Normal People
Watch it for...
The chance to watch two fascinating and complex Irish teens as they dance around their mutual attraction while navigating their fledgling adulthood.
Synopsis
Normal People is a coming-of-age story that follows two Irish teenagers, Marianne and Connell, in a small town as they graduate and go off to college. Marianne is often bullied at school and faces hardship at home despite relative wealth. She spends most of her time alone until she finds companionship in an unlikely friend, Connell, her school’s soccer star. Despite having little-to-nothing in common from the outside, these two characters build a relationship on hope, love, and perseverance as they continue to gravitate towards one another. Both characters face obstacles and challenges as they decide their values, how they feel about each other, and how they want to live their adult lives. Based on the book Normal People by Sally Rooney, this series brings to life a beautiful story of two people struggling to connect as their relationship develops organically over time.
I originally read the book and absolutely loved the writing and plot of the novel. When I realized that there was a TV show based on the book, I was so excited to watch it and see a beautiful story brought to life on the screen. Even though sometimes book-to-TV doesn’t work for me, when I started this series, I was immediately hooked.
The tone of the show is so warm that it reminds me of being cozied up on the couch on a cold and snowy day, with a cup of tea and someone I love next to me. The characters are so relatable, it feels like watching your friends grow up. They are truly normal people, as the title suggests, in a way you don’t often see on television. The whole time you’re watching, you can’t help but to root for Marianne and Connell to succeed, no matter what they’re doing. Normal People isn’t a typical love story you’d see on TV, it’s a realistic representation of a young woman who, despite sometimes making bad decisions or not acting perfectly, grows up and matures in ways that felt really familiar to me. I loved this book and show!