From Bridgerton’s spoon to Normal People’s chain – the intimacy of inanimate objects

Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter for all the latest entertainment news and reviews Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. By the time the spoon arrives in episode three, the Duke’s character has been established: he is a charming yet disreputable bachelor, or in Austen-speak a “rake”. Last year’s adaptation of Sally Rooney’s novel Normal People – a sad and raunchy love story between two young adults Marianne and Connell – was critically acclaimed. In Vulture’s rundown of Normal People’s sex scenes, the angle at which viewers are able to “admire Connell’s chain” is a consideration. Although The Undoing didn’t ignite the same thirsty response as Connell’s chain, “the coat” once again illustrated the frenzy-sending power of an inanimate object.