Normal People [BBC - RTE] - [**SPOILERS**]

murpho999

Man Vs ManUre wrote: »

Looking at the Denny sausage ad, can say this fella has a real presence for comedy roles also. He is just so natural in similar way that Fr Ted Crilley and Fr Douglas Maguire could deliver genius comedy.

You know that was actually Dermot Morgan and Ardal O'Hanlon playing the roles and not real priests?

Sittingpretty

Talk about night and day in last night’s episodes.

The Swedish one was totally unnecessary, the series could’ve done without going down that whole rabbit hole, totally overshadowed by the following episode. The scene in the counsellor’s office was very raw.

I fall into the I’m enjoying it but don’t think it’s as brilliant as it’s being lauded camp. And even I find the constant critique of it from a contributor in this thread really tiresome.

castletownman

castletownman wrote: »

I have been a skeptic of the show, but I thought the suicide episode tonight was superb.

I unfortunately lost a friend to suicide at around the same age as Connall, and they captured that feeling of "what if" and the different stages of grief pretty much spot on. Went into a similar spiral as Connall for a spell too but thankfully got through it.

I would agree with a previous poster that his acting during the therapy scene was excellent. Best episode of the series by a mile, in terms of emotion and accuracy.

The previous episode with BDSM and that was contrived nonsense though.

What I relate to is brilliant, what I cannot relate to is nonsense.

D_D

Beechwoodspark wrote: »

Sorry now but with respect - dissenting opinions on this show are widespread.

In my job I am in phone contact with my customers and clients daily and when talking this show comes up huge amounts of ppl have said this is overhyped overrated pretentious mass market “mills and boon” for a new generation.

The sex scenes were there to get attention for the show in the media. And fair play it worked.

I’m sorry if that triggers ppl but I have to say other than my niece aged 17 ppl just don’t like this show - it’s seen as home and away on the wild Atlantic way.

Just observationally I have a cousin in her early 20s - she says ppl of her age group laugh at the show for how unrealistic it is

I'm sorry, but this is absolute b****cks...

Tork

I thought the same about Sweden. It didn't add a lot to the story and felt a bit like padding. I thought it was odd at the time that there was this big deal made out of him taking her photos, and then that was it. I was waiting to find out that they'd made it past the four walls of Lukas's studio and out into the wild. I think somebody mentioned here that the photos leak out in the book. If that is the case, I wonder why didn't they include that?

The actor who played Lukas was fine but I thought the casting of an African guy was jarring. The program makers seem to have been at pains to bring "diversity" into it at every opportunity. So we have an African guy instead of a Swede in this episode, Connell's Asian girlfriend (yes, I know the actress's father is Ciaran Hinds), a black English actress as the counsellor Connell goes to see etc. I'm not criticising any of the actors in question but it smacks of "We'd better put some other ethnicities into this in case we're accused of being too white"

Strazdas

The way I see it, "damaged Marianne" comes to the fore when she's not with Connell. She ends up with jerks like Jamie and Lukas and nearly invites them to physically abuse her and treat her badly. She's never like this when she's with Connell.

I actually liked the Sweden scenes btw. The cinematography of her walking through deserted streets in the snow was stunning.

All that fandango

Strazdas wrote:

She's never like this when she's with Connell.

Yeah wait till ya see the next episode...

Mad_maxx

Tork wrote: »

I thought the same about Sweden. It didn't add a lot to the story and felt a bit like padding. I thought it was odd at the time that there was this big deal made out of him taking her photos, and then that was it. I was waiting to find out that they'd made it past the four walls of Lukas's studio and out into the wild. I think somebody mentioned here that the photos leak out in the book. If that is the case, I wonder why didn't they include that?

The actor who played Lukas was fine but I thought the casting of an African guy was jarring. The program makers seem to have been at pains to bring "diversity" into it at every opportunity. So we have an African guy instead of a Swede in this episode, Connell's Asian girlfriend (yes, I know the actress's father is Ciaran Hinds), a black English actress as the counsellor Connell goes to see etc. I'm not criticising any of the actors in question but it smacks of "We'd better put some other ethnicities into this in case we're accused of being too white"

It's very WOKE ,albeit quite subtle

castletownman

Deleted User wrote: »

What I relate to is brilliant, what I cannot relate to is nonsense.

Gosh. Imagine someone holding a view about a television show that differs from your own.

marieholmfan

Tork wrote: »

I thought the same about Sweden. It didn't add a lot to the story and felt a bit like padding. I thought it was odd at the time that there was this big deal made out of him taking her photos, and then that was it. I was waiting to find out that they'd made it past the four walls of Lukas's studio and out into the wild. I think somebody mentioned here that the photos leak out in the book. If that is the case, I wonder why didn't they include that?

The actor who played Lukas was fine but I thought the casting of an African guy was jarring. The program makers seem to have been at pains to bring "diversity" into it at every opportunity. So we have an African guy instead of a Swede in this episode, Connell's Asian girlfriend (yes, I know the actress's father is Ciaran Hinds), a black English actress as the counsellor Connell goes to see etc. I'm not criticising any of the actors in question but it smacks of "We'd better put some other ethnicities into this in case we're accused of being too white"

How dare Irish people who aren't white exist! How very dare they!

Shelga

Say the number of secondary characters who are BAME is slightly higher than it might actually be in reality.

Who really cares?

Hamachi

Shelga wrote: »

Say the number of secondary characters who are BAME is slightly higher than it might actually be in reality.

Who really cares?

It’s jarring, out-of-context, and tokenistic.

I read an interview with Lenny Abrahamson. The mantra on set was ‘the book is the bible’. Yet they couldn’t find one Swedish actor who remotely physically resembles how Lukas is described in the book?

This trend of shoe-horning in diversity into every narrative is quite annoying frankly.

bitofabind

Hamachi wrote: »

It’s jarring, out-of-context, and tokenistic.

I read an interview with Lenny Abrahamson. The mantra on set was ‘the book is the bible’. Yet they couldn’t find one Swedish actor who remotely physically resembles how Lukas is described in the book?

This trend of shoe-horning in diversity into every narrative is quite annoying frankly.

Agree. I'd say it was a decision entirely driven by the global audience that this show was going to reach and trying cover all demographics, and prevent any PR disasters or Twitter spats.

I'm not sure if I'm against these types of decisions. I've worked for government bodies that had hiring quotas in a similar vein. I think it's just particularly noteworthy as an Irish viewer who grew up rurally, or as someone who read the book and had author-driven images in their head of what certain characters looked like. It can feel a bit shoe-horned in sometimes to the detriment of the show's credibility. Maybe it's necessary though, I dunno.

castletownman

castletownman wrote: »

Gosh. Imagine someone holding a view about a television show that differs from your own.

Sensitive much

I never even said my view. It's just amusing how transparent and narrow yours is.

People with self destructive personalities might not find the Sweden plot to be contrived nonsense.

Beechwoodspark

D_D wrote: »

I'm sorry, but this is absolute b****cks...

Great rebuttal there well done. Never give up

Address the points please then I’ll engage with you

Lisha

Strazdas wrote: »

The way I see it, "damaged Marianne" comes to the fore when she's not with Connell. She ends up with jerks like Jamie and Lukas and nearly invites them to physically abuse her and treat her badly. She's never like this when she's with Connell.

I actually liked the Sweden scenes btw. The cinematography of her walking through deserted streets in the snow was stunning.

Interesting point re ‘damaged Marianne’
There is a suggestion that it’s Connell’s ‘soundness’ is why she isn’t treated badly by him. Remember when she asked him to show her the ‘cool kids’ Hangout. She told him that if he asked her to lie down on ground there and then she would. That he ‘could literally do anything to her’ ... Connell mumbles that he wouldn’t. But in a way of course he totally treats her badly by not talking to her in secondary school etc.

I can’t decide if damaged marianne would ever be as strong in other areas of life in reality.

Beechwoodspark

I can report more negative opinions on this show today.

One guy opened his comment by saying “that sh1te is still on. You’d think they’d have gone through the full Kama sutra at this stage but no...”

Almost dropped the phone with laughter

Rfrip

Beechwoodspark wrote: »

I can report more negative opinions on this show today.

One guy opened his comment by saying “that sh1te is still on. You’d think they’d have gone through the full Kama sutra at this stage but no...”

Almost dropped the phone with laughter

What did you’re 17 year old niece think?

Purple Mountain

LuckyLloyd wrote: »

I like the absence of quotation marks or unnecessary punctuation. Flows better and the prose looks better with a familiar structure. Appreciate that’s subjective though - can see how it wouldn’t be for everyone.

Really enjoyed both books, would probably never have read either if it wasn’t for watching the series.

When I'm reading 'Conversations', I can actually hear my English teachers in my head berating the lack of quotation marks

Mad_maxx

Hamachi wrote: »

It’s jarring, out-of-context, and tokenistic.

I read an interview with Lenny Abrahamson. The mantra on set was ‘the book is the bible’. Yet they couldn’t find one Swedish actor who remotely physically resembles how Lukas is described in the book?

This trend of shoe-horning in diversity into every narrative is quite annoying frankly.

Abrahamson is an uber WOKE individual himself

Strazdas

Hamachi wrote: »

It’s jarring, out-of-context, and tokenistic.

I read an interview with Lenny Abrahamson. The mantra on set was ‘the book is the bible’. Yet they couldn’t find one Swedish actor who remotely physically resembles how Lukas is described in the book?

This trend of shoe-horning in diversity into every narrative is quite annoying frankly.

Then again, the fact that Lukas is a manipulative creep undoes the 'token' argument somewhat. If they were going the 'PC' route, they would have had him as a good guy who rescues her......instead he is just unlikable.

Strazdas

Lisha wrote: »

Interesting point re ‘damaged Marianne’
There is a suggestion that it’s Connell’s ‘soundness’ is why she isn’t treated badly by him. Remember when she asked him to show her the ‘cool kids’ Hangout. She told him that if he asked her to lie down on ground there and then she would. That he ‘could literally do anything to her’ ... Connell mumbles that he wouldn’t. But in a way of course he totally treats her badly by not talking to her in secondary school etc.

I can’t decide if damaged marianne would ever be as strong in other areas of life in reality.

I think she veers between damaged Marianne and normal Marianne and she's nearest to her normal self whenever she's with him.

Connell is no saint himself though. The way he treated Helen last night was selfish and a bit callous - completely indifferent to the fact he was making his girlfriend feel very insecure. He has form for this of course, some of his treatment of Marianne has been very off since day one.

Rfrip

There’s f all to look forward to these days so I’m watching it on bbc pace and haven’t binged watched it. I have read the book and adored it

The tv adaptation has been amazing imo. I have never watched something where I have identified so much with both main characters,
Last episode with the therapist session and the funeral has probably been the most realistic and powerful scenes in tv in an awful long time.
I would love to have seen this many moons ago when I was that age. It explains so much to me that at the time I didn’t know..or realise...but would discover much later. And god bless everyone of us that has a friend like Niall in our lives.

AndrewJRenko

bitofabind wrote: »

Agree. I'd say it was a decision entirely driven by the global audience that this show was going to reach and trying cover all demographics, and prevent any PR disasters or Twitter spats.

I'm not sure if I'm against these types of decisions. I've worked for government bodies that had hiring quotas in a similar vein. I think it's just particularly noteworthy as an Irish viewer who grew up rurally, or as someone who read the book and had author-driven images in their head of what certain characters looked like. It can feel a bit shoe-horned in sometimes to the detriment of the show's credibility. Maybe it's necessary though, I dunno.

In what country or countries did government bodies have diversity hiring quotas?

olestoepoke

Beechwoodspark wrote: »

Great rebuttal there well done. Never give up

Address the points please then I’ll engage with you

You talking about rebuttal's is utter hypocrisy. You are like a parrot, you haven't given any meaningful critique in the dozens of posts you wrote about your 17 year old niece and anyone you spoke to on the phone. Lets hear some constructive insightful criticism from you please, otherwise find another thread to troll.

Beechwoodspark

olestoepoke wrote: »

You talking about rebuttal's is utter hypocrisy. You are like a parrot, you haven't given any meaningful critique in the dozens of posts you wrote about your 17 year old niece and anyone you spoke to on the phone. Lets hear some constructive insightful criticism from you please, otherwise find another thread to troll.

I’ve already given multiple reasons - it’s unrealistic on many details for example

but the fans of this seem to think negative opinions on this show is trolling. It’s not, it’s just lots of ppl think the show is rubbishy shallow mass market fodder.

Water John

'lots of people' are u quoting Trump? Poster Beech you're fully entitled to write 'in my opinion' not presume you speak for others.

Beechwoodspark

Water John wrote: »

'lots of people' are u quoting Trump? Poster Beech you're fully entitled to write 'in my opinion' not presume you speak for others.

I have conversed with and asked many ppl and I am simply reporting back what ppl have to told me. Very few are fans of the show - for more info have a read of my previous posts, I won’t go into it again.

olestoepoke

Water John wrote: »

'lots of people' are u quoting Trump? Poster Beech you're fully entitled to write 'in my opinion' not presume you speak for others.

Don't feed the troll.:D

Sittingpretty

Beechwoodspark wrote: »

I won’t go into it again.

You will though, this is the thing