If you own or use Netflix, there is a strong probability you’ve heard something or another about a series that recently premiered titled Baby Reindeer. Categorized as a dark humour-drama-thriller mini-series, it stars Richard Gadd as Donny and Jessica Gunning as Martha.
A significant detail to note is that Gadd, the lad who plays Donny, created this series out of a personal experience – the character he portrays is intended to represent himself, and Martha’s character is intended to represent a woman he became entangled with in his own personal life.
In essence, the show is about Donny, a young man with a failing comedy career who finds himself working as a bartender in a pub in England. One day, a woman comes to the bar where Donny works; she appears to be quite sad, so Donny, feeling a bit sorry for her, strikes up a conversation and offers her tea. After this, Donny learns the woman’s name is Martha, and she begins coming to the bar Donny works at every single day, and spends the entirety of his shift sitting at the bar, chatting with him, referring to him as her baby reindeer.
It is soon revealed that Martha is a convicted stalker who did jail time, and Donny finds himself in a predicament beyond the wildest of imaginations.
The reason I say you should watch this show is not because I enjoyed it. I found it bizarre, uncomfortable, alarming and emotional; these are all feelings I expect anyone watching this series would experience. This show is a phenomenal depiction of a common occurrence in this world, but instead of the victim being female, in this case, he is male.
I didn’t really know what to expect going into this show, and I haven’t yet finished it. I have no doubt it will continue to shock me, as it should, and I encourage you to give it a watch.
Photo by freestocks on Unsplash
ontheedgeofeverything 