Everyone loves love, or at least everyone in a relationship does. Even singles can appreciate the purest human emotion despite claiming to hate Valentine’s Day. February is a month full of roses, chocolates, and teddy bears. One thing to add to the list of February favorites is rom-coms. Whether you’re a hopeless romantic or a romantic realist, no one can deny how enjoyable romantic comedies are. Even if the plot is cliche and predictable, there is something so addicting to romance, as if your eyes are truly glued to the screen. As the season of love comes to end, Netflix released a limited-series that brought a new light to the friends-to-lovers trope that pulled on everyone’s heartstrings: One Day
Starring Ambika Mod as Emma Morley and Leo Woodall as Dexter Mayhew, One Day is a 14-episode series that depicts the love story between the two. Each episode is a new year between the two protagonists, with episode one starting on their university graduation night on July 15, 1988. An English major at Edinburgh, Emma is studious and witty while Dexter is known for being the campus heartbreaker. Em’s introverted personality contrasts Dex’s overbearing popularity. The unusual pair crosses paths that summer night, but their normal lives resume the next morning. The audience follows Dex and Em for the span of almost two decades, watching their relationship ebb and flow like the tide. The complex emotions between the two unfold as you binge the series. Even when Dexter and Emma enter new milestones, there is one constant: their friendship. Dex and Em are a package deal; you can’t get one without the other. The repeated memories and “what-if”s intensify the plot as the series creates a strong connection between the viewers and the characters. Despite the seemingly cliche of shy girl and playboy, One Day goes beyond the stereotype and leaves the hearts of viewers in pieces.
Before the series, One Day was also a movie starring Anne Hatheway and Jim Sturgess, but the original idea came from a book. One Day was based on a book written by David Nicholls. Some of his other works include Us, Starter of Ten, and The Understudy. Nicholls was the executive producer of the series alongside lead director Molly Manners and lead writer Nicole Taylor. The three worked together to ensure that the audience felt as though they knew Dexter and Emma personally. Netflix noted that Manners “created a special visual language” and paralleled actions to make it feel like Em and Dex were together, even though they aren’t. Even with the slightest motions, the producers calculated every shot to make the pair seem tethered to one another. When I watched this, I was amazed by the camera work. The cinematography is so beautiful and the writers made such minor details have an impact on the show. No matter where I paused the show, I felt like I could put a frame around each shot like a picture on a wall. Not to mention, the creators crafted the perfect soundtrack with songs by Radiohead, the Cranberries, Elliot Smith, and Jeff Buckley. The songs emulate the exact emotions of the show and compliment the plotline.
I also think that Manners choose the best actors for the roles of Emma and Dexter. Ambika Mod has usually played more comedic roles in the past and she even admitted in a recent BBC interview that she didn’t feel right for the role at first. “You don’t see a lot of Brown women being the romantic lead,” said Mod when discussing how her ethnicity played into the character. Being half-indian, I think it was very inspiring to see a POC lead because there is a lack of brown representation, especially with this rom-com storyline. Emma’s character shows the struggles of minority women in the world where not everything is handed to you on a silver platter. Dexter, on the other hand, depicts how wealth and popularity gave him everything he wanted. Played by Leo Woodall, Dexter doesn’t have the same struggles as Emma and finds ease when achieving his goals of being rich and famous. Leo Woodall does a great job at portraying Dexter whose character is more convoluted than it may seem. Other fans may have seen Leo Woodall in another drama series, the Emmy-award winning White Lotus in season two as Jack.
I haven’t watched a show comparable to One Day. I felt so intertwined with the lives of Emma and Dexter. I was left impressed on how the writers achieved this intense emotion within the audience. Despite all the love and compassion, there are various gut-wrenching moments that make the plot much more complex and tragic than I expected. The finale left me in a wreck as I used the sleeves of my hoodie to wipe away my tears. I wasn’t the only person that One Day had such an emotional toll on. Juliet Schwartz (‘25) shared the same appreciation for the series: “This show was so well-produced and I didn’t expect myself to fall in love with the characters the way I did. This show made me realize how significant the little things are and put a new light on love.”
Through themes of love, loss, and growth, One Day challenges the basic love storyline. The show is an attestation to the intricacies of human connection. With its spectacular writing and cinematography, One Day makes us value the moments, both big and small, that shape our lives. In a society where ghosting is normalized and labels cease to exist, this series emphasizes the impact of a genuine connection. As we navigate the muddy waters of love, let the stories of Dex and Em teach you love’s profound impact.
