'Baby Reindeer' and 'You' tells more than a real life story

With Netflix's 'Baby Reindeer' captivating audiences nearly 60 million viewers watched it in its first month and the fifth and final season of 'You' set to release this year, stories about stalkers have clearly struck people's attention.

But some experts warn that what you see on your screen isn’t always representative of reality. Many Hollywood-ified dramatizations lean into storylines of extreme behaviors and sometimes don’t include appropriate warnings, leading to misconceptions about what stalking actually is.

For some victims, this could lead to more harm than good. Real-life stalking, experts say, can be more subtle than what is usually portrayed in popular media though just as damaging and dangerous.

How stalking is portrayed in popular media

'Baby Reindeer' is a dramatized version of real events that happened to series creator and actor Richard Gadd. In the show, Gadd’s character, Donny, meets Martha at the pub where he bartends. After he offers her her tea on the house, Martha begins to stalk and harass Donny, sabotaging his life.

The TV series 'You,' based on the 2015 novel of the same name, follows the perspective of stalker Joe Goldberg as he tracks, manipulates and murders his victims, often using romance and his good looks as a lure.

Forensic psychologist Dr. Lorraine Sheridan says stalking is not always the cookie-cutter formula audiences are enthralled by.

'A lot of it (the media) is all killer, no filler. You don't get the more mundane aspects of stalking. You just get the really, really dramatic bits,' Sheridan said. 'That means it is often quite misrepresented because the everyday, boring, hideous, demeaning, fear-inducing but ultimately kind of predictably miserable aspects of stalking does not make good TV.'

Gadd's story is real, but he says the version that appears in “Baby Reindeer” has been altered for artistic and privacy reasons. 'I've put out a statement publicly saying I want the show to be received as a piece of art, and I want the show to people (sic) to enjoy as a piece of art,' Gadd told The Hollywood Reporter, speaking about those who aim to find the show’s real life counterparts. “I’m called Donny Dunn. It exists in a sort of fictional realm, even though it’s based on truth, it exists in a fictional realm, let’s enjoy the world that I’ve created.”

'Baby Reindeer' comes with a standard post-credits disclaimer that says, 'This program is based on real events; however certain characters, names, incidents, locations and dialogue have been fictionalized for dramatic purposes.'

One notable change is in the show: Martha is charged with three counts of harassment and stalking, found guilty and sent to prison. In real life, Gadd says the legal situation with his stalker was simply 'resolved.'

Stalking has always been a subject of popular media, even before many viewers can grasp the actual concept, since so much of it appears in content aimed at young people. In 'Twilight,' the main character Edward breaks into his school crush Bella’s room to watch her sleep. In 'St. Elmo’s Fire,' Emilio Estevez’s character follows Andie MacDowell’s character across town to crash her and her boyfriend’s vacation.

These representations can lead to confusion about what is stalking and what is romantic, according to the Stalking Prevention, Awareness and Resource Center (SPARC), which issued a discussion guide in 2019 that noted, 'Romantic films often include protagonists who are 'guys like Joe (Goldberg),' ones who stop at nothing to get the girl. Usually there is no negative consequence for their actions in fact, the stalking is successful, and they persuade their initially reluctant romantic interests that they should be together.'

Source: CNN