The One – Season 1 Episode 1 Recap & Review

You Are The One, Neo Rebecca

Episode 1 of The One begins with the skeletal remains of a body being found in the Thames. It’s a big find but one that’s overshadowed by a brand new dating app being launched. Matched by DNA and genetically guaranteed to find your true love, co-creator and CEO Rebecca pitches her story as the audience ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ at her every word.

Spiking divorce rates and destroyed marriages (not to mention over 10 million matches) leads the government to begin making moves against Rebecca and The One. Investor Damien catches wind of this and tells Rebecca to figure it out before it damages their stock. After all, if the government restrict the use of DNA it would put the entire app in jeopardy.

Reporter Mark shows up at the company and asks about Rebecca’s ex, James. As he does, we cut back two years earlier to see Rebecca in a bar meeting a guy called Ben. A bust-up there involving a sleazy guy sees Rebecca apologize but grow closer to him.

Back in the present, officers Kate and Nick arrive on the scene and talk about the body found in the river. The examination brings up word that it’s Ben, and he’s apparently been dead for over a year. It’s a pretty damning conclusion but throws up big questions over exactly who did this and why.

Mark heads home and spends time with his partner, Hannah. They talk about one of their close friends and how the app has destroyed them. It’s an interesting passing conversation but one that shows the danger of this app – and no doubt feels like foreshadowing.

Meanwhile, Rebecca meets the government MP and blackmails her, claiming she has the details regarding a DNA match for her daughter. Apparently her match is a pretty shady guy called Stefano who’s served time in prison. Eventually she agrees to stay in line.

As we soon find out, all of this is a front and the girl’s actual match is someone far more desirable.

We then cut across to Kate who’s matched up with a girl from Barcelona called Sophia. She’s not exactly what she expected but keeps an open mind. Anyway, Kate eventually puts this aside and shows up at Rebecca’s house and lets her know about Ben. Rebecca keeps a level head…at least to begin with anyway.

She soon takes her leave, tasking her assistant Connor with escorting the officers out the door. Well, that definitely looks suspicious but Kate doesn’t think much of it.

The Government MP back-pedals on her idea, deciding against legislation which leads Damien to praise Rebecca for her ruthlessness.

Back at the station, the pathologist report reveals that Ben didn’t initially die from drowning. It seems like his body fell rather than being hit with a boat. This makes for an inconsistent story from Rebecca, and raises a massive red flag for the officers investigating.

Kate is stood up by Sophia that evening, but things take a turn for the worst when she learns the Spaniard is actually in hospital. This explains why she didn’t show up at the bar that evening. Apparently it was a hit and run; right now it’s too early to know what happened.

At home, Rebecca contemplates what to do regarding the Ben scandal. Eventually she decides to phone James, telling him that the police have found Ben’s body. As she mentions there’s going to be an investigation, she asks to meet. It’s here wee see brief snippets of the past as it appears Rebecca may have had something to do with the murder.

The Episode Review

Our obsession with finding the perfect partner is always something that dating apps like to exploit. After all, it’s so easy to jump on these platforms, begin swiping or talking, and hope to find our true love. The one thing lacking in all this – and a crucial part of the cocktail we call love – is that human element and natural connection.

On paper, The One is an interesting concept, taking the next step on the dating journey but doing so with a broad sweep of science rather than actually diving into the intricacies regarding this. I’m sure the upcoming episodes will dive into this a lot more though.

Interestingly, this concept is matched with an undercurrent of murder mystery with echoes of Black Mirror, AMC’s Soulmates and Amazon Prime’s The Feed. This show essentially feels like a heady cocktail of all these influences. There’s nothing wrong with that of course, but let’s see how it plays out going forward.

So far though, there’s just enough here to intrigue and keep you coming back for more.