Content warning: the following contains mentions of sexual assault, stalking, threats, and abuse. If you should continue reading, do so with this in mind.
Baby Reindeer, released on last spring on Netflix, has taken the internet by storm. The program’s creator and executive producer, Richard Gadd, delves into the complex themes of violence, stalking, trauma, harassment and the journey of self-exploration. By putting this piece of work out in the world, Gadd, who stars as a troubled comedian and barman, shares his experience and inner turmoil, also stands in support of individuals struggling with these topics, reminding the viewers that at the end of the day, you’re not alone and that you can always reach out for help.
Baby Reindeer is one of my all-time favorite shows, for numerous reasons. From vivid cinematography to well-thought out plots and storylines to spot-on casting and great directing, the show does a great job at portraying the sensitive matters and instantly hooking the audience. In only seven episodes that range from 27 to 45 minutes, Gadd beautifully lays down his four and a half year struggle, leaving the viewers begging for crumbs from the creator. But, for now, let’s go into what we already have.
- Episode 1
In the first episode, the character of Martha makes her jaw-dropping first appearance as a pretend-lawyer. Coming into the bar where Donny works, seemingly upset, Donny comforts her by giving her a cup of tea in the house. Martha attempts to impress the barman with stories she makes up about her “successful” career, mentioning conncetions she has with famous people and the amount of properties and law firms she owns, without realizing that Dunn can see right through her. His character specifically asks; “if she really is a lawyer, then how come she can’t afford a cup of tea?” The first episode serves as a peek into the beginning of Martha’s spiraling obsession with the character of Donny, as well as her desperate attempts to grow closer to him.
- Episode 2
The second episode mostly revolves around Donny’s encounters with Teri. Setting up a fake profile on a dating account to prevent Martha from tracking him down, Donny meets Teri online, but with an entirely different name and profession. Ashamed to be seen dating a trans woman, Donny only goes on dates with her in unknown bars and in dim parts of town. At the same time, Donny’s friends are seen messing around with his phone. As a joke, they send sexually explicit messages to Martha pretending to be Donny, which only further fuels her obsessive behavior towards Donny. Teri eventually threatens to tell the police about Martha if he Donny doesn’t do anything about her. Later in the episode, Donny ends up rejecting Teri in the subway after an affectionate night out due to his concerns about dating a trans woman, and later during the night he ends up getting physically violated by Martha.
- Episode 3
In episode three, Donny takes some time off the pub and attempts to make amends with Teri, failing miserably. After she spends countless hours and cold nights waiting for him at the bus station nearby his house, Donny takes Martha back at her house, where he is hit with the realization that Martha suffers from erotomania, a psychological condition in which an individual falsely believes that another person is in love with them, with Donny being the person that Martha is in love with in this case. He “breaks up” with her and re-attempts to work on his dream of becoming a successful comedian. After running away with Teri at a pub, Martha tracks them down and attacks Teri, leaving her severely wounded and traumatized.
- Episode 4
Donny finally reports Martha to the police, which eventually comes with great costs; at this attempt to let go of this traumatic experience, another one from the past resurfaces. This episode recites the experience Donny had with a famous screenwriter he met at the Edinburgh Fringe several years ago, which eventually left him scarred and heartbroken. After promising to help him with his career, Darrien, a famous TV writer, begins working with Donny, which leads to hangouts at his house and later on to the consuming of large amounts of alcohol and drugs. After drugging him several times, Darrien rapes Donny while he’s unconscious. Every time he wakes up, the second is less and less surprised but as heartbroken by the situation he has found himself in. Donny reflects on this experience, admitting that it had made him constantly question his sexuality, making him feel guilty, as he is under the impression that if he hadn’t been sexually assaulted, he wouldn’t have been able to explore the side of him that is sexually to males.
- Episode 5
In episode five, Liz, the mother of Donny’s ex-girlfriend Keely, finds out about Martha and her abusive behavior. Fearful for her and her daughter’s safety, she kicks Donny out, which allows him to start fresh with Teri. However, his memories trigger his sexual performance, preventing him from being intimate with Teri. Donny’s reluctance fills Teri with doubts, and makes her believe she is the problem in the relationship, leading to her spiraling.
- Episode 6
In the sixth episode of the series, Martha finds new ways to get to Donny, with one of them being hurting the people he loves, and specifically his parents. Martha’s visit at the pub where Donny works leads to a physical fight between her and Donny. With the police being unable to intervene once again, Donny tries to take matters into his own hands; he promises Martha to have sex with her if she ceases coming into contact with his parents. This impulsive decision backfires at Donny the second his career starts getting him somewhere. The episode ends with the delivery of a raw and emotional performance by Donny at the comedy club he works at, leaving the audience stunned and at the same time heartbroken for him.
- Episode 7
With someone’s recording of Donny’s raw confession going viral on social media, Donny starts receiving unexpected recognition from everywhere, skyrocketing his career. Martha tracks him down again, this time bombarding the comedian with new threats. Donny manages to get to his parents before she does, finally speaking out about her abusive behavior, his confusion and sexuality, which sparks a great deal from emotion from both his parents but especially his dad, who reveals that he too was once physically violated as a youth. These revelations bring the family closer together, with Martha’s number of threats growing larger and larger.
After a lengthy trial, Martha is finally put into jail for harassment, sexual abuse and stalking. Even after she is gone, in an attempt to understand her point of view, Donny listens to every voicemail she has left him up to that point, eventually becoming obsessed with analyzing every single part of her personality, past and way of thinking. Donny becomes isolated and cuts contact with every person he knows, until Keely, his concerned ex-girlfriend intervenes.
After convincing him to move back into her mother’s place, Donny finds an old draft of his work with Darrien in his room. His character is encouraged to face his previous abuser, which leads to him having a brief conversation with the Darrien. A follow-up interaction that Donny has with a barman at a pub has him reach a full-circle realization, according to which people sometimes make mistakes, even though they genuinely don’t mean to do so. This moment is also linked with Martha’s revelation for her pet name of Donny (“baby reindeer”), which serves as her way of holding onto the stuffed reindeer animal she used to have, with “blue eyes” and a “red nose”, which brought her comfort and peace as a child. Her separation from the stuffed animal urged her to attempt to cling onto Donny, which reminds her of it.
The mini series sparks several questions, including why the woman that inspired Martha acted the way she did, whether she tried getting in touch with Gaad after her release from prison, who the people that inspired the characters of Darrien and Teri are, what happened to them in real life and more.
Whilst the themes portrayed in the show may be triggering for some, Gadd has on several occasions expressed how he wishes for his story to be out in the open — in an attempt to show how he stands in support with other victims all over the world — and to reassure struggling individuals that one having been abused and/or harassed is not their fault.
