Normal People fans will be shocked as Marianne is tied up in abusive S&M sex scenes

The shocking scenes show Marianne tied up at the wrists, indulging in emotionless, abusive sex

Normal People fans will be shocked by tonight’s episode when main character Marianne descends into a life of S&M bondage.

Millions of viewers, who have taken the troubled beauty into their hearts, will be horrified at how she is abused by new boyfriend Lukas.

The Trinity College student, played by Daisy Edgar-Jones, is in Sweden for a year as part of an EU Erasmus exchange programme in the first part of tonight’s double bill on RTE.

Standing alone at a party she is picked up by photographer Lukas and they begin dating.

But when Marianne tries to dump him he tells her that he likes her but she insists she wants “the opposite of that.”

Their relationship then descends into bondage with naked Marianne, tied up at the wrists, indulging in emotionless, abusive sex.

The self-hating Marianne is told “you are worthless, you are nothing” by her new boyfriend.

The scene is contrasted to one back home in Dublin where ex-lover Connell (Paul Mescal) is enjoying what seems like a warm relationship with new girlfriend Helen (Aoife Hinds).

The episode will stun fans of the acclaimed series who only want the best for the two main characters – and pray that they will get back together.

In the second episode tonight Connell goes through his own trauma when he has to deal with the suicide of a friend and his life spirals downwards.

Actor Mescal, 24, from Maynooth, Co Kildare, gives an astonishing performance as his character seeks help from a therapist as his anxiety, guilt and panic attacks are in danger of destroying his life.

The two episodes are the most dramatic yet in the 12-part drama which has been shattering RTE and BBC viewing records.

The Connell story is so poignant and troubling that RTE will issue a warning and helpline links before and after the episode.

“RTE is mindful of the themes featured within the episode,” said a spokesperson.

“We will be giving a pre-transmission warning announcement alerting viewers to the nature of the upcoming programme, and will also put up a slide with helpline information on the end credits.”

The drama has been praised for its careful and realistic handling of men’s mental health issues and for highlighting the ways in which depression can manifest itself.

The series, based on Irish author Sally Rooney’s bestselling book of the same name, follows Connell and Marianne’s on-off relationship from school to Trinity College over several years.

More than two million viewers have watched or downloaded the drama on the RTE Player while in the UK, where the complete series is available on the BBC iPlayer, it has been streamed nearly 30 million times.

The success of the show has also driven Irish author Sally Rooney’s book of the same name back to the top of the bestseller list.

The show has turned Mescal and Edgar-Jones, who turned 22 at the weekend, into household names.

They have appeared on some of the world’s biggest chat shows via webcam while self-isolating in their London flats during lockdown.

The two actors, little known until now, seem destined for massive careers.