Normal People, Youth and Desire

Source: The Handbook

I heard of Normal People in 2019 when it was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize in 2018. The book did not pique my interest, possibly because I was very much focused on The Mars Room by Rachel Kushner which was also nominated, and a part of my undergraduate dissertation. Early this year I saw a few clips from the show and it seemed lovely, but I was not convinced enough to watch it due to my recent resentment towards the genre of romance. A friend was talking about how beautiful the outfits of the main character Marianne were, and this image she posted immediately drew me towards the show.

As it was almost impossible for me to get the book with shops being closed and Book Depository having stopped shipping to Sri Lanka, the show was the only option. And, I’m glad it was the only option, having now read the book, which I was not too impressed by. The story is about Marianne Sheridan (played by Daisy Edgar-Jones) and Connell Waldron (played by Paul Mescal), two young adults from Sligo in Ireland, who pursue a clandestine relationship while they are in school, as a result of Connell’s universally attractive personality and Marianne’s existence as an outcast. They develop a relationship mainly because Connell’s mother is the housekeeper of Marianne’s parents’ ‘mansion’. Despite having a sexual relationship with Marianne, Connell decides to invite another girl to the Debs, their annual dance, leaving Marianne heartbroken, and the two distraught. However, both of them end up at the University of Dublin for higher studies, and are thrown into an atmosphere of college life; for Connell, university is mainly about scoring really well, surviving financially and beginning a road towards becoming a writer. For Marianne, who has a flat in Dublin, it is mostly about keeping up with her wealthy, upper-class friends and their expectations while harbouring a desire to succeed. As Marianne and Connell navigate their personal lives they keep coming back to each other, in expected and unexpected ways, despite the number of people they date.

I believe the story is captivating due to many reasons, the first being its commitment to portraying young love and coming-of-age as real as possible. Marianne and Connell when we meet them first are different on the exterior, but similar on the interior as they are both misunderstood by their immediate circles of friends and family. They find confidantes in each other–a person to return to after a long day at school and to discuss plans for the future without any inhibitions or fears of being judged. Their vulnerabilities come out seamlessly through the narrative which allows them to grow as individuals as well as a couple. While young Connell would have been ashamed of acknowledging his attraction to Marianne, in the penultimate episode of the Tv show we see him standing up to her brother threatening him with violence if anything were to happen to Marianne. He does not shy away from expressing his opinions openly about Marianne’s boyfriends who belong to a larger spectrum of abuse that concerns him. Marianne, on the other hand, empathizes with Connell as he overcomes depression and an innate fear of being removed from his surroundings. Miscommunications often define their relationship as they try to negotiate its aspects of friendship and sex alongside their personal lives.

Another real element of the show is its depiction of sexuality and sexual desire. The show worked with its own intimacy advisor, and it is a testament to how sexuality is intertwined with a person’s inner being. At the beginning of the show, being an outcast, Marianne (like many other girls in the school) is attracted to Connell, the most popular boy in school. She acts on her desires and he reciprocates, acknowledging that “it is not like this with other people.” At university, Marianne enters three abusive relationships where the men demean her and take advantage of her, reflecting the emotional damage caused by the fraught relationships she has with her family. When Marianne asks Connell to “hit her” whenever he wants for sexual gratification in the penultimate episode, we realize that she may be beyond repair. However, Connell acts as a foil to this side of Marianne, as he is always mindful of her consent and comfort, asking her “what she wants”, which, interestingly, I have not seen in many depictions of sexual desire. Respect is embedded in Connell by his mother, while debasement is embedded in Marianne by her family, both of which come out in their sexual activity. With nudity being a normalized aspect of the show, it is significant that the viewer understands and relates to the sexual desires of the two main characters. As much as they have a sexual relationship, it is important that the viewer understands that they have an emotional relationship as well.

Daisy Edgar-Jones as Marianne | Source: The Cut

I could not watch this show in one go. It was too emotionally wrecking. I watched it two episodes a day, spread across a period of a month or so. Each episode made me cry like no other movie or Tv show has. In fact, James Poniewozik speaks of the show as follows, highlighting that one of the strongest elements of this show is that it delves deeper into the emotionality and complexity of the two characters: “‘Normal People’ tells its story in bursts and flashes, vignettes that glow up onscreen and fade into another. Watching it feels like walking through someone’s memories, sampling crucial bits of experience and image — a bike ride, a figure reflected in a pool — that, only in retrospect, turn out to have meant everything.” The intensity of each character is rather intoxicating, as the writing, cinematography, acting and musical score come together. Mescal shines as Connell, embracing all sides of his character as a melancholic but smart and shy young man. Edgar-Jones’ strong suit lies in her ability to portray Marianne in a wholesome manner, as the character navigates her own self and her relationships. Both characters are fleshed out in an enticing way that makes the viewer want more… In the last episode, we see Marianne and Connell break up (again) mutually, allowing him to go to New York for a Master’s degree. We are left devastated, but we know that they will return to each other, despite wanting different things at a significant turning point in their lives; Connell says: “I’m never going to feel the same way for anyone else.” The directors Lenny Abrahamson and Hettie Macdonald have outdone themselves with this series, and while there is talk of a Season 2, I am not sure if I want one. The rich tapestry of Season 1 is so beautiful that I know I could survive with just that forever.

After watching the show, the exercise I undertook was to ask myself what was so ‘normal’ about Marianne and Connell. I think it is a layered understanding of ‘normal’ that is presented to us by the show. They are normal because they are two ordinary young adults with ordinary dreams of growing up and success. However, they are extraordinary because their normal selves are embedded with complexities that one would call ‘abnormal’ or out-of-the-ordinary. All in all, it is an extraordinary bildungsroman or coming-of-age story, with extraordinary presentation, about two ‘normal’ but gripping characters.