Just before we dive into the two key characters, let’s recall that the series, currently number 2 on the viewing list on Netflix Israel, is a dramatic-comedy thriller starring the comedian Richard Gad, who also wrote the series and based it on events in his life, in which he himself suffered from a stalker who also sexually harassed him.
As mentioned, the series follows the life of Gad, or as he is called “Donnie” in the series, in the London of 2015. He works in a pub for a living, after his attempts to be funny in stand-up shows failed. Marta arrives at the pub, introducing herself as a lawyer and will later be revealed as a disturbing stalker who makes his life bitter. During the seven episodes of the series, viewers are drawn into an intense psychological journey while exposing Martha’s morbid obsession, and Donnie’s role in encouraging her madness.
The success of the series and the very convincing character of Martha (British actress Jessica Gunning) led psychologists and psychiatrists to try and trace her mental disorders, which apparently focus on two conditions: erotomania and borderline personality disorder.
Erotomania is a type of delusional disorder in which the person believes that another person, often someone of higher status or a public figure, is in love with them. Even when evidence to the contrary is presented to the person suffering from automania, his belief that the other person is in love with him remains intact. In the series for example, Donnie tells Martha that he is “just her friend” on several occasions early in the series, if she continues to believe that he is romantically interested in her.
Erotomania may manifest itself in various behaviors including obsessive actions, stalking and writing letters or messages to the person they believe is in love with them. The phenomenon appears more often in women than men, and usually in lonely people or those with limited personal relationships.
According to the experts, Marta also shows clear signs of borderline personality disorder. She is not only obsessed with Donnie, but her behavior is also characterized by her dichotomous life: everything is either black or white, everyone is either against me or for me. All – or nothing. These extreme swings allow her to swing from admiration for Donnie to hostility very quickly. The hallmark of borderline personality disorder.
According to what is known, borderline personality disorder also appears mainly in women, and often results from an element of abandonment in childhood or adolescence, usually by one of the parents. Indeed, the fear of abandonment accompanies the borderline personality disorder and the extreme fluctuations that Martha presents. Martha’s inability to manage her emotions and impulses is also another clear sign of borderline personality disorder.
Borderline personality disorder, especially when combined with erotomania, is extremely difficult to treat and sometimes even impossible if it doesn’t start in childhood. The diagnosis is not simple since even psychiatrists do not always know how to recognize it in the early stages. The treatment combines psychotherapy, but many psychologists find it very difficult to deal with the extreme outbursts of rage of the sufferers of the disorder, most of them as mentioned are women, who tend to stop the treatment out of the same urge of extremism and an inner need not to feel abandonment, also that of the treating psychologist.
Donnie himself also carries with him significant emotional difficulties: his behavior, at times he cooperates with Marta, at times he is unable to stand up for himself and show assertiveness towards her extreme urges, are a reaction to his trauma. Often those who have been abused, raped, or exploited put themselves in dangerous situations as a way to regain some sense of control. But when Martha shows up, Donnie is in a very fragile place that can be easily manipulated, and he can’t tell the difference between safe and dangerous.
During the episodes, Donnie begins to show sympathy or affection towards Martha, as part of his survival strategy which is also typical of people suffering from “Stockholm syndrome” – a psychological reaction in which hostages or victims of abuse develop a bond with their captors or abusers. Donnie feels himself a worthless victim and increasingly ashamed of Martha’s actions, until at times he becomes dependent on her to ease the suffering he is going through.
No, there are no spoilers here: if you have not yet watched the fascinating mini-series, we will just note that in the world parallel to Netflix, life itself, the “real” Martha made headlines this week: following the global success of the series, the Scottish stalker threatens to take legal action against the streaming giant on the pretext that she was presented as a woman Heavy and dangerous, and that the series led to harsh hate chants from viewers who called for her death: “I am the victim here, not Richard Gad, much of what he claimed was wrong. I am a talented lawyer with a phenomenal memory, and I will represent myself successfully.”