Since I have officially annoyed every single one of my friends about the show, Normal People, it's time to write about it. Normal People is definitely the best show of quarantine, and I genuinely think it is one of the, if not the best show I have watched in a very very long time. Basically, it's like Outer Banks for people who have taste. I kid, I kid. It is nothing like Outer Banks. It is about two Irish teenagers who grow up in and out of each other's lives as they navigate their own lives as college students dealing with college and hard times. It stars Paul Mescal and Daisy Edgar-Jones as Connell and Marianne, a popular-well loved soccer player and a wealthy, lonely girl without many friends. They fall in love and you'll see as the rest goes on. It is a 12-episode series (perfect amount of episodes, I may add) on Hulu. The acting was genuinely amazing and had you completely hooked for the entire series.
Normal People is based on the novel of the same name by Sally Rooney. Since I had previously read and adored the novel, I was honestly a little nervous to start the show. However, my expectations were definitely met, if not exceeded. Connell and Marianne were portrayed exactly as I thought they would be, and the rest of the characters as well. The casting job was phenomenal. I highly suggest reading the book before because there were little to no changes, and every change I did find was done beautifully and was necessary. Also, the soundtrack is amazing- just pure musical genius.
While this show is amazing for a quarantine binge, it is pretty heavy and deals with some serious topics. It is not an easy, funny show to just have on in the background while you clean your room for the fifth time that week. It requires your full attention and deserves it. The show obviously focuses on the romantic relationship between Marianne and Connell, however, it is not a "rom-com" sort of romance. It shows how real people mess up and how hard it is to be in a relationship. Also, the show does get pretty ~steamy~ so I would definitely not recommend watching it with your parents unless you want to be insanely uncomfortable, then go ahead. The show also focuses on issues and abuse with family and relationships in a very sincere and important way. Some of the scenes are upsetting, but necessary nonetheless. Normal People also does a great job with the topic of mental health. It focuses on Connell's mental health journey and his struggles. I found it very interesting and was pleasantly surprised that it was a portrayal of male mental health, which is often overlooked. However, it was not romanticized in the slightest. I think that the way Normal People illustrates these heavy topics is great and important for young people in today's world
Okay so now we're done with that, we must talk about Paul Mescal. Paul Mescal is going to be the next "it boy" in film and TV, I am telling you. And if he's not there's something wrong with the world. Part of me doesn't want this show to become so big in America because of Paul Mescal. However, it is all of our civic duty to spread the news. I honestly don't really know how to describe it. There is an Instagram account (@connellschain) that has 167,000 followers that just posts pictures of Paul Mescal wearing a chain. I think that explains it well enough.
