“One Day” is sure to pull on its viewers’ heart strings through its complex portrayal of different relationships. photo courtesy of ScreenCap from One Day
The latest fictional love story on Netflix is a tear jerker for Internet users.
*This article contains some spoilers related to the show*
Netflix’s One Day is one of the newest obsessions on the internet. The new show is an expertly crafted redevelopment of the 2011 film by the same name featuring Anne Hathaway. The series is the second adaptation of the novel written by David Nicolls. All three productions follow the storyline of two people who meet on the night of their college graduation and are forced to go their separate ways the next day after spending the entire night together. After meeting and sparking a connection, they seemingly can’t get enough of one another, but struggle to make it apparent. The obvious connection but lack of acknowledgement lead the two to agree on being friends. Over the course of decades, the two reunite on the same day every year on July 15th, exploring their intricate and changing relationship. The show explores many different complex themes of the human experience such as love, loss, regret, and redemption. As each episode unfolds over the course of a year, the complexities of the characters reveal themselves more and more.
Leo Woodall plays an oblivious Dexter Mayhew, a rich boy just trying to find himself and his passions. For Dexter, women usually came easy to him; however, Emma was different. From the moment Dexter met Emma, he couldn’t get enough of her but could never commit to her. She challenged him in a way he had never experienced before. She could be mean at times and awkward around others when with him. On July 15th, 1989, Dexter was presented with a new problem: his mother was diagnosed with cancer. Dexter struggled with drug and alcohol abuse throughout the show. This becomes a very important theme as he navigates through life and the grief he experiences. Ultimately, Dexter chooses alcohol to deal with his issues.
Ambika Mod plays 20-year-old Emma Morley, an aspiring writer for as long as she has known. With multiple failed job opportunities in the writing world and other not so good jobs, Emma struggled to find herself and balance her deep feelings for Dexter, who clearly sees her as nothing more than a friend with benefits. She eventually finds a boyfriend who becomes obsessed with her, yet she still can’t help but to think about Dexter. She finds herself teaching, which wasn’t her dream, but it comes easy for her. After a few bad years, 1997 turned out to be a year for her success, despite the news of Dexter getting married to another woman and having a child. She worried that she would lose him all over again but the two made it a point to stay good friends. She even had a novel published with enough profit that she quit her teaching job.
The year 1999 is one of the greatest years for the two yet. Finally, they confess their love for one another while in Paris, the city of love. Dexter’s promise to never hurt Emma is monumental and a true show of character development for Dexter after years of being with different girls. The two had planned to get married and eventually try to have a baby together. By this time, Emma’s character had also flourished as she became a four time published author.
Would it be a love story if the viewers didn’t cry because of a sad ending? Episode 13 entails a dramatic ending as Dexter is listening to a voicemail from Emma where she confirms her love for him, after having a major fight. The story doesn’t end there and continues with scenes from the future and the effect of grief on Dexter. In typical Dexter fashion, viewers don’t see him fully deal with his feelings until the very end of the show, but eventually he figures it out. After the death of Emma, he is left with his daughter to figure out the rest of his life. He gets clean from drugs and alcohol and starts to focus on himself and his daughter. He remembers all the happy memories from his life letting the legacy of Emma live on. Overall I really enjoyed the show along with the different twists and turns with each episode. I was not expecting it to be as good as others had said but once I watched the first episode, I could not turn it off. I would highly recommend this series to those who love romance stories with quite a bit of drama.
