"Baby Reindeer" The Series - 3 Stars - Explained!

Let's get into it! "Baby Reindeer," a gripping new series on Netflix inspired by the true story of comedian and writer-actor Richard Gadd. In his twenties, Gadd endured harrowing experiences with a stalker and a sexual predator. Portraying a fictionalized version of himself as Donny Dunn, Gadd brings his own tumultuous past to life on screen.

Donny (Richard Gadd), a bartender with some success and a less successful comedian, one evening meets a crying woman in his Camden pub. In a gesture of kindness, he offers her a free cup of tea. This act begins a troubling relationship with his stalker, Martha (Jessica Gunning). "You're really mad, aren't you?" he says to her warmly. However, it soon becomes evident that Martha's odd behavior is not harmless. A series of strange, often explicit emails soon turns into more direct and disturbing intrusions into Donny’s life. What started with a simple cup of tea turns into a years-long nightmare of harassment, pushing Donny to his limits.

"Baby Reindeer" powerfully captures the psychological pain Richard Gadd endured. The entry of Martha into his life pushes Donny to face a past sexual assault and deeper questions about his identity and place in the world. "We're all varying degrees of weird, aren't we? Pretending to be human," notes Teri (Nava Mau), a woman Donny dates. This raises a pivotal question for Donny and the viewers: Is he genuinely kind, offering a cup of tea to someone in need, or is he self-centered, deceitful, and manipulative? The answer remains murky. Jessica Gunning’s portrayal of Martha intensifies this uncertainty. Sometimes cruel, sometimes vulnerable, Martha remains an intriguing and dynamic force in Donny's life and on the screen.

The show is packed with complex ideas, each handled expertly. Particularly compelling is Donny's relationship with Teri, a trans woman. He feels shame, which leads him to lie about his name and job, and he only meets her in secluded hotel bars. Exploring these intricate emotions could easily fill an entire series on its own. Similarly, the show delves into the generational effects of sexual abuse within the context of Donny's Scottish Catholic family background—a theme rich enough to stand as its own show.

"Baby Reindeer" is filmed in a style reminiscent of a horror movie. It features unsettling close-ups and slightly skewed camera angles, creating a disorienting, creepy vibe. The tension escalates, making it sometimes frightening, other times downright horrifying. Gadd retains, and even deepens, the moral complexities from the original play, exploring the nuances of right and wrong. The series tackles a myriad of intense themes such as shame, cruelty, self-loathing, humor, ego, pity, mental illness, guilt, loneliness, stalking, desire, drug use, hope, and despair. Overall, "Baby Reindeer" was a gripping series that offered a rare glimpse into a man's experience of sexual harassment and abuse. It's a topic that society often overlooks despite its prevalence. I appreciate how the series portrayed a man sharing his truth with great vulnerability. Although the middle of the series felt a bit muddled, the ending revitalized it with intense emotion and honesty. I would simply provide this series, Baby Reindeer, with 3 STARS ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.

Comment below your thoughts and star rating (1 being the worst and 5 being the best).

Did you enjoy this series, Them - The Scare?

• Hell Yea
• Absolutely Not
• Slightly until the ending