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Normal People - General Discussion

scrb

By scrb
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Roseanna

Roseanna

On 5/29/2020 at 11:48 AM, Avabelle said:

However I have reached the point in the series where they’re both just annoying me. Like I know we hate Jamie as he’s a little prick but like, on what planet did Marianne think that bringing her former almost boyfriend on holidays with her current beau would be appropriate. I know they dressed it up as harmless friendship but really it was just an excuse for them to eyefuck each other for a few day’s. Also while I thought Helen was better portrayed in the book I still thought Connell treated her like shite and acted like the Marianne jealousy was in her head while acting painfully inappropriately with Marianne.

I think that the idea was to show Jaime and Helen's different reaction to a situation of same kind. When they were alone, Helen talked honestly to Connell what was bothering her in his behavior. Instead, Jaime behaved towards Marianne like a macho in front of their guests by complaining about such trivial matters than glasses of wrong kind. That alone would have made me hate him!      

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Empress1

Empress1

On 5/13/2020 at 2:26 AM, scrb said:

At least for this series, them separating, especially after that first year, seems really contrived.  He can't or won't ask her if he could stay with her in the summer and when he says something like "I guess we'll see other people," in his memory, she says right away "I guess so" while in her memory of the same conversation, she's more hesitant.

I kept thinking, if y'all could communicate better, this wouldn't even be a thing. I also wondered why doing a long-distance summer wasn't an option - their hometown is within driving distance of Dublin, given that we've seen them drive back and forth. Summer isn't very long and phones and email exist; college sweethearts go back to their hometowns for college summers all the time.

I did like that in the next episode, they were both like "Yeah, we fucked that up."

I winced when Marianne said "I don't find it obvious what you want," because I said something similar to a man I was involved with in my mid-20s. (I think my words were "I have no idea how you feel about me.") He was a worse guy than Connell.

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kieyra

kieyra

49 minutes ago, Empress1 said:

They're doing two more episodes set 40 years in the future, so I guess folks will find out if they end up together. They're only airing them in Ireland & northern Ireland at first - not sure when/if they'll make their way to the rest of the world.

Fascinating. I can’t tell if it’s going to be some kind of spoof (since it’s a “comic relief” charity), and since it’s the original actors I wonder how far they’ll go with aging them into their 60s. I suppose that’ll depend a lot on where this is supposed to fall on the serious / spoof spectrum.

I also wonder when and how them filmed it in terms of the pandemic. I know some stuff has been back in production in the UK, but no idea how. 

xtwheeler

xtwheeler

On 5/29/2020 at 5:28 AM, himela said:

Why would her mother who is a lawyer tolerate a husband who beats her? Why would she let her son behave like this? Why would she not speak with her daughter in the end? Why didn't Marianne confront her about these matters? I don't feel I got the answers that I wanted to make this story solved in my mind.

PLEASE do not perpetuate this very dangerous falsehood. Domestic violence crosses every socioeconomic, racial, sexual orientation, gender expression, age, etc. range. It is an absolute fallacy that a person (men are DV victims too) with a powerful job or lots of money cannot be a victim of domestic violence.  Being a married lawyer in an abusive relationship makes it more humiliating, more embarrassing, carry more of a stigma, and causes more victim blaming. Money, education, and profession do nothing to prevent domestic violence.  I live in a county that has a city that has one of the highest rates of overall violence and poverty in the state, and several of the wealthiest zip codes in the country. Guess which cities fields more domestic violence hotline calls? I know this is not directly on topic, but I thought it too important not to address. 

ON TOPIC, I've watched a couple of episodes so far, and I like it.  I loved that their first sex scene was like a love letter to consent. Enthusiastic, ongoing consent from all parties involved. And, proved that consent can be really hot.  I feel like Connell is who Holden Caulfield was supposed to be if he hadn't been written as a poncey, narcissistic asshole.

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MicheleinPhilly

MicheleinPhilly

I only just watched this over the last week and I absolutely adored everything about it. I did read the book when it was released and while I am admittedly a big fan of Sally Rooney's, I actually thought this was better. Paul Mescal and Daisy Edgar-Jones are both so wildly charismatic and their chemistry is just off the charts. 

The deeper dive into Marianne's upbringing and family and attraction to abusive asshats was incredibly well done. As was the depiction of first love, first heartache, etc. I see a lot of people questioning why they didn't communicate more fully when they got back together at Trinity. But I thought that characterization was spot on. I was 17 when I went away to school and was definitely not emotionally equipped to deal with BIG LIFE STUFF. And while I wasn't as naturally reticent as Connell I did (and probably still do to a certain extent) tend to avoid potentially uncomfortable conversations. Especially when I already feel out of my element. 

Overall I think this is one of the most well done portraits of intimacy I've ever seen. 

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snickers

snickers

Just finished this series because I recently got HULU in my house. The book club I’m in read this book a couple of months ago. I would agree with others that this show is way better than the book, but they had time to flesh it out over 12 episodes-had they made it a 2 hour movie I don’t think it would have been successful. 
 

what I liked: 

1. how they showed Cornell’s depression-I was blown away by the scene with the counselor/therapist, while it was in the book this scene was just so much more powerful, I loved it. They also showed the depression and anxiety much earlier on, while in the book I felt this didn’t come to light until he went to see the therapist 

2. chemistry between Connell and Marianne -I thought it was very well done and was portrayed better in the show than in the book (probably because they had more time to develop them as a couple)

3. Good job with the casting of Joanna and Peggy, they were spot on, Gareth and Niall were not what I had envisioned but they worked lol...as for Jamie, the actor I thought portrayed him well, since it was a surprise in the book to see how someone who appeared to worship Marianne would be so abusive 

what I did not like:

1. They didn’t show mariannes viewpoint enough-in the book while I found her annoying I “got” her more than I feel the show “showed” the audience. She was more like-able, but in the book Marianne and Joanne and even Peggy would talk politics/feminism a lot, Connell had a lot of these same views and it really frustrated me how in the book someone who was so “woke” to politics was so oblivious to Connells financial struggle. The show did a bad job explaining the scholarships they both won and how Jamie tried going for it too and was not awarded one. There was a good scene in the book where Marianne admitted that certain scholarship should really be awarded on financial means, not academic . She also had this attitude of, I didn’t really study or prepare for the exams yet she was awarded one, I personally think she acted like that to pretend around her friends (because none of them got the scholarships) and did study for it, but it really annoyed me because in the book I was afraid she was going to get one over Connell and he was going to have to drop out of college. But the politics thing was one of the things Marianne and Connell “got about” each other and I felt the show didn’t portray this 

2. the casting of Marianne/Connell- ok so while they had great chemistry as actors, I have a beef with a couple of things. One, the actress who plays Marianne is too good looking. I envisioned Marianne being VERY ordinary/plain looking, and while she “cleaned up” in college I never got the impression she was traditionally beautiful. On the flip side, the actor who played Connell I felt was not good looking enough (I know some will disagree lol). Again maybe it’s because I already had an image in my head in the book but Connell is supposed to be one of the best looking guys in the school, the actor had the body type, but me almost looked too mature or something. But, he did an excellent job acting wise so I totally get why he was cast. 

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himela

himela

11 hours ago, snickers said:

One, the actress who plays Marianne is too good looking. I envisioned Marianne being VERY ordinary/plain looking, and while she “cleaned up” in college I never got the impression she was traditionally beautiful.

This was exactly what I didn't like in this series and I have noticed it in this thread.

kieyra

kieyra

I don't remember much of the book (I only skimmed it), but I only remember Marianne (and the mean boys at school) claiming she was ugly, and Connell telling her she wasn't, repeatedly. I don't remember if there was any reliable outside POV describing her as ugly, or just her own lack of self esteem. 

I thought the actress was very well-cast, either way, and convincingly mousy pre-university. 

Paul Mescal did look slightly too old in the high school (I think wrong term for Ireland) days. He's got a perma-frown line between his brows that doesn't help. 

But for me it wasn't really about the attractiveness of either actor--they just had incredible chemistry. 

Edited to add, unrelated to the above:

I know one of the 'comic relief' videos was linked upthread, but I don't think this one was:

 

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lasu

lasu

Hulu recently did a neat promotion where I could get a freebie book that one of their series is based on.  I almost always enjoy the book more than the show, and this was no exception.  But at the same time, I would recommend the series over the book to someone else.  Obviously this Marianne was far too pretty, but she was SO pretty to look at I didn't complain.  And Connell, at first I didn't think the actor was good looking enough, but he totally grew on me.  I thought the actress looked like a mix of Anne Hathaway and the 50 Shades chick, and he looked like a mix of Robert Pattinson and Daniel Radcliffe.  I didn't enjoy the lack of quotation marks in the book, but I think the book had the advantage of being so worried about what was going to happen.  I thought there was going to be a Big Event, more than the fight with her brother.  So I read the book in high nervousness, which was gone for the show.  Also, the book's sex scenes made me a little squirmy, but the show...wowee.  Honestly, I felt deeply uncomfortable BECAUSE of the intimacy they were able to portray.  And, while I'm no prude about teens having sex, I still felt pretty unsettled watching intense sex scenes when the characters are high school seniors.  

I was glad they diversified the cast, but I got super nervous when they made Stephen black, only because in the book when things end, she has to demand that he untie her (I didn't think he was intentionally being an ass, just slow to understand things were o.v.e.r.) and threatens to call the police on him.  The LAST thing I wanted to see was a white woman calling the police on a black man, even if she was Irish and it was all taking place in Sweden. I was completely ripped out of the moment until I was certain they were going to modify that part.

One of the interesting things to me is that at the end of the book, and at the end of the show, I couldn't decide if they should be together or if I even wanted them to be together.  But I think it would be very hard for either of them to be with someone else long term.  I'm completely comfortable with my male partner having good female friends, but I don't think I could be with someone who had a connection that deep with another woman.  

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kieyra

kieyra

Also nominated for "Best Limited Series, Anthology Series or a Motion Picture made for Television".

Which puts it up against The Queen's Gambit, and puts Daisy up against Anya Taylor-Joy. I think that's going to kill Normal People in both categories.

I don't care too much about awards shows these days, but this might make for an interesting Emmy season this year. 

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/03/movies/golden-globes-nominees-list.html

MicheleinPhilly

MicheleinPhilly

2 hours ago, kieyra said:

Also nominated for "Best Limited Series, Anthology Series or a Motion Picture made for Television".

Which puts it up against The Queen's Gambit, and puts Daisy up against Anya Taylor-Joy. I think that's going to kill Normal People in both categories.

I don't care too much about awards shows these days, but this might make for an interesting Emmy season this year. 

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/03/movies/golden-globes-nominees-list.html

Normal People was eligible for LAST year's Emmys and sadly, took home none. All I can recall of the nominations was Paul but there may have been a writing nod in there too. 

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MicheleinPhilly

MicheleinPhilly

5 hours ago, kieyra said:

Completely forgot about this. I didn't know/remember that the GGs and Emmys run on different cycles. 

No, I totally get it and this last year hasn't helped AT ALL. I have no recollection of when things premiered, what is actually eligible, etc. And some groups altered the eligibility periods.

Time is just one big, amorphous blob. I barely even know what day it is. 

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ElectricBoogaloo

ElectricBoogaloo

Producers Guild of America nomination!

David L. Wolper Award for Outstanding Producer of Limited Series Television

“I May Destroy You” (HBO)
Producers: eligibility determination pending

“Normal People” (Hulu)
Producers: Lenny Abrahamson, Sally Rooney, Ed Guiney, Andrew Lowe, Emma Norton, Anna Ferguson, Catherine Magee

“The Queen’s Gambit” (Netflix)
Producers: William Horberg, Allan Scott, Scott Frank, Marcus Loges, Mick Aniceto

“The Undoing” (HBO)
Producers: Susanne Bier, David E. Kelley, Per Saari, Nicole Kidman, Bruna Papandrea, Stephen Garrett, Celia Costas, Deb Dyer

“Unorthodox” (Netflix)
Producers: Anna Winger, Henning Kamm, Alexa Karolinksi

possibilities

possibilities

On 5/29/2020 at 8:28 AM, himela said:

What I didn't like about this series is that the actress who plays Marianne is supposed to be (or/and feel) ugly while she is not.

But a lot of women feel that way. I took it as a sign of her low self-esteem, plus an effect of the family's abuse. Connell told her even his jerky high school friends didn't really think she was ugly, they just were afraid she looked down on them. Marianne's stuff about feeling unattractive is parallel to the fact that Connell had no obvious reason to be socially insecure or anxious-- he had a fantastic, supportive mom, he was a jock in the popular crowd at school, he was smart and successful in academe, he impressed the debate snobs at Trinity... yet he was crushed by social anxiety and felt lonely and awkward for his entire life.

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AnimeMania

AnimeMania

Conversations with Friends is an erotically charged TV Series coming to Hulu on May 15, all 12 half-hour episodes will be released at once. Conversations with Friends is in the same vein as the steamy hit TV series "Normal People" also streaming on Hulu, which was based on the Sally Rooney 2018 second novel. "Conversations with Friends" is based on Sally Rooney's 2017 first novel.

MV5BMWNmYjY1NzQtYWQyNC00OTAwLWI1NTUtMjIy

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Ghostwriter123

Ghostwriter123

This show is beautiful. I watched it all in one day. Exquisite acting, painfully relatable and breathtaking. You can really feel their pain and their joy. Every movement, every blink, every stare means something. As someone who just ended a failed long term relationship, it was heart wrenching to watch at some points. Incredibly frustrating, yet so powerful and hopeful at certain points. I don’t get emotional over shows and I cried multiple times throughout this. The type of show where I feel the intense NEED to know how these characters lives play out.   I don’t even know why I’m posting here… maybe I just needed to express my thoughts after watching Connell and Marianne struggle with that so palpably on screen. Beyond lovers they are friends, “soul mates” almost in a platonic sense of the word. Gorgeous. I’d watch endless seasons of this show. 

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Jax7917

Jax7917

I'm on episode 8 of this show and I am watching it because people have told me that it's similar to the new netflix show, "One Day." I see similarities and it's keeping my interest. But it seems more like a 50 shades of gray story than a "love" story. These characters have sex, but do they ever go on dates? Do they ever laugh together? Everything between them just always is so intense or sad which is fine and I know they are passionate about each other because they constantly tell us they are. But I wish they SHOWED us more about their connection. I want cute montages of them licking ice cream off of each other's faces and being silly together and having fun some of the time. What we see is basically them having sex over and over and yeah they cuddle, but what else is there that makes them so connected to each other?

Jordan Baker

Jordan Baker

I'm nearly four years late to this show. I'm also many decades removed from my high-school/college years. Nevertheless, I was extremely moved by the story of Connell and Marianne. The first few episodes (when they were still in Sligo) especially got to me. 

I'd never seen Paul Mescal before watching this show, but I certainly understand now why he's become so acclaimed. Daisy Edgar-Jones (whom I'd seen in "Under the Banner of Heaven") was excellent in this as well. I thought everything about the show was terrific. 

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