{"id":49566,"date":"2024-04-15T12:54:35","date_gmt":"2024-04-15T10:54:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/?p=2024851"},"modified":"2024-04-15T13:59:12","modified_gmt":"2024-04-15T11:59:12","slug":"baby-reindeer-ending-explained-star-breaks-down-clever-finale","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/rss_feed\/baby-reindeer-ending-explained-star-breaks-down-clever-finale\/","title":{"rendered":"Baby Reindeer ending explained: Star breaks down \u201cclever\u201d finale"},"content":{"rendered":"

That final scene has certainly made viewers think. Full spoilers for the Baby Reindeer finale ahead! <\/p>

By Morgan Cormack\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Monday, 15 April 2024 at 10:54 AM<\/p>

\n\n

*Warning: This article contains spoilers for the finale of Baby Reindeer, as well as discussion of stalking and sexual assault that some may find upsetting.*<\/strong><\/p>\n

Since it landed on Netflix, Baby Reindeer<\/a> has been a bit of a runaway hit on the streamer \u2013 and if you\u2019re reading this, chances are you\u2019re trying to make sense of that final episode.<\/p>\n

Across seven episodes, we follow Donny<\/a> (Richard Gadd<\/a>) as he\u2019s struggling with stalker Martha<\/a> (Jessica Gunning) taking over his life with incessant emails, voicemails and texts.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s struggling to get his case seriously investigated by the police, but in the finale, things finally take a bit more of a positive turn for Donny.<\/p>\n

The episode starts with Donny very much on a career high, but as per the rest of the series, it\u2019s short-lived \u2013 and Donny is dealt another fatal blow as Martha gets back in contact with him.<\/p>\n

The finale is also home to quite a few emotional and shocking moments that have left fans scratching their heads about the show, which is based on Gadd<\/a>\u2018s own true story<\/a>.<\/p>\n

If that\u2019s you, then have no fear. Read on for a full breakdown of the ending and where Baby Reindeer leaves Donny, with one of the series stars giving their verdict on what that divisive final scene means.<\/p>\n

Baby Reindeer ending explained: What happens to Donny?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\"Richard\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>
Baby Reindeer.<\/span><\/figcaption> Netflix<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

The start of the Baby Reindeer finale is arguably the happiest we\u2019ve seen Donny, as he\u2019s taking the comedy world by storm after the video of his public breakdown goes viral. He\u2019s so busy, in fact, that he sets an out-of-office email, but makes the careless decision to include his mobile phone number in it.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not long before he gets a call from Martha (who has previously never had his phone number), who is very angry and threatens to tell his parents about his sexual assault.<\/p>\n

Wanting to get ahead of Martha\u2019s fateful phone call, Donny travels to Scotland to tell his parents about his journey of sexuality and wanting to go on it with his parents\u2019 support. He then tells them about the viral video and how, in it, he admits to speaking about being raped.<\/p>\n

His parents take the news better than he expects, but Donny admits he didn\u2019t want them to think of him as \u201cless of a man\u201d.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s when his father, Gerry (Mark Lewis Jones), asks if Donny would think of him<\/em> as \u201cless of a man\u201d, simply saying that he \u201cgrew up in the Catholic church\u201d and holding his son\u2019s gaze.<\/p>\n

His father eventually gets up to hug him with tears in his eyes, and Donny then explains that the rest of his time in Scotland was great as he bonded with his parents and had some important time off.<\/p>\n

But on the train back to London, Donny switches on his phone and finds 50 voicemails on his phone from Martha. He immediately goes to the police station to inform them of the new stalking tactics, but is told by the officer on the front desk that he should instead go home and wait for Martha to say something threatening that could be used in the investigation.<\/p>\n

Over the next few months, Donny admits that listening to the voicemails soon became like a podcast to him, and as he listens to them, it\u2019s clear that they become a distraction to him.<\/p>\n

In the midst of those months, we see Donny make a trip to Teri\u2019s apartment, and across from it, he sees her leaving her home with another man, clearly in a new relationship.<\/p>\n

When he\u2019s asked by the police about any new developments, he lies and admits that he was withholding the voicemails from them because of \u201cfascination, empathy or guilt\u201d, really just wanting an excuse to keep Martha in his life.<\/p>\n

Eventually, Martha sends a furious voicemail stating that she could stab someone (ie Donny or his family) one day. The next day, she is arrested<\/strong>, and after her court trial and sentencing, Donny finds himself at a bit of a loss.<\/p>\n

A few weeks pass and Keeley visits him, saying that his housemate has been worried about him because he hasn\u2019t seen Donny in weeks.<\/p>\n

Hiding in his bedroom, it becomes clear that Donny has filled his time with looking into every message that Martha has ever sent him, and is building up a wall of notes akin to a police investigation of his own.<\/p>\n

Keeley then tells Donny that she wants him to move back with her mother after all that he\u2019s been through. He eventually does, and he immediately seems more comfortable back in familiar surroundings.<\/p>\n

Back in his room, he finds a box that Keeley\u2019s mum has set aside of his things, and there he finds the script for Hangman Harry, the same script he gave to Darrien (Tom Goodman-Hill), who has annotated it.<\/p>\n

Does Martha get arrested?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Martha was arrested the day after sending Donny the threatening voicemail<\/strong> and was charged with three counts of stalking and harassment. In court, her charge is read out, and covers the period of time from 14th August 2015 to 22nd March 2017.<\/p>\n

She tearfully pleads guilty to the charges, which also include harassment charges against Donny\u2019s parents. She sees Donny across the court for one last time, and we hear from Donny\u2019s narration that she was sentenced to nine months in prison.<\/p>\n

A five-year restraining order was also issued on the same day of the trial, meaning that would be the last time that Donny would set eyes on Martha.<\/p>\n

What happened with Donny and Darrien?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\"Tom\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>
Tom Goodman-Hill as Darrien in Baby Reindeer.<\/span><\/figcaption> Ed Miller\/Netflix<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

The next thing we see, Donny visits Darrien\u2019s apartment, and while there, the pair laugh about Donny\u2019s previous living situation before Donny apologises to Darrien for disappearing.<\/p>\n

Darrien says that he saw Donny\u2019s video and admits he thought it was \u201cbrave\u201d, before saying that Donny should work with him again, saying \u201cit won\u2019t be like last time\u201d.<\/p>\n

Darrien never explicitly mentions the abuse, but instead offers Donny a paid work proposition to work on a sitcom remake, and Donny says he\u2019d \u201clove that\u201d<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

In Darrien\u2019s flat, it\u2019s clear that Donny has reverted back to some kind of trauma response to deal with the scenario of being back in the apartment (and place of his abuse), but as soon as he leaves, it\u2019s like a cloud lifts, and Donny starts to reckon with what has just happened and the offer he\u2019s just accepted.<\/p>\n

Speaking about that confrontation scene with Darrien, series creator and star Richard Gadd told GQ<\/a>: \u201cI think that was almost the most truthful scene of the entire show.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat abuse does is it creates psychological damage as well as physical damage\u2026 Abuse leaves an imprint. Especially abuse like this, where it\u2019s repeated with promises.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a pattern where a lot of people who have been abused feel like they need their abusers. I don\u2019t think it was a cynical ending, it was showing an element of abuse that hadn\u2019t been seen on television before, which is, unfortunately, the deeply entrenched, negative, psychological effects of attachment you can sometimes have with your abuser.\u201d<\/p>\n

Martha actress Jessica Gunning also spoke to RadioTimes.com<\/a> about those final scenes where Donny is obsessed with listening to the voicemails, saying: \u201cYou see when her voicemails become a little bit of a soundtrack to his life, when he goes back to Darrien\u2019s house, he needs Martha\u2019s reassurance, he needs her compliments to calm him down.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think the voicemails almost represent an ease to his loneliness, and I think that\u2019s what he latched onto \u2013 and he found escapism in her words.\u201d<\/p>\n

What does the final Baby Reindeer scene of Donny in the pub mean?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\"Jessica\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>
Jessica Gunning as Martha in Baby Reindeer.<\/span><\/figcaption> Netflix<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

Donny seems to be having a panic attack straight after leaving Darrien\u2019s apartment, and after getting his breath, he switches on the voicemails from Martha to listen to.<\/p>\n

The voicemails Donny chooses to listen to make him smile, as Martha admits to fancying him, as well as complimenting his appearance.<\/p>\n

Donny then enters a pub and looks uncomfortable as he keeps his earphones plugged in, ordering a double vodka and coke from the bartender. As he\u2019s preparing Donny\u2019s drink, we then see that Donny has organised Martha\u2019s voicemails on his phone into folders including Excited, Complimentary, Horny, Adoring and Not Listened To.<\/p>\n

He selects one of the ones he hasn\u2019t listened to yet, and in it, Martha finally reveals why she refers to Donny as \u201cbaby reindeer\u201d.<\/p>\n

Once listened to, Donny starts to cry, and then wipes away his tears to pay for the drink once the bartender brings it over and asks if he\u2019s alright. Donny then realises he\u2019s left his wallet at home, which the bartender tells him not to worry about, as he\u2019ll give it to him on the house.<\/p>\n

Gunning exclusively chatted to RadioTimes.com<\/strong> about that final scene, saying: \u201cI think that\u2019s how it\u2019s so cleverly written, because by the end, there\u2019s no winner \u2013 and you definitely feel that. It\u2019s not a success story, there\u2019s no victory there.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s why that stage direction is so amazing \u2013 there\u2019s no jump scare like, \u2018Ha, ha, got you.\u2019 It\u2019s two lost people, and that\u2019s captured so well.\u201d<\/p>\n

She continued: \u201cWhen I read it [the final scene], I actually got goosebumps, because I thought, \u2018What a clever way to end this.\u2019 It\u2019s a broken guy, really, like she was in a sense, being offered this act of kindness, and I think he\u2019s just got an insight into what that meant at that moment.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s just such a clever final beat of everything. I think it\u2019s amazing, and it just translated so well to the screen.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gadd also told RadioTimes.com<\/strong> that the final scene is open to interpretation, and is one he\u2019s looking forward to people dissecting.<\/p>\n

He told us: \u201cI quite like the ambiguity of the ending, I sort of don\u2019t want to put a meaning on it. I think it can be interpreted in a lot of different ways<\/strong>. I know what it is in my head \u2013 that ending\u2019s my favourite thing in the whole series, the way it ends.<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom plugging in the headphones to going all the way to the end, hearing the voicemail, looking up, that\u2019s my whole favourite bit in the whole series. I think it can be interpreted in multiple ways, and I like that it can. I\u2019m quite keen to see what people think, actually.\u201d<\/p>\n

Why does Martha refer to Donny as Baby Reindeer?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

It\u2019s only in those final moments of the finale that we learn why Martha has called Donny \u2018baby reindeer\u2019 since meeting him, as Donny listens to one of her many voicemails for the first time.<\/p>\n

In the voicemail, Martha explains that she had a cuddly toy when she was young that went with her everywhere, recounting her earliest memory of Christmas where she was sitting with the baby reindeer beside her.<\/p>\n

She describes it as being \u201ccuddly and fluffy\u201d with \u201cbig lips, huge eyes and the cutest wee bum\u201d. She admits she still has it to this day, but that it was \u201cthe only good thing about my childhood\u201d.<\/p>\n

Martha explains that she\u2019d hug the baby reindeer when \u201cthey\u201d fought, referring to her parents, and saying that they fought a lot.<\/p>\n

She admits that Donny is the spit of the reindeer and that the reindeer means so much to her, thus meaning that Donny means so much to her also<\/strong>.<\/p>\n