Normal People ending explained: Marianne and Connell’s journey comes full circle

Normal People first broadcast on BBC Three in the UK and on Hulu in the US in April 2020.

Adapted from the best-selling novel by Sally Rooney, in collaboration with Alice Birch and Mark O'Rowe, the limited series was directed by Lenny Abrahamson and Hettie MacDonald. Normal People starred then-rising stars Daisy Edgar-Jones as Marianne Sheridan and Paul Mescal as Connell Waldron.

Across 12 episodes, you are drawn into Marianne and Connell’s fragile intensity. One minute, it is awkward glances in rural towns of Sligo, the next, you’re tangled up in Trinity College Dublin.

Its finale dropped viewers off a cliff with feelings flying everywhere. Pretty much everyone was left arguing about ‘will they, won’t they,’ but that was the point. The show thrums with key themes of love, figuring out who you are, and more.

So, let’s cut to the chase and dig into what actually went down in the finale. Did all the build-up actually lead somewhere, or did they drop the ball?

Normal People ending explained

As the final episode of Normal People plays out, Connell is accepted into a highly competitive MFA writing program in New York. Marianne’s reaction is remarkable. She does not say anything to make him stay or break down at the idea of losing him.

Instead, she pushes him to go, to pursue his ambitions even if it means an indefinite separation. The scene is rich in emotions, not because it is heartbreaking, but because it is proof of how far they have come since their secret high school relationship. Their goodbye conversation is authentic, revealing, and honest, the kind of openness they were never capable of at the start.

Normal People leads to this climax by displaying the challenges that shaped them. Connell is plunged into depression by their childhood friend Rob’s suicide, and in his loss, he feels an increased sense of alienation at Trinity College.

Marianne is subjected to a damaging relationship in Sweden and the lingering cruelty of her family before returning to Sligo. There, with Connell's companionship, she starts to recover.

One of the most remarkable series-ending scenes is Marianne spending a holiday with Connell’s family. Compared to her violent and cruelty-ridden family, Connell’s family is warm and accepting. For Marianne, this new sense of belonging becomes a turning point. It brings an end to the abusive world in which Marianne has lived and allows her to start to define herself.

By the time Connell’s opportunity in New York comes around, the two characters have grown to the point where they realize that love is not always about staying together at all costs. Marianne’s gentle assertion, “I’ll stay, and we’ll be OK,” is not a resignation but a statement of maturity.

It encapsulates their evolution: love is about fostering each other’s freedom and believing that their bond transcends everything.

What does the ending mean for the characters?

The ending leaves you hanging, in a good way, though. Normal People doesn’t bother with the happily ever after cliché. Forget the sappy finale with a tearful kiss, the show zooms in on each character actually figuring out their own lives, chasing after what they want, healing from their mess, and not simply clinging to each other out of habit.

It is kind of refreshing, as you are not spoon-fed closure, but that makes it land harder. Their split doesn’t look like a usual breakup. They have outgrown what they were, and now they have to figure out their lives in their own ways. They both walk away changed for good, not turning into puddles of heartbreak, just ready for whatever is next.

What really packs a punch is how they just leave things hanging there. Some viewers see the ending as the implied goodbye of first love. But then, for others, there is a hope: maybe they cross paths down the line.

The show throws a little twist in, too; the book is mysterious about Connell heading to New York, but the series spells it out a bit more with how the future might turn out.

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Normal People proves this simple truth: not all those big, life-changing relationships will be there forever. But also, it doesn’t make them worthless. Marianne and Connell totally wreck each other, help each other find some guts and self-worth, actually face their own garbage, and learn how to be kind. Even when they’re saying goodbye, what they shared lingers.

As of September 2025, there is no word on Normal People Season 2. Cast and crew seem eager to bring these two characters back down the road, but nothing is locked in, so it’s all just wishful thinking for now.

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