Immediately after the adaptation of "Normal People," Sally Rooney, director Leonard Abrahamson, with the support of screenwriter Alice Birch, took on bringing the writer's debut novel to the small screen. The series "Conversations with Friends" turne...

It was a sensation. The series "Normal People," released on Hulu in 2020, received excellent press (91% on RT, 82 from Metacritic), earned 2 Golden Globe nominations (a rarity for Irish projects), and launched the Hollywood career of Daisy Edgar-Jones. The story of teenage lovers, based on the book by Sally Rooney, won viewers' hearts with its frankness, intimacy, and the incredible chemistry between the main characters. Director Lenny Abrahamson, who directed most of the episodes, decided not to stop there and next adapted another work by Rooney — "Conversations with Friends" — about how sometimes it's hard to simply talk to the people close to you.

Quirks of Love

Dimmed light. On stage, two people — talented but shy Frances (Alison Oliver), used to going with the flow, and the hurricane girl Bobbi (Sasha Lane). Obvious opposites. They used to be lovers, now just friends. From the stage comes a poetic recitation composed by Frances. In the audience, among the few who are listening attentively, is the well-known local writer Melissa (Jemima Kirke). After the performance, she unexpectedly invites the girls to her place.

Melissa introduces the students to her husband, the handsome actor Nick (Joe Alwyn). Quite soon, simple conversations about art, politics, and everyday life lead to mutual sympathies within the group that go beyond friendship.

Why did we love "Normal People"? For the realism of what was happening, the actors' performances unafraid to appear vulnerable, for showing many facets of infatuation and love, dialogues fascinating in their simplicity, and emotional engagement without the melodramatic strain mandatory for the genre.

"Conversations with Friends," although it tells not about first love but about modern adultery, largely uses the same ingredients and principles. Even the cold color palette echoes its predecessor. Not to mention that the emphasis here is entirely on feelings, and even financial or family problems, along with a rare illness, form only a conditional background for characters tangled in emotions and the vicissitudes of love. And for them, love is the only thing that matters.

To Speak or to Stay Silent

The title "Conversations with Friends" fully reflects the content of the series. It is full of conversations: over a cappuccino in a coffee shop or stronger drinks at a villa in Croatia, in late-night chats in messengers, which have become an integral part of modern communication. These conversations are held between friends, or rather, close people. At some point, their statuses get shuffled: friends become lovers, lovers become friends. But this hardly affects the degree of closeness.

Interestingly, the characters of Sally Rooney and Lenny Abrahamson talk a lot, but rarely say what they should, what they really think. Much of the story's conflicts are built on this. The characters remain silent when they need to confess something, are afraid to tell the truth, then regret it, and speak when it's already too late. And yet, what could be simpler than an honest, open, and timely conversation?!

Comparisons with "Normal People," unfortunately, are unavoidable, and these comparisons will not favor the new series. There is no magic between these characters like there was between Paul Mescal and Daisy Edgar-Jones. Where sparks flew from the teenage lovers' mere glances, the characters in this fresh adaptation don't have a shred of those emotions. Each of the four characters here is a separate fragment of a not very well-coordinated structure. Their interactions don't feel natural, but rather like a whim of the screenwriters.

And although "Conversations with Friends" is almost as intimate, beautiful, and melodic as "Normal People," without this chemistry or magic (call it what you will), it becomes just one of many, rather than that special series that will stir your soul and bring a tear to your eye.

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