Normal People 2020

Why tell stuff, when you can just show it?

The most intimate, best-written and memorable moments of this masterpiece hardly use any words. The story presents itself with its characters, the brillant acting and just the ability to resonate with the viewer. So many moments are just real, they don't feel real, they are real because everyone of us has felt the same many many times in their lives.

It's not just being able to see yourself in one or some of the characters, it's also the moments where you feel completely alienated by their actions, just as how sometimes everyone feels detached from themselves. Sometimes it's as if you look into a mirror that is steadily moving away from you - seeing yourself out of reach of yourself, but somehow it's still you.

This show hurts in the right places and still is enjoyable. It shows you that everyone is surrounded by people that love them, that are affectionate. It shows you that when you're down and alone, you're in fact not alone in your feeling at least - albeit you might be lonely physically, loads of people feel the same way, all the time.

It's awesome that they don't show the protagonists as perfect human beings, instead just as human beings - with their mistakes, intricacies, quirks, imperfections - frankly, just all the stuff that makes them, and us, human and relatable.

This show is fuckign brillant. And I hate the fact that I can't watch it again for the first time.
This show has made me miss the feeling of first being in love with someone.
This show has made me miss the happy life when I lived every day carelessly in school with my friends, while also making me realise and acknowledge that life is fucking awesome and that I'm surrounded by amazing people.

This show is definitely tailored to young adults that are doing their studies like me, but still. I think everyone might not regret giving it a fair chance. Really. I love it so much.

I went into the book and the show thinking they would be better than they actually are. I liked the show more because Daisy Edgar-Jones and Paul Mescal are truly wonderful, but however charming they are as actors, they can't make the characters more likable or interesting than they are on paper. They're interesting enough, but something's missing for me. The actors did really well, and it's sometimes a good character and relationship study, but it's not always super engaging and I wish the characters had more growth. I also wish the material was better and made me feel... something more.

The most infuriating thing, which is not romantic, is the cycle of their relationship. It would be quickly undone if thEY WERE BRAVE AND HAD AN ACTUAL CONVERSATION WHEN IT MATTERS, beyond the chats where they never seem to say what they really think or feel. The way that they seamlessly get together for a while and then something stupid happens gets old after a while. I love a good "life keeps pulling them apart but their love always brings them back to each other", but that's not what this was. The ending is unsatisfying to me because I can see them stuck in that cycle forever and I wish the story didn't leave me feeling that way.