Top 20 New Shows of 2020: #3

My annual TV Awards, the AFT Television Awards, are given out during the summer. It’s always nice to check in midway through the television season to reflect back on all the calendar year introduced us to. As 2020 closes out and 2021 begins, here’s a look back at the best new shows of the year.

#3: Normal People

There are few television shows – or movies, for that matter – that I can think of that do as magnificent a job as this one with portraying the complexities and intricacies of a romantic relationship. Paul Mescal and Daisy Edgar-Jones are absolutely wonderful, and it’s just a shame that this limited series had to end. Watch it now on Hulu.

Best Episode: “Episode 11”
Pilot Review | Episode Reviews

Emmy Catch-Up: Normal People (Series Finale)

Every year, I watch the six submitted episodes of every series I don’t regularly watch that’s up for one of the Emmy series prizes. This year, I’m watching the entire season of every series nominated in the top category, as well as this one, which netted a few important nominations even if it missed the main limited series race.

Normal People: Season 1, Episode 12 (B+)

This was a strong and deeply sentimental finale, one that effectively incorporated brief flashes of moments we’ve seen before into the emotions that went into the relationship that Connell and Marianne had at this moment in time. Seeing them together was strange since, for the first time, they weren’t preoccupied with social perceptions or other people, and there was actually a true health to the way that they interacted. Connell went to hold Marianne’s head while he was driving and it seemed to fill her with silent joy, and there was something particularly powerful about seeing him at the party locking eyes with her and acknowledging that she was standing off to the side on her own. She held up her wine glass and assured him that she was okay, but him checking in on her and understanding how she functions in a room like that was sincere growth that’s taken him the entire series. That made his sudden mention of moving to New York all the more jarring, especially since he’s come so far in communicating how he feels. It would indeed have been wonderful to see them end up together, but Marianne being honest about the fact that she wouldn’t want to live in New York but that it would absolutely be the right thing to him was crucial to their continued happiness, even if it means them being apart. I’m so glad that I came back to watch this show after deciding not to revisit it following my initial screening of the pilot. I’m rooting for Paul Mescal at the Emmys but I also really hope that Daisy Edgar-Jones gets some recognition from the end-of-year awards groups.

Series grade: A-
Series MVP: Paul Mescal and Daisy Edgar-Jones

Emmy Catch-Up: Normal People (Penultimate Episode)

Every year, I watch the six submitted episodes of every series I don’t regularly watch that’s up for one of the Emmy series prizes. This year, I’m watching the entire season of every series nominated in the top category, as well as this one, which netted a few important nominations even if it missed the main limited series race.

Normal People: Season 1, Episode 11 (B+)

I’m sad that I have just one episode left in this show, and I’m going to try to put off watching it as long as I can. Most shows would approach a summer where two people romantically interested in each other were literally dripping in sweat with considerably more excitement, but, as usual, this series tackles it in a much more reserved and mesmerizing manner. It was significant to hear Connell reference how important to him their friendship was, something that hasn’t even really stood in the way of them being a couple but rather complicated it since they weren’t initially friends at all in public. Marianne telling Connell that she wanted him to kiss her was appropriately direct, and they once again experienced a very passionate and intimate moment together. Getting ice cream pops from right outside before that was a nice touch, and Connell not being able to feel the heat inside until Marianne said something and opened a window seemed like a solid bit of metaphor in action. Connell never quite manages to say the right thing, even if everything is going well, and the way that they left things was awkward. Connell didn’t realize when Marianne called him that she wasn’t trying to smooth over that discomfort but instead crying out for help. Alan slamming the door and breaking Marianne’s nose was violent and startling, and Connell responded decisively and firmly to make sure that he didn’t hurt her again. Coming together in difficult times like this doesn’t always lead to a healthy future, but I do hope that’s the case for our protagonists.

Emmy Catch-Up: Normal People

Every year, I watch the six submitted episodes of every series I don’t regularly watch that’s up for one of the Emmy series prizes. This year, I’m watching the entire season of every series nominated in the top category, as well as this one, which netted a few important nominations even if it missed the main limited series race.

Normal People: Season 1, Episode 10 (B+)

This episode completely flipped the dynamic from the previous one, with Marianne no longer devastated and miserable but Connell instead experience those feelings. Losing a friend to suicide sent Connell to a dark place, and he opened up in a way that we haven’t seen him do before to the therapist. There was such an intensity and power to the very long hug that he shared with Marianne when he saw her at the funeral, and it wasn’t even anything romantic. It’s easy to understand why Helen would be upset, though there was no way that sharing her feelings was going to go well. Connell apologizing that the funeral wasn’t fun was appropriately passive-aggressive, and he pointed out that every fight seems to turn into something about Marianne. Their relationship was never going to last, and it’s good that Connell didn’t just jump back into things with Marianne. Instead, it was extremely touching to see them communicating over Skype and have her offer to stay on with him as he went to sleep. There’s such a closeness evident even in that distance, and the way that they relate to each other is going to endure no matter who they’re dating. Marianne has had bad luck in the past with the men she’s chosen since being with Connell, and he’s never gotten the timing right. With just two episodes left, I hope that there’s still a chance of them finding happiness together. It might even be more moving if they don’t get together, but of course a happy ending would be most ideal.

Emmy Catch-Up: Normal People

Every year, I watch the six submitted episodes of every series I don’t regularly watch that’s up for one of the Emmy series prizes. This year, I’m watching the entire season of every series nominated in the top category, as well as this one, which netted a few important nominations even if it missed the main limited series race.

Normal People: Season 1, Episode 9 (B+)

It’s been miserable watching Marianne suffer in relationships with other people than Connell over the course of the past two episodes, since there’s something that feels more secure about Connell being the one to hurt her because he might eventually do something tender to try to make up for it. Lukas wasn’t nearly as clearly toxic as Jamie, and we got clarification that she was the one who asked him to tie her up and treat her a certain way during sex, something Connell did not like being asked about at the bar. Contrasting the passionate sex between Connell and Helen to Marianne seeming bored even with that added kink showed how deeply unhappy she was, and Lukas didn’t understand at all that she was legitimately upset about him taking pictures of her while naked and tied up. I still can’t understand how Daisy Edgar-Jones hasn’t garnered exactly the same praise as Paul Mescal for this show since her performance is simply astounding. Helen did well meeting Connell’s parents but even she couldn’t help but frame the conversation around Marianne, asking how she did and then later pointing out how much she’s still a part of their relationship. The narrated e-mail conversation between Marianne and Connell was powerful, lending the snow-decorated scenery a timelessness as the two of them navigate romances that don’t initially seem problematic but ultimately place them with other people. I wasn’t sure at first why this show was twelve episodes long but now I wish there were many more installments than just three left.

Emmy Catch-Up: Normal People

Every year, I watch the six submitted episodes of every series I don’t regularly watch that’s up for one of the Emmy series prizes. This year, I’m watching the entire season of every series nominated in the top category, as well as this one, which netted a few important nominations even if it missed the main limited series race.

Normal People: Season 1, Episode 8 (B+)

We know that Connell and Marianne should be together but circumstances just never seem to work out, and though we haven’t seen too much of Helen, Connell seems somewhat happy with her. Jamie, on the other hand, is the absolute worst. When Connell showed up drunk and bloody, he was the antagonist for wrongly concluding that Jamie was talking badly of him when he was actually describing his assailant, but this time Jamie’s words and actions were all his fault. It was disturbing to see Marianne blamed by her friend for bringing this on herself since she invited Connell, and it’s hard to understand how anyone could interpret this situation as anything other than Jamie being awful. His behavior started as merely impolite and chauvinistic, but then he became downright abusive, deliberately breaking something with enormous sentimental meaning to Marianne in a way that was even more cruel than a similar incident on “This Is Us” this past season. Connell was right to storm in and make sure that she was okay, and sharing a bed was purely the best option, even if it did put them back on the path towards romance and love once again, if those feelings have ever really faded. Their conversation about the wealth disparity between them was very interesting since it framed their dynamic in a way that gave Marianne the power and advantage for once, something that rarely happens in their relationship. The honesty that comes from both of them when they speak is truly wondrous, even if it’s not always easy to hear.

Emmy Catch-Up: Normal People

Every year, I watch the six submitted episodes of every series I don’t regularly watch that’s up for one of the Emmy series prizes. This year, I’m watching the entire season of every series nominated in the top category, as well as this one, which netted a few important nominations even if it missed the main limited series race.

Normal People: Season 1, Episode 7 (B+)

It can be agonizing watching Connell and Marianne interact since it’s so clear that Connell often says the wrong thing, and in this case that meant that how he conveyed something was misinterpreted and ended their relationship. That’s very unfortunate, and Marianne says so much every time she looks at him that he clearly doesn’t understand. The sight of her smoking and talking about the role play she does with her new boyfriend because they need the fantasy indicated that she’s become a different kind of person, someone who doesn’t value intimacy in the same way she did before because it’s with someone other than Connell. Telling Connell that she didn’t need that with him and would have done anything he wanted provoked a reaction less strong than it should have in him, and right now they’re both in relationships that aren’t nearly as fulfilling. Showing up drunk and bloody because he only knew Marianne’s phone number by heart was disruptive enough, and responding sharply to the way Jamie classified his assailant, not him, made his feelings about her new boyfriend very obvious. Marianne did not appreciate that, and the fact that he too was dating someone showed her once again that he’d rather she be miserable without him even if they legitimately couldn’t be together at the moment. This show is great at haunting final scenes, since the choice Connell made now is Helen and there’s little indication that Marianne will warm to the idea of rekindling their romance even when this relationship inevitably ends.

Emmy Catch-Up: Normal People

Every year, I watch the six submitted episodes of every series I don’t regularly watch that’s up for one of the Emmy series prizes. This year, I’m watching the entire season of every series nominated in the top category, as well as this one, which netted a few important nominations even if it missed the main limited series race.

Normal People: Season 1, Episode 6 (B+)

The relationship between Connell and Marianne is one that’s always going to be influenced by their past, no matter what happens in the future. That said, it’s not as if Connell has changed his behavior all that much, and his refusal to touch her in public is just the latest version of their beginnings secretly hooking up during school. They’re trying to push the boundaries a little, cutely talking about naked photos they might send each other, which they both found more ridiculous than appealing. Marianne is always spot on with her analysis of how people treat other people: that men often seem more concerned with limiting the freedoms of women than having their own. Saying that being cool suggest a degree of coldness was also astute, though knowing that doesn’t help her to feel any more self-confident, especially around Connell. Getting furloughed right before exams and feeling too afraid to change anything by asking to move in with Marianne meant Connell was out of sorts, and given that he’s terrible about communication, it didn’t help things between them at all. Expressing anger at her male friends being all over when he refused to touch her was hardly reasonable, and there was something so powerful about him finally touching her outside the pool. Those two wordless shots at the end aren’t promising, and it looks like things are crumbling for both of them individually and together as the closest thing possible to a couple despite their insistence not to have that specific label.

Emmy Catch-Up: Normal People

Every year, I watch the six submitted episodes of every series I don’t regularly watch that’s up for one of the Emmy series prizes. This year, I’m watching the entire season of every series nominated in the top category, as well as this one, which netted a few important nominations even if it missed the main limited series race.

Normal People: Season 1, Episode 5 (B+)

This episode earned an Emmy nomination for directing, the chosen installment that was submitted on behalf of the show for consideration. I think it’s a solid choice since it once again delves into the beauty of the relationship between Connell and Marianne, one that’s constantly changing but always going back to the same roots. Marianne telling Connell that she wanted to be friends helped to get them back on a good path, though it is very true that they’ve never actually tried that before. I’m glad that Marianne took another opportunity to remind Connell of just how much he hurt her by not even considering asking her to the dance, something that he now understands. It was amusing to hear Connell say that he just didn’t get the appeal of Gareth, and Marianne responded perfectly to his attempted defense of their relationship when she broke up with him, that people saying they were “good together” is not a reason to actually be together. Marianne got her own barbs in when she laughed at Connell for labeling his relationship casual, asking if they both agreed to tell people that. Given that we’re not even halfway into the season, it seems impossible that things will proceed wonderfully for this newly-reunited couple going forward, and it will be interesting to see how they do if they’re officially a public item. It’s been problematic in the past when they’re at different places on the social ladder, and being popular together could be an intriguing way to open up and expose new dimensions of their relationship.

Emmy Catch-Up: Normal People

Every year, I watch the six submitted episodes of every series I don’t regularly watch that’s up for one of the Emmy series prizes. This year, I’m watching the entire season of every series nominated in the top category, as well as this one, which netted a few important nominations even if it missed the main limited series race.

Normal People: Season 1, Episode 4 (B+)

The way this show handles time is very effective, skipping from the dissolution of Connell and Marianne’s relationship in the previous episode to them being in college and, after traveling separate paths, ending up back in the same place again and unable to take their minds off each other. Seeing how Connell was relatively serious about his studies and not into socializing made the sudden reappearance of Marianne in a completely different context all the more effective. She has become such a cooler but more importantly confident person, unconcerned with what people think of her and perfectly happy to confront Connell for the way that he chose to end things between them with his behavior. She wasn’t impressed that he called her beautiful, and he shot back by calling her new boyfriend a Holocaust denier. Regardless of her new attitude, she’s still captivated by him, and he obviously didn’t care much for the girl he chose to be with instead of her and therefore may never have lost the feelings that have now come back surging and stronger than ever. It took me a minute to excitedly recognize Gareth from actor Sebastian de Souza’s role as Leo on “The Great,” a far sincerer and nobler character than the one he’s playing here. Conversely, Eliot Salt, who I know from her part as the totally inept assistant Evelyn on “Intelligence,” portrays someone much more substantive and competent Joanna, who seems like the kind of friend Marianne could have used in high school.

Emmy Catch-Up: Normal People

Every year, I watch the six submitted episodes of every series I don’t regularly watch that’s up for one of the Emmy series prizes. This year, I’m watching the entire season of every series nominated in the top category, as well as this one, which netted a few important nominations even if it missed the main limited series race.

Normal People: Season 1, Episode 3 (B+)

One of the most involving things about this show’s second episode was just how close the two protagonists were when they were alone together and how much that contrasted with the way they didn’t interact at all when they were in public. It would be fair to assume that would eventually become a problem, and though Connell couldn’t see it, his mother realized right away that what he was doing – having sex with her every day and then not acknowledging her around other people – was disgraceful and unacceptable behavior she couldn’t condone. Everyone commenting on Marianne’s dress at the start of this episode resulted in her having to physically fight someone off, and finally standing up for her and offering to drive her home was the right move, though also one that made all of his awful friends aware that he had a soft spot for her. Not responding to any of their taunts was not a good decision, but what really showed terrible judgment was asking Rachel to the dance and insisting to Marianne that it was just romantic and they were just friends. Marianne was right to fire back that they must also just be friends, and she was understandably very hurt by the fact that he couldn’t recognize that. Rachel’s parents, unlike Marianne’s, seemed legitimately interested in him and his future, but his feelings for Marianne made it impossible for him to be in the moment, which is promising even if we don’t imagine that she’s ready to forgive him just yet. This episode earned a deserved Emmy mention for writing.

Emmy Catch-Up: Normal People

Every year, I watch the six submitted episodes of every series I don’t regularly watch that’s up for one of the Emmy series prizes. This year, I’m watching the entire season of every series nominated in the top category, as well as this one, which netted a few important nominations even if it missed the main limited series race.

Normal People: Season 1, Episode 2 (B+)

This is one show whose pilot I liked a lot but I unfortunately decided not to keep watching when it premiered at the end of April, which was a busy time of TV for me. Nathaniel, the editor at The Film Experience, has raved about this show, and anyone I’ve spoken to who kept watching insisted that it was absolutely wonderful. Because it earned bids for star Paul Mescal and for directing and writing, I decided that it was worth checking it out, even a few months after I missed my first chance. I have to say that it is truly captivating, and part of that has to do with the very strong music choices used. But it also may well be the most immediately immersive and intimate thing I’ve seen in a while, wisely choosing to spend most of this episode getting to know its two protagonists as they get to know each other. The sex scenes are both passionate and reserved at the same time, and there’s a real sense that everything we’re seeing is completely necessary rather than gratuitous. The way that Connell and Marianne talk to each other is mesmerizing, and that of course stands deeply apart from the way that they (don’t) interact when they’re around anyone else. They’re so incredibly honest with each other, and I’m definitely on board to see how this romance is going to play out over the course of the next month or so before Mescal competes for his chance to win an Emmy.

Pilot Review: Normal People

Check out my one-minute take on every new pilot, which is embedded below and you can also watch by subscribing to movieswithabe on YouTube.