Note: this newsletter somehow contains no real spoilers of the Hulu series Normal People. With that being said, I think this is written mostly for those who have seen the series. If you haven’t seen it, it’s decent! Maybe watch it with your parents!
The dinner scene in Episode 8 of Normal People is an intersection of many of my different loves: pretentious Europeans, Northern Italian villas, and kinda ridiculous love stories. This episode is a straight, worse Call Me By Your Name (sadly no peach scene :////). Most of the episode revolves around a dinner party and seeing as this newsletter is supposed to be about food…
So let’s first take a look at the first argument that arises in this dinner. Pretentious bloke who is dating Marianne is upset that they’re drinking champagne out of the champagne coupe (??) glasses instead of flutes. I get that this argument is supposed to show us how awful Jamie is but I can’t help but think of how ridiculous and bad the writing of this scene is. Of course, everyone knows champagne is best drank straight out of the bottle or in cups of orange juice in Ross Dining so this argument seems trivial.
Next, the pasta that Marianne makes looks absolutely terrible. Not that surprised seeing as Ireland’s greatest culinary contribution to the world is potatoes. The pasta looks bad and all of the Irishmen have no idea how to eat it. Their slurping is a sound I will take to my grave, truly terrible.
Originally I had planned on making this longer, talking about the strawberries and wine, but I realized I don’t like the show enough for that and they actually don’t talk about food that much in the episode. As a whole, I’ve been surprised at how little food seems to play a role in the relationship of the two protagonists. I had always assumed that Dublin was a great international city, and as such would have a thriving food scene. This either isn’t true or Normal People does a terrible job of showing it. Speaking solely from my own experiences, it seems like many of the conversations that Connell and Marianne have in odd hallways and empty kitchens should be happening over food. It just seems like it maybe isn’t a great reflection of how people act and for a show that at least attempts to portray that quality it feels like its lacking. The show itself is pretty good, and got me to cry a fair amount, but it just seems like this oversights, along with its terrible soundtrack detract from the legitimately great acting that takes place. I like Normal People (Connell’s chain…)! I just think some of its shortcomings can be pretty glaring at times, and that’s kind of a bummer.
Looking back on what I wrote last night ^^, I can’t help but feel like my nitpicking might be a factor of something else. As we move into week 9 (?) of stay-at-home orders, there seems to be some hope on the horizon. Or at least that’s how it feels half the time. The other half of the time there’s a crushing sense of dread looming over everything I do. I’m not sure what I was hoping Normal People would be (I didn’t even know it was a book prior to starting the series), but I do find myself asking more of the content I consume during this time though. If it’s escapist, let it be all the way ridiculous. If it’s trying to be real, then be real!! Don’t shirk on providing an accurate representation of something if that’s what you’re saying you’re doing!! UGHH.
For those of us lucky (and privileged) enough to be cooped up indoors, Content is what is getting us through this. And as weeks drag on, the TikToks are getting worse and the YouTube videos more dystopian (“Unboxing N95 Masks”). We need more quality content in order to keep us from doomscrolling. Please Netflix, drop Uncut Gems.
As this newsletter decays more and more into my own personal ramblings I figure I may as well make this worth your while and recommend some good things.
Recommendations:
Waco, on Netflix
Paparazzi by Lady Gaga
A Ghost Story, on Netflix
Reading over these recommendations, especially the Ghost Story related ones, I can’t help but feel myself becoming the liberal arts dirtbag I was always meant to be.