May 10, 2024

The woman who says she's the Martha from "Baby Reindeer" — which Netflix bills as a "true story" — gets cornered by Piers Morgan.

I'm jumping to a point 34 minutes in where Morgan questions Fiona Harvey about the tens of thousands of emails the writer Richard Gadd says she sent to him. Harvey, a lawyer, is threatening to sue, and she knows that if the emails were sent they will be produced in that lawsuit. "These are easily provable things," Morgan says. "He's either got them or he hasn't." Watch the dramatics and tell me if you think she's credible. Either she or Gadd is lying.

Yes, Gadd is an artist, and he should be able to use his own life as source material and to process it into an interesting show, but he has stated that the story is true and the show, which is very successful, is promoted as a true story. Gadd has asserted that he has changed things to protect the privacy of real people, most notably "Martha," a vivid and fascinating stalker, but Martha was easily identified as Fiona Harvey. Direct quotes used in the show appeared in Harvey's social media.

The obvious complexity is that Harvey is saying both that she is and she isn't Martha. You have to first identify her as the character before you can accuse Gadd of lying about her. If you watch the clip, you'll see how difficult her position is. But maybe she's a liar and a stalker. If not, what is she? Should she be on TV explaining herself, cornered and (to my eye) terrified? If she is Martha — and if Gadd's presentation is true — she has serious mental problems.

19 comments:

tim maguire said...

Martha has serious mental health issues, but she is also a clever and accomplished liar. Maybe Harvey could square that circle of claiming both to be Martha and to have been slandered by the show's portrayal of her.

The stalking episode portrayed in the show leaves a long paper trail--people harassed, court records, police records, hospital records, and thousands of texts. If it's true, Gadd can prove it. And if it's not true, Harvey is never named.

baghdadbob said...

I read recently that one way of identifying a sociopath is that they move their heads abnormally and frequently when speaking. That description fits this woman.

Joe Smith said...

She looks like a Democrat out of central casting, so by definition she has mental problems...

Sydney said...

"Should she be on TV explaining herself, cornered and (to my eye) terrified? If she is Martha — and if Gadd's presentation is true — she has serious mental problems."

She should not be on TV explaining herself. The news channels and newspapers are exploiting her need for attention.

Amexpat said...

Normally I loath the way Piers Morgan does interiews and him personally, but I thought he did a very good job here. She previcating and he's trying to get a straight answer in a respectful way.

I only have watched the first episode of BR. It's a worthy show to watch, but it's so well done that it's getting painful to watch.

Oligonicella said...

Terrified? You gotta be kidding me.

Jupiter said...

Piers is fascinated. But not obsessed.

Jupiter said...

But it is true, that either he has them, or he doesn't. Which raises the question, why haven't we seen and heard them? Is he protecting her privacy? Or perhaps his own?

Old and slow said...

I wasn't going to watch the show until now.

Achilles said...

People think you just get to act a certain way and you never have to feel bad about how you act.

People just have to understand how social media works now.

Achilles said...

And we have to end this litigious bullshit.

Ann Althouse said...

"I wasn't going to watch the show until now."

It's really good!

Jupiter said...

"It's really good!"

It's about a homosexual, so of course it's really good.

Narr said...

I wasn't going to watch the show, but now I'm definitely not going to watch the show.

FullMoon said...

Watched the show until it got into Crying Game territory.

Not that there's anything wrong with that!

Mary Beth said...

I'm unconvinced of her story, regardless of what all her lawyer friends think.

I didn't watch the show. I tried, but didn't make it through the first episode. It made me feel uncomfortable - and it was his behavior at that point, not hers that made me feel that way, so it's not like I'm on his side instead of hers. My impression of her truthfulness is only from this interview.

Craig Mc said...

Anyone else getting Rose from 2 & 1/2 Men vibes?

dicentra63 said...

"I read recently that one way of identifying a sociopath is that they move their heads abnormally and frequently when speaking."

Other way around. When interviewed, they held their heads abnormally still.

Iman said...

I watched the series with my wife. We both thought, “what a creepshow”.

Lots of sociopathic behavior and buggery.