(series review) [STREAMING] - Baby Reindeer

Where do I even start with this? What I will say first and foremost is that this show could trigger you, so this will be the first time I am issuing a TRIGGER WARNING for one of my reviews as it has subject matter that may upset you the reader or viewer. Although I will not go into any specifics about anything that happens in the show in detail due to spoilers, I would just want you to know that if you are indeed interested in watching this mini-series, please be aware, be cautious and seek the helplines below, should you need it.

There is a saying "Hurt people hurt people". If you do not understand what the saying means, in short, people who have been hurt by somebody, that person has also been hurt by somebody. To put that into relationship terms, you could be in a relationship with someone and someone in that relationship cheats on the other with someone else. The cheating comes to light, they break up, the person who was cheated on gets into another relationship and if they do not cheat themselves, maybe they behave in a way that hurts their new partner. It is not always the case but there are loads of other examples of this and for the most part, a lot has to do with the vicious cycle of abuse. Now the aim is not to give away the story here, but to give context to the behaviours of people in life, fictional or otherwise.

Donnie Dunn is a struggling comedian who works in a Pub in the hope of landing himself a huge gig. One day on his shift, a lady named Martha comes in and orders a drink. After a little chat and banter, Martha returns to the Pub daily in the hope of speaking with Donnie, but eventually and slowly, this turns into harassment until things turn dark and Donnie has to take matters into his own hands. 

Seven episodes of British dark comedy which is also a drama-thriller that I could not seem to stop watching. You sit and watch the first few episodes intrigued and curious as to what is going to happen next. You find yourself shouting at the TV perplexed that these things are happening and why they are happening, but this slow burn starts to sink deeper into chilling and disturbing imagery. It all seems a bit bizarre and weird, having you ask yourself "Why would you let that happen? Why would you continue to go back? Why don't you make a police report?" You ask a lot of questions, but at the end of the show, your questions get answered, but not before the "mid-episode" dark turn the show takes. When I say dark, when you watch the episode, you will know what I mean because you will know it when you see it.

The acting in this show is stellar. For a show I did not know what to expect, you are led by the actors and their performances and although this is a dramatisation of real-life events, the acting made everything real. It felt real. From the comedy to the very dark moments, this show does not hold anything back and as gritty as it got, the humour was also there because, at times, life does bring its own levity at times. I would definitely recommend this show even though it is a little bit of a mind-job throughout, but your questions are answered near the end and be careful, you may even cry.

Recognise Abuse HERE
Abuse Hotline 1
Abuse Hotline 2