3 Reasons Netflix’s Baby Reindeer is Failing: You’re Watching it Wrong

Stop feeling sorry for Donny Dunn.

You are watching Baby Reindeer like a True Crime documentary. You are looking for a villain. You are looking for a victim. You are looking for a reason to feel morally superior.

You are failing.

I watched the entire series in one sitting. I didn’t move. I didn’t check my phone. I didn't search for the "real" Martha.

Here is what I realized: The show isn't failing because of the writing. It’s failing because the audience is too broken to receive it. We have been conditioned by 10 years of Netflix algorithms to consume trauma like popcorn.

If you think this is a show about a stalker, you’re watching it wrong.

1. You are the second stalker.

The irony is deafening.

Richard Gadd wrote a story about the devastating consequences of obsession. He showed how curiosity turns into a sickness. He showed how "finding" someone can destroy two lives.

What did the internet do? It opened Google.

Within 48 hours, the "internet sleuths" had tracked down the real people. They found the real Martha. They found the real Darrien. They harassed them. They sent death threats. They turned a deeply personal confession into a digital manhunt.

This is the failure of the show’s impact. The message was: "This destroyed me." The audience response was: "Let’s do it again."

If your first instinct after the credits rolled was to find a Facebook profile, you didn't watch the show. You became the antagonist. You proved that the voyeuristic urge that drove Martha is present in all of us.

Netflix sold you a mirror. You used it as a magnifying glass.

2. You are looking for a Hero. There isn't one.

Most TV shows operate on a simple contract. The protagonist is flawed, but ultimately "good." They deserve our empathy.

Donny Dunn does not want your empathy. He wants your confession.

I’ve seen the reviews. People are frustrated. They ask: "Why didn't he just go to the police?" "Why did he go back to the house?" "Why did he record her?"

They want Donny to be a victim so they can feel comfortable supporting him.

But Donny isn't a victim in the traditional sense. He is a co-conspirator in his own destruction. He is addicted to the attention. He is fueled by the same self-loathing that fuels Martha’s delusion.

The show is failing because viewers are trying to "solve" Donny’s behavior. You can’t solve a trauma response. You can’t apply logic to a man who thinks he deserves to be hurt.

Stop trying to fix him. Start asking why you need him to be "fixable." If you can’t handle the fact that he is complicit in the chaos, you aren't ready for adult storytelling. You want a superhero. Go watch Marvel.

3. The "True Crime" brain has rotted your perspective.

We have been poisoned by the "Netflix Polish."

Usually, when Netflix does trauma, it’s clean. There is a narrator. There are clear timelines. There is a sense of justice at the end.

Baby Reindeer is messy. It’s ugly. It’s sweaty.

It fails for the average viewer because it doesn't offer "closure." It offers a cycle. It shows that trauma doesn't end with a court case. It ends with a guy sitting in a bar, listening to a voicemail from his abuser, and finally understanding why they did it.

The audience is "watching it wrong" because they are waiting for the payoff. They want the "Gotcha" moment. They want the catharsis.

There is no catharsis in Baby Reindeer. There is only the realization that hurt people hurt people.

If you finished the show and felt "unsatisfied," that’s the point. It’s not a plot. It’s a wound. If you’re waiting for a Season 2 or a "Where are they now" special, you’ve missed the entire philosophy of the project.

The Insight: The Birth of "Hyper-Reality" TV

Here is my prediction: Baby Reindeer is the end of an era.

We are moving past "Inspired by True Events." We are entering the age of "Active Trauma Mining."

Richard Gadd didn't just write a script. He performed his own collapse for our entertainment. This is the ultimate "Hot Take": The show’s success is actually a tragedy. It proves that for a creator to be heard today, they have to set themselves on fire in public.

The industry will learn the wrong lesson.

Executors are already looking for the next "Real Life Stalker" story. They are looking for more creators willing to strip their trauma bare for the algorithm. We are incentivizing the commodification of the worst moments of human life.

The "Failure" of the show is that it’s too honest for the platform it’s on. It’s a 10-course meal served at a drive-thru. Most people are just grabbing the bag and throwing away the substance.

Next year, we will see ten more shows like this. None of them will have Gadd’s soul. They will just have his "edge." We are entering a decade of trauma-baiting, and Baby Reindeer is the unintentional blueprint.

The Reality Check

I’ve spent years analyzing content trends. Most things disappear in a week. Baby Reindeer will stay because it’s a glitch in the system. It’s a show that hates its own audience for watching it.

It’s a show that tells you to look away, while knowing you won't.

If you think Martha is the only monster in this story, you haven't looked in the mirror lately. You haven't checked your search history. You haven't questioned why you enjoyed watching a man’s life fall apart.

Stop being a consumer. Start being a witness.

Did you watch the show to understand human suffering, or did you watch it to have something to talk about at lunch?