Baby Reindeer is a British drama series released on Netflix on April 11, 2024. Based on the Edinburgh Fringe’s one-man play of the same name by Richard Gadd, the series is directed by Josephine Bornebusch. There are 7 episodes with a runtime of about 28-45 minutes.
Baby Reindeer delves into the twisted dynamic between struggling comedian Donny Dunn and his female stalker, revealing its profound effect on him as he confronts a long-buried trauma along with her persistent interference.
The cast of the series includes Richard Gadd as Donny Dunn, Jessica Gunning as Martha, Nava Mau as Teri, Tom Goodman-Hill as Darrien, Danny Kirrane as Gino and several others.
Baby Reindeer Review
While the plot sounds quite fictional at a glance, the story is however as true as it gets. It starts with Donny walking into a police station to report a woman stalking him. He seems pretty nervous and unsure if others would believe him or not but the policeman isn’t as ignorant as we have seen typically. Despite raising his eyebrows, thinking how bad can it be, he asks the right questions – who his stalker was, when did started and why it took him 6 months to even report. The last question sends him down memory lane where he remembers the first time he met his stalker – Martha.
It all begins when Donny, working behind the bar, notices 42-year-old Martha’s vulnerability and offers her a kind gesture – a drink on the house. Also because she looks depressed and claims to have no money. Yet she introduces herself as a hotshot lawyer with a list of VIP clientele consisting of politicians and celebs.
Instead of questioning why she can’t afford the drink despite having such a glorious job, Donny’s first mistake was to indulge in her story, regardless of whether it was true or not. More importantly, he seemed to be awestruck with her laugh, something that his career as a comedian lacked. But little did he know that this regular small act of kindness would spiral into a dangerous obsession, putting both of their lives at risk.
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The first two episodes give you the feel of a comedy show with wacky but harmless characters. Their actions might look creepy at first but on a closer look, they might not be as dangerous as one thought. But as the show progresses – Donny tries to create a boundary with Martha, from foolish flirting or giving cowardly excuses as to why they can’t be together – we realise that Martha isn’t a harmless fool. The show quickly takes a dark turn where it’s just not Martha who is questionable, but Donny isn’t much different from her in many ways.
The way he deals with the whole stalker situation gives us a deeper insight into Donny’s character. One would find drawing similarities between the victim and the stalker. It makes us wonder if it’s Donny, who is intentionally keeping her around because he craves the attention, which his career can’t receive. Or he is a lonely soul who wishes to be seen by someone amidst the crowd. On the other hand, as his romantic relationship blossoms with Teri, once again we see Martha’s reflection in Donny’s actions – as he uses a fake name and profession to pursue her.
As we get to know more about Donny’s life and how he struggled to make a name in the entertainment industry, the theme of internalised prejudice and sexual shame becomes evident, underpinning his actions. Without spoiling the plot, there’s mention of sexual abuse and trauma surrounding his past, that has moulded him into the person that he is today. While Donny doesn’t realise it (or maybe he does intrinsically) most of his actions are clear trauma responses. And all he wants is to run away from it all. He often feels ashamed to be his authentic self and fears other’s judgement – over his sexuality, career etc.
Since it’s Richard Gadd’s personal story and he plays the titular character as well, there’s a certain rawness, and honesty in his performance that no one else could have been able to portray. What strikes you about the story is that Richard Gadd doesn’t want it to become a victim’s account of a dangerous and prolonged encounter with an obsessive stalker. But it’s quite complex and dilemmatic. Initially, it feels like fun and jokes and you see mostly Martha in a negative light. However, you often go back & forth in deciding between whose really at fault. Many times you are in the same place as Donny, and can’t help but pity Martha, maybe wanting to help her.
Other times, you question what’s really wrong with Donny. Is he actually the faultless guy, who just fell into a bad trap? Or someone who deliberately put himself in those situations, something similar to self-sabotage or running around the trauma loop – to feel something. If anything, it perfectly shows how complex a human can be. There is no perfectly bad or good guy but an amalgamation of countless emotions and trying to seek love & validation for our true selves. Overall, Baby Reindeer is a truly moving series that works its way around sensitive topics, trauma, and its impact on the human psyche and mental health – in a brilliant way that’s rare to see.
Rating: 4.5/5
Baby Reindeer is available to watch on Netflix.
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