The Story Of Netflix’s ‘Baby Reindeer,’ Explained

Netflix's latest viral hit, Baby Reindeeris garnering strong reactions from viewers and critics alike, scoring a perfect 100% on Rotten Tomatoes.

The seven-episode drama limited series was written and created by Scottish comedian Richard Gadd, who plays an alternate version of himself, Donny Dunn.

The series follows Donny on a downward spiral as he meets a lonely woman named Martha (Jessica Gunning) who goes from friend to bully. Donny tries to escape Martha's obsession, while trying to navigate the lingering effects of past trauma.

From the first scene, Baby Reindeer hooks the viewer, with a visibly desperate Donny struggling to get a cop to take his plight seriously.

Is “Baby Reindeer” based on a true story?

Richard Gadd told Variety that the series is “emotionally 100% true,” with the events of the story “borrowed from instances that happened to me and from real people I knew. But of course, you can't exact truth, both for legal and artistic reasons.”

It's one of those stranger-than-fiction stories; Baby Reindeer it doesn't sugar coat the messy realities of life and isn't afraid to show the vulnerability of flawed people or the flaws of vulnerable people.

Gadd doesn't reduce the story to one of bully and victim, instead emphasizing the humanity of everyone involved and being brutally honest about his own mistakes in handling the situation.

Gadd was careful not to paint Martha's character as “a monster” because he believes “she's wrong and the system has failed her,” he told The Independent.

Who stars in Netflix's 'Baby Reindeer'?

Baby Reindeer revolves around a handful of strong, perfectly cast characters; Richard Gadd's quiet charisma grounds the series, but Jessica Gunning's performance as Martha is remarkably nuanced, as haunting as it is sympathetic.

Gunning's Martha uses joy and laughter as a mask, always ready to slip. He is constantly on guard for signs of rejection, visibly struggling to contain his rage, always writhing beneath the surface.

Nava Mau plays Teri, a trans woman who struggles to date Donny during his most volatile and despondent days. Teri is arguably the most well-matched character here, but even she is drained by the stress and trauma emanating from Donny.

Tom Goodman-Hill gives a deeply creepy performance as Darrien, a successful writer who appears to be a caring mentor to Donny, before revealing his true intentions.

Darrien is soft-spoken, composed, and able to keep the kindness in his voice even as he rapes Donny, in increasingly gruesome ways.

There is no moral to the 'Baby Reindeer' story

Baby Reindeer covers many sensitive topics without ever preaching to the audience. It's about loneliness, obsession, deception and how male victims of sexual violence struggle to be taken seriously by society or even themselves.

“When a man is bullied it can be portrayed in film and television as something sexy,” Gadd told The Times. “Like a femme fatale that gradually becomes more sinister. It doesn't carry as much of a threat of physical violence, it's less common and can be trivialized.”

Above all, Baby Reindeer is a story about the radioactive, corrosive nature of trauma and all the messy ways it manifests itself in one's life. The show never tells us how we should feel about these things; it only represents the fall.

The story isn't as simple as a nefarious stalker stalking a tragic victim, but rather a man who makes the mistake of enabling a delusional and dangerous woman. Donny certainly doesn't deserve to put up with Martha's harassment, but he makes it worse by withdrawing from the confrontation.

Donny makes terrible choices throughout the series, and is all the more human for it; he is always committed to pursuing greatness or avoiding discomfort, only to invite more chaos into his life.

Martha showed red flags from their first interaction, but Donny was at a low point and enjoyed her ridiculous flattery. Even at his most bewildered and obsessive, Donny is genuinely fascinated by her.

Gadd told The Guardian: “People are afraid to admit they've made mistakes, and I think a lot of human mistakes are made through people-satisfaction. You stay in a lie because it's easier to avoid the tension of 'a situation'.

The ending of Netflix's “Baby Reindeer” has been explained

Although Gadd draws a parallel between his character and Martha early on, it is clear that Donny is still a functioning member of society, Martha is not.

In the final episode, the similarities between the two are stronger than ever. At this point, Martha has been sentenced to a few months in jail and given a restraining order, but Donny continues to obsessively listen to her voicemails.

In one such message, Martha alludes to an abusive childhood in which she remembered her only comfort: a toy reindeer, the titular “Baby Reindeer.” Deep down, Martha is desperately alone and traumatized, just like him.

With the series closing on Donny in a situation similar to Martha's, Gadd suggests that there is a fine line between artistic eccentricity and profound social alienation.

Worse, Donny got back with his abuser and did not exact any sort of righteous revenge, but shared a civil conversation before accepting a job offer from him. Donny has done exactly what he feared, having chosen to pursue his dreams over his dignity and self-worth.

The ending is left ambiguous, as Donny has a chance of success working for the man who raped him. Maybe she even has a chance at happiness, but she still carries the trauma that destroyed her life and has come back under the control of her abuser.

She might end up becoming Marta, if she hasn't already.