Binge Watched: Normal People

'We've done so much good for each other.'

Based on the novel of the same name by Sally Rooney, the story follows Marianne and Connell, from different backgrounds but the same small town in Ireland, as they weave in and out of each other's romantic lives as well as navigate their individual lives as students in Trinity College. I have the novel with me but my first attempt in reading it was unsuccessful so when I heard that a mini-series was being made I was cautious and excited at the same time. The show came out just last year and being reminded of its existence I immediately decided to binge watch it. Normal People stars Daisy Edgar Jones and Paul Mescal as Marianne and Connell with Sarah Greene who plays Connell's mother Lorraine. The production values are amazing, the cinematography, the music are all there to serve the story but the real stars of the show are the two leads who have palpable chemistry that can go from fragile to something more in tact which pretty much describes their relationship throughout the show. Marianne starts out as the loner in what I assume is the high school equivalent of the Irish educational system and Connell is the rugby star and all-around popular boy. As Marianne starts to take interest in Connell and finds out that the feeling is mutual they get together in secret. 

Follows Marianne and Connell, from different backgrounds but the same small town in Ireland, as they weave in and out of each other's romantic lives.

I thought this is a good show about what it's like to be in a relationship, it's not at all like the movies where all the bad things that happened are trivial and the romance is as grand as a John Williams musical score. The show does certainly live up to its title because both Marianne and Connell both lead normal lives with normal people problems that arise. As they enter Trinity College in Dublin, the scenario is reversed; Marianne is a hit in her circle of friends while Connell is a fish out of water and the show explores this and more. When the two get back together for the first time since their days in Sligo problems arise immediately, a miscommunication that creates a crack through their already fragile relationship. I thought this was one of the aspects that the show never held back, the things left unspoken are better put out there than kept inside. 

Paul Mescal as Connell and Daisy Edgar Jones as Marianne

The story really is refreshing to me as far as romantic dramas go because there's always a lot of heartache that goes on before the big finish where they get together for good and everyone is happy. In Normal People, it's different because the characters weave in and out of each others romantic lives while never holding a grudge against the other for it. It never feels toxic either, and while Marianne and Connell do a lot of fooling around with each other in bed (my main gripe of the show) they're also portrayed with vulnerability and sensitivity thanks to the script which is also partly written by Rooney herself and because of this I'm willing to give the novel another chance just to see the difference between the source material and the adaptation. 

The other aspects of production outside of the acting is brilliant, the cinematography, the music and the direction go far in order to tell the story in a seamless way because of much the behind-the camera people care about it and it pretty much shows since a lot of thought seems to be put into it. I love how whenever something is affecting one of the characters there's always a close up involved, it's not explosive or grand or anything but it's an effective way of showing it. This technique seems to be common in British television shows, not so much in American ones. Overall, I enjoyed Normal People and highly recommend it to anyone who wants something refreshing in the romantic drama genre.

4/5 stars.