Over the past decade or so, there have been some fantastic comedy routines-slash-performance art pieces that navigate meaty material. I’m thinking things like Hannah Gadbsy’s Nanette or Jon Robins The Darkness at Robins – which, incidentally, tied for best comedy show at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival – where moments of storytelling just take my breath away. Reading about the two shows this is based on (I presume – Baby Reindeer gets the specific citation, but from what I can discern, episode four is basically Monkey See Monkey Do – which also won best comedy show at the fringe) is fascinating. He tells that story while running on a treadmill?!?
Flipp’s right to refer to the show as harrowing. One particular thing that made it so harrowing for me is the feeling that Gadd is working through his trauma but that this story exists in the early part of that process. Now, the stage performance this is based on isn’t new – it won an Olivier award in 2020 - but Gadd makes his pain and shame feel so raw, so voluble that it’s really gripping. But what makes the finale work for me is that while the pain he feels feels very fresh, its also feels like a radical act of empathy in a way. He doesn’t avoid incorporating Martha’s pain which is such an audacious choice for the story he’s telling. I don’t mind the lack of closure in the ending.”Sabin” wrote: There's nothing wrong with it per se but for a series that basically operated as a thriller for the bulk of its run, I found its gear shift moving but unsatisfying.
Astute point. That episode six monologue is so remarkable because we (as the audience) know it’s real but at what point does the screen audience know? It’s a really terrific piece of writing and acting (when Gadd says “I love it” in reference to his self loathing it’s just a gut punch)We live in times that are very confusing but yet very confessional. Everyone wants to tell you their absolute truth but nobody knows if anything can be believed. Baby Reindeer isn't about that sensation but it captures it in a bottle.
She’s so remarkable. It’s quite a range-y performance – I wasn’t expecting to be quite as moved as I was by her court scene. While it’s baity, I also think that it’s a very difficult role.flipp525 wrote: ↑Tue May 07, 2024 4:49 pm Jessica Gunning must be seen as a solid frontrunner for Supporting Actress in a Limited Series/TV Movie/Anthology at this point (again, agree with Sabin here). She was almost Kathy Bates-in-Misery-esque at times. A scary, yet oddly tender at times, performance.
Okri, I think the “ethically fractious” element of the series is actually attracting more viewers than it might normally have gotten.
As for my comment about it’s content being ethically challenging, I have to admit that it didn’t bug me as much as I thought it would. Honestly, I think the internet should probably stop sleuthing around to find out who exactly the producer is (one man has already been accused by internet denizens and both he and Gadd had to deny it), but I do wonder if Gadd thought people wouldn’t.
Anyway, it’s a remarkable piece of work