Matty (Skins)

Matty Levan
Skins character
Conor McAteer as Matty Levan
First appearance	"Franky" (episode 5.01)
Last appearance	"Finale" (episode 6.10)
Created by	Bryan Elsley and Jamie Brittain
Portrayed by	Conor McAteer
Seasons	5-6
Information
Occupation	Student
Family	Leon Levan (father) Siobhan Jane (mother) Nick Levan (brother)
Significant other(s)	Franky Fitzgerald (ex-girlfriend) Liv Malone (ex-girlfriend)

Matthew "Matty" Levan is a fictional character from the third generation of the British teen drama Skins, portrayed by up and coming Glaswegian actor Conor McAteer. Matty is described as "mysterious and initially unrealistic character, because he's untouchable."

Matty is the only lead character in the history of Skins to never have a centric episode - either solo or shared. It follows that he's mainly known through relationships with some of the other characters.

Matty seems to appear in the fifth series out of nowhere, in a black trenchcoat and a duffle bag like a vagabond without a home. "As a character within the group, his position is initially very confusing. He has a definite charisma, with a very abstract philosophy on life, but he's just one of those characters that could go either way, and do very bad or very good things." Only after a half of the series his name is revealed, and he turns out to be Nick's older brother. Trapped in a life by a tyrannical father (Leon Levan), Matty had decided to rebel and leave home, engaged in criminal behaviour and drug abuse. His return will help Nick confront his dad and find the strength to pursue his own road.

In terms of his personality, Matty is a pensive, passional, and intuitive boy. He likes reading, composing music, and through his tastes it crops out a dark and slightly depressive side which stays hidden. "When the character was in development, he was explicitly bisexual, this element was left unsaid but he's still a bit of a nymph." In series 5, "Matty is like in the shallow end, having fun nibbling at people's feet." "What’s come away from him in series six is this veneer and the defence mechanisms he used to utilise, through a number of incredibly tragic and revelatory events." In order to cope with them Matty finally decides to cast aside all his wishes and embraces the only way to build his future.

There is an underlying sadness in this family, an absent mother that Nick (Sean Teale), Leon (Dorian Lough) and Matty never mention, like a blank spot in their past that is influencing how they interact. Leon is a failure as a life coach (one of his patients commit suicide) and as a father, but there is also a hint that his failure to connect to his sons in any other way than as a tyrannical, emotionless coach might be rooted in whatever happened to his wife. Nick and Matty cope differently with the situation. Nick in the first part of series five has shaped himself in the image of his dad, embracing his ideology, following his rules. Matty in reverse is breaking all the rules and leaves home in order to find by himself the freedom he needs.