What happened to Donny and Teri's relationship in Netflix's Baby Reindeer? Explained

Netflix's new miniseries, Baby Reindeer, has achieved widespread acclaim since its release on April 11, 2024. Based on a true story, the series follows Donny, a struggling comedian working in a bar, who is stalked by a woman named Martha.

Richard Gadd, the creator of the show, plays a fictionalized version of himself in the leading role. One of the major characters is a transwoman named Teri with whom Donny has a relationship. Teri is an American therapist who becomes the voice of reason for Donny as he struggles with his sexuality and keeps their affair a secret.

In the show, Teri and Donny eventually break up. Martha ends up posing a big threat to their relationship and plays a major role in Donny and Teri's fallout. In the finale, it is revealed that Teri has moved on with another man.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for the Netflix miniseries, Baby Reindeer.

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Baby Reindeer: Donny and Teri eventually break up

Nava Mau as Teri (via Netflix)

In the seven-episode Netflix miniseries, Donny meets Teri via a dating app. Despite being the one to seek her out, Donny feels shame regarding his sexuality. Although Teri displays great patience and kindness, she is left behind by him on a subway in one scene.

Their relationship is kept a secret by Donny. Despite this, Teri attends his comedy show as a show of support. However, when Martha appears and heckles during his act, the two escape to get a drink. But Martha follows the two lovebirds and an intense confrontation ensues.

Jessica Gunning as Martha (via Netflix)

It eventually ends with Martha physically attacking Teri and tearing out a clump of her hair. This incident finally prompts Donny to report his stalker to the police, who asks her to cease contact with Donny. He eventually tells Liz, his ex's mother and landlord, about Martha, and is asked to move out.

Now living in Kilburn with a bunch of roommates, he and Teri rekindle their relationship as they attempt to make a fresh start. He comes out as bisexual to her but their s*x life suffers due to his trauma.

After a short period of peace with no contact from Martha, she eventually returns by lying about Donny's accident to his parents.

Richard Gadd as Donny (via Netflix)

After realizing that she had been harassing his family, Donny tries to entrap Martha into violating her no-contact order. However, this fails and Teri breaks up with him.

In the final episode of the show, Donny goes to visit Teri at her apartment but sees her coming out with a man. It is assumed that she is in a new relationship, while Donny is portrayed as single and broken in the end.

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Richard Gadd and Nava Mau open up about their onscreen relationship

A still from 'Baby Reindeer' (via Netflix)

The representation of a transwoman and the exploration of sexuality in Baby Reindeer has earned praise from critics. In a GQ interview published on April 14, Richard Gadd said:

"Transness is very much in the public consciousness now but back then it wasn’t spoken about. I’d fallen for someone who was trans but with that came a lot of questioning and all of this unfortunate shame that you have when you’re young."

A still from 'Baby Reindeer' (via Netflix)

Meanwhile, Nava Mau, who plays Teri, expressed her wish to make a positive impact with her on-screen depiction. In an interview with Glamour magazine published on April 25, she said:

"I hope that Teri and the depiction of her relationship with Donny encourages people to feel greater compassion towards trans people and to consider the ways that we can all treat each other better."

Teri's character is based on a real person whose identity remains undisclosed at the time of writing this article.

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Starring Richard Gadd and Jessica Gunning, all seven episodes of Baby Reindeer are currently available to stream on Netflix.