Baby Reindeer – Netflix Series Review

BABY REINDEER on Netflix is a new stalker series based on a true story. It’s a genre hybrid with dark comedy, thriller, and horror. Within the first episode, you should get a Misery vibe. Read our full Baby Reindeer series review here!

BABY REINDEER is a new Netflix series with a stalker plot that is based on a true story. With seven half-hour episodes, it’s almost impossible not to binge-watch. Especially as episode 1 is good at setting the stage for the crazy escalation we’re about to experience.

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Our feature on the true story of BABY REINDEER >

Just as you might be thinking “Will this get darker?!” the stalker in this story, Martha, has a moment that immediately made me think of Misery‘s Annie Wilkes. Well, except for the fact that Martha is quite the “dirty bird” as she lusts for her baby reindeer, the struggling comedian Donny Dunn.

Continue reading our Baby Reindeer Netflix series review below. Premieres on Netflix on April 11, 2024.

This gets very dark, very fast

In Baby Reindeer, we follow the life of Donny Dunn as he tries to break into comedy. In the beginning, he is a bartender doing stand-up and failing miserably at it. The struggling comedian then begins a strangely warped relationship with a woman, who comes to the bar.

Her name is Martha and she very quickly becomes his stalker. We see how they first meet and the way it escalates. The whole “meet cute” is funny and sad and Martha is definitely weird. She lies about everything, but it’s so much that it’s obvious.

When things get extremely dark in this Netflix genre hybrid, it’s due to the impact Martha has on Donny. Especially as it forces him to acknowledge and face his own deeply buried trauma.

Richard Gadd stars as Donny Dunn, who is also the title character, and does a stellar job. However, just as was the case with Misery, the crazy stalker is the real star of this story. Martha is portrayed by Jessica Gunning who does an absolutely brilliant job. It’s touching and scary in all the right ways.

A different kind of Annie Wilkes

I know I might be a little stuck on the whole Annie Wilkes of Misery angle. I just found it difficult not to compare the two when you see the Martha go from bubbly and sweet to downright sinister in a split second. Just like Kathy Bates’s iconic portrayal of Stephen King’s character.

Also, I loved that this Netflix series has half-hour episodes and isn’t as straightforward as you might think. Yes, Martha is a stalker. There can be no two ways about that. However, Donny also finds ways to exploit her interest in him.

First, it’s mostly due to her compliments. And, let’s be fair, he feels sorry for her, when he can sense that he’s hurt her feelings. Later, it’s obvious that Martha is his number one fan (there’s that Annie Wilkes vibe again) and he needs her to be present during his shows. Or to get attention. Full stop!

Watch the Baby Reindeer series on Netflix now!

Richard Gadd, who stars as Donny “Baby Reindeer” Dunn, is the creator of this series. Also, the forces behind The End of the F***king World are behind this new series. The directors of the episodes are Weronika Tofilska (The Irregulars) and Josephine Bornebusch (Bad Sisters).

I don’t know that any explanation can truly do it justice as it is so crazy that you need to experience it. This new Netflix stalker series is based on the award-winning and hit Edinburgh Fringe one-man play by Richard Gadd, and it’s his own story.

While stalking is no laughing matter, dark comedy is very easily applied to any stalker story. They just tend to sound so crazy that it feels like a joke where the punchline never comes.

The entire series is just seven half-hour episodes, and it is very binge-worthy. Well, except for the fact that it’s also quite intense and gets very wild, so you might want to take a little break once in a while. I was hooked from the opening scene, and if you watch the trailer as well, you’ll see the darkness.

Baby Reindeer is out on Netflix on April 11, 2024.

Details

Creator: Richard Gadd
Cast: Richard Gadd, Jessica Gunning, Nava Mau