| Executive Producers | Richard Gadd, Petra Fried, Ed Macdonald, Matt Jarvis |
| Writer | Richard Gadd |
| Cast | Richard Gadd, Jessica Gunning, Nava Mau |
| Episodes | 7 |
| Genre | Drama, Thriller |
Baby Reindeer Plot
Baby Reindeer Ending Explained: The 7-episode Netflix series follows the life of Donny Dunn (Richard Gadd), a failing stand-up comedian who helps out a sad Martha (Jessica Gunning) one day and she becomes obsessed with him – stalking him, sending him hours of voicemail and over 40,000 emails – spanning over a few years. Based on a true story, Scottish comedian Richard Gadd turns his one-man play into a 7-episode series that takes the saying ‘no good deed goes unpunished’ to a whole new level.
Donny Dunn is a failing comedian who keeps at it because he has a dream. With Martha in his life, he finds himself back in an abusive relationship – which seems comforting to him at some points in the story. He also falls in love with a trans woman, Terri and she helps him see a new side of him – a more confident and less self-loathing man.
Martha presents herself as a rich lawyer but in reality, she is an ex-convict who spent four years in jail for stalking her boss and causing harm to his disabled son. She is mentally ill and finds herself attached to Donny because of his nice gesture. She thinks of him as a handsome young man who loves her too and lovingly calls him – her baby reindeer.
– Spoilers ahead –
Warning: The following review contains mentions of sexual assault, physical assault and drug use. Reader’s discretion is advised.
Baby Reindeer Ending Explained
Episode 1 to 3 is spent showing Martha and Donny going back and forth with their strange and twisted relationship. She sometimes helps him out – bringing confidence during a comedy set, making him feel good about himself, etc and other times, keeping a hold over him, thinking she is in a relationship with him. Donny goes mad seeing Martha everywhere – online and offline. He does some research on her and finds out that she is a serial stalker and has even been to prison for the same.
We also get to see his budding romance with Terri but he feels like a cheat because of the false identity he keeps with her – a construction worker named Tony. Eventually, he confides in her about Martha as well as his real identity. While she helps him with Martha, it takes her a little more time with the betrayal. He endures the onslaught of questions and strange behaviour from Martha for reasons unknown to him, encouraging her further.
He finally tries to get rid of her when she appears in the house he shares with his ex-girlfriend’s mother, Liz, as a lawyer named Sheila. She does not take it well and decides to see him from afar but is close enough to catcall him and harass him even more.
Episode 4 is the hardest to watch as the viewers get an insight into his past life and the reason for his broken self-esteem as well as his meek personality. A victim of sexual abuse and an addict – Donny Dunn views his past as a mistake he made because he would go back to his abuser to achieve the taste of success he so wanted. It cost him his sanity, and his relationship with his girlfriend – emotional and sexual and got him confused about his sexuality.
Soon after, he threw himself into meaningless one-night stands to feel something other than shame and guilt. Being with Terri led him to believe that he could be better but the thought of sex with her took him back to the painful nights he tried to forget.
Episodes 5 and 6 take a sharp turn as his relationship with Martha twists further as she goes unhinged. Donny files a police complaint regarding the stalking and Martha feels hurt by his gesture and hurts the people closest to him – his family. While spending time with Terri when he gets thrown out of Liz’s house, she makes up that he was in a car crash, causing his parents to spiral.
He goes to meet them to solve the misunderstanding and she continues to call his father but it turns out his father is not as nice and repeatedly tells her off. At the end of episode 6, he irks Martha with her past and she hurts him physically. Tired of the same routine, he uses his comedy set to spill about his past and present – the abuse, Martha’s stalking and losing Terri.
Baby Reindeer Episode 7
The last episode goes through highs and lows as his set makes him viral in an instant – leading to many work engagements like podcasts, radio interviews, stand-up sets, etc. As he begins enjoying his life, Martha calls him, expressing her anger at his video and threatens to tell his parents about his past.
Terrified at the situation at hand, he travels to meet his parents and comes out to them as bi or potentially gay. He explains the viral video and tearfully talks about his sexual abuse – shocking his parents. In turn, his father talks about his past at the Catholic Church – insinuating that he understands more than anyone else. The three of them share an emotional moment, especially the father and son.
He spends time with his family, unplugged from Martha’s onslaught of tyranny. On his way back, he listens to the many angry voicemails left by her. He rushes to the police station and gets disappointed at the advice given but the officer tells him to keep all the voicemails as it can help him convict her.
So he spends hours listening to her voice as though it were a podcast and slowly becomes attached to her as she shows many sides of her. On the day of the pre-hearing, she pleads guilty to all the counts and the judge creates a pre-sentencing report. She cries out ‘My baby reindeer’ and Donny looks visibly upset at the end of them. They share a look and it almost looks like they are asking each other to forgive them.
Martha gets nine months in prison and he gets a five-year restraining order from her and while he should be happy about it, he drowns himself in all the voicemails. He deletes the police timeline of events and writes one sentence instead ‘I felt sorry for her. That’s the first thing I felt.’ Eventually, his ex-girlfriend comes to see him and brings him back to her mother’s house.
He meets with his abuser at his house and gets offered to work with him again. Promising that it ‘won’t be like the last time’, Donny agrees to write with him. He leaves the apartment and cries – in relief or sadness – that is yet to be determined. He walks into a bar, listening to her voicemails again and she tells him why she calls him ‘baby reindeer’.
Dating back to her childhood, Martha used to have a toy – a baby reindeer. She loved that toy and would cuddle with it. It had big eyes, lips and a sweet face. She still had it and it reminded her of the only good part of her childhood. When she met him, he looked exactly like that toy – which is why she calls him ‘baby reindeer’.
The realisation leaves him feeling emotional and empty. The bartender gives him a drink but he realises that he did not have his wallet. Looking at his emotional state, the bartender tells him ‘Don’t worry, it’s on me’ – making Donny feel something.
Baby Reindeer is streaming on Netflix.
Also Read: Baby Reindeer Review: Richard Gadd’s Series Delivers a Haunting and Emotionally Resonant Experience