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---
title: People Obsess Over Connell's Chain in Normal People
description: A silver chain has taken center stage in Hulu's adaptation of Sally Rooney's "Normal People."
canonical: https://time.com/5834224/normal-people-connell-reactions/
author: Melissa Locker
article:opinion: false
article:content_tier: free
article:published_time: 2020-05-08T15:47:26.000Z
article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T08:01:27.430Z
og:title: People Can’t Stop Obsessing Over Connell's Chain in Normal People
og:description: A silver chain has taken center stage in Hulu's adaptation of Sally Rooney's "Normal People"
og:url: https://time.com/5834224/normal-people-connell-reactions/
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og:image:alt: Normal People Connell reactions
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twitter:title: People Can’t Stop Obsessing Over Connell's Chain in Normal People
twitter:description: A silver chain has taken center stage in Hulu's adaptation of Sally Rooney's "Normal People"
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![](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt01aa0ae7b04d6fa6/698a0dd2457a5228c7d63eda/normal-people-connell.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9)


# People Can’t Stop Obsessing Over Connell’s Chain in _Normal People_

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by 

[Melissa Locker](https://time.com/author/melissa-locker/)


## Melissa Locker


May 8, 2020 3:47 PM UTC

![Normal People Connell](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt01aa0ae7b04d6fa6/698a0dd2457a5228c7d63eda/normal-people-connell.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=3:2)

Paul Mescal as Connell in 'Normal People'

Paul Mescal as Connell in 'Normal People' Hulu/Everett Collection

by 

[Melissa Locker](https://time.com/author/melissa-locker/)


## Melissa Locker


May 8, 2020 3:47 PM UTC

There’s a lot to love about Hulu’s [adaptation](https://time.com/5567569/sally-rooney-normal-people-review/) of [Sally Rooney’s _Normal People_](https://time.com/5827920/normal-people-hulu-review/), but there is also one tiny detail that has people fixated online. 

In the series, Marianne (Daisy Edgar-Jones) meets Connell (Paul Mescal) in their final year of high school and embark on an on-again, off-again relationship that lasts for years. The series has people harking back to their own teenage crushes and first loves, feelings that have been heightened by a certain accessory, specifically a silver chain worn around Connell’s neck.

Mescal told [_The Cut_](https://www.thecut.com/2020/04/why-is-normal-people-connells-chain-so-hot.html)that he insisted on wearing a chain in the show, just as Connell does in the book because “it’s absolutely part of Connell’s identity.” Fans seem to agree that the necklace is extremely important. There’s something about the subtle nod to teenage boy fashion that has sent viewers into a frenzy. The chain even has it’s very own [Instagram](https://time.com/4793331/instagram-social-media-mental-health/) fan account, [Connell’s Chain](https://www.instagram.com/connellschain/), devoted entirely to screenshots of the romantically-charged accessory, that has amassed a shocking number of followers, nearly 57,000 at time of publication.


It’s not just Instagram, either, social media has been flooded with images of the chain and tweets from people latching onto the necklace. It’s great recognition for a small detail and shows the power of costume in television and film.

> [](https://twitter.com/imi%5Fhope/status/1257702489320837120)

> [](https://twitter.com/%5F%5FAB1%5F%5F/status/1257362385456807937)

> [](https://twitter.com/paul%5Fmescal/status/1258025500150239233)


> [](https://twitter.com/nixmhcox/status/1256250771097767938)

> [](https://twitter.com/richellabb/status/1256567763851776003)

> [](https://twitter.com/emeliashead24/status/1258123886052417538)


> [](https://twitter.com/aine%5Flaw/status/1258459937119834112)

> [](https://twitter.com/CaitlinCollins5/status/1257980558304411648)

> [](https://twitter.com/alanaxhunter/status/1258496252699766784)


> [](https://twitter.com/rachelthevirgo/status/1257649124368941056)

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