The new series on Netflix Israel, number two on the viewing list, is a dramatic-comedy thriller featuring comedian Richard Gad. Gad also wrote the series based on personal events in his life, including a stalker who sexually harassed him.
The show follows the life of Gad, known as “Donnie” in the series, living in London in 2015. He works in a pub after failing at stand-up comedy. Marta, posing as a lawyer but later revealed to be a stalker, makes Donnie’s life miserable. Viewers are taken on an emotional journey to uncover Marta’s obsession and Donnie’s role in fueling it throughout seven episodes.
The success of the series has sparked interest from psychologists who analyzed Marta’s mental disorders. Marta seems to suffer from erotomania and borderline personality disorder. Erotomania is a delusional disorder where a person believes someone they admire loves them despite evidence to the contrary. In the show, Marta persists in believing she and Donnie share a romantic relationship. She also exhibits signs of borderline personality disorder characterized by extreme swings between admiration and hostility typical of this disorder.
Borderline personality disorder often stems from childhood or adolescent abandonment, leading to extreme emotional fluctuations like those displayed by Marta. Borderline personality disorder combined with erotomania can be challenging to treat due to extreme emotional outbursts that affect women more than men are prone to suffer from such disorders. Donnie’s behavior can be attributed to his own traumas leading him to sympathize with Marta’s actions, showing signs of Stockholm Syndrome commonly found among abuse victims.
This week headlines were made when “real” Martha threatened legal action against Netflix for portraying her negatively in the show, claiming she was misrepresented as dangerous and heavy despite being an accomplished lawyer with no criminal record or history of harassment allegations against her past clients or colleagues. Her actions led to public backlash as many viewers defended Netflix for shedding light on complex psychological themes and human behavior while sparking conversations about mental health and trauma effects.
Overall, this new series highlights how our past experiences can shape us both positively and negatively, even if we don’t realize it until later on in life – whether it be through our actions or our reactions towards others around us.