Following the gripping spectacle of Fallout, screen audiences are now treated to the equally engrossing Baby Reindeer by Richard Gadd, an exploration of another variety of aftermath. Fallout captured the chaos of a nuclear catastrophe where survivors became immortal ghouls, cannibals, and were accompanied by giant cockroaches. Baby Reindeer, however, grounds its focus on the long-term effects of a seemingly benign moment of human kindness.
At the heart of Baby Reindeer, we meet Donny, portrayed by Richard Gadd, a struggling stand-up comedian eking out a living in the bustling landscape of London. His life is turned on its head when Martha, enacted by Jessica Gunning with a subdued intensity, steps into the pub where he works, her somber eyes compelling Donny to offer her a gratuitous cup of tea. This simple gesture sets the stage for what becomes an unnerving dance with obsession.
Martha, with her fragile demeanor and apparent illness, soon becomes a constant in Donny’s life, frequenting the pub and ensnaring him with her views of a shared existence—views Donny does not reciprocate. Despite his efforts to establish boundaries, Martha’s persistence only intensifies, her erratic emails filling his inbox, and her fictions growing more ornate by the day.
The narrative escalates when Donny uncovers Martha’s past as a serial stalker with a history of legal troubles behind her. His delayed response to her harassment raises critical questions: Why did he wait to inform the authorities? What held him back from severing contact completely? In these moments, Baby Reindeer delves deep into the psychology of its characters, blurring the lines between victim and enabler.
Episode four of the series stands out as a particularly harrowing voyage into Donny’s psyche, where his past traumas and future fears converge. Here, we see his history unravel: his hopeful beginnings at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, his London drama school days, and his relationships, notably with Keeley (Shalom Brune-Franklin) and later with Teri (Nava Mau), a trans woman whom Donny falls for. Throughout it all, Martha’s shadow looms large, edging into his relationships, threatening his family, and forcing Donny into a corner from which he struggles to emerge.
The gravity of the tale is compounded by the fact that Baby Reindeer is a drama inspired by true events, carved from Gadd’s own stage play of the same name. It offers no pat resolutions, no clear demarcations of good and evil—just the raw, unfiltered chaos of a life upended by relentless pursuit. Within its narrative beats, we find themes of success intermingled with deep-rooted grief, shame, and an aching solitude.
Donny’s reflections throughout the series strike a chord, especially his views on fame—as a measure of judgment—and his poignant realization about abuse, seeing himself as an inadvertent magnet for those troubled by life. It’s this level of insightful writing, paired with transcendent performances, that leaves viewers with a sense not just of having watched a story unfold but of having felt it viscerally.
Without conventional consolation, Baby Reindeer is as unforgiving as it is real. It’s a reminder of the inseparable dance between light and dark in the pursuit of human connection, and an invitation to witness the haunting beauty of a story powerfully told.
For those seeking a viewing experience that is refined, thought-provoking, and evocatively raw, Baby Reindeer is the current offering on Netflix under the categories of English and World cinema – a stark reminder of the complexities of human interactions and the unforeseen aftermath of our most inconsequential actions. It is undeniably an indispensable work of art within the contemporary storytelling landscape.
