As the episode opens, Donny Dunn (Richard Gadd) admits to being amazed by Martha Scott’s (Jessica Gunning) manipulation and getting his parents involved. Upon entering his parent’s house, Donny finds Gerry (Mark Lewis Jones) on the phone threatening to amputate Martha’s legs if she calls him again. Donny asks his mother, Elle (Amanda Root) how Martha managed to get Gerry’s cell number. Elle says Martha convinced the receptionist that she was his client and claims she told his colleagues that he molested her when she was young. Gerry threatens Martha one more time before ending the call. Donny says she has been harassing him since they met and refuses to give up his job at the pub because it would be a win for her. Elle urges him to resign while Gerry agrees with him. Donny assures them that the police will take care of it when he receives a call from Martha. He immediately ends the call.

Police officer, Harris (Jamie Michie) takes Elle, Gerry, and Donny’s statements. After an irate Gerry calls Martha a “bi**h,” Elle convinces him to let her and Donny speak with Harris. Donny asks if she violated her “harassment warning” by contacting his parents. Harris reminds him that she is harassing Elle and Gerry, not him, and urges them to file a separate allegation against her.

While the police work on the case, Martha continues to harass Gerry via phone. Seeing what Martha’s harassment is doing to his parents, Donny returns to London to confront her. She denies harassing his parents. He warns that they will never be together if she continues to harass his parents. Stunned by his statement, she admits to thinking he would never agree to be with her, now that the police are involved. He vows to “hang her curtains” if she stops bothering his parents and emails him a “depraved” description of what she wants to do to him. She agrees before walking away.

Donny forwards Martha’s twisted email to Joanne Culver (Alexandria Riley) at Greater London Police. Later during an interview, Culver questions why Donny met Martha in person. He claims it was an unplanned encounter and denies telling her to send the email. Culver plays an audio recording of his last conversation with Martha and many other encounters. She says they have a copy of his email soliciting Martha for anal sex which he blames on his friend. Culver tells him that Martha has agreed to not file a complaint against him and urges him to apologize. Donny reminds her that Martha is his stalker. She stresses the need for them to stay away from each other and let the police do their job. He apologizes to Martha.

During an online search, Donny learns Martha has a history of stalking. Teri (Nava Mau) scolds him for trying to frame Martha and voices concern about becoming her next victim. He suggests temporarily deactivating her social media account. She refuses to hide after accomplishing so much in her life and blames him for everything. He reminds her that Martha is stalking him. Teri accuses him of indulging a mentally ill Martha and believes he “loves it” because she is everything he wants to be. She calls off their relationship.

Donny has hit rock bottom. He is working when Martha enters the pub. Diggsy (Josh Finan) says Greggsy (Michael Wildman) clocked out earlier and Gino (Danny Kirrane) is busy. When Diggsy tries to force Martha to leave, she says it is against the law to refuse someone a glass of water. Donny refuses to let Diggsy serve her. Pouring herself a drink of water, she warns a customer (Jim Bone) that Donny’s “yeast fingers” touched his glass. She says his nickname is “Hunchy” because of his poor taste in women. Donny tries to ignore her insults while continuing to do his job. Listening to an audio of Donny’s one-liners online, the customer gets in on the fun. Donny suggests looking up an attorney’s deaf child tormented by a serial stalker. Martha’s smile turns to a serious frown. Moving close to her, he repeats it. She smashes his head with a glass and physically attacks him. He punches her. She accuses him of ruining it and starts to climb over the bar. Two men intervene and escort her outside.

Martha sends Donny an email saying she is done with him but will always love him. Gino and Greggsy warn Donny against notifying the police for fear of the landlord finding out there was no manager on duty. Greggsy promises to keep Martha away from the pub. Donny reluctantly agrees. Later, he appears before a live audience as a comedian. When his jokes fail to bring laughs, he gets serious. He explains how his drive to be famous was driven by the desire to avoid judgment. He breaks down sobbing while sharing his sexual assault experience with the audience. He goes on to tell them about his stalker. He blames his self-hate for his inability to love Teri and vows to stop running. The crowd murmurs as he exits the stage.

 

Baby Reindeer Review

The show is one big contradiction. Seeing Donny continuously inject himself into a situation that grows more dire by the second, questions begin to arise. It may be that he failed to understand the gravity of what he was getting himself into until it was too late.

Donny’s story could just as easily be embellished as not. A twisted tale of rape and stalking is sure to draw more attention as compared to a classic tale.

Martha is portrayed as a psychopathic stalker but the depiction of Donny is no better. It is questionable if “Baby Reindeer” is proof enough but it will make him a bit richer.

The episode deserves a 5 out of 10. Get more Baby Reindeer recaps here. Support Reel Mockery by donating. Learn how advertising with us can build your brand awareness. Join our newly established forum to discuss the show and dozens of other topics.