Man oh man is this freaking good. Richard Gadd is immensely impressive for writing and starring in this true story based on his own life, not to mention how this serves as an example of taking power back over your trauma. It's not only great for the story surrounding its development, but the final product is one of the most well-crafted shows we've gotten this year. The writing is sharp, the pacing is perfect in the way that it reveals things as you need to know them and not too soon or too late, the characters are filled to the brim with complexity and layers, and all around form an editing and production standpoint this thing rocks. It has genuinely creepy and tension-filled moments that are expertly crafted and the show keeps you so intrigued from start to finish. Gadd's performance is amazing, and Jessica Gunning is STELLAR. Might just be the best performance of the year so far?? Baby Reindeer is a show that takes the stalker idea and turns it into something so much more that that and something so unique. It has some really heavy stuff and some very hard to watch and difficult scenes, but I commend it for not backing down and highlighting real life horrors as they are and as things that we need to be aware of. A fantastic character exploration and overall just so intriguing, real, and powerful.
if you like unusual shows, this would be a good one to check out.
It was a riot. I watched it on two nights. When you thing they can't fall anymore, the manage to do it.
It's so good and so well made you'll never want to watch it again.
The entire series needs a massive trigger warning. Approach with caution. Binged it yesterday and haven’t come to terms with it yet. But Jessica Gunning was brilliant.
It's a hard watch, but great nonetheless. It covers so many topics and it goes places you don't imagine. Best watch of the year so far.
While this does have that tinge of a typical Netflix-series with the soundtrack and PC highlights, it is still one of the most accurate depictions of handling the trauma of abuse I have seen. I understand that to those who have not experienced it, relating and sympathizing with the main character is hard and he might just come of as an annoying loser. But I found it so interesting that they kept the true narrative of the complexities of dealing with trauma. How you go against everything you thought you would and go back to the abuser. [spolier]Especially in the episodes were he is going back to his abuser as well as when he is obsessively listening to the stalkers voicemails.[/spoiler]
I went into Baby Reindeer not knowing anything except it was about a guy who has a stalker. It was an emotionally challenging watch. I feel like the audience was supposed to sympathize with Martha but I couldn't. She was just too unhinged.
For people who don't like the show, I would give it to episode 4, when the reason Donny is making poor decisions becomes clear by this episode.
I wish they'd stop advertising shows like this as 'dark comedies' because I bet a lot of people aren't prepared for how dark it will actually be. Also, Baby Reindeer is not a documentary! This is a work of fiction based on real events! To what degree? We don't know. We don't actually know what really happened, that's between the author and Martha.
There is something seriously wrong with watching people with problems, especially when it is based on facts and presented by a participant making a show out of it.
wtf have I just watched?.?.? Unusual. Crazy. Wild. Uncomfortable. This was some ride, good nonetheless. And, Jessica Gunning, you are an incredible actress, but I just can't empathize with your character.
7/10. I appreciate the representation of how complicated, gross, and just messed up your emotions can get when you are suffering like this. It's really disheartening to read the lack of empathy from some other commenters here. Some poor decisions were made, yes, but that would never justify what he experienced as a result.
Baby Reindeer is as phenomenal as it is difficult to watch. And it raises incredibly complex questions about victimization and victim blaming.
The performances are uniformly incredible. Richard Gadd (who also wrote) gives a brave self aware performance in this story based on his real life experiences of a struggling comic’s dealings with a stalker.
Jessica Gunning’s turn is so multi-layered and brilliant. She is by turns terrifying and sympathetic, sometimes in the same scene. It’s a masterclass in acting.
Nava Mau (who is a trans woman) is pitch perfect as a trans woman Gadd’s character is truly in love with, but can’t emotionally commit to because of his baggage - past and present.
And Tom Goodman-Hill is chilling as a producer who acts like he’s helping Gadd though he is grooming him for assault.
It’s a very tough watch, and ultimately has some controversial messages. But it is strong stuff and impressively executed.
So far im really enjoying it although the guy is a bit of a loser, he should have put a bottle over the rapists head and pushed fat arse into the canal.
i got a contradictory opening coming to this series .. i could make up my mind if i liked it or not but honestly, i think I'm just overwhelmed by the traumatic events especially since it's based on the real-life of the actor ! and i loved the last scene so much that it made me swing a bit to liking it lol.
however, i hate how new works are always fixated on sexual harassment, LGBTQ, mental illness and so ... this stuff becoming predictable and just uncomfortable to watch enough with it please
Probably pretty good but not for me…
To be honest I gave up with this show after 20 minutes. I found it to be very irritating especially her laugh. Obviously, not my cup of tea. :thinking:
Wow . Crazy. Wild and a true story.
Starts slow, but stay with it. Episode 4 is such a switch in mood. You think it's "just" gonna be a story about a guy being stalked, but it goes so much deeper.
Absolutely loved this, but it was definitely harrowing to watch.
A very over-hyped show if ever there was one..
It was far too long and got boring at times.
Watch it, but don't expect too much..
Oof. Uncomfortable, infuriating and sad.
"There was something awful but so thrilling about doing something that would devastate my life even further."
Baby Reindeer (2024) - :heart:x7
I had to see why this has been getting so much attention - on the one hand I get it, but on the other - I kind of wish I hadn't watched it.
It is well acted, well written, and a good story but it is messed up and depressing as hell - and episode 4 is a very hard watch. I'm rating this as good (7:heart:) but I can not personally recommend it.
How I rate:
1-3 :heart: = seriously! don't waste your time
4-6 :heart: = you may or may not enjoy this
7-8 :heart: = I expect you will like this too
9-10 :heart: = movies and TV shows I really love!
promising start but just ew.. idk if i'd dislike it more if this was a fictional story, but knowing a real person did what happened in episode 4, i couldn't watch any longer, i wish i could forget about this entirely.
Great show. 9,5/10. I watched it 3 times in one week. Very good story.
It flowed like a well-crafted and well-written documentary. I finished it in one sitting. It's a very horrifying story. The fact that the actor is also the person who experienced these events is incredibly terrifying. I have great respect for the way he meticulously examined his traumas, wrote about them in such detail, and was able to objectively understand why he experienced what he did.
7.5/10
I caught Baby Reindeer due to all the buzz and hype, and I found it very unexpected. For a show with such high viewership, I was genuinely taken aback by how uncomfortable it was...not something you would expect to have mass appeal at all! I am not going to discuss the phenomenon of people treating it like a true crime series and trying to decipher who the real-life people being depicted in the show are. However, I will mention it is based on a true story, which lends it an air of much-needed sincerity and honesty. I mention that because characters make decisions that seem like clearly poor decisions, but they are human decisions. The story, while it certainly does give Martha the spotlight, is very much about Donny and how he approaches having a stalker. In that sense, I think Richard Gadd is able to mine quite a bit of insight as he unpacks his own trauma. Yet, for the viewer, it creates such an uncomfortable atmosphere that you can't help but cringe as things spiral out of control. It's hard to say that I enjoyed the show because, honestly, I probably did not, but I was captivated and engaged. At a brisk 30 minutes average per episode, it is paced fast and is easily bingeable despite the subject matter. My slight criticisms would be that the acting, cinematography, and other technicals aren't particularly noteworthy, though I didn't think any of them were bad. And because it's so uncomfortable, I am hesitant to put it above any of the other shows I actually enjoyed watching.
An uncomfortable story that has the courage to blur the separation between harasser and harassed, more interesting when it delves into the psychological traumas of the victim, confronting them with the emotional vulnerabilities of the culprit. It is not so shocking because it is a story inspired by reality, but because it builds characters that are complex, nuanced in the decisions they make regarding a need for self-affirmation, or a longing for personal attention. It is a story of wounded and ambiguous people, a drama tinged with humor that is not afraid to make the viewer uncomfortable.
3 Thoughts After Completing ‘Baby Reindeer’:
Please give Richard Gadd ALL the awards. From storytelling to performance, he was incredibly compelling. And incredibly brave.
What sets this show apart is the fact that we’re watching a very heavy, difficult-to-watch story unfold… portrayed by the very person who endured it all. It most definitely affects the experience as a viewer. Your emotions are heightened and you’re more invested than watching something that’s solely acting.
I’m not familiar with Jessica Gunning, who plays our lead’s relentless stalker. I can’t imagine it was very easy to take on this role, and yet she did it so masterfully. She made us despise Martha, while also giving her some semblance of a soul, where we in turn discover a bit of sympathy for the character. Again, not easy.
What initially comes across as a lackluster and slightly exaggerated black comedy centered around a man being stalked gradually becomes a much broader and layered exploration of the profound impacts of trauma and codependency on individuals. The fact that many viewers could dismiss Donny’s choices and behavior as self-indulgent and highly unrelatable tells a lot about the current awareness and understanding of mental health issues. It’s a topic that remains largely unexplored in entertainment, but that found a balanced portrayal in this series. Raw and harrowingly honest, but still able to work as a piece of entertainment without resorting to excessive spectacularization. Nevertheless, it’s worth mentioning that the initial episodes may challenge less patient viewers, as the true complexity of the characters and the depth of the narrative clearly unfolds in the later episodes.
OK... I didn't know he was THE PROTAGONIST. FOR REAL !! WTF
Somewhat disturbing, I hate continual foul language, but its no longer shocking just idiotic. a lot of very disturbed people just like real life today. at 88 years i remember more sane and better balanced times
Best show I’ve ever watched - would never recommend it to anyone in my family for fear of cracking their psyche like an egg
While this does have that tinge of a typical Netflix-series with the soundtrack and PC highlights, it is still one of the most accurate depictions of handling the trauma of abuse I have seen. I understand that to those who have not experienced it, relating and sympathizing with the main character is hard and he might just come of as an annoying loser. But I found it so interesting that they kept the true narrative of the complexities of dealing with trauma. How you go against everything you thought you would and go back to the abuser. [spolier]Especially in the episodes were he is going back to his abuser as well as when he is obsessively listening to the stalkers voicemails.[/spoiler]
This ain't it. Disgusting and offensive, and even when it's not being those things it's also just a mid as fuck TV show which falls into that Netflix original trap of being so frustratingly ugly to look at, soundtracking every damn scene with good music because you know for a fact these lazy-ass scenes would suck without it (like yes, these are all on my Spotify, but forced emotion is the worst) and having writing that appeals to the dumbest of the dumb.
It doesn't help that I watched this in my 'context era' when I'm watching lots of Kiarostami as well as being obsessed with Charlotte Wells's Aftersun, which are on the goat level of context-pieces - this one, as a context-piece, is awful compared to the greats, and is just a man reliving his trauma through fucking Netflix to be a victim on the big stage of fame. This will undoubtedly be a conversation piece whenever the 'vulnerable comedian who likes to be laughed at' narrative comes up, kinda like Bo Burnham or James Acaster's Cold Lasagne does, but boy did this just wind me up more than anything else.
Nothing inspiring whatsoever - just trauma as spectacle that panders to this modern true crime crowd that hates people while also having this really unlikeable agenda of blurring the line between genders. Not awful but truly something not for me, and there's something that just feels so morally wrong about people calling this man "brave" for doing this. Urgh.
TV is at an odd place.
The fact that this is a true story and the actor is the actually victim makes this a very strange and unique show.
Unfortunately it has the vibe of Netflix which makes it not that good. I'm sorry but the guy needed mental care from the beginning of his life. Those are not actions of a sanity person, There are many moments that you can just feel sorry for the victim. There is something wrong with him i hope he is better now after therapy.
The narration become very tiring and a lot of stuff were beyond logic thus needed urgent mental help.
Going into this show, remember as a victim of sexual assault things will get hard. But it's still worth watching it
I dont believe a word of this is real. People love to have their ears tickled. Its disgusting and depressing and for what??? The show is a disgrace and should be taken off the air. Real people who knew this man are now being stalked by an army of online creepers, and he had ask everyone to stop.
The fact that it's a true story makes it interesting. The protagonist's decisions are frustrating but again, it's a true story, couldn't have written that better. Pace is good. I wonder how much was changed to make the protagonist look like the victim. 7/10
Not for me. I watched the whole series, but it was overly long and I got bored. To each his own.
Show and season rated a 8.5
An unsual and different show with a unique story that makes you feel uncomfortable a lot of times and which is dark in some points.I think everybody who looks for something fresh to watch this is a good tv show. 7.8/10
Shout by mralex_oBlockedParent2024-04-20T23:09:08Z
Easily one of the most uncomfortable watches of the year. A test on your patience, empathy and digestion capabilities. Such a personal story, straddling a very red line that divides trauma and unnerving the viewer. Undecisive about whether liking it or not, but I applaud the boldness.