'Normal People': Hulu's adaptation shows more depth when Marianne and Connell are apart
Spoilers for 'Normal People'
One would think it would be hard to adapt a book like Sally Rooney's 'Normal People' where most of the book's brilliance comes from the characters' inner monologues. In the Hulu and BBC adaptation of the novel, the actors' actions are used to convey the feelings one would get from reading the book.
The first half of the series focused on Marianne Sheridan's (Daisy Edgar-Jones) and Connell Waldron's (Paul Mescal) relationship in its first days, their subsequent breakup, and then their time together in college. Here, while the series gave us moments of intimacy that did not involve physical contact, it was the physical contact itself that mattered the most.
By the end of their first year in college, Connell and Marianne break up again - though it is mainly due to a misunderstanding. We are then shown them spending time apart, with their respective friends. Marianne starts dating Jamie (Fionn O'Shea) and Connell starts dating Helen (Aoife Hinds).
In the seventh episode, Connell gets mugged and the only number he remembers off the top of his head is Marianne's. He goes to her to ask her for money to pay for a cab home and she asks him to go inside, where Marianne's friends are there. The two start talking a bit, with Connell explaining that he didn't really want to see other people when he inadvertently broke up with her.
The next episode feels quite reminiscent of 'Call Me By Your Name'. Connell and his friend, Niall (Desmond Eastwood) have come to Marianne's house in Italy after backpacking through Europe. There, Marianne was already vacationing with Jamie and Peggy (India Mullen).
We see that Connell and Marianne have gotten much more comfortable with each other and as friends, they are able to talk to each other more openly. We see this trend continue for the next couple of episodes as well and in Episode 9 when Marianne and Connell exchange mails as she is in Sweden, and in Episode 10 when Connell goes through depression after a school friend dies.
The viewers might even see how much their relationship has improved when Connell is offered the chance to do his MFA in New York. Connell is hesitant to go, but Marianne knows he must. This time, when they have to separate, at least they won't leave things unsaid.
Like in the book, the final episode ends in a bit of a cliffhanger, if we can call it that. We don't see whether Connell makes a decision about going to New York for sure, and we don't know if Marianne might change her mind about wanting to stay back in Dublin. But, like in the book, viewers can close the chapter knowing the two characters are in better positions than at the beginning of their courtship.
The closing lines in the book best describe the final scene of 'Normal People': "She closes her eyes. He probably won’t come back, she thinks. Or he will, differently. What they have now they can never have back again. But for her, the pain of loneliness will be nothing to the pain that she used to feel, of being unworthy. He brought her goodness like a gift and now it belongs to her. Meanwhile, his life opens out before him in all directions at once. They’ve done a lot of good for each other. Really, she thinks, really. "People can really change one another."
All episodes of 'Normal People' are released on Hulu on April 29.
