The miniseries explores deep themes and extremely problematic situations of a comedian being stalked by a woman, which could easily be a fictional story, however, it all turns out to be more shocking for being based on the reality experienced by the actor himself.
Baby Reindeer, is such an affectionate name, and I surely never suspected the terror that was waiting for me. The seven-episode miniseries, launched in April, quickly entered the list of most-watched productions, because it has captured the attention of many for its intriguing and distressing story, which above all is based on real events in the life of Richard Gadd, creator, screenwriter, producer, and protagonist of the show.
The British production is an adaptation of the actor’s monologue, which tells the story of comedian Donny Dunn (Richard Gadd) who works in a London pub while looking for a chance to have a career in comedy. One day at the bar, Donny meets Martha (Jessica Gunning), a seemingly harmless and friendly woman, who is a bit sad that day. Showing kindness, the comedian offers her a cup of tea, but he decides not to charge her for learning she cannot afford it. Faced with this attitude, Martha is impressed and begins to imagine a deeper connection between them.
Soon, the woman begins to frequent the pub more, where she spends hours telling Dunn stories about her fake busy life as a lawyer, inventing all sorts of obvious fantasies about it. Martha’s obsession with Donny is quickly revealed, triggering many disturbing events.
As soon as the first contact is made, the character begins to flood his inbox, showing a worrying obsession. The typo-filled messages are mostly off-topic, but full of romantic hints and flirting, further feeding the intensity of the relationship. When the comedian looks up his stalker’s name online, he discovers her dark past, marked by convictions and arrests for stalking. Despite this, he finds himself unable to impose healthy boundaries, sinking deeper and deeper into a dangerous, out-of-control territory.
On discovering Martha’s past, Dunn realized the seriousness of the situation, especially given her increasing presence in every aspect of his life, frequenting the bar, his home, the comedy shows and even contacting his parents. Martha’s actions became more aggressive as Dunn tried to distance himself or end their relationship.
At several moments in the first few episodes, the humorist is faced with the opportunity to put an end to the whole situation, however, his empathy leads him to feel Martha’s pain and to feel sorry for hurting her, which can cause us to feel a certain anger towards the character and wonder why he let it go so far. Then we think, ‘Is he involving himself with Martha, even though he knows he shouldn’t, because he feels sorry for her, or is he doing it because he sees the situation as potential material?’. As the episodes progress, it becomes clear that this issue is much more complex and deeper than we might initially realize.
Besides getting involved in Donny’s professional life, his love life is also interrupted by Martha. When Dunn meets Terri (Nava Mau), a trans woman, on a dating app, he feels momentarily at peace and free from his troubled situation. But, his tranquillity is quickly interrupted by the stalker, whose possessiveness leads to the discovery of their relationship.
The stalker’s encounter with Teri and the comedian is a sad and shocking scene. Martha violently attacks Terri, speaking homophobic speeches, which leads Dunn to turn to the police. This delay in contacting the authorities, once again, makes us ask, “Why did it take him so long to talk to the police?”, especially considering the worrying events that occurred earlier, such as the stalker’s sexual harassment.
As the episodes progress, Baby Reindeer reveals the motive why Donny hesitates to seek police help, giving us an understanding of the discomfort and difficulty in exposing the situation he finds himself in. At this point the series becomes deeper and heavier, revealing a past as dark as the present. At certain points in the show, you might think “Surely it couldn’t get any worse from here,” but trust me, it can and it will.
The middle of the mini-series flashes back five years when Donny met a famous TV writer, Darrien O’Connor (Tom Goodman-Hill), who promised to help him boost his comedy career. The duo would spend days together using hard drugs at the writer’s house and in moments of unconsciousness, Donny would be sexually abused. So if he told the police about Martha, he would also have to tell them about his situation with Darrien.
The dynamic between Donny and the director became another intriguing piece in the series’ relationship puzzle. Their relationship was enigmatic to me, raising questions about why he keeps returning to his abuser, putting himself in painful situations. I searched for answers in psychology about this pattern of behavior, which suggests that it reflects a cycle of continuous suffering that he finds difficult to get out of, causing anguish and resentment.
For Freud, the repetition compulsion is a phenomenon in which we repeat behaviors and symptoms that cause us suffering, often in a non-obvious way. We don’t always consciously seek to escape this suffering, as there can be an unconscious satisfaction associated with it. Suffering can be a way of filling an emotional void or maintaining a connection with a lost object because there is a duality in people in relation to suffering.
The series shows very important and deep issues such as loneliness, obsession, dichotomy, sexuality, rape, low self-esteem, and the hunt for fame at any price. The deep neediness that turns into obsession and the quest for fame at any cost leads to the abandonment of self-love.
In the series, it’s clear that Martha’s vulnerability doesn’t arouse deep anger in the audience even in the face of worrying and increasingly disturbing actions. What we feel most of the time is a sense of pity, as we witness someone lonely and bound by fictitious emotional attachments since we understand that Martha’s case is a mental problem.
In the final episodes, Donny finally breaks down, revealing everything that happened to him while performing in a stand-up comedy. It’s perhaps the most heartbreaking scene in my opinion, and Gadd’s performance left me in shock. The monologue went viral on YouTube, and he finally got his big break, landing sold-out shows and tasting the taste of adoration and fame again.
In the end, Martha is guilty of stalking and harassment against Donny and his parents. There is little satisfaction at her sentencing hearing, as she cries and admits everything. She leaves countless voicemails, and after she goes to prison, Donny becomes obsessed with listening to them, trying to make sense of them.
Sitting in a pub alone, he listens to the stalker’s voicemails. One of them he’d never heard of before. She reveals why she gave him the nickname “Baby Reindeer”. It’s because when she was a child, she had a little stuffed reindeer and it was the only good thing in her whole life, and she found comfort during years of neglect, and Donny, to her, resembled that reindeer.
At the bar alone, the bartender tells him that the drink is on him. The same gesture of kindness that Dunn showed Martha at the beginning of the show. This is one of the most perfect endings to a series, not because we’re supposed to think that Donny will now become this guy’s stalker, but because it illustrates how cycles of abuse can perpetuate themselves and how almost every abuser has probably been victimized before.
Baby Reindeer powerfully explores how trauma and abuse shape people’s behavior, which to an outside observer makes no sense at all. At the same time, it reveals Donny’s empathy for Martha and recognizes the similarity in his trauma and behavior.
The series touched me because of the themes it dealt with. Very few productions manage to approach these extremely difficult topics with such care. There is no glamorization in Baby Reindeer, it simply shows us how abuse and trauma generate problems that can be so cyclical.
I recommend this series, but be prepared for its intense content, and a deep dive into mental health issues. The show features excellent performances from its lead actors, with Gadd and Gunning shining in their roles as Donny and Martha.
—————————————————————–
The article above was edited by Julia Tortoriello.
Like this type of content? Check out Her Campus Casper Libero for more.