Tells the true story of the stalking and harassment Scottish comedian Richard Gadd endured at the hands of a middle-aged woman who goes by the pseudonym Martha.
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Thanks for the thread!
@jewel21 the show is basically about a guy being stalked by a woman, the unique angle is that it empathizes with the stalker too and gives some insight into her character. And shows how it’s not all on the stalker, the stalkee encouraged her attentions as well and gets psychological satisfaction from being the object of her attention.
I finished the series today and still reeling from the experience, it did offer something different from what we usually see.
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I just finished it this morning. It’s going to be on my mind for a good bit. Netflix has this listed as TV Dramas, British, TV Comedies. It is nowhere near a comedy, not even a dark comedy. It’s sad, scary, enraging, confusing, insightful, and, I believe, honestly-raw.
The actress who played Martha was brilliant. She walked the razors edge between being mentally ill and being knowingly manipulative. She made me want to help Martha and let me know I couldn’t help.
I understand Donny’s self-hatred and self-destruction. I feel that deeply.
Bravo to Richard Gadd for laying his soul bare.
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I’m definitely going to add it to my list but I probably won’t start it until I finish the final season of Marcella which has taken a very weird turn.
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Agreed on Martha’s actress. Maybe she was the highlight of the show. The way the actress shifted between anger / pitiable sad character / cheerfulness so quickly many times in the first 3 episodes was really impressive.
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Something else I’d like to know, was baby reindeer unique to Donny or did she see\say that in\to all her stalking victims? Meaning, was each “stalk” personalized or did she say the same things to each one.
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Well based on what she says to him at the end of episode 7 I’d think it was unique to Donny.
That’s the part that made me ask the question. Did she see her childhood “protector\comforter” in all her victims and that’s why she chose them?
This was based on a true story of the lead actor, Donny. IRL, she did not go to prison because he felt sorry for her. Her real name and identity were changed to make her unrecognizable in the series.
Boy that sure did take a very dark turn that I was not expecting.
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That’s an interesting perspective. I would guess that Martha did see and say similar things to all of her victims. She instinctively knows how to hit them in their most vulnerable spots. I first read about this show here and I’m grateful, even though this true (!) story will haunt me. I can’t help but think that the secret that Donny’s Dad was keeping inside, unwittingly affected Donny and made him vulnerable to Martha’s stalking behavior.
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While I “feel” this is right, I don’t know why. Can you elaborate on the how?
When Donny came out to his parents, his mother responded positively with unconditional love. His Dad did too, in his own way. He was clearly suffering with his own memories. That scene made me cry for both Donny and his Dad. Donny expected a handshake, but got a rare hug from his Dad. I felt in that moment that Donny’s Dad had held back on affection for all of Donny’s life. I wondered if Donny was aware of his Dad’s closely held emotions as he was growing up. Donny probably knew his Mom loved him unconditionally growing up, but he may have wondered if something was unlovable about him with regards to his Dad. In some way, he must have known something was wrong and kids tend to blame themselves. Anyway, perhaps his relationship with his Dad made him vulnerable to the stalking and to Darrien’s grooming. I hope that makes sense!
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That makes perfect sense and explains why it felt right to me, even though I couldn’t articulate how. Thank you.
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Okay I watched the clip that shows up on Netflix today. Is this creepy, violent, gory, depressing or just dark quirky? I can do what is after the “or” but not what is before the “or”.
I can handle Fargo but skim over the gore if that gives a over under point.
It’s not gory. It is violent, including sexual violence, creepy(not in a horror sense), & depressing. I’d still recommend it though.
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Definitely creepy. May be hard to watch the parts where he is taken under the wing of a show writer and mentored. I dont want to give too much of the story away. The story takes a very dark turn. A very interesting story from a psycholgical standpoint with some standout acting.
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I just finished the first episode and I have no idea what to think other than both of them are messed up. He finds out she is a deranged stalker who has spent time in jail and accepts her Facebook friend request. Okay…
That’s the gist and that’s part of the tragedy. Keep watching he does a very good job of explaining his emotional and mental state while making those decisions; the ones that don’t make sense and jeopardize his welfare.
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Okay, I just finished this yesterday. It was well done, but not normally the type of show I would watch.
The whole thing was just tragic. I felt for Donny and I thought his breakdown at the comedy club was really powerful and well done.
Overall, the show was frustrating, unique, tragic, and left me depressed.
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I just happened to find The Piers Morgan Show on You Tube and he had the real stalker on. It was interesting. She denied everything. I have the feeling this is going to be a bug shitshow between the two of them.
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