Normal People_series

Normal People is an Irish drama television series of twelve 30-minute episodes produced by Element Pictures for BBC Three. Based on the novel of the same name by Sally Rooney, and stunningly directed by Hettie Macdonald, the series follows the relationship between Marianne Sheridan (Daisy Edgar-Jones) and Connell Waldron (Paul Mescal), as they navigate adulthood from their final days in secondary school in County Sligo, on Ireland's Atlantic coast, to their undergraduate years in Trinity College, Dublin. 

The focus is mainly on Connell's and Marianne's weaving in and out of each other's romantic lives. Among her peers at secondary school Marianne is regarded as an oddball, though she rejects having any care for social standing. Her home life is complicated by her irritable mother Denise and resentful brother Alan in the face of her high academic standing. Her father is deceased and is revealed to have been a domestic abuser—something her family avoids in conversation. Connell is a handsome, high-achieving athletic student living with his single mother Lorraine, who is employed by Denise as a cleaner. He is popular in the school community, though he is diminished by his remaining silent during the bullying of Marianne. This creates complexity as their relationship develops. 

Beautifully shot, in the best BBC tradition, both leading actors give a mesmerizing, outstanding performance. Mescal and Edgar-Jones simply have chemistry on camera, mostly in those long close-ups. A captivating minimalist score giving structure to the story line. Twelve bingeable episodes. A must-see series.