Why Eskild is the Unsung Hero of SKAM

If you're anything like me, you've recently become unhealthily obsessed with the love lives of Norwegian teenagers. Specifically Eva, Noora, Isak, and the rest of the crew from SKAM, the Norwegian teen series that's sweeping the internet. It's hard not to love them--they're adorable, supportive of their friends, and they've all got epic love stories. And I MEAN epic:

If you're not already on the SKAM bandwagon, then you're really missing out. I'll admit, it took Ariel more than a few months to talk me into watching this series. I was never particularly interested in the British SKINS, which many people have likened to this show, and I don't love reading subtitles. But as a wise man once said, "don't knock it 'til you try it," so I gave this series the old college try and HOT DAMN am I glad I did. 

All fangirling aside, the real reason I decided to write this article is to celebrate one of the most important and least-appreciated characters on SKAM: Noora's and Isak's older roommate Eskild.

Eskild is not part of the main friend group of second-year Hartvig Nissen School students, and therefore is probably out of the running to ever get his own season (Spoiler Alert: the protagonist the show switches to a new character every season). He's indeterminately older, probably somewhere in his mid-twenties, he's quirky and supportive and for some reason he lives in an Oslo apartment with a manic-depressive girl (Linn, whose brief appearances are always hilarious) and a revolving door of high-schoolers. 

Eskild is often employed by the writers for comedic relief to break up the drama of the main characters' relationships. When he's not on the screen, he's largely ignored, and though he's obviously an interesting guy, his backstory is largely unknown and mysterious. And ESKILD DESERVES BETTER!

When Noora needs someone to help her distract Vilde from her doomed love life, who steps up to the plate? Eskild. When she needs a shoulder to cry on, who's there with a tissue? Eskild. When Isak needs some gay advice but acts like an ass about it, who Obi-Wans him anyways? Eskild. In a show where there are few to no adults, the best support system any of the SKAM kids have is Eskild. And I, for one, love him for it. 

So do yourself a favor and check out SKAM (you'll have to find it somewhere in the darker corners of the internet, I warn you, but it's well worth it for the creative fan-generated subtitles alone). But when you get sucked into this Norwegian gem, don't forget who the real hero is: