Normal People : A Review of Episode 1
Normal People has been for me personally one of the most insightful and magical looks into the world of young teenagers falling in love. The extraordinary love that both Marianne and Connell possess is uncanny and the emotions that the audience feel throughout the scenes is a whirlwind of anger, empathy and relief. We follow the lives of two Irish teens, embarking on a journey and how their relationship progresses through their life milestones and their connection’s continuity to develop and grow into something beautifully messy.
Taking a look at episode 1, Marianne is introduced as outspoken and distracted, coming out with witty and brutal comments to her teachers in school, remarkably one of the most amusing parts to the series for me, particularly the line “I wasn’t aware my eyeline fell under the jurisdiction of school rules.”
Her out casting at school allows her essentially to feel a level of injustice and so is comfortable with having a voice, regardless of the consequences and the harshness of her choice of words.
Connell I feel is left as an ominous character at the beginning as we don’t get a real feel for his nature until he interacts with Marianne.
The initial silence felt from his character in the beginning could be symbolising his future struggles of acknowledging and understanding how he feels and essentially who he really is, having watched the programme a second time round myself.
Initially Connell feels uncomfortable to be alone with Marianne as we are made aware of this due to his impolite and rude remark to leave her house with his mum as soon as possible. However when Marianne and Connell speak, school grades and complimenting each others intelligence sparks a more immersive interaction between the two characters.
Marianne’s confidence I feel intimidates Connell as he responds anxiously through his behaviour and mannerisms i.e. looking away and placing his hand on the back of his neck.
Connell then continues to avoid discussing Marianne with his mother as Marianne’s sensitivity and vulnerability is pointed out and he can weirdly relate and empathise to it but does not want to express this or he feels like he can’t as it does not fit with the conventional social norms of his lifestyle. Breaking out of that would be very hard for him to take in as he essentially only knows how to conform to society and he cares a lot about other people and what they would think of him.
The contrast between family dynamics is also interesting as they both have the same unconventional form — single parenting. It is remarkable how different their upbringing has been and yet they still can relate to each other on such an emotional level.
Marianne’s brother is briefly recognised in this episode and I feel he must play essentially an authority figure in the household so he picks on Marianne’s insecurities/issues to make himself feel better and stronger due to the fact of not having a father figure to look up to.
Further interactions between Connell and Marianne makes me assume that there is a lack of understanding on Connell’s part in reference to Marianne’s confidence to converse in such an open and direct way as he cannot relate.
Marianne is clearly the first person to acknowledge Connell’s awkward and anxious nature in conversation which is something he has never experienced before with another person which highlights Marianne’s intellectual side and due to her being so in touch with her own emotions, she can recognise other peoples.
The way in which Marianne admires Connell when he is playing in the match is so ambrosial and can be considered for me such a moving scene due to my own personal experiences I have had myself. It creates this moment for the audience to feel like a part of the programme, this idea of young love when you realise you like someone so much and those feelings are beginning to develop and all you want is to see them happy and succeed.
In a way, Connell helps Marianne to feel something for someone and realise that the world is not against her ; she is no longer alone. Likewise, Marianne helps Connell acknowledge his individuality and intelligence compared to his friendship group which allows for him to step out of his comfort zone. They both help each other to grow a deeper connection as they begin to understand each other better.
But for me, the most captivating scene of this episode is when they kiss for the first time. The music built up with the moment is so touching and it allows the audience to notice how the characters are drawn to one another in a way that they have never experienced with anyone else. That physical intimacy and interaction is hard to fault.
