My little reindeer: but why is everyone afraid of episode 4 so much?

Around you everyone only talks about My little reindeer. The series is widely praised for its originality, its thematic and psychological depth, and its exploration of mechanics control and sexual violence that undermine society. Even Stephen King talked about it The weather because it was the best show he had seen in a long time.

But despite its popularity, the series is not for everyone. One episode particularly attracted attention.

If you want to watch the series but don’t dare take the plunge for fear of not being able to bear this violent episode, to miss explains to you precisely (with spoilers, therefore) which risks offending your sensitivity. A way to better understand these sequences, or simply to be able to move forward in the story without experiencing the worst images.

An unbearable episode

On social media, many viewers have confided that they have abandoned the series because of the famous episode 4. The sun reported the testimonies of spectators deeply shocked by this episode.

Some explain that they had to watch the episode in multiple episodes, without being able to watch it in one go, while others even report that nightmares after watching it. Internet users have also asked advise For “purify their minds” and think of something else after watching.

For those who haven’t yet heard of the phenomenon, let’s remember what it is about My little reindeer. The series is inspired by the story of Scottish comedian Richard Gadd, creator of the programme. His character, Donny, is a bartender who aspires to be a comedian, but is unsuccessful. One day he offers a cup of tea to a woman, Martha. This modest attention is triggered in her an obsession which lasts 3 yearsduring which he will receive thousands of emails, letters, messages, and will be followed at home and at work.

If episode 4 occupies a special place in the program it is because it takes the form of flashbacks. Martha is practically absent.

A relationship of manipulation and cruel psychological control

The episode returns to this time in Donny’s life when she was dating him Darrien, a powerful television producer older than him, who he meets at a festival in Edinburgh. The character, played by actor Tom Goodman-Hill, can be seen unprecedented enthusiasm for Donny’s career. He never stops praising him for his work, promising him miracles and assuring him that, if he follows his instructions to the letter, he will become a star.

What to create a powerful psychological influence about Donny, who sees his lack of self-confidence and his hopes boosted by these beautiful words. Donny gives himself body and soul to this man. Therefore, the violence in episode 4 is partly psychological. Darrien alternates Donny’s praise with moments of ghost : it simply disappears, no longer sending any signs of life to plunge its victim into unbearable insecurity. When he returns, he love bomb Donny, showering him with promises and compliments. A wicked manipulation technique that throws the young aspiring actor into a deep feeling of dependence. The voiceover, the staging and the embodied performance of the actors immerse us relentlessly in this psychological hell.

Repeated rapes with the use of drugs

This psychological manipulation causes a terrible physical influence on Donny. Until now, the character was an occasional user of soft drugs. But Darrien will make him fall into a spiral of hard drug use that never stops bordering on overdose. The episode depicts substance use in all its forms. We see Donny’s body give out and more often than not the young man ends up while vomiting or even passing out.

The most despicable passages of the episode are undoubtedly those in which Donny realizes that he has been abused during these moments of loss of consciousness. Sexual contact and rape occur repeatedly and end with a particularly unbearable attack, although the camera suggests violence through staging more than it explicitly shows it.

Like the excellent series I could destroy you in 2020, My little reindeer it doesn’t just show the nightmare of rape through the graphic violence of the attack. The miniseries focuses mainly on the victim’s point of view. After the attack, we specifically follow the many terrible reflexes, gaits and reactions which express Donny’s deep traumawhich both attempts to do so understand and forget what happened to him. The incomprehensible relationship Donny has with Martha is just one of the repercussions of this trauma.

Hell based on real events

This is undoubtedly one of the elements it gives My little RenHis special status in the world of entertainment: his story, and everything that is said about Darrien, is very real. If Richard Gadd changed the character’s name and identity, everything else is not fiction. In the columns of The Guardianhe has declared: “It’s a true story, based on my twenties, when I experienced something really crazy. ». The showrunner continued: “It was a real experience writing and shooting it. It shows abuses that I don’t think we’ve ever seen before. »

Episode 4 isn’t the only traumatic one: the transphobia shown in My Little Reindeer can also be shocking

Let’s see, all this violence justifies the warning messages “activation notice” located at the beginning of the episode. Just this episode he’s not the only one who deserves to warn viewers who might be shocked. This is what Léon Salin, alias @salinleon, underlined in a video posted on social networks. Evoke passages of great violence towards trans people, where they are humiliated or fetishisedLéon Salin explained that the series should have provided TW this transphobia, in the same way as the sexual violence sequences.

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