Episode 1 (Baby Reindeer)

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"Episode 1"
Baby Reindeer episode
Episode no.Episode 1
Directed by Weronika Tofilska
Written by Richard Gadd
Featured music
Cinematography byKrzysztof Trojnar
Editing byPeter H. Oliver
Original air date11 April 2024 (2024-04-11)
Running time32 minutes
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
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"Episode 2"

"Episode 1" is the series premiere of the psychological black comedy-drama thriller television miniseries Baby Reindeer . The episode was directed by Weronika Tofilska and written by the series creator Richard Gadd, and was released on Netflix on 11 April 2024 along with the rest of the series.

Contents

For her role as Martha in the episode, Jessica Gunning won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie.

Plot

Donny Dunn reports his stalker, Martha, to the police, and the police officer questions why it took so long for him to report.

Six months earlier, Donny, a struggling comedian, is working as a barman at a London pub where he meets Martha. Donny tries to take Martha's order, but she states that she cannot afford anything, so he gives her a cup of tea free of charge. Martha, who was initially despondent, brightens up. She begins frequenting the pub daily, and the two form a friendship. Donny humours her claims of being an important lawyer, despite her spending days in the pub with him. Having struggled with feeling invisible in the city, he is flattered by her interest in him and even indulges her initial flirtations.

Martha finds Donny's email address and begins bombarding him with sexually-explicit emails. When she becomes more brazen in her flirtation attempts at the pub, Donny begins to distance himself, later telling her that he only sees her as a friend. While out to coffee together, Martha has a sudden and loud outburst, which shocks Donny. Feeling uneasy, he follows her home, but she spots him through her window.

Martha shows up at a comedy competition where Donny is performing. Though Donny initially flubs his routine, the audience laughs when he pokes fun at Martha, and he unexpectedly makes the semifinals of the competition. Later that evening, Donny receives a Facebook friend request from Martha. He Google searches her and sees that she had been previously imprisoned for stalking. Strangely, Donny is flattered to be the newest target of a convicted stalker, especially given her role in his success at the comedy competition. He hesitates before accepting the friend request.

Production

Development

Director Weronika Tofilska stated that many elements of the series take inspiration from the 1996 film Trainspotting . [1] Director of photography Krzysztof Trojnar stated, "[Weronika and I] were on the same page from the start. Our vision for the look was led by the narrative and the first-person point of view, and we wanted to keep it as subjective as possible." [2]

Series creator and writer Richard Gadd stated he "begged" for Jessica Gunning to be cast as Martha because she "captured her vulnerability" during the audition process. [3] When asked how she came to understand Martha's character, Gunning stated, "I mean, not to give Richard [Gadd] all the credit, but it genuinely was there in the script for me. When I read that final voice message at the end, I just kind of tapped into something that made me kind of understand her and what he meant to her especially. Then I tried to kind of track back along the scenes and just work out ways in which she might be able to inflate or over-imagine or go home and mull over little moments they had together." [4]

Filming

The Stag's Head in Hoxton The Stags Head, Hoxton - geograph.org.uk - 4341101.jpg
The Stag's Head in Hoxton

The episode was shot on location in London. [5] The pub where Donny works was a set built for the series. Trojnar stated, "We always wanted to do these Steadicam passages and move with [Donny] as he walks behind the counter. When we were scouting pubs, they just didn’t have that photographic perspective on things." [2] The Stag's Head in Hoxton was used as the pub's exterior. [6]

Originally, Gadd was opposed to the use of a spotlight during the comedy show, as it would not be realistic in such a venue. However, Trojnar and Tofilska believed that the spotlight, combined with the tight close-ups on Gadd and "black abyss" over the audience would amplify the discomfort of the performance. [7]

Reception

Critical response

Marah Eakin of Vulture gave the episode four stars out of five and wrote, "As Baby Reindeer gets further into the episode, it becomes clear that the story is not just about a crazy stalker (thankfully) but also about Donny’s quest for acceptance and recognition." [8]

Accolades

YearAwardCategoryNomineeResultRef.
2024 Astra TV Awards Best Directing in a Limited Series or TV Movie Weronika Tofilska (for "Episode 1")Pending [9]
2024 Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie Jessica Gunning (for "Episode 1")Won [10] [11]

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References

  1. ↑ Moye, Clarence (18 August 2024). "'Baby Reindeer' Emmy-Nominated Director Weronika Tofilska Expertly Navigates Emotionally Challenging Material". Awards Daily. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
  2. 1 2 Williams, Tom (22 August 2024). "Krzysztof Trojnar and Annika Summerson BSC / Baby Reindeer". British Cinematographer. Retrieved 12 September 2024.
  3. ↑ Utichi, Joe (7 August 2024). "'Baby Reindeer's Richard Gadd & Jessica Gunning On The Radical Honesty Behind The Year's Most Talked About TV Series: "It Would Be Of Benefit To Society If People Stop Being So Apparently Perfect All The Time"". Deadline . Retrieved 15 September 2024.
  4. ↑ Prusakowski, Steven (17 June 2024). "Interview: Jessica Gunning 'Baby Reindeer' On the Act of Kindness that Spirals Out of Control". Awards Radar. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
  5. ↑ Walters, Meg (22 April 2024). "Where was 'Baby Reindeer' filmed?". Glamour UK . Retrieved 15 September 2024.
  6. ↑ Murphy, Rebecca (2 May 2024). "Camden pubs to comedy clubs: All of the real-life locations used for filming Baby Reindeer". The Tab . Retrieved 15 September 2024.
  7. ↑ Crosby, Connor (4 June 2024). "Baby Reindeer Cinematography (with Krzysztof Trojnar)". Go Creative Show. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
  8. ↑ Eakin, Marah (24 April 2024). "Baby Reindeer Series-Premiere Recap: Someone to Hang My Curtains". Vulture . Retrieved 15 September 2024.
  9. ↑ Prusakowski, Steven (9 July 2024). "2024 Astra TV Awards Nominees Announced". Awards Radar. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
  10. ↑ Khosla, Proma (16 September 2024). "Jessica Gunning Wins First Emmy for 'Baby Reindeer'". IndieWire . Retrieved 16 September 2024.
  11. ↑ Grobar, Matt (16 September 2024). "Jessica Gunning Thanks Richard Gadd "For Trusting Me To Be Your Martha" As She Claims First Emmy For Breakout 'Baby Reindeer' Turn". Deadline . Retrieved 16 September 2024.
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