is portrayed by Hannah Murray.-Characterization and creation:...
(Hannah Murray
Hannah Murray
Hannah Murray is an English actress, best known for playing Cassie Ainsworth in the E4 teen drama Skins from 2007 to 2008.-Career:...
). He orders Sid to acquire some weed from local drug dealer Madison Twatter, and eventually ends up driving a stolen car with his friends into the harbour where the drugs are lost.
Tony also begins a flirtatious relationship with local rich girl Abigail, which develops in "Jal" when he is spotted kissing her by Jal, and later in "Sid" where he uses her to break up with Michelle, claiming that he is doing it for Sid, to give him an opportunity to pursue his crush, only to get back with her in an attempt to emotionally damage Sid and Michelle. In "Maxxie and Anwar", on a school trip to Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
he aggressively and persistently tries to perform oral sex
Oral sex
Oral sex is sexual activity involving the stimulation of the genitalia of a sex partner by the use of the mouth, tongue, teeth or throat. Cunnilingus refers to oral sex performed on females while fellatio refer to oral sex performed on males. Anilingus refers to oral stimulation of a person's anus...
on his gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
friend Maxxie, only to find he is bad at it. Michelle witnesses this and is shocked, and believing he could be in the closet
The Closet
The Closet may refer to:* The Closet , Chinese film* The Closet , French film* The closet, referring to undisclosed homosexuality- See also :* Closet* Closet * In the closet...
, probes him to reveal any secrets he may be carrying.
In "Michelle", the episode starts with Michelle watching him as he continues to behave flirtatiously around Maxxie. Enraged, Michelle walks over to, punches and subsequently dumps him after he fails to tell her about his encounter with Maxxie, and she learns of various other affairs. He is subsequently punched by Sid and later slapped by another a girl in psychology lesson as punishment for the incident. After Michelle starts a relationship with Abigail's brother, Josh, Tony then schemes to get her back. He takes sexual pictures of Abigail, and then transmits them to Josh's phone, from where he sends them to Michelle in order to make him think he's as crazy as his sister. Tony attempts a reconciliation, but she still turns him down.
In "Effy", Tony comes to terms with the destructive nature of his machinations when faced with a chase to find his sister, Effy Stonem
Effy Stonem
Elizabeth "Effy" Stonem is a fictional character in the television series Skins, played by Kaya Scodelario. She is the only main character to appear in more than two series. She appears in all of the first four series...
and is given a terrible proposition: he must have sex with his unconscious sister if he wants her back from her captors. This scares him to tears, enough for Josh to tell him his lesson has been learned and let him go. His friendship with Sid is reaffirmed as Sid is the only one there for him in his crisis.
Later, in the series finale, Tony repays his debt to Sid by removing him from a mental institution and taking Sid to find Cassie. After leaving Sid at Anwar
Anwar Kharral
Anwar Kharral is a fictional character in the television series Skins portrayed by Dev Patel.-Characterization:Anwar is portrayed as a young pick and choose Muslim, Pakistani boy, meaning he chooses which parts of his religion he will practice when convenient and which parts he will not when it is...
(Dev Patel
Dev Patel
Dev Patel is a British actor. He is best known for playing Jamal Malik in Danny Boyle's Slumdog Millionaire , for which Patel won a number of awards, including a Critics' Choice Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award...
)'s party, he tries to call Michelle, but loses her signal, resorting to standing in the middle of the road to get the signal back. He confesses to Michelle that he really does love her but is cut short when he is run over by a bus. Michelle is left staring at her phone as, elsewhere, Effy holds his bleeding body in shock, and the episode ends with Tony's status unclear.
The Lost Weeks
It is revealed in Sid's "Lost Weeks" video that Tony has been left in a coma following the accident. This is followed by Tony's video, in which he awakes from his coma while listening to a tape of the gang telling rude and shocking stories to try to shock him into consciousness.Series 2
In "Tony and Maxxie", the first episode of Series 2, Tony is shown to be physically and mentally changed by his accident, after suffering from a subdural hematomaSubdural hematoma
A subdural hematoma or subdural haematoma , also known as a subdural haemorrhage , is a type of haematoma, a form of traumatic brain injury. Blood gathers within the outermost meningeal layer, between the dura mater, which adheres to the skull, and the arachnoid mater, which envelops the brain...
. He has shown to have lost most of his characteristic wit and confidence that was present in series 1. In a conversation with Maxxie's mum he states that "I'm stupid now" and on a bus he holds Maxxie's hand for security after a bus drives past. Having lost the ability to write among other disabilities, he finally manages to scribble his name by "dancing" his way through, with guidance from Maxxie.
In "Sketch", Tony starts to show visible signs of his previous affection for Michelle, but the consequences of his accident keep the relationship from working. Their brief sexual encounter reveals to Tony and the audience he has been rendered impotent as a result of the accident. Later on - he actively searches for her after the School Play when Michelle does not appear as a result of Sketch
Sketch (Skins character)
Lucy is a fictional character in British teen drama series Skins. She is portrayed by Aimee-Ffion Edwards.-Characterization:Sketch is portrayed as an obsessive and somewhat delusional Welsh girl...
(Aimee Ffion-Edwards) having poisoned her. He tells Michelle that he thinks he told her that he loved her the night of his accident, however the conclusion is left on a slightly ambiguous note on whether or not he was guessing.
In "Sid", Tony is seen to have improved more, however his language tends to get jumbled. At the end of the episode he successfully learns how to hold a cigarette. He helps Sid come to terms with his father's death, even by shutting his eyelids. The pair embark on an emotional embrace in a club which symbolizes their shattered friendship and the pain the two are both suffering.
In "Michelle", Michelle perseveres with Tony and attempts to seduce him despite the protests of Mrs. Stonem, Tony's mother. However Michelle's attempts fail with Tony still showing visible sexual difficulty, Michelle gets upset that Tony is still not 'better for her' - and leaves, stressing that she needs more time. Tony decides not to accompany the rest of the group on Michelle's birthday holiday but still gets her a present. After Michelle has had sex with Sid on the beach she finds that the birthday present is her watch that he was wearing at the time of his accident, with a note from Tony reading 'You said you needed some time'.
In "Chris", Tony has started learning to swim again. He is seen in the pool with his father with a beginner's swimming group. He speaks to Chris
Chris Miles
Christopher "Chris" Miles is a fictional character in the television series Skins portrayed by Joe Dempsie.-Characterization:Chris's character was initially portrayed as being very into pills and as being something of a hedonist, but at the same time had other layers to his personality. According...
(Joe Dempsie) afterwards proclaiming that he will 'Get everything back again' and that's including Michelle - and shows visible disgust when finding out Sid and Michelle have become a couple.
In "Tony", Tony is shown attempting to return to his own lifestyle, which translates into going to clubs and taking drugs. After Cassie gives Tony an ecstasy pill, Tony confronts Sid and Michelle (who are now in a full-blown sexual relationship) expressing his sarcasm at how happy he is for them. Straight after this - he begins to react badly from the drugs and has a panic attack in the toilets. A mysterious girl approaches him and reveals details about Tony's life despite her being a stranger. On the train ride up to a university open day - Tony is approached by a man who has visible horrific burns. The man tells Tony the story of how he came to be disfigured. Later on Tony attends an open day at University where he is in group interview with the same (Now unscathed) man he met on the train. The mysterious girl is also at the meeting and verbally attacks the head of the university. After being ejected from the interview, Tony and the girl embark on many misdemeanors throughout the course of the day. It slowly becomes apparent to the viewer that the girl may be a figment of Tony's imagination - for example when the girl encourages (and successfully teaches) Tony how to swim, he is found alone in the pool. However when interrogated about why he was in the pool, and Tony tries to explain about the girl, he is instructed to "not go with her." Later on Tony meets two promiscuous flatmates with the girl, who gave the girl a tattoo. Later on Tony and the girl consummate, and Tony regains his sexual libido
Libido
Libido refers to a person's sex drive or desire for sexual activity. The desire for sex is an aspect of a person's sexuality, but varies enormously from one person to another, and it also varies depending on circumstances at a particular time. A person who has extremely frequent or a suddenly...
. At the end of the episode, Tony is shown to have regained the majority of his intelligence and confidence. He then goes to tell Sid and Michelle that he loves them both and announces his disapproval of their sexual relationship. In its closing scenes, the tattoo that the girl had marked on her back is seen on Tony's, the implication being that the girl had been a creation of Tony's subconscious, ergo the manifestation of his animus or inner nature.
In the final episode Tony receives better grades than all his friends in A-Levels; 3 A's and a B. He also helps Sid steal Chris' coffin and later return it. Tony is also heading to Cardiff Uni and sees off Sid, who is leaving to find Cassie in New York. As Sid leaves, Tony is unable to hold back his tears. At the end of the episode, Tony and Michelle discuss their relationship and it is unknown if they will continue it through University.
Series 3 and 4
At the beginning of Series 3, Effy has moved into Tony's room and has given his signature duvet to Oxfam. Katie also mentions Tony and his popularity in one of her first conversations with Effy saying "Didn't you have a brother who was really cool and went mental, my friends fancied him". In Effy's video diary (which takes place after the events of her episode), Effy pleads with Tony for help, also asking him not to shout at her again. She also pleads with him not to "do anything" to Cook, suggesting Tony has made threats. In Series 4, Tony's picture is one of the photos' present on Effy's wall, shown to be connected to Freddie's picture along with the other member's of Effy's family. In "Effy", where Effy is receiving treatment in a psychiatric hospital, the incident where Tony was run over is shown to have profoundly damaged her.Analysis
Writer Russell T Davies opines that Tony belongs to the same character archetype as his earlier Stuart Allan Jones, on Queer as FolkQueer as Folk (UK TV series)
Queer as Folk is a 1999 British television series that chronicles the lives of three gay men living in Manchester's gay village around Canal Street. Both Queer as Folk and Queer as Folk 2 were written by Russell T Davies...
in being an unlikable character with whom audiences fail to connect, "because there's barely any recognition. Tony isn't believable." Unlike Davies' character, Tony's narrative thrust is one towards being brought down, to suffer, and to show the audience that Tony's behaviour is wrong; to do this, "They had to mow him down in the finale to make us care!"
External links
- Tony Stonem on the official E4 Skins site
- Tony Sternem on MyspaceMyspaceMyspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....