Baby Reindeer: 6 Reasons to Watch the New Netflix Series

The Netflix miniseries was released on April 11 and quickly rocketed to the Top 10 in several countries, starring creator and writer Richard Gadd as an extension of his 2016 solo show Edinburgh Fringe.

In the Netflix version, Gadd plays a fictionalized version of himself named Donny Dunn, who is pursued by Martha for years while dealing with past traumas. The title “Baby Reindeer” refers to a bizarre nickname he receives from stalker Martha (Jessica Gunning).

Containing only 7 short episodes, the series makes us reflect on traumas and how to deal with them, as well as uncomfortable situations in which we often lack empathy for the other person.

Check out these and more reasons to watch the series!

Warning: May contain strong and delicate scenes and subjects.

Jessica Gunning plays an incredible and expressive role as Martha, making us see every nuance of the “madness” in her face. She captivates us with her interpretation, always making us wait for what will happen in the next episode - her role as an unpredictable person really works.

Martha not only shows insanity, but also humor and boldness - also making us feel “sorry” at some times. It is possible to feel sorry and afraid at the same time.

Gunning is a British actress who is virtually unknown in the United States. She has appeared in projects such as the film Pride and miniseries such as What Remains and White Heat. But after Baby Reindeer, something tells me we'll be seeing a lot more of her.

Gadd plays himself at his possibly worst period in life. This in itself is not an easy task. And the most incredible thing of all is seeing him interpret his own story impeccably.

The vulnerability and feelings shown by the actor reach us and sincerely convey what he is going through.

On a journey to overcome his sexual assault, Donny meets Teri, played by Nava Mau. Teri is a trans woman and his relationship with her is complicated, both because of Donny's traumas and because of his masculinity being questioned by himself - and in addition, although the relationship between Teri and Donny is sincere, it is also a bit misleading.

Nava Mau plays the role masterfully, showing us her strength and, at the same time, fragility, seeking her own path and happiness and trying to support Donny - but there comes a point where things become too complicated even for her.

Mau is an award-winning actress: she previously wrote and starred in the short Waking Hour, inspired by her own experience as a trans woman in a relationship with a cisgender man.

An important point of the series are the countless messages and emails that the protagonist receives. In real life, the exact number was: 41,071 emails, 744 tweets, 46 Facebook messages, in addition to 106 pages of letters and 350 hours of voice messages, according to Screen Rant.

In the real story, the stalker sent a series of peculiar gifts, such as a bottle of sleeping pills, a woolly hat, underwear, and a toy reindeer, according to The Independent.

In the series, in a show, the protagonist decides to tell his story and reveals everything he went through. And this actually happened in real life, in his 2016 stage show “Monkey See, Monkey Do.”

At the end of production, Martha is arrested, but in real life Gadd decides not to bring legal pressure on her. She was prosecuted and ended up sentenced to nine months in prison. It is unknown what happened to her in real life after that.

The comedian didn't want the chase and the stalker to have stereotypes. “Stalking, on television, tends to be very sexualized. It has a mystical air. It's someone in a dark alley. It's someone who is very sexy, very normal, but then gradually becomes strange. But stalking is a mental illness. I really wanted to show the layers of this in a human way that I had never seen in a production”, explained Gadd to Netflix's Tudum portal.

The vulnerability that Gadd has in showing his real fear of Martha, but also his own emotional response to the trauma of her sexual assault and his own coming to terms with his identity and sexuality is something very difficult to see, and, especially, for us to see.

Talking about sensitive subjects such as drug addiction, transsexuality, sexuality and psychiatric problems is an incredible break. It made me, at the same time as feeling agony, also feel warm in my heart for someone talking about problems that exist.

(May contain - more - spoilers!)

In episode 6, there is a crucial moment when Martha terrorizes Donny's family. Threatening to tell him about his confessions on the internet, Martha leaves him stranded.

Desperate, Donny returns to Scotland to talk honestly with his parents about everything he's been through, sharing all his pain and feelings. And the way the parents cope is… simply incredible. Maybe it's the kind of understanding we all seek, on some level, and are also very afraid of not having.

A real pang in the heart.