It’s 2am and I just turned off the disturbing show "Baby Reindeer." The spring peepers are loud in the forest.
—Just as I wrote that, they all fell absolutely silent.
—Just as I wrote that, they started up again.
The subject matter of the show is as dark as it gets: Stalking, drug use—all drugs—and male rape. The conclusion of the fourth episode offers a web link to crisis support + trauma support. As if to say, we know how serious this kind of trauma is that we’ve shown you—despite that we’ve packaged it as entertainment.
We know how serious this kind of trauma is that we’ve shown you—despite that we’ve packaged it as entertainment.
Audiences have grown comfortable with trigger warnings, and often ignore them. We also skate past the “RATED TV-MA language, nudity, sex, sexual violence, substance” label. In fact, we may even seek the TV-MA rating, because that usually guarantees a level of sophistication adults crave. Episode 4 had displayed a trigger warning: “The following episode contains depictions of sexual violence which some viewers may find troubling.”
Um, this trigger warning is familiar, and the range of taboo that typically follows may trouble a minority of viewers. But this episode, I’d imagine, will trouble a majority of viewers. A distinctive trigger warning—one more alerting, or with stronger emphasis, or read aloud in a serious voice—is probably called for.
~ ~ ~
This is the Netflix-sponsored roundup of crisis hotlines linked to the show:
https://www.wannatalkaboutit.com/
I just finished it tonight. Up way too late. As someone with a severe & complicated abuse history, I thought it was an astoundingly accurate portrayal of how abuse impacts everything. The relational impact between self/other and self/self.
The other two tv series of recent years that I felt were excellent depictions of trauma & its sequelae were The Tale & The Haunting of Hill House.
Of course, I tend to be counter-phobic and seek out trauma narratives, and I know this is not the case for all persons. I also wonder if I’d view things differently if I didn’t have a professional background & extensive knowledge—what do people make of such narratives if they lack the cognitive container & the language for processing such a viewing experience?
Trigger warnings fall short. I wonder how/if it would make sense for producers to include a debrief episode after concluding the story itself. It would be helpful, maybe, to feature trauma experts & artists etc. discuss the work afterward. I don’t know if that makes sense, but it could help reduce risk of “trauma porn.” I have to think about this more.
I should add that I did not watch the show. I was only assessing the contents and placements of the various warnings, so I may not have been helpful.