Season 1 |
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Episode Guide
Episode 1 – | Review Score – 3/5
Episode 2 – | Review Score – 3/5
Episode 3 – | Review Score – 3/5
Episode 4 – | Review Score – 3/5
Episode 5 – | Review Score – 3/5
Episode 6 – | Review Score – 3/5
Episode 7 – | Review Score – 3/5
Episode 8 – | Review Score – 3/5
Episode 9 – | Review Score – 3/5
Episode 10 – | Review Score – 3/5
Episode 11 – | Review Score – 3/5
Episode 12 – | Review Score – 3/5
Episode 13 – | Review Score – 3/5
Episode 14 – | Review Score – 3/5
One Day is a 14-episode latest Netflix series that draws from the 2009 novel of the same name by David Nicholls. Starring Ambika Mood and Leo Woodall, the show orbits around Emma and Dexter. Their story kicks off on Graduation night with a chance encounter and a shared pact, which is to meet every July 15th or close by for a single day of adventure. However, with time, their lives go through many ups and downs, but their friendship and love for each other always stay intact.
As said before, the series delves into the lives of Dex and Emma, exploring who they are and how they’ve evolved. It also shows how their friendship deteriorates over time, leading them to discover what they truly want from each other beyond friendship. Each episode focuses on a different July 15th event, revealing the individual growth of each character as well as how they’ve grown as a pair.
Expanding the story from a movie to a Netflix series is a wise decision, allowing for a deeper exploration of Emma and Dexter’s relationship and their personal development over the years. The movie provided a condensed version of their yearly interactions, whereas the web series offers a more detailed and nuanced portrayal of their journey.
The web series episodes vary from 18 to 36 minutes in runtime. Ambika Mod and Leo Woodall deliver compelling performances as Emma and Dexter, allowing us to connect with their characters’ emotional journeys. The contrast between their personalities is palpable on screen: Emma is driven, aspiring to be a writer while working as a school teacher, while Dexter, in his early years, is portrayed as a carefree partygoer not taking life seriously despite his successful TV hosting career.
Each episode tries to explore each character’s persona, showing how they have evolved throughout the entire first season. In the early stages of the series, there is a focus on Emma’s career and Dexter’s struggles with alcohol and drugs. These episodes depict a journey of growth and conflicts for the characters. As the series progresses, each character begins to understand why their friendship works.
In later episodes, it becomes clear that they are meant to be together. One Day builds up to these moments and, in the process, gives a satisfying payoff that makes us feel for both Emma and Dexter. The structure of the series is deserving of extra credit, with each year meticulously portrayed from 1988 onwards.
This is done so the audience can witness the characters’ growth and changes in their careers and personal lives over the years. By the time episodes 13 and 14 arrive, the audience will easily feel connected to the characters, especially as Emma and Dexter’s relationship blossoms. However, there is a lack of exploration into their personal lives beyond the context of July 15th.
We, as an audience, wish for a couple of extra episodes to know what is really going on in their individual life. This will make you feel that the ending of ‘One Day’ could have been stronger. While episodes 1 through 12 cover one year each, episodes 13 and 14 span several years but rush over certain events, which is better explained in the books. If only the last episodes had been more emotionally impactful, especially considering the makers jump three to four years in a short time frame.
The early episodes are amazing and more detailed and connected with the fans. You get to know Dexter and Emma as individuals, and then you start to feel they might not work together. However, you also get the feeling that they love each other both as friends and as a couple. In the early episodes, you feel the fun of their young relationship.
Ambika Mod and Leo Woodall are fabulous in their roles, especially when they pertain to fun and dramatic scenes. They are amazing both individually and as a couple, which is very strong.
One Day on Netflix is definitely worth streaming. The series takes its time to explore every year of Dex, and Emma’s life, unlike the movie, which rushes through everything at once. The series is an emotional rollercoaster, with phenomenal acting that connects you to the characters. You’ll enjoy and appreciate every character, be it Tilly or Sylvie, as well as Dex and Emma’s relationship on that one day of each year, showing how their lives change.
However, the series sometimes dives into the story without fully explaining what has changed between the years, leaving little time to catch up on their prior lives. While the main focus of the story is just one day where they spend time together, we recommend checking out the 14-episode series.
It’s a bit long, but it’s worth your time. The ending could have been a little stronger, but the way it catches onto its characters’ lives over the years and the adorable romance between Em and Dex make it worth watching.
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Verdict - 8/10
8/10