It starts with a squeak. That specific, annoying sound of a screen door closing in a quiet Irish suburb. If you’ve seen Normal People episode 1, you know that sound marks the beginning of something that felt less like a TV show and more like an intrusion into two people's actual lives. Most teen dramas go big. They go for the "high school royalty falls for the nerd" trope with a soundtrack of Top 40 hits and lighting that makes everyone look like they’ve never had a pore in their life.
Sally Rooney’s adaptation didn't do that.
The first time we see Marianne Sheridan and Connell Waldron together, it’s awkward. It’s genuinely, painfully quiet. There is no swelling orchestra. There is just the sound of a tea kettle or the rustle of a school uniform. This isn't just a pilot; it’s a masterclass in what isn't said.
The Social Geography of Sligo
The power of Normal People episode 1 lies in its brutal understanding of high school caste systems. It’s set in Sligo, Ireland, but honestly, it could be anywhere where reputation is the only currency that matters. Connell is popular. He’s the star of the Gaelic football team. He’s well-liked, easy-going, and—this is the kicker—terrified of what his friends think.
Then there’s Marianne.
She’s wealthy, brilliant, and utterly loathed by her peers. She’s "difficult." She doesn't perform the expected social niceties. When a teacher tries to reprimand her, she doesn't shrink; she fights back with a cold, intellectual precision that makes the adults around her feel small. It’s a fascinating dynamic because, on paper, Connell has all the power. In reality? Marianne is the only one who actually knows who she is.
The inciting incident is simple. Connell’s mother, Lorraine—played with such warmth by Sarah Greene—works as a cleaner for Marianne’s family. This creates a bridge between two worlds that should never touch. When Connell goes to pick up his mother, he encounters Marianne in the hallway of her cold, white, minimalist mansion.
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The contrast is jarring. Connell’s home is small, cluttered, and full of love. Marianne’s home is a museum of resentment. You can feel the chill coming off the screen during the scenes with her mother and brother.
The Kitchen Scene That Changed Everything
We have to talk about that kitchen conversation. You know the one.
Connell is waiting for Lorraine. Marianne is there. The dialogue is sparse. It’s mostly subtext. Marianne tells him she likes him, and the way Paul Mescal plays Connell in that moment—the twitch in his eye, the way he can’t quite look at her—is incredible. He’s shocked, not because a "weirdo" likes him, but because she had the nerve to say it out loud.
"I'd never say it to you in school," she says.
"Why not?"
"Because you'd be embarrassed."
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She’s right. And he knows she’s right. That’s the engine of the entire series. It’s not a "will-they-won't-they" in the traditional sense. It’s a "will he ever be brave enough to be seen with her" story.
Direction and the "Lenny Abrahamson" Touch
A lot of the credit for why Normal People episode 1 felt so different goes to director Lenny Abrahamson. He used a very shallow depth of field. What does that mean for you as a viewer? It means the background is often a blur, and the focus is intensely tight on the actors' faces.
It feels claustrophobic.
It forces you to notice the micro-expressions. You see the way Daisy Edgar-Jones (Marianne) holds her breath. You see the way the light hits the chain around Connell's neck—a piece of jewelry that, quite literally, broke the internet when the show first aired on Hulu and BBC.
The pacing is deliberate. It’s slow. Some might say too slow, but if you rush this, you lose the texture. You lose the feeling of those long, humid afternoons where nothing happens and everything changes. The show respects the silence of the original novel. Rooney’s prose is famous for its lack of quotation marks, and while the show obviously has to use dialogue, it maintains that sense of words being secondary to the physical presence of the characters.
Breaking Down the First Kiss
The end of the episode gives us their first real intimate moment. It’s in the Sheridan house. It’s clumsy. It’s not a Hollywood kiss. It’s two teenagers who are overwhelmed by a connection they don't know how to categorize.
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What’s important here is the power shift.
In school, Connell is the king. In this room, Marianne is the boss. She’s the one who initiates. She’s the one who sets the terms. But the moment they stop kissing and he has to go back to his life, the anxiety returns. The episode ends with a lingering sense of dread. You know he’s going to hide her. You know he’s going to break her heart, even if he doesn't mean to.
Why the Accuracy Matters
The show doesn't shy away from the class divide. Connell’s family is "working class," though that label feels a bit reductive. They are a tight-knit unit. Marianne’s family is "old money," but they are emotionally bankrupt.
- Connell’s mom, Lorraine, is arguably the moral compass of the whole story.
- Marianne’s brother, Alan, is a simmering pot of toxic insecurity.
- The school setting feels authentic—the grey walls, the cheap desks, the casual cruelty of teenage boys.
Critics at the time, including those from The Guardian and The New York Times, praised the show for its "unflinching" look at first love. It didn't feel like a show about teenagers; it felt like being inside the head of a teenager.
Actionable Takeaways for Your Rewatch
If you’re going back to watch Normal People episode 1 for the second or third time, keep an eye out for these specific details:
- The Color Palette: Notice how blue and grey dominate the school scenes, while the Sheridan house feels clinical and white. Connell’s home is the only place that feels "warm" in terms of lighting.
- The Sound Design: Listen for the lack of music. The "score" is often just the sound of the wind or footsteps. This makes the needle drops (like "Dogwood Blossom") much more impactful.
- Body Language: Watch how Connell carries himself in the school hallway versus how he sits in Marianne's kitchen. He physically shrinks when he's around her, not out of fear, but out of a desperate need to be private.
- The Mirroring: Look at how Marianne watches Connell from afar. She isn't pining; she's observing. She sees through his popular-guy act immediately.
The brilliance of this premiere is that it doesn't give you a happy ending. It gives you a secret. And as anyone who has ever been seventeen knows, a secret is a very heavy thing to carry.
To fully appreciate the arc starting here, pay close attention to the dialogue regarding "leaving" Sligo. The desire to escape is planted early, setting up the massive shift that happens when the story eventually moves to Trinity College in Dublin. The episode functions as a perfect prologue to a tragedy of errors that could all be solved if these two people just learned how to talk to each other. But then, it wouldn't be "Normal People," would it? It would just be another TV show.