At the beginning of this year, I decided to revisit some of the shows I watched during the pandemic. The Vampire Diaries, Insecure, Normal People, One Day, and The Originals all made the list. Rewatching them has been like seeing my old artwork, but this time with fresh eyes. One of the series in particular struck me differently this time: Normal People. My understanding of the characters — especially Connell — shifted dramatically.
I first came across Normal People in the summer of 2021 while aimlessly scrolling through Hulu. Curious, I looked it up on TikTok to see what others were saying. The comments were filled with praise — some called it “the best show they’d ever watched,” while others described it as “right person, wrong time.” And as a romantic drama lover, I was instantly hooked and knew I had to watch it.
Normal People is based on Sally Rooney’s 2018 novel of the same name, Normal People. The miniseries follows the two leads, Marianne Sheridan (played by Daisy Edgar Jones) and Connell Waldron (played by Paul Mescal), as they navigate their relationship from adolescence into adulthood. It’s a tender, raw portrayal of love, self-worth, and emotional growth.
The story begins in high school. Marianne is an outcast, often ridiculed by her peers, while Connell is well-liked and socially accepted. Connell’s mother, Lorraine, works as a cleaner for Marianne’s wealthy family. After school, Connell frequently visits Marianne’s home to pick up his mom. It’s there, away from school, that their relationship begins — secretly and intimately. But Connell is ashamed to be seen with Marianne publicly, which causes real pain. Their relationship eventually falls apart, only to be rekindled later, again and again, each time affected by miscommunication, insecurity, and their inability to express their needs.
When I first watched the show, I was fresh out of high school. I watched it at 1.25 speed, rushing through episodes, emotionally charged, and quick to judge. I hated Connell for how he treated her in those early episodes — how he showed her affection only in private, then ignored her in public. I saw Marianne as a vulnerable, insecure girl who was mistreated at home and bullied at school, and Connell as someone who didn’t deserve her. I couldn’t see past his mistakes.
But on rewatch — now a third-year college student, further removed from adolescence — I see Connell differently. I now understand that he was a teenager struggling with anxiety, loneliness, and the pressure of being perceived a certain way. He cared deeply for Marianne but didn’t know how to show it without sacrificing his own fragile sense of belonging. His inability to communicate wasn’t malicious; it was fearful. Fearful of judgment, of vulnerability, of doing the wrong thing.Â
Also, this time around, I watched the show at a normal pace and was able to appreciate both Marianne and Connell more fully. Marianne, who seeks validation in harmful places due to her upbringing, and Connell, who faces his own struggles with class, mental health, and identity. It’s easy to sympathize with Marianne’s pain, but this time around, I also saw the quiet weight Connell carried — the isolation, the shame, the feeling that no one understood him except Marianne.
Normal People is a powerful exploration of two people who love each other deeply but consistently fall short in expressing that love. It shows how personal insecurities and a lack of communication can damage even the most intense connection.Â