Editor's Note: The following contains major spoilers for Baby Reindeer.

The Big Picture

• In Baby Reindeer , Donny faces stalking and personal struggles amid rising career success.
• Martha's obsession with Donny finally becomes credible, with violent threats leading to legal consequences.
• In the final moments of the show, Donny's empathy for Martha grows despite her harmful actions as he is reminded of their first encounter.

The new Netflix dark drama Baby Reindeer has shot up to the top of the streamer's top 10 television shows, and for good reason. The seven-episode Scottish thriller is a bleak account based on the true story of comedian Richard Gadd and his harrowing experience with a stalker, along with a traumatic sexual assault that has left him in a compromised and fragile psychological state. Jessica Gunning stars as Martha, an eccentric, middle-aged woman who shows up at the bar where Donny Dunn (Gadd, the creator and writer of his autobiographical tale) is working. At the same time, he tries to get his stand-up comedy career going. The two become friendly almost immediately, but things quickly get out of hand, and Gadd finds his personal and professional life turned upside down. By the finale, Gadd has been through the wringer, and in the final scenes, there is a big reveal and a new understanding from Donny about the importance and irony of random acts of kindness. However, he also gains a new outlook on how other people, including Martha, carry weighty emotional luggage that explains their erratic behavior.

Baby Reindeer (2024)

TV-MA 910

In a dark and gripping narrative, a young man's life spirals into chaos when an innocent encounter at his bar job leads to an obsessive stalking by an older woman. The film skillfully explores themes of privacy, obsession, and the boundaries of social interaction.

Release Date April 11, 2024 Cast Richard Gadd , Jessica Gunning , Danny Kirrane , Nava Mau Main Genre Drama Seasons 1 Writers Richard Gadd Streaming Service(s) Netflix Expand

What is 'Baby Reindeer' About?

Gunning is marvelous as an emotionally troubled and mercurial woman who shows up one day at the bar where Donny works. She has an infectious smile, and Donny loves that she finds his brand of humor laugh-out-loud funny. He loves the attention Martha pays him, but he soon realizes that Martha has already formed a unhealthy obsession with him. Martha misinterprets Donny's acts of kindness and quickly wants more out of the relationship, but Donny has no intention of being anything more than friends with her, if that. When Martha's smothering attention and adoration go unrequited, she begins to fully stalk Donny. Soon, she sends hundreds of emails and Facebook messages to Donny, whom she affectionately calls "Baby Reindeer."

When Donny pursues a relationship with a dynamic and smart trans woman named Teri (Nava Mau), it is the final straw. Martha begins to stalk Donny to the point that he tries to get the police involved as she is becoming more dangerous, showing up at his home and making physical threats towards him and Teri. After she physically attacks Teri, Donny goes to the police, but at first, they don't take him seriously. It is only after Martha stalks his parents in Scotland that the police look into Martha's past and become aware of her prior arrests for stalking. On top of enduring Martha's attacks, Donny is undergoing personal struggles of his own resulting from multiple sexual assaults that he experienced from Darrien (Tom Goodman-Hill), a veteran comedy writer and mentor who Donny believed was helping him get his entertainment career off the ground.

The Final Scenes of 'Baby Reindeer' Explained

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After his explosive emotional break, which occurs while he is in front of a large audience, goes viral, Donny feels much better, having unburdened himself. An understanding society embraces him, and the video is an unexpected launching pad for his career. But Martha has other ideas. Her obsession has risen to a new level of intimidation. When she finally gets his cell phone number, she redoubles her efforts, sending him hundreds of voicemails that he must endure to get credible evidence for the police to arrest her. The police tell him (off the record) to allow her to leave as many messages as possible, hoping she will say something they could act upon.

Over time, he finds himself identifying with her. Martha's laughing, ranting, and insecurities become the soundtrack of his life. He begins to catalog all of her emotions that she has in each voicemail while ignoring her calls. When she is finally pushed to the brink by his lack of attention, and one of her voicemails threatens violence against Donny and his family, the police can actually get involved. Donny goes to her trial and sees a broken Martha in the defendant's booth. She is suddenly the helpless baby reindeer as she pleads guilty on charges of stalking and harassment. Donny sits across the courtroom during this, listening to her admitting her guilt. As she is charged, she sobs heavily. Donny and Martha's eyes lock just before she leaves the room and Donny stands shocked by her outpouring of emotion. She is sentenced to nine months in prison and a five-year restraining order is issued. Donny notes that this is the last time he ever saw her.

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Donny Has an Epiphany in the Final Scene

After a gut-wrenching return to face Darrien at his apartment, Donny leaves, having taken a writing job on the reboot of "Cotton Mouth." While he is there, it appears that Donny is processing the trauma and adjusting even facing his abuser, but when he leaves, he has a crippling panic attack. He looks to his phone to hear the sound of Martha's voice to quell his fears. Donny then starts to listen to Martha's more upbeat and complimentary voicemails as a form of comfort. He smiles as she admits to being attracted to him and tells him how good he looks.

When he walks into a busy pub and sits at the bar ordering a double vodka coke, he listens to Martha explain why she calls him "baby reindeer." Her story of childhood abuse and living in a volatile home as a young girl brings Donny to tears as this is the first time she has revealed anything about her childhood. When she says that the only thing she remembers fondly is a small, stuffed baby reindeer that brought her peace, it looks just like Donny; he drops his head on the bar and begins sobbing. Even after all of her horrible behavior and dangerous stalking, Donny still has empathy for her as a human being despite everything that she's done to him.

When the bartender serves him his drink and asks for payment, Donny realizes that he has forgotten his wallet and cannot pay for the drink. The bartender is warm to Donny and says, "Don't worry about it. It's on me." Donny is speechless, his eyes red and teary. The look of incredulity on his face is an epiphany for him as he realizes that a simple act of kindness can make all the difference in someone's life during tough times, mirroring the situation that brought him and Martha together. It brings the show full circle, as this is what he provides for Martha at the bar when he gives her a cup of tea. You never know when you can make a significant difference in someone else's life. The screen fades to black with this important message.

Baby Reindeer is available to stream on Netflix in the U.S.

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