Why ‘Baby Reindeer’ is Netflix’s first big hit of 2024

Baby Reindeer, Netflix’s first big hit of 2024, features everything one might look for when trying to decide what to watch: stalking, themes of abuse, horrific standup comedy, and wildly uncomfortable sex scenes. It has touched a nerve with people all over the world, with disturbing themes that feel very modern and very relatable.

Donny is a young bartender and subpar comedian (played by Richard Gadd, the show bases itself on his real life experiences), down on his luck doing his best to scrape by in the U.K. One day he gives a sad-looking woman, Martha, a cup of tea at his bar, and she begins to develop an unnatural obsession with him.

The obsession quickly escalates to stalking, as she goes above and beyond to learn everything she can about his life. Donny, of course, finds the middle-aged woman stalking him very alarming. He eventually decides to go to the police to put an end to the stalking once and for all.

Once the stalking ends, Donny begins to miss the attention of Martha, and begins to stalk her. The show then proceeds to go into great detail about the sexual abuse Donny experienced at the hands of his mentor, which is as disturbing as it is disheartening.

The hype around Baby Reindeer reminds me of the love for the show You and also true crime as a whole. Shows in this genre are popular because these situations could happen to anyone. These are average, ordinary people, who are harassed or stalked by someone who is seemingly a monster. Viewers imagine what it would be like for them if they were in the same situation.

Everyone loves attention. In fact, most people crave attention. That’s exactly why Donny begins to go after his stalker after she decides to leave him alone, because the idea of no one wanting him is even more maddening than having a sociopath stalking him and ruining his life.

Of course, most people don’t want a strange, morbidly obese British woman harassing or stalking them. The sexual abuse Donny endured deeply traumatizes and shames him, and he desperately looks for an escape. He cannot explain to the people around him why he refuses to let his stalker go. It takes several episodes for him to go to the police, and even once he’s there he refuses to provide all the information that would most likely result in her arrest.

Baby Reindeer highlights that you never really know what someone is going through. There are deeply emotional moments that really resonate. The show excellently frames Donny as a tragic character, who’s just trying to get by in life and gets the short end of the stick.

Sometimes, you also hate Donny. They don’t mention sexual abuse until about halfway through the show. Up until that point, Baby Reindeer frames Donny as a weirdo who doesn’t really know what he wants in life. The way the show is able to paint him out to be an asshole at first, and then turns him into this tragic character, is beautiful in its own sort of way. Richard Gadd delivers a phenomenal performance, presenting what may be the best monologue I’ve ever seen in a TV show. The monologue makes you uncomfortable, and leaves an uneasy feeling in your stomach for hours.

Baby Reindeer doesn’t necessarily have a happy ending, but the story ends satisfyingly. Victims of abuse often don’t come forward because they’re scared about how the people around them will perceive them after they tell their story. Richard Gadd is brave not only for telling his story, but also for acting it out.