“Normal People” is a mini-series produced by Element Pictures, a Dublin based media production company. The series is based on the novel “Normal People” by Sally Rooney and it aired on BBC 3 and the streaming platform Hulu.
“Normal People” follows a romance between Connell Waldron, a popular yet emotionally unavailable school boy and Marianne Sheridan, a unliked, misunderstood girl who attends the same school on the coast of Ireland. Waldron is miserable because his interests don’t align with his friends; he is an intellectual and reads constantly about social issues like racism and class disparity. Waldron’s friends are wholly focused on partying and their social lives. Waldron is a much more emotional person than his friends. On the other hand, Marianne has no friends. She is known as disrespectful yet brilliant by her peers. Marianne is a charismatic person but she closes herself off. She is only known for her wealth and rude demeanor.
The plot of both the show and the book itself is nothing too complex. A rich girl and a lower middle class guy who do not hangout out in school start having intimate relations outside of school. Connell does not want anyone to know about their relationship becauseMarianne is ostracized by the school. The two learn to love each other and ultimately attend the same college. Over time and despite their drastically different lives, they keep coming back to each other. This show’s themes include intimacy, communication, and mental health.
Whether it’s with family, friends, or significant others, it’s really hard to navigate the complexities of relationships. “Normal People” uses the theme of communication to show the difficulties of relationships with others, and with yourself.
Throughout “Normal People” Marianne and Connell struggle to express how they feel about each other. “A lot of the time it made me angry for them because of the amount of miscommunication,” Tam senior Sonia Manshouri said. Manshouri read both the book and watched the show. “I think miscommunication is something every human goes through within a relationship, and definitely, when you’re younger, some people find it harder to express their feelings and communicate how they feel to other people. I think that’s an important part of maturing.”
I felt similarly when watching the show and reading the book. I winced each time Connell ignored Marianne or every time Connell’s friends commented on Marianne’s outfit and he stood silently. It felt inhumane to see Connell treat Marianne—who he cares about so dearly—this poorly.
There are relatable characteristics in both characters: one can be straightforward like Marianne, but also incapable of expressing emotion like Connell. These two characters represent the epitome of young relationships. Their love is fragile and Marianne and Connell keep hurting each other. They eventually come back together, as their relationship is the only time they have both felt authentic.
“I feel like a lot of people can resonate with the things he [Connell] was struggling with, especially during the therapy sessions, because his whole world and the way that he portrayed himself changed [and went] the other direction when he went to university,” Tam senior Eavyania Hall said.
Connell struggled with depression and guilt following the suicide of his dear childhood friend whom he had lost contact with. Depression is another theme that people resonate with, teenagers especially.
“Throughout highschool I’ve seen the theme of miscommunication way too many times in relationships. It was amazing to see a modern day Romeo and Juliet that I personally could relate to,” Tam junior Stella Bailey said.
