The BBC 3 and Hulu show called Normal People is based on a novel of the same name written by Sally Rooney. This wonderfully written and shot series is based in Ireland. It revolves around two characters, Connell and Marianne, played to perfection by Daisy Edgar-Jones and Paul Mescal. Sally Rooney was very much involved in the making of the show, co-writing some of the episodes as well, ensuring that it stuck to its source material.
The show has earned rave reviews from critics and viewers alike. A coming of age story of two complex teenagers, this show doesn't hold back in showing all the highs and lows of growing up. Here are some reasons why Normal People has one of the best portrayals of young adults.
It Is One Of The Few Shows Set In College
A majority of the show features the two characters after they have arrived at college. It spreads across the four years of their college life at Trinity. Most shows about and for young adults are prominently set in High School. College is a very different space, a different life where most people don't live at home.
Normal People is one of the few shows that focus on character growth in college. This is especially significant seeing how their school and college experiences are very different from each other and many of the viewers watching this show will relate very closely with this.
The Difficulty Of Belonging And Not Belonging
Connell didn't feel completely comfortable at his school even though he felt a sense of belonging to the people around him. Marianne was an outcast in school. She had no friends and no sense of community. When they arrive at college, the tables turn.
Connell feels very out of place while Marianne finds herself to be very popular. Eventually, this dynamic changes as well, but the show is able to highlight very well the difficulty young adults feel when they belong and when they don't belong.
The Playing Out Of Class Differences In College
Socio-economic class divisions become more visible in college than in school. For Connell, he didn't feel very different from the people around him at school. But that is not the case when he arrived at college. Trinity is a very prestigious college and there are students from everywhere.
Many of these students come from urban, upper-class backgrounds. Connell finds himself to be very out of place amongst such people. He starts to notice the difference in their clothes, their way of talking, their approach towards life, and more. And Marianne fits in easily because of her socio-economic class.
Shows The Growth Of These Characters
From the first episode where they are both in High School, to the last episode where they are nearing the end of their undergraduate college days, the series is able to show the slow but definite growth of these characters through a certain time period.
It captures their development into adults, the slow, hard process of growing up. It shows the viewers the folly of these characters as they stumble during their growth as well. And it does this better than most shows that focus on young adults.
Viewers Get The Chance To See Both The Perspectives
The show does an excellent job of allowing us to be involved completely in the life of not just one central protagonist, but both these protagonists. By showing us both sides of the story, viewers witness the simple miscommunication, the simple mistakes that Connell does that Marianne perceives differently or vice versa.
This is an effective way of storytelling that allows viewers to see both sides of a complicated relationship. It allows viewers to empathize with both the characters since the viewers are privy to the inner workings of both the characters.
Gives A Very Real Portrayal Of Insecurity
Insecurity is a very real and complicated issue that plague the lives of young adults. It's simple enough to brush it off but the show gives viewers an opportunity to clearly see how much it influences the lives of these two characters.
Insecurity comes in many forms and these two insecure characters and their insecure relationship is portrayed very well in the show. It allows viewers to see how difficult it is to overcome this insecurity. And it also shows how difficult it is to be vulnerable to another person.
Takes Young Adults Seriously
It is very easy to be dismissive of teenagers and young adults and see their troubles and issues as frivolous. This show doesn't do that. It takes young adults seriously. It acknowledges the possibility that the lives, decisions, and issues of these young adults matter very much to them, and have lasting effects on their understanding of life.
Normal People takes Marianne and Connell very seriously. And taking them seriously involves showing closely the lives of young adults and the ways in which they think and talk and do things.
It Shows Complex Young People
Many shows and movies revolving around teenagers and young adults do a disservice to young people by portraying them as mere stereotypes. Many teen soaps portray them as frivolous stereotypes and don't show them as full individuals. Normal People doesn't do this.
It shows young people as the complex people they are. Young people have complicated thoughts and ideas and do things that make sense to them. Marianne and Connell are very complicated young people and Normal People shows them as the brilliant, complex people they are.
The Small Scale Of Things
For many teenagers and young adults, their lives revolve around their schools and colleges. There's not much outside drama that becomes a large enough externality in their lives. Most of Normal People happen in the small rooms and minds of these individuals.
Their lives are led in college lecture halls, corridors, and the rooms of their small houses. Their desires and shortcomings and insecurities are all expressed in these small spaces. The complicated lives of Connell and Marianne also, mostly happen inside their minds. The small scale nature of this is shown very well in the show.
The Intensity Of Their Feelings
Normal People doesn't shy away from showing the intense nature of Marianne and Connell's feelings. Marianne and Connell feel very deeply about certain things. They sometimes have difficulty in coping with the intensity of their feelings and need help with it.
Normal People is one of those few shows that showcases the little highs and deep lows its protagonists go through. Normal People is not afraid of acknowledging that young adults are full-fledged people too, whose relationships and feelings have deep and real implications in their lives.