Normal People Episode 7 EXTRA Early Access/Watchalong
Added 2023-02-24 01:58:18 +0000 UTCDuring his return home to Sligo for the summer, Connell hangs out with some friends and lives the lifestyle that he used to by partying and hooking up with people in town. Once returned to school, he is joined by Marianne in winning a Schol's award which rids him of a lot of financial stress. After a long night of partying, he gets jumped and goes to Marianne's house for shelter. During his time there, they have a talk and realize their separation was caused by miscommunication and then Connell drops a bomb which crushes Marianne... Make sure to drop a like if you're enjoying for the Normal People reactions!
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Uncut reaction: https://vimeo.com/801803409/fab3121e11
Comments
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Majed Alfaco
2023-02-24 11:50:22 +0000 UTCThanks! Completely agree; I could analyse them forever, they hold a special place in my heart. It’s funny or rather, ironic; they both need constant reassurance and proper straight forward communication from the other but they both are incapable and then proceed the endless cycle😭😅
Danielle
2023-02-24 09:24:00 +0000 UTCYeah, so when Connell said "I guess you'll be wanting to see other people," she (because of her insecurities due to her home life and people in high school) took it as Connell really wanted to see other people. She thought he was just phrasing it like that to spare her feelings. That's why later, when she imagined it, he said they should see other people. So, when she was talking about her sex life with Jamie she was trying to rub it in his face a bit because she thought he broke up with her. That's also why she was even dating Jamie in the first place. She rebounded with him because she was hurt over Connell. A part of her also feels she deserves pain and to be hurt because of her past/background and she's ALWAYS felt unwanted...even by Connell. So that's why it was so devastating to her when he said he was dating someone else too. From Connell's point of view, he's self conscious about the fact that he was poor and Marianne has always had money. Also why his friends rubbing it in his face that his mom was Marianne's cleaning lady hurt. So, he can't ask Marianne to stay with her and even asking her for cab fare in this episode is hard for him. He throws out there that maybe she'd like to see other people since he'd be gone all summer. So he thinks HE was the wronged on and that she really did want to see other people. It's all a giant mess of misunderstandings. It shows how our backgrounds as people and what we go through in life colors every single conversation and relationship we have. You see everything through that lens, which can make us misinterpret things other people say and do. Anyway, I love how this series shows that. Nearly every little thing means something.
Terri
2023-02-24 08:49:48 +0000 UTCYou put this into words beautifully! I love these characters so much. There's so much that I relate to in both of them. This story is refreshing because it feels so so real.
Sarah Cervantes
2023-02-24 08:12:58 +0000 UTCThank you!
Danielle
2023-02-24 06:46:31 +0000 UTCWow—such a great post!
Cindy S.
2023-02-24 06:12:38 +0000 UTCExactly and that’s why he got so uncomfortable when Marianne told him she would have a threesome just to make him happy it creates an imbalance in the relationship that’s unhealthy
Jude G
2023-02-24 05:22:44 +0000 UTCTheir lack of communication is so frustrating but realistic. I remember thinking when Connell said, “I guess you’ll be wanting to see other people” he said it out of ‘concern’ of her own feelings and not wanting to feel like a burden on her or that she owed him anything (possibly still stemming from the guilt he continue to feel about their relationship at school) it seemed like he took that conversation from last ep when he said, ‘you don’t have to do things just to make me happy’ right on the nose and thought she’d only agree to house him because it’d please him, forgetting the fact that she loves him too! Although I don’t think she’s said it atp yet so perhaps he truly doesn’t think she does. it also felt like Connell thought there was a power dynamic — their differing classes is a huge part of the show & novel — and it was ‘deserved’ so to speak. That he isn’t good enough for Marianne and on the other hand Marianne feels the same. They are both incredibly insecure and sometimes especially for Connell you find yourself getting absorbed in his head but remember the horrible ways he’s behaved. you see his crippling anxiety and insecurity and imposter syndrome at the forefront of everything he does and understand how it controls how he acts and treats Marianne but you also feel the frustration Marianne must feel; she was on the receiving end of all of this, she has an abusive home life and continues to be the subject of disgusting bullying. On top of that, the boy who is supposed to ‘love her’, on the outside, appears to be ashamed to even be with her and even though he apologised that stuff eats away at you. She isn’t in his head and all she knows is what he chooses to tell her. You could tell at the swimming pool last ep she was desperate for him to speak to her. One thing that’s so prevalent in this show is the complexity of humans and it is such a raw portrayal. Every perspective is biased by default because our brains interpret things in different ways and couple that with M&C’s self sabotaging because they both don’t think they deserve happiness. We may not relate to it or understand why they both do what they do, but you can find a small part of yourself in either one of them. Whether that’s prioritising the feelings of others or putting their own gratification above your own, or conformity or pure doubt in yourself.
Danielle
2023-02-24 05:21:19 +0000 UTCWhich is also why Connell cried after Marianne told him she would do anything Connell wanted. It’s a deeply unsettling power to have over someone, and that probably gave him so much anxiety and pressure. There’s so much going on mentally and emotionally between them, so heavy.
Jettah
2023-02-24 04:44:26 +0000 UTCIt’s less that Marianne is into sadism and more that she feels she deserves to be punished by men because she feels worthless and unlovable and damaged which is very sad
Jude G
2023-02-24 03:41:44 +0000 UTCI really love how the communication divergence between Connell and Marianne was portrayed in the show! I remember reading it in the book and being so confused by how Marianne was thinking Connell dealt with that situation and then we see that Connell had a whole different perspective on that and the show did the same in a very creative way. Very cool stuff.
Lorena Oliveira
2023-02-24 03:34:57 +0000 UTC
