As finals wrap up and summer in quarantine begins, we are all looking for sources of inspiration, shows or movies that connect us to a reality that we miss. Just a week or so prior to Hulu's premiere of "Normal People" on April 29th, I had read Sally Rooney's book of the same name and found more than a love story. The main characters, Marianne and Connell, and their love story spanning years is also a story about youth, and being vulnerable to the social forces that control our actions.
The two meet in senior year of high school, where Marianne is a 'freak' outcast, and Connell is the popular athlete but reserved -- both are exceptionally studious. Connell's single mother works as a cleaner for Marianne's wealthy family. When Connell picks up his mother, he and Marianne strike up a conversation and their relationship begins there, but in secret. He wishes it to stay a secret for fear that his friends find out and him and Marianne become targets of ridicule. The two both attend Trinity College in Dublin, but go separate ways. Connell feels out of touch in a big city, working to pay rent while Marianne builds a new successful social life. Over the years, they run into each other, or purposely find their way back to each other.
I recommend reading the book before the show as you appreciate the frankness of their conversations, and the raw feeling behind the words they say. Marianne and Connell's discussions are so open, even if they are judgemental of and cruel to one another. They are brutally honest, and yet still misunderstand each other. There are so many moments of frustration as a viewer, watching the two screw things up out of fear and miscommunication. Taking turns hurting one another simply by being young, they fall victim to social pressures and misunderstand one another, oftentimes caring more about what others would say.
The show was able to convey the physical chemistry between Marianne and Connell, without making it feel unnecessarily explicit. Marianne and Connell's intimacy is a discussion, and changes as the years go on, reflecting the different stages of their relationship. What makes this book and show beautiful to watch as a young person, is the concept that young people do not make mistakes because they are reckless, but because we were raised with baggage and burdens we did not ask for that restrain us from being honest with ourselves.
A beautiful love story where you can relate to the characters and their individual personalities. We all have a bit of Marianne in us: fragile, outcast, and vulnerable. We all have a bit of Connell too: afraid of stepping out of an image, afraid of speaking one's opinion, and unsure. "Normal People" is a must watch.
