Baby Reindeer makes psychological darkness and stalking (in)accessible.Baby Reindeer is based on a true story. In fact, comedian and (now also) actor Richard Gadd is the one who experienced the whole situation. What is striking is that this immediately seems to evoke all kinds of wrong assumptions among the audience. Also thanks to the publicity surrounding this television series by, among others, Netflix, Gadd himself, the media and recently also by the person who probably stalked Gadd in real life. Based on truth is not actually 'the truth' in this case, but it reflects the picture as Richard Gadd experienced this period in his life. It is not his story for nothing. It should also be clear that Baby Reindeer has been dramatized on several levels. It is not without reason that Gadd is called Donny Dunn in the television series.
The basis of Baby Reindeer is a dark and murky period in Donny Dunn's life. The comedian fights for survival. His work as a comedian is not exactly smooth sailing. It's one of the reasons he works as a bartender and lives in a room with his ex-girlfriend's mother. He finds the biggest distraction in drugs. This causes Donny to find himself in vulnerable situations. In these kinds of stressful situations, a person makes decisions that any right-thinking person would not easily make. It must be said that Donny is doing very well. Only later does it become clear why Donny has such a great desire for recognition and why his self-image is so destructive. It is clear that he is therefore sensitive to the extremely strange behavior of Martha (Jessica Gunning, The Outlaws).
Baby Reindeer is a bizarre insight into the world of stalkers.
When Martha comes to sit at the bar with Donny, it starts quite innocently. Martha seems confused. On the one hand, he has no money to buy anything to drink, but he says he is a successful lawyer. The relationship seems to start with pity, but for Donny it is also important that he is seen and considered important. For Martha, his behavior is an acknowledgment of their relationship. Martha sees their relationship as serious. Donny's equally unpredictable behavior only makes this worse. The two play a macabre game. Martha tries to get closer. Sends multiple messages every day that are less than complimentary. On the other hand, Donny continues to justify her behavior. He ensures that Martha always gets the feeling that she means more to him than Donny says she wants.
Baby Reindeer is a bizarre insight into the world of stalkers. Plus, it's a psychological trip between two people that is inexplicable to most of us. Even when Donny is thrown several lifebuoys, he doesn't take them. The love that develops between Teri (Nava Mau, Generation) and him is therefore constantly under pressure. It makes more sense for Donny to get himself destroyed than to get up and stand up for himself. Martha on the other hand has an unhealthy desire for a relationship. She puts everything aside to get that. Her jealousy and the idea that Donny is hers causes her to become aggressive towards anyone who she feels is getting in the way of their relationship.
Where most people make different, more well-considered choices, Donny and Martha act more on their (uninhibited) vulnerability.
The thirty-minute approach per episode ensures a good pace. An incredible amount happens in each episode. Baby Reindeer is very good at creating a gloomy atmosphere without it becoming too dark. For people who are not in a comparable psychologically vulnerable situation, a number of situations seem quite comical and surreal. The fact that Donny makes failed and successful jokes as a comedian helps to keep a light-hearted tone, in addition to all that darkness.
For me, Baby Reindeer is a successful miniseries. It's well put together. The acting is done at a very high level. The choice of actors is great. Jessica portrays an interestingly disturbed Martha, but Tom Goodman-Hill (Mr Selfridge) also presents himself completely differently than usual. The innocent appearance he has appears in a completely different light during this series. It is important to realize that what many people consider 'normal' for the two protagonists is no longer normal at all. Where most people make other, more well-considered choices, Donny and Martha act more on their (uninhibited) vulnerability. This means that, in the eyes of the average viewer, very stupid and unusual situations and choices are regularly made. They will therefore not be recognizable to everyone. It is precisely this fact that makes this insight into this world so intriguing.
About the writer, Karzal
Mike (1995) has been a member of MySeries since 2016 and is mainly active on the English version of the site. Since 2018, he has been actively translating news articles, columns, reviews and basically everything that ends up on the Dutch site. The original articles, columns and reviews were actually written by others. During the week Mike can be found at IKEA, where he is a national systems specialist and occasionally also in the classroom to teach an English lesson. In addition, Mike logically enjoys watching series and has actually been spoon-fed this from an early age. The genre doesn't matter, there is a place for everything in the otherwise busy life.
