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BuzzJack Music Forum _ Television _ Baby Reindeer
Posted by: HausofKubrick 27th April 2024, 11:12 AM
The big show of the moment. Has anyone watched it?
A brilliantly dark, twisted true story produced and acted by the man that went through it all himself. Richard Gadd is a genius, turning his trauma into this art.
A must watch!
Posted by: dandy* 27th April 2024, 07:25 PM
Yes we watched this and it is indeed very good. It's all very well acted, I particularly liked the way that none of the characters are portrayed as being perfect and equally they take the time to give the stalker a really well rounded character rather than just a character you hate all the time. The episode centred around the Edinburgh Fringe hit me out of nowhere though, I wasn't prepared for that story at all
Posted by: Calum 27th April 2024, 07:56 PM
Binged this all in one sitting last week, and it hit me so hard. Such a compelling piece of storytelling, and hits even harder when you sit back and think 'damn it's actually a true story too'. Definitely a contender for best show of the year so far.
Such a difficult watch at times (particularly when the story turned to what happened with Darrien), and brilliantly acted by all of the cast. Like you say D*, none of them were made out to be perfect, and there's definitely eyebrow-raising moments for all of them throughout the series and I think that's probably the best way they could've achieved what they have.
The only annoying thing is that anything like this always brings out the social media detective agencies in force, and while I think it was brave and bold of Gadd to appear in it himself and tell the story as authentically as possible and I probably wouldn't change any of it, I can't help feeling if they'd kept a lid on it being based on a true story and Gadd himself didn't portray the main character we wouldn't be seeing the real-life people being exposed the way they have been as a result, or at least it would've taken people a lot longer.
Posted by: Severin 27th April 2024, 08:03 PM
Yeah, watched this all one night earlier this week. Very impressive piece of work and I admire the way it doesn't judge any of the people involved yet isn't afraid to make clear that they're all very flawed.
Posted by: Slayer 27th April 2024, 08:03 PM
Binge watched it all today 
I really enjoyed it and agree with everyone else, I like that it didn't paint everyone as perfect. They tackled some really tough stuff delicately.
Great acting and it was very brave of the the actor to re-live traumatic moments of his life.
Posted by: dandy* 27th April 2024, 08:09 PM
I haven't seen anything about the real people being exposed... I'm sometimes very glad to not pay a lot of attention to media!
Posted by: Calum 27th April 2024, 09:22 PM
“Martha” and her hang my curtains tweets have been identified
and she’s publicly responded to the show on her Facebook account, claiming that she doesn’t know who Gadd is, that he stalked her, among many other claims that contradict one another.
Posted by: Linds. 27th April 2024, 10:22 PM
I was meaning to make a thread on this! I watched it all in one day last week, it's a fantastic piece of work.
It's so complex that I'm still thinking about different elements on a daily basis. I particularly love how it shows a different side to how someone might deal with trauma and the repercussions it can have on all aspects of your life. Definitely hard hitting stuff that left a lasting impression.
The way the characters are portrayed is so interesting, idk how to word this really but the only character I was actively rooting for was Teri, she deserved better than Donny BUT I also could tell he did love her and was hoping he'd sort his shit out for her sake. Donny and Martha both had their faults and I think the fact that Richard recognised that is super important. It wasn't a case of villain vs victim, he wasn't painting himself as a protagonist, he was refreshingly self aware throughout. Nobody deserves to be put through that sort of torment but the fact he tried to understand why Martha was the way she was does speak volumes. It can't be easy having to relive it all again as well, firstly between filming it then again with the reception and people trying to track down the "real" people.
I do wonder why Richard chose to give Martha a different ending. He said she didn't get jail time irl yet she is arrested and found guilty in the series. I know he says he didn't press charges irl because he knew she was a victim as well but why not have the series end on that note too? Maybe it was purely for the story telling element.
Posted by: Rooney 28th April 2024, 09:53 AM
Such a difficult watch at times (particularly when the story turned to what happened with Darrien), and brilliantly acted by all of the cast. Like you say D*, none of them were made out to be perfect, and there's definitely eyebrow-raising moments for all of them throughout the series and I think that's probably the best way they could've achieved what they have.
The only annoying thing is that anything like this always brings out the social media detective agencies in force, and while I think it was brave and bold of Gadd to appear in it himself and tell the story as authentically as possible and I probably wouldn't change any of it, I can't help feeling if they'd kept a lid on it being based on a true story and Gadd himself didn't portray the main character we wouldn't be seeing the real-life people being exposed the way they have been as a result, or at least it would've taken people a lot longer.
By all accounts from what I have read, this is one of those 'sleeper hits' - I don't think anyone involved saw the show blowing up in the way it has done. They maybe expected it to do OK in the UK, but it;s huge across the world. One of those things.
I've not finished the show yet - got the final 2 episodes to go, but it's so well put together. I also love how the characters are flawed and even though you want to hate Martha (and do at several times) you can;t help put feel some aspects of symoathy for her. Likewise with the main character, he makes some ridiculous decisoons but you also understand why he makes them. Love how it is shot too with the focus on close ups on the main characters.
Posted by: Botchia 28th April 2024, 12:24 PM
This is definitely one of the best shows I've watched this year. I'm not surprised to see it blowing up and resonating with people the way it has done. It is so well made and very brave storytelling. I still can't quite get my head around the fact it's both a true story and the real person playing the lead role. Like Rooney says, the fact that you have sympathy for Martha and can understand the questionable decisions made by Donny, just shows how well crafted the show is and the complexity of the storytelling.
Posted by: HausofKubrick 29th April 2024, 05:52 AM
The show has had such a profound affect on me. The most incredible thing is how he has turned this trauma into pure cinema and art.
I too found myself really sympathetic to both Donny and Martha - the former was an everyman character of sorts and the latter was acted so brilliantly and believably that you almost couldn't help but warm to her.
Interesting how in real life he didn't press charges which illuminates the fact that it was directed in such a way that she wasn't a total callous villain, but instead a victim too. I can see why she was sentenced for the sake of the TV show - it added much needed closure for viewers!
It is one of the best short series I've seen in a long, long time and I can't recommend it to people I know enough.
Richard Gadd is a big rising star in TV if this is anything to go by both in terms of acting and behind the scenes production!
Posted by: Herbs 29th April 2024, 08:46 AM
I've seen that people have looked up (& found) the real Martha.
Her character reminds me of someone who used to call a contact centre I worked in - I handled escalations and numerous times spoke to a woman who claimed she was a lawyer, her parents were lawyers etc. She would insult you on a loop, challenging your education (if you worked in a call centre this meant you didn't go to uni.....) and she also asked some bizarre questions (she once asked me if my family members were men or women, asked one at a time)
Posted by: Linds. 29th April 2024, 09:52 AM
Yea her Facebook is public and she's been posting multiple times a day, I think she's even spoken to the papers about it. It seems to be getting a little messy there, Richard Gadd didn't want people looking for her or Darrien but that didn't stop them. If she'd just stayed quiet there wouldn't have been any confirmation that it was actually her, just speculation. It's a worry for both her and Richard tbh. I think he risks legal action being taken against him, especially with the person people are speculating is Darrien.
Posted by: Rooney 29th April 2024, 11:22 PM
Was always going to happen and I've read some of the interviews - this is really ths dark side of the internet. The woman is clearly deeply unwell, not sure how much of the final voicemail recording is true in the show, but it leaves you feeling sorry for her and explaing her motivations. The fact people decide to go and find this woman is crazy. Just does not help.
Finished the show this evening and what a piece of television. I've always been a fan of flawed characters in fictional shows, not sure why Netflix seems to comission so much crap and really neglect on good quality. Be interested to se the journey of the two leads now and if Hollywood tempts them (likely not you'd suspect).
Posted by: Linds. 30th April 2024, 07:57 AM
It looks like she's gone from not allowing comments on her Facebook posts to turning them on as well which is just opening up another can of worms. My worry is that she's not much further forward than she was ten years or so ago when all this was happening and she doesn't have the help and support she needs. By the sounds of it the media are taking full advantage of her identity being known now too, she's posting just as much about being hassled by the Daily Mail as she is about Richard Gadd. She is posting vile things in some parts but I do still sympathise that she's being subjected to all of this, it's got to be overwhelming for anyone. I think more could have been done to conceal her identity if Richard genuinely wanted to avoid all of this.
Posted by: Scene 30th April 2024, 04:56 PM
I was going to post a thread about this and then forgot WHAT A SHOW! It’s so difficult to make a dark comedy funny especially when dealing with sexual abuse and stalking but the show balances the serious and the comedy really well. Richard Gadd and the lady who played Martha should win big awards for this. From start to finish it had my undivided attention (a difficult thing for me ) and even after it ended I couldn’t stop thinking about it. The real-life Martha (it must be her right??) seems to be going for RG in the press and saying some truly awful things I won’t even repeat on here. I hope the fallout won’t damage the show or RG’s reputation.
Posted by: Calum 1st May 2024, 08:59 PM
I don't know if it's just my algorithm now because I've looked at so many videos about it now, but all I'm seeing on TikTok is Baby Reindeer stuff - who Darrien is, voice clips and videos of 'Martha', etc. It'll be interesting to see if people just suddenly forget about it all when something else comes along to captivate them, or if some sleuths genuinely won't give up until they've unearthed everything.
Posted by: Linds. 1st May 2024, 09:22 PM
My tiktok has been the same, at least it was just after I finished it. She's still posting a hundred times a day on her Facebook though, she mentioned that she's gonna do an ITV appearance but idk I'll believe it when I see it
Posted by: spiceboy 7th May 2024, 07:29 PM
This is on my list to watch can't wait
Posted by: Lindsey. 8th May 2024, 03:52 PM
