Normal People

Connell Waldron is a sweet, somewhat awkward, introverted boy. He is a kind of Vesuvius of pent-up emotions and thoughts that just won't burst. A shame, because Connell is a smart guy who - once he decides to talk - usually says reasonably meaningful things. The only one with whom he seems to be thawing a bit is his not too popular classmate Marianne Sheridan. Marianne is direct, outspoken and somewhat haughty, which results in few invitations to parties and parties. On the down low, the two start a couple dance that seems to never end. It is a (exhausting) game of attraction and rejection. Every time you think, now they are going to scratch their names in a three-hundred-year-old oak for eternity, personal issues cause another hitch. Normal People is a romantic drama that reminds us of the time when you yourself were a clumsy nineteen-year-old who didn't know what to do with all his emotions and screeching hormones. A bit full of self-pity in your room staring melancholy in front of you with You're Always On My Mind on repeat, because your courtship - during a long weekend Center Parcs with friends - decided to hang out with the boy from the bike rental. That work. It's also full of sex. I haven't seen that much nude in a series since season one of The Girlfriend Experience. Even Game Of Thrones bites its teeth out here. Connell and Marianne look like a bunch of rabbits. You would almost become insecure about the state of your own libido. Almost then, huh ?! Furthermore, it is simply the classic story of a complicated love between two people from different backgrounds, but with a nice contemporary look. Great food for self-proclaimed amateur psychologists too. You can unleash some wild theories on the behavior of Connell and Marianne. When you see Marianne's decisions, try not to mumble 'daddy issues'. Impossible. All in all, Normal People has quite a lot of body - no pun intended - and that is quite remarkable for a series in which not much happens. Nice series to watch and to forget a few weeks later.

Sometimes something comes along, a book, film or series - or a journey - that gives you new insights. Something that touches you, deep inside, and which opens your eyes to a reality that you did not see (yet) before. On that point I therefore fundamentally disagree with - the incidentally very beautifully writing - gumstarr. If you feel something like that, you won't forget it a few weeks later. I'm watching Normal people for the second time. One week after the first binge session. Many people watch the series for the sake of tragedy or romance. Some find it a bit sticky. Others are affected by it. Or they recognize themselves in Connel and Marianne. Me too of course, I had a very similar story with the love of my life when we were teenagers ourselves. But what struck me so much was the unlikely feeling of happiness, which I was left with because I suddenly realized that 'my Marianne' is still with me. And that thirty years later I like her even more than when we were teenagers. Strangely enough, I had kind of forgotten about that ... and that feeling can completely bring back old romance. I repeat, if you feel something like that, you will not forget it a few weeks later! Maybe that's why so many people, all over the world, become so happy with Normal people (grin). Maybe that's why I think it's the best series I've ever seen.