Everyone is talking about “Baby Reindeer.”
In the UK, the whole thing has gone off the rails. Piers Morgan is involved. Lawsuits are being threatened.
The number 1 show Netflix by far is threatening to upend the Emmy Awards in the miniseries category.
“Baby Reindeer” is a dark twisted binge watch of obsession and addiction that is inconsistent in its story telling but still packs a powerful punch. Have a stiff drink at the ready when viewing.
Actors actually play the parts in the based-on-a-true story told by Scottish comedian Richard Gadd. One night in real life when Gadd was working as a bartender, a small, jolly woman came in for a cup of tea. He gave it to her for free. She immediately started stalking him.
Gadd himself had issues. He was dating a transsexual woman. He was a failed comedian with a drug and drink problem, and he harbored a deep secret that he’d been raped by a famous British TV director and personality.
The result of this meeting is a seven part series — immaculately directed and filmed — in which Gadd — playing himself — recounts the whole saga of knowing “Martha,” as she is called in the series. He’s named “Donny” but he’s playing a version of himself in which he vacillates between being a hero and his own worst enemy.
As the series quickly reveals, things get brutal between these two people. She wants him and he’s repulsed but also fascinated. He can’t pull away even though he reports her to the police and discovers she has a past of similar behavior. Then the middle three episodes become extremely dark to the point where you can only imagine this will only end in violence. (There’s plenty anyway.)
In the UK, fans immediately found the real life woman who they surmised was Martha. She wound up on Piers Morgan’s YouTube show this week. Fans also targeted Sean Foley, a British director, as Donny/Gadd’s rapist. Foley has registered his outrage on social media, and Gadd has sort of defended him.
All of this is very “Crying Game” with Lou Reed singing “Walk on the Wild Side,” a journey to the center of the Earth. Gadd already had a following in the UK after creating a performance piece for this at the cutting edge Edinburgh Festival before turning it into a series. He’s unsparing about himself, which is chilling when you get to the final episode. This is one time when you may not want to meet the star of the show. But you might want to take a shower, or a walk around the block.
And the Emmys? When Gadd gives the monologue about being raped, you can’t take your eyes off of him. It’s stunning. “Martha,” played with desperation and sensitivity by Jessica Gunning, is memorable. There’s a breakout performance from Nava Mau as Teri, Gadd’s trans girlfriend. “Baby Reindeer” itself is addicting and obsessed over. Let’s just hope they never attempt a second season.
