Conversations With Friends review: We want to like this so much but...

Cork actress Alison Oliver is superb as the introverted Frances, but we do want a bit more from the latest Sally Rooney adaptation

Sasha Lane and Alison Oliver in Conversations With Friends, on RTÉ One. 

The first two episodes of Conversations With Friends are like watching a five-year-old putting on his shoes, with their little tongue peeking out the side of their gob. You know they can do it, technically, the skills are there, and the intent is pure, but you just want them to hurry up and get on with it. You can't say that, though, because you are a GOOD MOTHER and you adored Normal People and you want to like this too.

Much like the rest of the human race, I was on the Normal People fan bus. So, when pretty much the same creative team adapt Sally Rooney's first novel, our expectations are understandably high. I mean, most of us can't look at a pair of O'Neill's shorts without having a moment. Thanks a lot, Paul Mescal.