'Normal People' Episodes 5 and 6 are good but here's why TV adaptations of much-loved books don't always work
Sally Rooney's 'Normal People' was one of the fastest books to get a TV deal as it came out. The Man Booker longlisted book took the world by storm as readers across the world reveled in this story of young love between Marianne Sheridan and Connell Waldron.
Often, however, book-to-screen adaptations don't work well -- just ask any 'Harry Potter' fan. So, it was much of a relief when the first few episodes of the BBC and Hulu joint production of the same name felt much it did to read the book.
The TV adaptation of 'Normal People' is as immersive and avid readers may have noted that while the settings for some scenes are changed, the dialogue mostly remains the same. This could be because Sally Rooney was involved in the writing process for the show.
However, it is in the fifth episode that cracks finally start to appear. Most of the events in the series are what happens in the book, almost word for word. In college, Marianne (Daisy Edgar-Jones) and Connell (Paul Mescal) become friends again. They get drawn to each other as in school, and after Marianne comes on to Connell after one drunken night at a party, the two get back together — Connell's an absolute gentleman, however, and refuses to sleep with her that night since she is wasted, just as in the book.
Whereas Connell previously held the upper hand in the relationship while they were in school, it is the other way around now. We see the power that Marianne has over him and he even gets jealous sometimes.
The series is still enjoyable, however, those who have read the book would remember how frustrating these parts were to read — mainly because while Connell and Marianne had so much between them, their relationship kept failing because of their unsaid thoughts. These inner monologues are given to us in the book, but it is difficult to portray them as such in the show and so, the frustration may be higher since the viewer might not know what's actually going on in their minds.
However, by showing what we like to call the in-between scenes — scenes where Marianne and Connell interact with people other than each other — the show helps us understand how these people are under different circumstances.
All episodes of 'Normal People' are released for streaming on Hulu in the United States on April 29.
