This monthVerve’s star teen reviewer Lucy Kennedy gets stuck into Netflix’s latest global hit series, Baby Reindeer.
Baby Reindeer
Rated 18+
Netflix
Donny Dunn is failing. He’s failing at his life-long dream of being a comedian. He’s failing at adulthood, living rent-free at his ex-girlfriend’s mother’s house. He’s failing at his love life, at happiness, at life. Then, Martha appears. Slipping onto a barstool at his work, she seems trampled-on, tragic. He relates to her, feels sorry for her. He buys her a cup of tea. This simple act of sympathetic kindness is the key to the lock that is Martha Scott. Their strange, burgeoning friendship then turns to harassment, then finally to full-on stalking. Donny receives a monsoon of disturbing, nonsensical, and horrendously misspelled emails, sees Martha at every turn, and genuinely can’t escape her. This addicting, off-beat limited series details the entire (TRUE!) ordeal.
This is an addictive, laugh-inducing, delicious show that is simultaneously infuriating and cringe-worthy. Donny’s awful prop comedy was enough to make me want to leave the room. I definitely shouted at my TV more than once: “NO, Donny!” However, you just can’t stop watching. Writer and creator of the series, Richard Gadd, based the plot off his own real-life stalking experience, and plays the main character Donny Dunn, so essentially re-lives his absolute nightmare on screen.
4/5 stars
Available to stream on Netflix
Instagram: @lucykennedyreviews
