When BBC3’s adaptation of Sally Rooney’s novel Normal People screened a couple of years ago, I devoured all 12 episodes over the course of a weekend.
I was really hoping that the eagerly awaited follow-up, based on Rooney’s debut novel Conversations With Friends, would give me the same bingey buzz but sadly I’m finding it a bit of a slog.
The series is about what I suppose you’d call a love quadrangle involving Dublin best friends Frances (Alison Oliver) and Bobbi (Sasha Lane).
Introverted Frances begins an affair with fellow introvert Nick (Joe Alwyn), a stage actor who is married to best-selling author Melissa (Jemima Kirke) and the series explores the repercussions of their relationship on those around them.
There are two major problems with Conversations With Friends. The first is the pacing – which is absolutely glacial compared with Normal People.
I can’t help feeling that 12 half-hour episodes might be overkill for this particular story. Narratively, it feels a bit flabby and might even have been better told as a film rather than a series.
But a more fundamental problem with the series is that the central relationship between Frances and Nick is a bit of a damp squib.
I get that both characters are meant to be shy and retiring types, but that doesn’t exactly make for a satisfying watch.
I’m five episodes in and so far there hasn’t been a single moment that matches the sizzling chemistry of Paul Mescal and Daisy Edgar-Jones in Normal People, and when you’ve got 12 episodes to get through, that’s a problem.
Oliver, in her first major role, is very good as Frances but she’s hampered by a story that isn’t half as deep or moving as it thinks it is.
If you haven’t already, it’s probably best to skip the series and read the book.
