The Best Episodes of Normal People
Every episode of Normal People ranked from best to worst. Let's dive into the Best Episodes of Normal People!
Marianne and Connell weave in and out of each other’s lives in this exploration of sex, power and the desire to love and be loved.
Top Episode Ratings Summary
The best episode of "Normal People" is "Episode 10", rated 8.7/10 from 2329 user votes. It was directed by Hettie Macdonald and written by Alice Birch. "Episode 10" aired on 4/26/2020 and is rated 0.0 point(s) higher than the second highest rated, "Episode 12".
8.7/10 2,329 votes#1 - Episode 10
Season 1 Episode 10 - Aired 4/26/2020
After a tragic event, Connell struggles with severe depression. Marianne remains a lifeline for him from abroad.
Director: Hettie Macdonald
Writer: Alice Birch
8.7/10 2,338 votes#2 - Episode 12
Season 1 Episode 12 - Aired 4/26/2020
Marianne and Connell are back in Dublin and together as a couple. Life is calm and they are at ease with each other. Then Connell receives news that he has been offered a place to study in New York. Neither of them know how to process the news and so they decide to let it sit.
Director: Hettie Macdonald
Writer: Alice Birch
8.6/10 2,070 votes#3 - Episode 11
Season 1 Episode 11 - Aired 4/26/2020
Marianne has returned to Carricklea for the summer. She and Connell spend their weekends together, even though he is still living in Dublin. After a night out together, they start to discuss their friendship and inevitably their attraction.
Director: Hettie Macdonald
Writer: Mark O'Rowe
8.4/10 2,090 votes#4 - Episode 8
Season 1 Episode 8 - Aired 4/26/2020
Connell visits Marianne at her family's summer home in Italy, where tensions between her and Jamie are at an all-time high.
Director: Hettie Macdonald
Writer: Alice Birch
8.3/10 2,386 votes#5 - Episode 3
Season 1 Episode 3 - Aired 4/26/2020
The night of the Debs is approaching and the girls at school have organised a fundraising event. Marianne has been asked to help and is out of her comfort zone. At the club, one of Connell’s friends Karen does her best to show Marianne some kindness but Rachel behaves coldly towards her.
Director: Lenny Abrahamson
Writer: Sally Rooney, Alice Birch
8.3/10 2,202 votes#6 - Episode 5
Season 1 Episode 5 - Aired 4/26/2020
Connell joins Marianne's social circle but doesn't fit in. He apologises for how he treated her; she reconsiders her relationship with her new boyfriend, Gareth.
Director: Lenny Abrahamson
Writer: Sally Rooney, Alice Birch
8.0/10 2,485 votes#7 - Episode 2
Season 1 Episode 2 - Aired 4/26/2020
Connell and Marianne’s relationship continues in secret and they sleep together for the first time. At school, Connell makes excuses for why he didn’t see his friends at the weekend and evades questions on his mother’s job at Marianne’s house. A girl in his friendship group, Rachel, gets impatient with Connell’s lack of interest and tensions build for Connell.
Director: Lenny Abrahamson
Writer: Sally Rooney, Alice Birch
7.9/10 2,218 votes#8 - Episode 4
Season 1 Episode 4 - Aired 4/26/2020
Months later, school has finished and Connell arrives at Trinity College, Dublin. He has found a room in a house-share and meets his new housemate Niall. Despite his efforts, he feels out of place and struggles to articulate himself when surrounded by his eloquent and wealthy peers.
Director: Lenny Abrahamson
Writer: Sally Rooney, Alice Birch
7.9/10 2,071 votes#9 - Episode 6
Season 1 Episode 6 - Aired 4/26/2020
Connell and Marianne are back together. Connell has gained confidence in college; giving presentations in class and getting good grades but is reluctant to show Marianne affection in front of her friends. Will the two be able to admit that they are together?
Director: Lenny Abrahamson
Writer: Sally Rooney, Alice Birch
7.8/10 2,911 votes#10 - Episode 1
Season 1 Episode 1 - Aired 4/26/2020
In a school in small-town west of Ireland, Connell is a well-liked, good looking and athletic student. Marianne is a proud, intimidating and unpopular loner who actively avoids her classmates and questions her teachers’ authority.
Director: Lenny Abrahamson
Writer: Sally Rooney, Alice Birch
7.8/10 2,024 votes#11 - Episode 7
Season 1 Episode 7 - Aired 4/26/2020
Marianne and Connell are seeing other people and realise (too late) that their break-up was due to a misunderstanding.
Director: Hettie Macdonald
Writer: Alice Birch
7.5/10 2,017 votes#12 - Episode 9
Season 1 Episode 9 - Aired 4/26/2020
Marianne, studying abroad, pursues an unhealthy relationship.
Director: Hettie Macdonald
Writer: Alice Birch