Tony Stonem

Anthony "Tony" Stonem is a fictional character from the television series Skins. He is portrayed by [Nicholas Hoult.

Characterisation
Tony first seems to be every parent's dream: he is very handsome, one of the most popular boys in his town, does very well in school, and many of the girls in his town would give anything to date him. On the Skins website, in a MySpace-style "about me" section, he explains that his favourite philosopher is David Hume, his favourite medieval king is Charlemagne, his favourite Primal Scream album is Vanishing Point and that his favourite food is potatoes.

There is a dark side to his personality, however. The flip side of Tony's charm and self-confidence is an arrogant belief in his own superiority, but no one seems to notice. Teachers, friends' parents, schoolmates and girls all idolise him, despite his socipathy tendencies - the cruel games he plays with his family and friends, in particular those closest to him, his girlfriend Michelle Richardson and best friend Sid Jenkins. Only those closest to him come to realise his true nature. 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", his girlfriend Michelle Richardson characterises Tony as like ice, "cold and transparent." It is unknown exactly what caused Tony to be the way he is. His parents are very loving (with the exception of his fathers tirades), he gets whatever he wants, and many people appreciate and love him. Is is speculated that his problems stem from brain damage.

Tony's sexual encounters are vast. In "Michelle", Jal Fazer is able to recall a long list of his conquests. Michelle later puts to Abigail that he "fucks everyone... including boys." In a psychology lesson, he equates sex with power and his lust for both in his presentation.

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.

Series 1
In "Tony", he attempts to help his best friend Sid Jenkins to lose his virginity 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 Ainsworth. 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 Stock, 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, 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 oversees 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. Josh 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 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'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 coach. 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. It is then revealed in Tony's "Lost Weeks" video Tony wakes from his coma while listening to a tape of the gang, telling 'rude'/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 hematoma. 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 lorry 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 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 a watch with a note from Tony reading 'You said you needed 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 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 Acid tablet, 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 advised to "Stay away from her." Later on Tony meets two promiscuous flatmates with the girl, who give 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 says an emotional goodbye to Sid who is leaving to find Cassie in New York. At the end of the episode, Tony and Michelle discuss their relationship and it is unlikely that they will continue it through University.