The popularity of the new Netflix miniseries Baby Reindeer is a good reminder to watch a hard-hitting episode from Sex Education from four years ago. Across seven episodes, Baby Reindeer delves into the protagonist Donald “Donny” Dunn’s (Richard Gadd) messy dynamic with his stalker, Martha Scott (Jessica Gunning), and how it intertwines with various aspects of his life. Created and written by Gadd himself, Baby Reindeer draws from a chilling true tale of stalking and abuse he endured from a woman over four years, and is adapted from his solo stage performance of the same title.

Premiering on April 11, 2024, Netflix’s new thriller is in its Top 10 for viewership numbers and has a 100% Rotten Tomatoes score. Its success hearkens back to an intense episode of another Netflix show, Sex Education, from January 2020. Created by Laurie Nunn, Sex Education ran for four seasons between 2019 and 2023. It followed Otis Milburn, a socially awkward high school student living with his sex therapist mother, Jean, and his friend Maeve Wiley starting a sex clinic at Moordale Secondary School. The hit comedy-drama series explored various sexual stigmas and promoted safe sex.

Baby Reindeer’s Richard Gadd Wrote Sex Education Season 2, Episode 5

The Episode Is Titled A Bad Trip

Donny (Richard Gadd) performs his comedy routine onstage in Baby Reindeer.

Baby Reindeer’s writer-creator Richard Gadd co-wrote Sex Education season 2, episode 5, “A Bad Trip.” The episode sees tensions escalate between Jakob and Jean, while Otis and Eric venture on a camping trip accompanied by Otis’ father, Remi. This is where its title comes from, as the excursion vividly underscores Remi’s shortcomings as a father, affirming Jean’s decision to separate from him. Meanwhile, Otis and Eric’s own relationship struggles lead to a confrontation between them. Additionally, Maeve’s encounter with Isaac occurs at an inopportune moment, coinciding with Maeve’s efforts to address issues with her mother, Erin.

Donny (Richard Gadd) looks stunned as he listens to a voicemail message on his phone in Baby Reindeer.

This episode addresses several key themes of the series, the most salient one perhaps being divorce. It not only examines Jean’s divorce from Remi, but also sees Maureen leaving Headmaster Groff. In both cases, the episode vindicates these women for their choice – Remi’s ineptitude and unreliability justifies why Jean left him, while Headmaster Groff is clearly emotionally abusive towards Maureen and keeps putting her down. The darker themes come from Maeve’s storyline, as her mother is struggling with addiction issues, though the episode also accommodates mundane teenage drama in the form of Otis and Ola’s crumbling relationship.

Richard Gadd’s Netflix Shows Both Masterfully Blend Sad, Gut-Wrenching Topics & Comedy

Donny (Richard Gadd) pours beer from the tap behind the bar in Baby Reindeer.

Both Baby Reindeer and Sex Education masterfully combine serious subjects with a gentle, comedic touch. Baby Reindeer explores complex themes of sexual assault, stalking, and abuse. It resists presenting the stalking narrative in simplistic terms of victim versus perpetrator, but delves into the psychological complexities of both characters involved. Likewise, Sex Education also explores sexual stigmas, consent, and divorce with a light touch and its comically bizarre premise of teenagers running a sex clinic. Both shows ultimately focus on issues of consent, queerness, and sexual trauma, but treat them in inventive, fresh ways.