Written by Alice Birch And Mark O'Halloran And Meadhbh McHugh And Susan Soon He Stanton
Directed by Lenny Abrahamson And Leanne Welham
Frances (to Bobbi): "Who knows what happens with two people when they're alone?"
Following my catch up with Normal People, of course I had to watch Conversations With Friends for the first time. It's funny that this came first in terms of source material but second in terms of adapttions.
With the focus on one couple last time around, this time there's two couple who made up the focus here. Well, one of them being a former couple between bisexual writer, Frances Flynn (Alison Oliver) and her lesbian ex-girlfriend, Bobbi Connelly (Sasha Lane). They like to recite feminist slams for anyone who'll listen.
In terms of people listening to their writing, there was essayist Melissa Baines (Jemima Kirke) and her actor husband, Nick Conway (Joe Alwyn). It didn't take long for both Frances and Bobbi to get involved with the pair. Two arguably more so.
Yes, there's an affair that kicked off instantly between Frances and Nick and it pretty much made up the main storyline of this twelve part miniseries. Needless to say that it's an affair that also impacted both Melissa and Bobbi who had their own side flirtation going on.
Frances and Nick's affair was definitely frustrating and at times, didn't portray either character in a positive light. By the end of the series, it felt like the slightly toxic cycle they created was going to further continue when it really should've stopped. It doesn't help that the show never really gave a compelling reason for them to be together as a couple.
Most of Frances's better stories came through her health issues, examining her former relationship with Bobbi and her turbulent family life. In particular her relationship with alcoholic father, Dennis (Tommy Tiernan) could've done with more focus along with Frances's writing.
While Frances was the character with the most focus here, there was some sympathy afforded to Nick, Bobbi and Melissa at times. There's a great phone conversation between Frances and Melissa in the finale and another conversation in a pub with Nick that touched on his mental state. Saying that, despite there being four leads, it really did feel like Frances's story for the most part.
- There's a nice supporting role from Kerry Fox as Melissa's agent, Valerie Taylor-Gates. I liked that she called Frances out as well on her writing.
- Unlike Normal People, Sally Rooney didn't write any of the episodes for this adaptation.
- Standout music: Cyril Morin & Eric Gourlain's Raindrop, James Blake's Atmosphere, Mitski's First Love/Late Spring, Roxy Music's More Than This and Wyvern Lingo Feat. Loah's version of Just A Girl.
- Chronology: Mainly set in Dublin, though two episodes are in Croatia during a celebration of Melissa's book.
While it doesn't quite hit the same way as it's predecessor, I actually think there's enough to engage in when watching Conversations With Friends. It can be a bit frustrating in parts but it's certainly worth the watch and the four leads do a good job with their characters.
Rating: 7 out of 10
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