Entertainment NOW

2 • May 15 - 21, 2022 Entertainment Now By Dana Simpson TV Media I n 2017, Irish author Sally Rooney launched her debut novel, a novel whose title tran- scends boundaries and in- stantly reminds us of something we've all experienced at some point in our lives, no matter our age or background: "Conversa- tions with Friends." Five years later, after the suc- cess of her other novel-turned- series, "Normal People," Rooney gets the chance to see those con- versations come to life on Hulu. "Conversations with Friends" premieres Sunday, May 15, on the streaming platform. Based around the novel's main character Frances (new talent Alison Oliver) and her relationship with her ex-girlfriend-turned- best friend, Bobbi (Sasha Lane, "American Honey," 2016), "Con- versations With Friends" painfully illustrates the complications that arise in love, friendship and across other various forms of human attraction. While Frances and Bobbi's romantic relationship has been over for approximately three months by the beginning of the series, it's clear the pair are still in- separable. Trouble begins to brew, however, when the two 20-some- things become interested in a slightly older married couple. Melissa (Jemima Kirke, "Girls") and Nick Conway (Joe Alwyn, "The Favourite," 2018), a 37-year-old writer and her early-30s actor husband, come onto the screen as the newest additions to Frances and Bobbi's relationship. Bold and confident, Melissa is immediately intrigu- ing to the young Trinity College poetry students — particularly Bobbi — while Nick sparks an immediate curiosity in Frances. As the plot pushes forward and the two twosomes become a unique foursome, the successful married couple's confidence and experience intermingle with the younger women's interests and desires to create a potentially detrimental relationship dynamic. As a result, Frances and Bobbi end up taking sides in the Conways' relationship, ultimately forcing a wedge between the two best friends. The show's director Lenny Abrahamson, perhaps familiar to Rooney-content TV fans as the producer/director of "Normal People," addressed the story's one-of-a-kind construction in a February 2022 interview with Vanity Fair. "You have these various per- mutations within that quartet of relationships and power dynam- ics and attraction," Abrahamson said of the series. Though he does go on to note that "all of it revolves around Frances." Those who read the novel might recall Rooney's distinc- tive writing style; the author frequently blends various styles of communication — text message threads, emails, etc. — to provide readers with what appears to be inside information. But liter- ary Rooney fans have nothing to worry about when it comes to translating the process to the screen, as the author, who is also one of the show's producers, as- sured readers of the production team's intent to keep some parity with the book's tone. "I'm confident we're going to find fresh and interesting ways of dramatizing the novel's dynamics, and I'm excited to watch the pro- cess take shape," Rooney said in a February 2020 statement. A September 2019 interview with PBS Newshour's Jeffrey Brown offers even more insight into how the novel's tone affects the storyline as a whole. Cover Story Jemima Kirke and Sasha Lane in "Conversations With Friends" Potent parley: Rehashing 'Conversations with Friends' Ready Rental 3 x 4 Hayley Siefert 3 x 2 Letters & Numbers Sudoku Fill in the grid so that every row,every column, and every 4x4 box contains the digits 1 through 9 AND the letters A-F. Solution on page 12.

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