Despite being such a hard-hitting, unflinching, and devastating experience, there isn’t a television series on the planet right now more popular than Netflix’s Baby Reindeer.
Richard Gadd’s semi-fictionalised account of his own dealings with a relentless stalker and the perils of chasing fame and fortune has become the biggest show on the platform, and continues to keep viewers enthralled with its potent mix of relatable thematic tension, powerful drama, and lashings of jet-black comedy.
The downside is that several people involved with Baby Reindeer have pleaded with fans of the show not to try and track down the real-life inspirations behind the characters, something that was always going to be a danger when Gadd’s gut-punching examination of social and psychological trauma never hid the fact it was inspired directly by situations the writer, star, and executive producer found himself in.
In Baby Reindeer, Gadd’s Donny finally forms a meaningful connection and develops a genuine romantic relationship with Nava Mau’s therapist Teri, only for his self-destructive nature and habit of self-sabotage winning out in the end. It’s shown on-screen that she finds love eventually with a man who isn’t Donny, but Mau shared with GQ there was initially going to be a more overt sense of closure.
“There actually was one more piece of Teri and Donny’s relationship in the script, and I performed it,” show said. “Teri leaves Donny a voicemail five months later. So I think, for me, I got closure because Teri did too.” The way things are left between them encapsulates Donny’s approach to his dating life, leaving him to watch from afar to witness what it looks like when Teri finds happiness.
It may not have made it into the final episode of Baby Reindeer, but Mau nonetheless feels satisfied with being given the opportunity to bring their journey full circle, even if viewers didn’t get the chance to share the experience.
“That’s what gave me so much comfort, knowing that they found peace with regards to their relationship,” she continued. “Teri found a new man, she didn’t lose her friends, she didn’t lose her job, she didn’t lose her smile. She’s good. And I think that is remarkable, because so often we’ve seen stories of trans people that end with them broken.”
It was certainly implied without being overt, but Baby Reindeer almost ended on a much more definitive note that made it abundantly clear there was no bad blood lingering between Donny and Teri.
