Today - September 23rd 2024 - was grey and miserable - so different from last Monday. I didn't feel like going out and I have been in the house all day.
Recently, Shirley renewed our subscription to "Netflix" so I riffled through what was available and settled on the award-winning series "Baby Reindeer". It had echoes of my own experience with Sylvie that I blogged about very recently.
I did not intend to binge-watch the entire seven part series but that is what happened this afternoon. It was a gripping, unusual show and I guess seeing all of the episodes in a row made the drama more intense - like watching a feature-length film in a pitch dark cinema.
As you know, the producers of modern day dramas will often insert songs that perhaps date the artifice or heighten the emotional impact. With "Baby Reindeer" I was a little taken aback by the number of songs that meant something to me - most notably the closing song which was "Farewell, Farewell" by Fairport Convention. It was sung by Sandy Denny whose grave I went to visit in February of this year.
The stalker was Martha Scott brilliantly played by Yorkshire-born actress Jessica Gunning. She comes across as mentally deranged and indeed had previously been in prison for obsessive stalking. In the show, she latches on to a young barman and failed comedian called Donny Dunn played by Richard Gadd who wrote "Baby Reindeer".
Apparently, when Martha Scott was a girl she had a cute toy reindeer. She claims that Donny reminded her of this toy figure and hence made "Baby Reindeer" his nickname. She pursues him mercilessly and manically, refusing to let go over a period of two years. She bombards him with e-mails and keeps turning up like a bad penny.
At the end there is no real resolution. There is the possibility of her reappearing but in any case, Donny Dunn has kind of been worn down by her. A strange sort of closeness has developed as if her relentless pursuit has somehow affirmed his existence.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Mr Pudding welcomes all genuine comments - even those with which he disagrees. However, puerile or abusive comments from anonymous contributors will continue to be given the short shrift they deserve. Any spam comments that get through Google/Blogger defences will also be quickly deleted.