Jal Fazer

Last updated
Jal Fazer
Skins character
Jal Fazer.jpg
Larissa Wilson as Jal Fazer
First appearance"Tony" (episode 1.01)
Last appearance"Final Goodbyes" (episode 2.10)
Created by Bryan Elsley and Jamie Brittain
Portrayed by Larissa Wilson
Seasons 1-2
Centric episode(s)"Jal" (episode 1.03)
"Jal" (episode 2.08)
In-universe information
NicknameJal
Occupation Student
FamilyRonny Fazer (father)
Ace Fazer (brother)
Lynton Fazer (brother)

Jalander "Jal" Fazer is a fictional character in the television series Skins portrayed by Larissa Wilson.

Contents

Characterisation

Jal is described by the official Skins website as "super bright and the most talented young clarinet player in the country". [1] The daughter of fictional celebrity Ronny Fazer, she is easily the most affluent of all of her friends, of whom she is closest to Michelle Richardson and Chris Miles. As a highly talented and intellectual teenager, she defies various stereotypes. Her school is quick to take pride in (and responsibility for) her success, despite carrying little interest in the naturally gifted Jal. She is very straightforward and self-aware, and has contempt for her brothers' fake "ghetto" personas as well as Tony Stonem's poor treatment of Michelle, and the way in which Sid Jenkins ignores Cassie. Despite this, she can occasionally come across as something of a goody-goody, as several characters occasionally point out her preference for her clarinet over her friends, with Chris making a pact with her, in which she has to "stop saying "no" all the time."

According to her Myspace-style "about me" section on the Skins website [2] she dislikes modern pop artists and wishes to "sue MTV Base for prolonged emotional distress". Her favourite "musical dynamics" are Dolce, Affettuoso, Rubato and Giocoso. Her other favourite things include eating chips, Maxxie Oliver's dancing, and the correlation between maths and music (Pythagorean triples). She is also incredibly driven, finding herself knowing more than her careers advisor, having planned out her future, and having to pass up a fifteen-minute interview in awkward silence. [3]

Character history

Series 1

Jal is first seen in the opening episode practising her clarinet when she is interrupted by Tony's phone call. She tells him to stop calling Michelle 'nips' and rejects the invitation to Abigail's party, hinting at her anti-party lifestyle which is explored further in her central episode. In "Jal", Jal anticipates her clarinet recital (for place of BBC Young Musician of the Year) and impresses all her friends by looking great with the aid of Michelle. She also spots Tony flirt with Abigail, much to Jal's disgust. Her clarinet is broken by Sid's drug dealing enemy Madison Twatter, who smashes it before being chased away by her brothers Ace and Lynton (who are subsequently beaten into hospital). Her dad surprises her by buying her a new clarinet and having Madison abducted (presumably killed). Later, in "Chris" it is revealed she did not win Young Musician of the Year and only received £25 to cover her traveling costs. She grows closer to Chris as he is abandoned by both parents and left homeless, whilst beginning to become aware of his drug addiction. In "Sid" she is critical of Sid for how he treats Cassie and is there to take Cassie to hospital after an overdose. She tells the doctors that she is Cassie's sister, and gets rid of Sid, with whom she is angry, hoping Cassie will recover. In "Maxxie and Anwar", she tries to inform Michelle that Tony cheated on her with Abigail but she does not listen. This ultimately blows off in Michelle's episode where they fall out due to Jal's inability to tell her about Tony's long list of infidelities. However, they reconcile towards the end of the episode. In the series finale, she dances with Kenneth at Anwar Kharral's birthday party and the two seem to grow closer. When Chris starts a brawl, she makes easy work in fighting some of the large male attackers.

Series 2

In episode five of the second season, "Chris", we see Jal and Chris make a deal that he will give his life a go and stop saying 'fuck it' and that Jal will stop saying no to everything, as Chris had previously told her in "Sid" that "you don't have sex at all. You have clarinet lessons." At a party that night, Jal shows her wilder side when Chris dares her to go and get the hat off the head of the singer at the party. She downs a can of beer and snogs the singer right on stage for his hat. Inevitably, she and Chris end up getting together. In a later episode, Angie turns up. However, Chris pulls out of his romp in the toilet with her when he thinks of Jal. When they come out of the bathroom, Jal is there and puts two and two together. Chris then attempts to get Jal back and they get back together, however he doesn't yet know that Jal is pregnant with his baby. In the following episode, "Tony", she is seen in the club with the others but doesn't appear to drink alcohol. Tony tells her she is a bad liar and knows she has a secret. It isn't clear if she told him she was pregnant or not.

During episode eight, Jal's central episode, she continues to battle with the many decisions she needs to make in the foreseeable future. Whilst Jal struggles to decide when to reveal her pregnancy to boyfriend Chris, it is heavily hinted that Chris has a secret of his own. Half way through the episode, it is revealed that Cassie somehow knows of Jal's pregnancy. Michelle and Jal's dysfunctional family discover her secret shortly after. The next day, Jal heads for a musical audition at a prestigious college of arts, and performs well. However, when she returns home, she discovers Cassie looking anxious sitting on the table in the apartment. They both head to the hospital where it is revealed that Chris is suffering from the same illness that killed his brother.

In episode nine, Jal appears at Sid's dinner party, and reveals that she is pregnant, and plans to have an abortion.

Jal got two As and a C in her A-levels.

In the series 2 finale, Jal reveals that she had an abortion. She can barely face getting out of bed on the day of Chris' funeral. However, Chris' dad banned all of his friends from attending the funeral, worried about embarrassment to the family. Chris' friends decide to watch the funeral from afar, whilst Jal makes this touching speech:

I've been thinking about what Chris would have wanted me to say today. The advice he'd give me, which'd be something like, "Know what, babe? Fuck it. These guys know all about me. Tell them about someone else." So I thought I'd tell you about a hero of Chris's: a man called Captain Joe Kittinger. In 1960, climbing into a foil balloon, Captain Joe ascended 32 kilometres into the stratosphere. And then, armed only with a parachute, he jumped out. He fell for four minutes and thirty-six seconds, reaching seven hundred and forty miles per hour before opening his parachute five kilometres above the Earth. It had never been done before, and it's never been done since. He did it just because he could. And that's why Chris loved him - because the thing about Chris was, he said yes. He said yes to everything. He loved everyone. And he was the bravest boy - man - I knew. And that was - he flung himself out of a foil balloon every day. Because he could. Because he was. And that's why - and that's why we, we loved him.

Her story ends with Jal sitting by Chris' grave crying as Chris' dad offers his condolences.

Related Research Articles

<i>Skins</i> (British TV series) British television series (2007–2013)

Skins is a British teen comedy drama television series that follows the lives of a group of teenagers in Bristol, South West England, through the two years of sixth form. Its controversial story-lines have explored issues like dysfunctional families, mental illness, adolescent sexuality, gender, substance abuse, death, and bullying.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tony Stonem</span> Character in Skins

Anthony "Tony" Stonem is a fictional character from the British television series Skins. He is the protagonist of the first seasons. Portrayed by Nicholas Hoult, the character was created by Bryan Elsley; Tony was the series' central character in its first and second season, from 2007 to 2008. In the first series finale, he is hit by a bus, leading to a trauma-related subplot in the second series. The character is considered an antihero, and in some respects his actions are very antagonistic due to his antisocial 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 on 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 Schneider.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cassie Ainsworth</span> Fictional character from Skins

Cassandra "Cassie" Ainsworth is a fictional character in the television series Skins, portrayed by Hannah Murray.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maxxie Oliver</span> Fictional character from Skins

Maxwell "Maxxie" Oliver is a fictional character in the British television series Skins. He is portrayed by actor Mitch Hewer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sid Jenkins</span> Fictional character from Skins

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. However, by the second series, Sid is more dependable and following Tony's accident, becomes more confident in his own skin, leading him to have sexual relationships with both Cassie Ainsworth and Michelle Richardson, as well as standing up for himself more often.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michelle Richardson</span> Fictional character from Skins

Michelle Richardson is a fictional character in both the teen drama British series and U.S. remake of Skins. She is played by April Pearson in the British version and by Rachel Thevenard in the American version.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anwar Kharral</span> Fictional character from Skins

Anwar Kharral is a fictional character in the television series Skins portrayed by Dev Patel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Miles (Skins)</span> Fictional character from Skins

Christopher "Chris" Miles is a fictional character in the British teen drama Skins, portrayed by Joe Dempsie.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Effy Stonem</span> Fictional character from Skins

Elizabeth "Effy" Stonem is a fictional character in the television series Skins, played by Kaya Scodelario. She appears in all of the first four series, as well as the seventh series, and appears in the most episodes (27). Kaya Scodelario was included in Entertainment Weekly's 2009 "Summer Must List", being named "Bad Girl" for her portrayal of Effy. She was included in AfterEllen.com's Top 50 Favorite Female TV Characters.

Sketch (<i>Skins</i> character) Fictional character from Skins

Lucy Sketch is a fictional character in British teen drama series Skins. She is portrayed by Aimee-Ffion Edwards.

"Tony" is the first episode of British drama series, Skins. It was written by Bryan Elsley and directed by Paul Gay. It is told from the point of view of main character Tony Stonem. It aired on E4 on 25 January 2007.

"Jal" is the third episode of the first series of the British teen drama Skins. It was written by Bryan Elsley and directed by Adam Smith. It premiered on E4 on 8 February 2007. It is told from the point of view of main character Jal Fazer.

"Sid" is the fifth episode of the first series of the British teen drama Skins. It was written by Jamie Brittain and directed by Minkie Spiro. It aired on E4 on 22 February 2007. It is told from the point of view of main character Sid Jenkins.

"Maxxie and Anwar" is the sixth episode of the first series of the British teen drama Skins. It was written by Simon Amstell and Ben Schiffer and was directed by Chris Clough. It first aired on E4 on 1 March 2007. It is told from the points of view of main characters Maxxie Oliver and Anwar Kharral.

"Effy" is the eighth and penultimate episode of the first series of the British teen drama Skins. It was written by Jack Thorne and directed by Adam Smith. It aired on E4 on 15 March 2007. It is told from the point of view of recurring character Effy Stonem and her brother, main character Tony Stonem.

"Everyone" is the ninth and final episode of the first series of the British teen drama Skins. It was written by Bryan Elsley and directed by Adam Smith. It first aired on E4 in the UK on 22 March 2007. Contrarily to the season's other episodes, it does not focus particularly on one character but on the group as a whole, a first for the show.

<i>Skins</i> (series 1) 1st series of the British television show Skins

Skins is a British teen drama created by father-and-son television writers Bryan Elsley and Jamie Brittain for Company Pictures. The first series began airing on E4 on 25 January 2007 and ended on 22 March 2007. This series sees the introduction of a new cast; it follows the lives of the first generation of sixth form students Tony Stonem, Michelle Richardson, Sid Jenkins, Cassie Ainsworth, Chris Miles, Jal Fazer, Maxxie Oliver and Anwar Kharral.

<i>Skins</i> (series 2) 2nd series of the British television show Skins

Skins is a British teen drama created by father-and-son television writers Bryan Elsley and Jamie Brittain for Company Pictures. The second series began airing on E4 on 11 February 2008 and ended on 14 April 2008. Like the previous series, this series follows the lives of the first generation, which consists of Tony Stonem, Michelle Richardson, Sid Jenkins, Cassie Ainsworth, Chris Miles, Jal Fazer, Maxxie Oliver and Anwar Kharral.

Tony (<i>Skins</i> series 2) 6th episode of the 2nd season of Skins

"Tony" is the sixth episode of the second series of the British teen drama Skins, which first aired on 17 March 2008 on E4 in both Ireland and the United Kingdom. The episode was written by Jamie Brittain, and was directed by Harry Enfield.

References

  1. Channel 4 - Skins - Us
  2. Channel 4 - Skins - Us - Jal
  3. "Careers Advice". Unseen Skins. E4.