Normal People on BBC3

[Bouledeneige]

Binge watched it yesterday and loved it. Emotional, passionate and two really great leads. Thoroughly recommend it (so long as you don't mind lots of love scenes). Cried lie and felt bereft when it finished.

no real need to make out people are oblivious or unsympathetic of the current situation because they cry at a tv programme that resonates with them.

....and where in my post dd I say that? For all I know, the people who cried at Normal People may get upset at the current situation

The most moving part of this whole series for me was the depiction of Connel’s depression, loneliness and anxiety.

For so many students Uni isn’t just a load of partying and messing around. It can be deep rooted loneliness. I don’t think I ever really appreciated that (I was v happy at uni).

I also liked the way the advantages of privilege and wealth are shown. Another thing I didn’t appreciate at the time but do in hindsight (having had neither).

The series is so much more than just the sex scenes.

Placemarking to read later because I enjoyed the book and loved the show. I just binge watched it the last couple of days.

particular snide review from A Guardian US journo, yesterday

I think I read the same one yesterday. I mean fair enough if it's not your thing, but making comments about how the actors has crows feet playing 19 year olds

I think she mis-interpreted the class signifiers too, she described Mariannes family as aristocratic and living in a mansion, rather than middle class and living in the kind of big old house thats comparatively affordable in the country. She definitely missed a lot of the nuances.

I read that article too and I agree she missed a lot of the nuances. Most glaring for me being the fact she thinks Rob’s suicide is just a plot device. Whereas mental health and young men committing suicide is a huge issue in Ireland.

I honestly don’t think the book would work as well in another location. I might be projecting, as DH is Irish and grew up in rural Ireland, but to me the fact the characters are so recognisably Irish is central to the story.

DH and I watched an episode of this (assuming it was an early one as they were in school uniform) and we were like 'bloody hell are they ever gonna stop riding each other!' 😂 And yes, it was weird when a sex scene then cut straight back to them in uniform. And the actor playing Connell looked ridiculous in a school uniform!

I agree with Jessica Crispin on Rob’s suicide in the novel being a clunky plot device to bring Connell, Marianne and the oh so conventional Helen together in heightened circumstances in their hometown during Marianne’s year away, and to be the again slightly unconvincing catalyst for C’s depression — the novel treats Rob as a disposable background Rent-A-Sexist-Bully, and ever really pretends even C is interested in him, even at school .

And while I haven’t got to that stage in the tv adaptation yet, it looks to me as if Sally Rooney and /or her co-writer realised this was a flaw, and tried to deepen Rob’s characterisation in the screenplay so his suicide felt less tokenistic.

I thought the actor who played a Rob was very good in that scene which isn’t in the novel, where he and Connell meet for a drink when C is home from TCD and it emerges Rob hasn’t gone to university and has stayed in their home town to work, and is quietly unhappy — which is a change from the novel, where he’s a student in Galway with most of their school friends. (And where Male student suicide in the Corrib is not infrequent.)

I do agree with previous posters though that Jessica Crispin got the class distinctions wrong — Marianne is the child of well-to-do smalltown solicitors, not an ‘aristocrat’.

Ahem, JoeExotic I knew of at least one school-boyfriend who very much looked like a man but in school uniform.

Tall, built, oh yes indeed.

RaraRachel, I think r.e.the blubbing, it reminded people of that first intense love where you're not entirely sure it's reciprocated enough and you're a constant ball of sexual attraction and emotion. With its massive highs and lows.

A low could feel like the world was ending.

The Irish location is important to the story but the small town rural community secondary school with children from all kinds of backgrounds remains a reality in other areas including large swathes of mid and west Wales where I grew up. Like a pp I experienced a move from a school like this to big city university. I also followed my childhood sweetheart there who on reflection I think too suffered from anxiety and a lack of self-confidence.

The anxiety/depression in Connell was I think portrayed sensitively. It remains a huge unmentioned issue for young men...

I'm LOVING it so far. I love the two lead characters and am looking forward to seeing how their characters unfold. Connell's Mum is fab. I'm also enjoying the scenery.

I'm 48, divorces with two children and loved it but as someone else said, it made me feel quite sad that I will never have that new relationship excitement and passion again, when you literally can't keep your hands off other!

Loved this series. Such a brilliant drama and so well acted. The characters felt so authentic. I thought they handled Connell's depression really well, I think it's important to see and normalise a man's emotions like that on screen.

Connell's mum was a really likeable character and good that she gave him a proper telling off for his treatment of Marianne when they were teenagers.

I've only got one episode left.

I think Connals depression has been portrayed beautifully. His acting in the counselling session was brilliant. I don't like how he treated Marianne but I do like him as a character, he's quite different to a lot of male leads these days.

Marianne and the s&m stuff didn't seem believable to me, it just didn't seem to sit with her character at all.

I don’t know mister she was messed up from childhood abuse and lack of self esteem, she didn’t think she was worthy of being treated well or being loved.

An eating disorder would probably have been a more realistic reaction for a girl like Marianne but wouldn't have fit with the theme so well.

Hi, I binge-watched all the episodes last Sunday and it's been stuck in my head since. I haven't read the book and have enjoyed reading everyone's opinions and perspectives, so I'd be really interested to hear what people thought of a bit in the second last episode - when they had the ice lollies.
Why do you think M asked if C would hit her? That disappointed me a bit because I had thought she didn't need to 'play those games' when she was with him? Was that the remnants of her feelings of worthlessness or was she testing him? Did she really want him to hit her?
I don't know if the book with its inner monologues offers her thoughts at this point, but I'd be really interested to read your opinions.

Why do you think M asked if C would hit her

I think Marianne felt a sense of worthlessness, that she was nothing of value to anyone . She asked Connell if she belonged to him just before that almost in a pleading, pitying way. She wanted to belong to someone, especially him. He was having sex from behind, where all their other scenes were a lot more intimate and I think this reflects the way she felt about herself.

@EdwinaMay
"A baby faced teen isn't going to be the star scorer of the rugby team. He's got to be pretty hefty."
They weren't playing Rugby, it was Gaelic football

@EdwinaMay I find your comment very ironic as Connell is the spitting image of one my DD's rugby team mates!

I thought the acting and casting was fab. All the bullying at school and then the abuse at home by her family were so painful to watch.
Connell was likeable but so weak. But then he grew up later on. Wish that they'd spent more time together as a couple tho instead of prancing about with the wrong people, especially M.
If you took all the shagging out I wonder how long the whole thing would be?!
Bits of it were so sad and touching and really captured all the angst of a first great love.
I don't feel compelled to read the book though at all.
Whilst I wouldn't say it was gratuitous I did, quite simply, get sick of seeing her boobs so many times!
The soundtrack was pretty good too.

Yes it was GAA. Presumably in Ireland, rugby would have been a different social signifier.

@ballsdeep, i think its an echo of her debasement with Jamie and Lukas, in her inner monologue after she has run out of the house she is disgusted with her self, feeling that while Connel has become more wholesome, a better version of himself, she has become a worse version of herself.

Thank you ballsdeep and Wbeezer!
I loved that the characters were flawed but so wanted to believe in C & M and that threw me when she said that to him, of all people.