Jal Fazer
Encyclopedia
Jalander "Jal" Fazer is a fictional character
in the television series Skins
portrayed by Larissa Wilson
.
player in the country". 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 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 triple
s). 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.
) and impresses all her friends by looking great. 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 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.
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.
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:
Her story ends with Jal sitting by Chris' grave crying as Chris' dad offers his condolences.
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...
in the 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 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....
.
Characterization
Jal is described by the official Skins website as "super bright and the most talented young clarinetClarinet
The clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
player in the country". 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
Michelle 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,...
and Chris Miles
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...
. 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
Ghetto
A ghetto is a section of a city predominantly occupied by a group who live there, especially because of social, economic, or legal issues.The term was originally used in Venice to describe the area where Jews were compelled to live. The term now refers to an overcrowded urban area often associated...
" personas as well as Tony Stonem
Tony Stonem
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...
's poor treatment of Michelle, and the way in which Sid Jenkins
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...
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
Myspace
Myspace 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....
-style "about me" section on the Skins website she dislikes modern pop artists and wishes to "sue MTV Base
MTV Base
MTV Base is a 24-hour music and general entertainment channel from MTV Networks International. The channel focuses primarily on music from the world of R'n'B, hiphop, reggae, soul and urban. The MTV Base brand first launched in the United Kingdom and in the Republic of Ireland on July 1, 1999,...
for prolonged emotional distress". Her favourite "musical dynamics" are Dolce
Dolce
Dolce means "sweet" in Italian and may refer to:- Places:*Dolcè, an Italian municipality located in the Province of Verona*Dolce , a village in the Czech Republic- People :*Christine Dolce...
, Affettuoso, Rubato and Giocoso. Her other favourite things include eating chips, Maxxie Oliver
Maxxie Oliver
Maxxie Oliver is a fictional character in the British television series Skins. He is portrayed by actor Mitch Hewer.-Characterisation:Maxxie is portrayed as proficient at several styles of dance, including tap dance. He is also shown as being a brilliant artist, seductive, well-liked and...
's dancing, and the correlation between maths and music (Pythagorean triple
Pythagorean triple
A Pythagorean triple consists of three positive integers a, b, and c, such that . Such a triple is commonly written , and a well-known example is . If is a Pythagorean triple, then so is for any positive integer k. A primitive Pythagorean triple is one in which a, b and c are pairwise coprime...
s). 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.
Series 1
In "Jal", Jal anticipates her clarinet recital (for place of BBC Young Musician of the YearBBC Young Musician of the Year
The BBC Young Musician of the Year is a televised national music competition. It is broadcast on BBC Two and BBC Four biennially, despite the name, and hosted by the British Broadcasting Corporation...
) and impresses all her friends by looking great. 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 the series finale, she dances with Kenneth at Anwar Kharral
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...
'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 Chris will give his life a go and stop saying 'fuck it' and 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. Angie turns up however, Chris pulls out of his romp in the toilet with her when he thinks of Jal. When coming 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
Dysfunctional family
A dysfunctional family is a family in which conflict, misbehavior, and often abuse on the part of individual members occur continually and regularly, leading other members to accommodate such actions. Children sometimes grow up in such families with the understanding that such an arrangement is...
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.
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:
Her story ends with Jal sitting by Chris' grave crying as Chris' dad offers his condolences.
External links
- Jal Fazer on the official E4 Skins site
- Jal Fazer 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....