Paul Mescal in a scene from HamnetImage via Focus Features
By
Amanda M. Castro
Published 57 minutes ago
Amanda M. Castro is a Network TV writer at Collider and a journalist based in New York. Born and raised in Puerto Rico, Amanda is a bilingual Latina who graduated from the University of New Haven with a degree in Communication, Film, and Media Studies. She covers the world of network television, focusing on sharp, thoughtful analysis of the shows and characters that keep audiences tuning in week after week. At Collider, Amanda dives into the evolving landscape of network TV — from long-running procedural favorites to ambitious new dramas — exploring why these stories matter and how they connect with viewers on a cultural level.
Sign in to your Collider account Summary Generate a summary of this story follow Follow followed Followed Like Like Thread Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recapPaul Mescal’s name has been everywhere lately — and with the upcoming film Hamnet already heating up awards-season conversations, now is the perfect time to revisit the project that first revealed his star power. Hulu’s Normal People, adapted from Sally Rooney’s bestselling novel, remains one of the most emotionally astute romances of the past decade. It’s also the performance that launched Mescal into the global spotlight, earning him an Emmy nomination and a dedicated fanbase… and yes, an Instagram page devoted solely to his character’s chain.
How ‘Normal People’ Reinvented the Young-Adult Romance Format
Image by Nimesh Niyomal Perera
The book is a YA (young adult) novel about a romance between two teenagers from different backgrounds who meet in high school and continue their relationship into college. But the series is not a typical YA book because it throws out all the clichés associated with the genre. Instead, it becomes a raw, truthful look at how a person evolves, changes, and connects with other people, including the potential for heartbreak, all within the context of growing up in society.
In the series, Connell is the "boy" of the story, a popular student who plays sports and has many friends. Marianne (Daisy Edgar-Jones), the "girl" of the story and Connell's friend, comes from money but is very lonely and challenging to deal with. Marianne's wealth divides them, creating an invisible "power" imbalance in their relationship. In fact, the power dynamics are subtle yet essential indicators of the differences between the two characters as they navigate their respective lives at Trinity College in Dublin.
At Trinity, where the series is set, the characters' social and economic roles are reversed. Marianne's wealthy family gives her a lot of confidence and allows her to do well at Trinity College. Connell, who is not from such a privileged family, has low self-esteem and does not have the same level of academic success because of their changed social status. The show presents this change in their social status as a massive transformation, but also shows that this type of change happens to many other people as young adults go through their lives.
Paul Mescal and Daisy Edgar-Jones Deliver the Performances That Made 'Normal People' a Phenomenon
Daisy Edgar-Jones and Paul Mescal as Marianne and Connell staring at each other at a party in Normal People.Image via Hulu
A large part of why Normal People hits so hard comes down to the casting. Mescal and Edgar-Jones share an uncommon connection that draws you in and makes it feel as if two people are having an enjoyable/meaningful conversation in front of you. Throughout the film, viewers will think that the two of them have spent a lot of time together because they exhibit a very close bond through their eye contact, long looks back and forth, and even moments of silence. Although their relationship looks somewhat idealistic, it doesn’t become overly so because there is something about the way they communicate that is very real, raw, and relatable.
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Posts By Claudia Picado May 25, 2025Connell and Marianne's connection has been depicted as both a physical and emotional one due to the nature of their interaction through sex, which is shown to be in line with the experiences of the two actors playing them, as can be seen in the documentary style used by Director Lenny Abrahamson (who directed the first half of the season) and by Director Hettie Macdonald (who directed the second half of the season). Discussing sex and intimacy in this series is an integral part of the narrative, and the series' treatment of these subjects has been done with honesty and clarity. Instead of the typical romanticized view of sex, the series shows it to be an avenue of communication that may be awkward, tender, joyful, painful, or anywhere in between.
It is through the moments of physical intimacy between Connell and Marianne that we see their emotional distance from each other, and these moments represent many of the ongoing changes in their power dynamics, as well as all the things that have remained unspoken between them over many years. Ultimately, the complexity of the relationship between desire, vulnerability, insecurity, and class is what makes Normal People a more fully realized adaptation.
Why 'Normal People' is Essential Paul Mescal Viewing
Paul Mescal looking somber against a dark background in Normal People Image via BBC
Part of the enduring appeal of Normal People is its brutal relatability. The show taps into the uncomfortable truth that the relationships we form when we’re young often shape us long after they end. Watching Marianne and Connell continually orbit each other — drawn together, pulled apart by circumstance or fear — can feel like reliving old heartbreaks. But the show succeeds not because it wallows in nostalgia. Instead, it explores how people try, fail, and try again to become better versions of themselves. Marianne’s journey toward self-worth and Connell’s confrontation with anxiety and loneliness are rendered with a softness that never diminishes the weight of their struggles.
However, the real star of the show is Mescal. He can conjure all the complexity of the character Connell, from the fragility underneath the bravado to the all-encompassing uncertainty to the quiet but crippling desire. All of these qualities are what drew people in, from casting agents to critics to fans. Hamnet will likely be the next big step in his career, but Normal People is the very basis for it. Every aspect of his performance in Normal People has been confirmed to demonstrate that he can create an entire story with emotional complexity without sacrificing the human element.
Normal People
TV-4
Drama
Romance
Release Date
2020 - 2019
Genres
Drama, Romance
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