Ep 91 The Celery Stalker: Obsession, Surveillance, and the 13-Year Nightmare Behind Stalking Samantha

This week, Tara and Nicole dig into the psychology of stalking — starting with the Hulu docuseries Stalking Samantha: 13 Years of Terror, which follows a woman held captive in a soundproof box by the man who pursued her for more than a decadebefore she found a way to escape and had to decide whether to pursue lesser charges or fight for full justice against her captor. They trace the same fixation across pop culture — Netflix's Baby Reindeer, the 2007 documentary Crazy Love, Netflix's You, and the 2025 film Obsession — before pulling back to the clinical picture: what stalking actually looks like, how often it happens, and why it's so often minimized. On the medical side, they break down the CDC's data on stalking as a public health issue, including how common covert surveillance tactics like tracking and monitoring really are, and the mental health toll on survivors — PTSD, hopelessness, anxiety. They also revisit the 1989 murder of actress Rebecca Schaeffer, whose case helped create the first U.S. anti-stalking laws, and close with the real story behind Baby Reindeer as told by creator Richard Gadd. Cocktail this week: The Celery Stalker. hulu Sources & further reading: Stalking Samantha: 13 Years of Terror (Hulu) Stalking Samantha (Disney+) Baby Reindeer — Wikipedia Crazy Love (2007 film) — Wikipedia Obsession (2025 film) — Wikipedia The True Story Behind Baby Reindeer — People Stalking — Office for Victims of Crime Stalking — CDC Intimate Partner Violence Prevention Stalking — Psychology Today Eva LaRue on Surviving Stalking Rebecca Schaeffer — Wikipedia Rebecca Schaeffer's Murder — All That's Interesting Celery Stalker cocktail inspiration — Epicurious Episodes every Monday ⭐️ Subscribe, Rate and Review! 🍸 Recipes drop on socials Discounts: 15% off Comfrt apparel Purple Carrot: 40% off your first box ClassPass: 2 weeks free 15% off non-alcoholic spirits at The Zero Proof 💳 Support us on Patreon | ☕️ Buy Me a Coffee Contains affiliate links. We may earn a commission at no additional cost to you.