Content Warning: This article mentions dark topics that may upset some readers, including stalking, sexual abuse, and rape.
Netflix’s latest limited series, Baby Reindeer, has gripped audiences around the world. Creator and writer, Richard Gadd, plays Donny as he retells his true story of his stalker and the darkness of his comedy career.
The seven-episode series holds the viewer’s attention as just when you think the story can’t get any worse, a darker, more sickening twist comes along. Before its Netflix adaptation, Baby Reindeer was a play that debuted at Edinburgh Fringe in 2019.
Episode one introduced us to Donny, an aspiring comedian working as a bartender in London. It starts as a light, funny show with great acting and nicely shot scenes. That is until we meet Martha (Jessica Gunning).
Martha appears, through Donny’s eyes, as a lonely, askew lady and he quickly feels sorry for her. Their sick story begins with Donny offering a cup of tea in the house.
Throughout the series, Martha’s obsession with Donny grows sicker, and he begins to nurse a strange obsession with her.
Gunning completely nails the unnerving stalker act from her disconcerting laugh to her violent mood swings. Gunning is the perfect Martha. She makes you feel sorry for her just as Donny does and elicits rage and disgust from viewers with her actions.
Baby Reindeer shows Donny struggle with this obsession throughout the show as it gets in the way of his relationships and forces him to confront a dark trauma from his past.
Teri (Nava Mau) is a transgender woman whom Donny sees as the love of his life. Gadd and Mau give a flawless performance.
Gadd shows the internal homophobia Donny is battling with while Teri is confident in herself and seemingly unafraid of judgement.
Their relationship goes through several ups and downs, with Donny lying about who he is to Martha attacking Teri.
This attack forced Donny to make a choice – give up his odd relationship with Martha (one forged from trauma and his self-hatred) and report her attack, or let Teri go as their relationship would inevitably crumble.
We see more of Donny’s past and why he is so traumatised with flashbacks to his “mentor” Darrien (Tom Goodman-Hill). Hill’s bone-chilling performance highlighted the trauma bonds that can come from abusive relationships.
Darrien repeatedly lured Donny to his home with promises of fame and fortune, only to get him high and sexually abuse him. Hill’s nonchalant delivery was eerie, to say the least.
He appeared robotic, perhaps even harmless, on the outside as he kept his sick perversions solely for his victims.
While the series does have a relatively happy ending (if you can feel any happiness after the emotional blows each episode contains), it’s no distraction from the journey we went on to get there.
I would recommend Baby Reindeer – I went into it as a true-crime lover with high expectations. However, nothing can prepare you for how twisted it becomes.
The empty, crushing feeling of remembering that it is a true story, and Donny is a real person, is something you will be left with for days after watching.
Nevertheless, Gadd has created a fantastic show that raises awareness for so many issues. It’s astounding that he managed to not only write this show but act as himself too – that takes serious strength.
Baby Reindeer is now streaming on Netflix.
Featured Image Credit: @mrrichardgadd on Instagram
Fourth year student journalist studying Bachelor of Arts with Honours in Journalism Studies.
Words at Brig, The Daily Evergreen, Alloa Advertiser, Discovery Music Scotland, and The Mourning Paper.
