Baby Reindeer ending explained: Does Donny get closure from stalker Martha and his abuser?

BABY Reindeer tells the terrifying true story of one man’s stalking nightmare.

The Netflix series is based on the real life experiences of comedian Richard Gaad who was relentlessly perused by an obsessed woman – but did things end well?

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What happens at the end of a Baby Reindeer?

Warning: This article contains spoilers for the finale of Baby Reindeer. It also covers topics of stalking and sexual abuse.

Baby Reindeer‘s harrowing plot follows struggling stand-up comedian Donny (played by and based on Richard Gaad) who works in a pub to support himself.

But his life takes a terrible turn when he offers a woman named Martha (Jessica Gunning) a free cup of tea.

Mistaking this act of kindness for affection, she becomes obsessed with him.

Across the series, we see Donny as he’s struggling with stalker Martha taking over his life with incessant emails, voicemails and texts.

He also finds it hard to get his case seriously investigated by the police, but in the final epsiode things come to a conclusion.

The series finale starts with Donny feeling happy as his comedy career starts to take off.

However, it’s not long before he gets a call from Martha after he adds his phone number to his out-of-office email”.

She is angry and threatens to tell his parents about a traumatic sexual assault he has experienced in the past, that he has never told them about.

Wanting to get ahead of her, Donny travels to Scotland to tell his parents that he was once raped.

His parents take the news better than he expects, with his dad hugging him and assuring him he “isn’t less of a man”, as Donny had feared.

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 report the latest harassment.

However the officer on the front desk says he should go home and wait for Martha to “say something threatening” that could be used in the investigation.

It goes from funny, weird & creepy, all the way to being genuinely harrowing. not an easy watch, but feels like a really important one.

Baby Reindeer viewer

Over the next few months, Donny admits that listening to his stalker’s voicemails have became like a podcast to him, and they have become a distraction.

In the end Martha sends a furious voicemail stating that she could “stab” someone one day.

Now taking his case seriously, she is arrested by police and eventually convicted of stalking.

Those who have binge-watched the series took to X, formerly Twitter, to discuss their thoughts on Baby Reindeer.

Ed Miller/Netflix

One fan said: “Binged all of Baby Reindeer on Netflix yesterday and it’s just completely incredible.”

“Richard Gadd is brilliant in Baby Reindeer! If you haven’t seen it on Netflix, you have too!!!! It’s absolutely mind blowing!” praised another.

A third commented: “It goes from funny, weird & creepy, all the way to being genuinely harrowing. not an easy watch, but feels like a really important one.”

“My Goodness Baby Reindeer on Netflix is bleak but brilliant. Black humour and so much more than a stalking story,” a fourth viewer said. 

Other viewers agreed that the miniseries tells an important story. 

One said: “A powerful study into trauma, abuse & mental health. Incredible writing, performances and production. Not an easy watch at times, but utterly gripping.”

Ed Miller/Netflix

Why did she call him Baby Reindeer?

Baby Reindeer is the nickname Martha gives to Donny, because she reminds her of a beloved cuddly toy she had as a child.

She explains this in the last episode in one of the voicemails she leaves Donny.

Martha says: “I had this wee cuddly toy when I was young. Went with me everywhere.

“Anyway, this reindeer was this cuddly, fluffy thing. It had big lips, huge eyes, and the cutest wee bum.”

Martha went on to reveal that not only did she still have the toy, but that it was “the only good thing” about her childhood.

She then went onto say that Donny apparently reminded her of this reindeer toy.

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What happens to Martha in Baby Reindeer?

After sending the final threatening voicemail, Martha is charged with three counts of stalking and harassment.

In court it is revealed her stalking campaign went on from August 2015 to March 2017.

Martha is seen pleading guilty to the charges, which also includes harassment charges against Donny’s parents.

As a result she is sent to prison for nine months.

A five-year restraining order was also issued, meaning Martha is now out of Donny’s life.

However, afterwards we see him listening to her voicemails and categorising them on his phone.

Speaking about these final scenes, Martha actress Jessica Gunning told RadioTimes.com: “You see when her voicemails become a little bit of a soundtrack to his life, he needs her compliments to calm him down.

“I think the voicemails almost represent an ease to his loneliness, and I think that’s what he latched onto – and he found escapism in her words.”

The real-life Martha – whose name Baby Reindeer star and writer Richard has never disclosed – is now required by law not to approach him or any of his friends or family.

Do Donny and Teri end up together?

In Baby Reindeer, Teri (Nava Mau) comes into Donny’s life when they meet on a dating app.

They begin a relationship that is complicated by his ongoing stalking nightmare.

In the last episode we see Donny make a trip to Teri’s apartment.

However, standing across from her flat he sees her leaving her home with another man.

This suggests Teri has moved on and is in a new relationship.

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How many episodes of Baby Reindeer are there?

Baby Reindeer is available to stream on Netflix now, and there are seven episodes for you to enjoy.

Each episode lasts around 30 minutes each, meaning you can binge what the series in around three and a half hours.

Baby Reindeer dropped on April 11, 2024 and boasts 100% critical rating on Rotten Tomatoes. 

Netflix fans have raved about the gripping show with many dubbing it “a true masterpiece.”