I know I’m technically behind the times on this one, but I did finally get around to watching the much-hyped about Netflix miniseries, Baby Reindeer.
Firstly, what a trip. Secondly, I was even more tripped out to learn that the writer and creator of this series, Richard Gadd, had this actually happen to him in real life. And that it was a one-man show before it became this series. As with most shows using real life as inspiration, I of course question how much of this was real and how much of it was fabricated for grabbing an audiences attention, but still. Even if just a small part of this story was true, it’d still have sucked me in. And if all of it is true, I hope lots and lots of therapy was in Gadd’s life before he put pen to paper.
Gadd plays a version of himself, Donny Dunn, who sets out to achieve the same goals in life as he did. He leaves his small Scottish town for London to pursue a career in comedy. Only thing is, almost no one finds his brand of prop comedy all that funny. So in the meantime, he’s bartending at a pub when the eye of the hurricane of all of his problems walks through the door and takes a seat at the bar. Feeling a bit of pity for this woman, he offers her a cup of tea and that’s really the beginning of the end. He learns this woman to be Martha, and even at the outset she seems to be a serial liar. She claims she’s a really successful lawyer, yet also claims she can’t afford to drink anything in this pub. Not even Diet Coke. Still, something about her keeps Donny keeping her entertained and delusionally in his life until it all starts to turn sour.
While she never gets a hold of his phone number, for a while, she does have his email, which she floods with constant messages. Those too can be ignored, but it’s when she starts pushing her “love” for him and threatening other important people in his life that he finally goes to take some preventative action. Although in the police’s eyes, it’s maybe a bit too little too late. Why’d he keep this woman in his life for six months before finally deciding to do something about it? A former flame hits the target when she explains that she likes that Martha pumps him up, especially at comedy gigs, but they are also a little bit similar in that they constantly feel sorry for themselves. Sure, I think I’d keep someone around for a little while if they seemed harmless at the time and boosted my ego. Everyone wants to feel good about themselves.
What I do think this show importantly addresses is certain stigmas around men. Most men, like Dunn, would not want to admit to someone that he can’t handle a stalker. He’s got so many physical advantages over her that it probably seems silly to most. But Martha is truly mentally unwell, and that’s dangerous for anyone. Several other stigmas and taboo topics are handled over the course of the show such as rape, sexual orientation, and problematic past actions. I could see where stuff like this was a little too extreme for my parents to enjoy, but I really appreciated the depths this show explored. And I especially love how tense and creepy this series felt throughout. Gadd was truly part of a living nightmare, and thankfully he’s been able to come out of it in a better place.
This series is unique and odd and graphic, so while it might not be everyone’s cup of tea, I do think the hype around it was well deserved. I’d be interested to see what Gadd commits himself to next, because it can be hard to get out of something so niche.