Normal People

(I decided to do an initial review of each episode while watching the show and then give my overall thoughts at the end) Episode 1: Solid first episode - things are paced fairly well and the characters are likeable so far - although I am looking forward to the end of this annoying high school bit already I’m starting to get a bit tired of the whole “rebel teen” character that is present in tv today, it’s most popular in more young adult shows and a character type that seems to have changed genders over the last 20 years - thankfully the annoying rebellious Maeve Wiley archetype is handled a bit more gracefully in this show with Marianne being a much less egregious example Episode 2: solid second episode - the pacing is brilliant in most aspects but it seems as though things are moving too quickly where they shouldn’t be A bit more development for the two main characters would be great but I’m happy where things are at for now - the sex scenes are tasteful and the romance is realistic and believable - There isn’t much of a conflict yet - hopefully there will be soon Episode 3: The end of the high school arch! I like that there is a role reversal at the end, even if it is incredibly predictable There is more of a conflict building but nothing massively complex - there are some smaller plot points that are just randomly dropped in favour of a quicker pace, now I can see the pace is becoming an issue Episode 4: The transition to university was ever so slightly jarring but it got better very quickly - the technical aspects of this series really shined in this episode, there were some really great shots! The role reversal is emphasised so much more in this episode - Marianne is in the position that Connell was in at the start of their series and vice versa , a very interesting development - if once again, a slightly predictable outcome Episode 5: the series is starting to slow down, possibly for the better, or maybe worse? This show struggles with its pacing but I’m happy with how the characters are being treated The series is fairly relatable - it’s strange to see people act the way they do from an outsider perspective I saw an interesting quote the other day “drunk words are sober thoughts” I think that could be applied to this series in this episode specifically Episode 6: We’re officially Halfway through! Interesting opening scene - the flash-forward was short but it hopefully indicates that something interesting is coming for the characters At least in comparison to the other episodes, this one felt a little disappointing - the flash forward did create a conflict but the story jumps around too much to really comprehend exactly why these characters keep on falling out Episode 7: Another strong opening! The rave sequences are very reminiscent of Aftersun - seems as though *Paul Mescal* enjoys dancing in dingy clubs This episode has the complexity that I have wanted from the series - an interesting third party disruption for Marianne and Connell’s relationship in the form of Jamie that’s accompanied by an interesting subject matter Episode 8: so they’re in Italy now? What? This show is so awkwardly paced sometimes This episode is as good as the last - it’s great at showing the effects of toxic relationships and the necessity people who are in them feel to keep them, relationship complexity shown in a way that I’m sure many people would be able to understand - a sad reality really Episode 9: We’re in Sweden now I guess I honestly don’t have much to say about this one - the last thing I expected out of this show was a BDSM arch but it seems to be serving the show well Episode 10: wow this one hit hard - Paul Mescal is great at showing the effects of grief, especially the unexpected kind of grief *I’ve said it once* and I’ll say it again - Paul Mescal is so damn good at crying :( Episode 11: The characters are so frustrating - but in the best way possible This was quite possibly one of the most emotionally intense episodes of TV in recent years - Jesus Marianne’s brother is a champion asshole Episode 12: We’re at the finale! short, sweet and sad yeah as you could probably guess, this show doesn't exactly end in the happiest of ways - However, it ends on a hopeful note as Connell and Marianne's fates are left unclear, but as I said, hopeful Overall Thoughts: This show is well written, I'm not sure how faithful of an adaptation it is because I haven't read the book but from a filmmaking perspective the writing is undeniably good - Paul Mescal is slowly becoming my favourite actor working today, he puts so much emotion into his roles and can maker you feel real pity for any character he plays *Daisy Edgar-Jones* was really great too - she had my favourite character arch over the course of the show and I really enjoyed how she was able to transform Marianne from an outcast into a guardian angel to Connell the film was shot, scored and edited really well - I didn't think that the first 3 episodes showed many examples of this but the rest of the show had some very memorable shots with some choice framing The issues I have with the show revolve almost entirely around the pacing - some of these issues may be inherent from the novel, but I highly doubt a novel would make as many significant time jumps without much notice - the short episodes worked well in the sense that you could binge this without a problem, but in terms of the narrative it really hindered it at points will I watch *Conversations With Friends?* probably not - but I'm glad I've watched this now after being recommended it so many times, I shall now cast the recommendation on to you :p (I also binged this show in just under 12 Hours, well done me)