Normal People: The complex terrain of modern relationships

Disclaimer: This is mostly a brain dump of how much I liked this series. So, if you are interested in me raving and blabbering about it, not to mention the generous spoilers, don’t read this. Also, it’s not one of my finest works. I just wanted to record everything I observed.

Introduction

Normal People is a 2020 12-episode romance web series based on a book by Sally Rooney produced by Hulu and BBC. It follows two people, Marianne and Connell and the development of their relationship as they sail through high school in Sligo, a town in Ireland to University in Dublin and beyond. The series has been acclaimed for its poignant portrayal of a modern love story, production, chemistry between the lead actors and has garnered widespread positive reviews in the critic circle.

The characters of Connell Waldron and Marianne Sheridan

Marianne and Connell are both flawed, disturbed, broken individuals. Fighting their own battles.

Connell Waldron is the manifestation of the high school heart throb. He is liked by everybody and everybody likes him (as evident by the bombardment of ‘hi’ and ‘hiya’s he receives at parties). He is all-muscles, aquiline nose, charming face, sky blue eyes - the crush of students and teachers alike. He is good in studies as he regularly doles out homework to his folks, is a sportsperson and manages to pack everything with being a obedient son. But is he really perfect? As we get to know him, we can only appreciate the phrase “That which doesn’t meet the eye”. He has difficulty expressing his opinions or initiating conversations. He confessed to Marianne once that he can’t feel emotions. In one shot, he is seen writing a journal presumably recording the experience of his kiss with Marianne. He feels emotions at a much deeper level, a much purer form than his peers which understandably makes him conscious of who he shares his innermost feelings. He rebuked his friend for showing compromising pictures of his girlfriend to others asking if it was ethical and gentlemanly - which certainly suggests a good heart. Seriously, what is there not to like about a guy who stares at paintings for entire days?

Lorraine, Connell’s mother, conceived him while she was young herself too presumably an unplanned pregnancy (evident from the young age of Lorraine). Lacking a father, Lorraine tries to make both ends meet but there is no hiding the fact that he is poor. At least poorer than his peers and definitely much more than Marianne Sheridan, in whose mansion Lorraine works as help. Victim of a dysfunctional family through her life, Marianne has tried to find solace in studies. She is brighter than Connell and unpopular, is concerned about her body and generally acts to be a obnoxious person in school. There are some very harsh and nasty events with her family that underlines the pressured environment she must have endured. Alan, her brother, probably jealous of her wit or her existence?, drenched her in soap water and her mother went after him, after glancing at Marianne who was cold and dirty. At another point, he throws a wine bottle at her and slams the door on her face and breaks her nose. Her mother, Denise, is a cold character lacking empathy and compassion especially towards her daughter or perhaps because of her. She trades birthday wish for instructions that subtly highlights her favour to her on her birthday.

Connell shines throughout as a paragon of masculinity combined with sensitivity. Though somewhat reclused, he has tremendous empathy for others. How he made Marianne comfortable in bed for the first time or how he respected her and asked if she needed anything during her period speaks for themselves. Marianne once remarked how his book was excellent in a way that enabled her to read his most private thought. How she was jealous of him for having a second vibrant life (Connell is clearly an introvert).

Furthermore, in Sligo, where he messed the relationship with Marianne when he asked Rachel to the Deb’s was another stumbling on his part as a shy person. He became terrified of what his peers were saying in school and acted foolishly. Years later in college, eventually, he apologized for that day and realised that nobody cared even if they said things. Things had changed, lessons learnt, they had grown up from two innocent teenagers in Sligo infatuated with one another.

The way Marianne burst into tears while she forgave Connell is indicative of the fact that she had wanted him to come along all this while. Throughout the series, in a great many instances, she expresses that she could do anything for him (which is, frankly speaking, not bad because Connell as a partner was A-rated material) for example: in the heart-wrenching coffee house meet. On more than occassion in bed does she tells him that “It doesn’t feel like this with other people”. But considering to what extent Marianne wanted him, it is not unreasonable to say Connell lacked communication as is succinctly put by Marianne in the 11th episode, “It is not obvious to me what you want”. Even though he is passionate about her and admires her and wants her, he is unable to publicly express his desire for her; not even physically contact her around people.

So, when he did touch her and kiss her shoulder by the pool, it took Marianne by surprise. A similar uprising can be seen when he asked Rachel to “fuck off” when she got nasty and unsympathetic towards a harrassed Marianne towards the beginning of the show. Marianne’s eyes immediately lit up on his sudden and unexpected reaction.

But there is certainly misgivings in believing that the show is about the physical relationship between two individuals though sex forms a significant part of the show with a great many explicit scenes. It is about how two people can learn and grow from one another and in the end, overcome what they individually could not. Take for example: the series of abusive relationships that Marianne gets herself into. In that beautiful Italian episode (I swear to god, every scene of this episode is worth framing…okay, I’ll stop) when Connell dashed into the house when she screamed. And when he carried her groceries from the market, Marianne knew already that he would. When he pranced at her brother for making her bleed and took her away at night. In a similar vein, Connell’s mental health was on the brink of collapse after Rob, his childhood friend’s suicide. It was Marianne’s company, though she was in Sweden, that helped him sail through. The skype call through the night as she watched him sleep while finishing her work was pretty cute.

A number of quirky things I found amusing in the show

• The number of times they say I miss you to each other (!)

• They really confess what they want to say to each other when they are drunk or at least one of them is.

• Tea. Oh my god, it was everywhere.

• Accent. I liked Irish accent to be honest. The way Marianne says “much” or “fuck” or “anybody” - though I researched it might be a Daisy Edgar-Jones thing.

• The threesome offer by Peggy. LMAO.

SOUNDTRACK

I understand that the original soundtrack is a tad bit long so here is my suggestions for a quick preamble of the songs. As someone on the web said, “The songs from Normal People are like heartbreak in a bottle”. Hm, about right.

1. Hide and Seek by Imogen Heap
2. Undertow by Liza Hannigan
3. Only you by Yazoo
4. Love will tear us apart cover by Nerina Pallot
5. Rare by Selena Gomez
6. Neunundneunzig Luftballons by Nena
7. Maybe by SOAK

For the entire official playlist, see here.

CONCLUSION

I definitely enjoyed this show. 8.5 on IMDb is certainly justified. I just wanna say that if this is how normal relationships unfold these days, then I’d prefer an abnormal one! Worth revisiting.