Summary
Young adulthood isn’t easy and it’s rarely portrayed with the accurate honesty achieved in One Day.
David Nicholls’s best-selling novel, One Day, was first adapted as a full feature starring Anne Hathaway in 2011. We live in the age of remakes, so it’s no surprise that the story received the limited series treatment from Netflix. Unlike the movie, this 14-episode season captures more details from the original novel and offers viewers an in-depth and emotional journey into the love story between its two characters.
As the title suggests, the show follows the protagonists for two decades but only shows viewers one specific date each year. The date is the 15th of July, also known as St. Swithin’s Day.
The story starts on July 15th, 1988, when Emma Morley (Ambika Mod) and Dexter Mayhew (Leo Woodall) talk for the first time at the graduation party. They spend the night getting to know one another. Emma is passionate about social issues and dreams of changing the world, while Dexter wants to travel and is still figuring out what he wants to do with his life.
Despite the palpable chemistry between Emma and Dexter, the two don’t pursue a romantic relationship. Instead, they become close yet platonic friends.
With each episode, another year passes for the pair, and we witness their lives progress. Emma dreams of becoming a writer but struggles to catch a break, while Dexter goes down a path of media glamour with some added self-destruction tendencies. Throughout the series, we share their happiness, personal tragedies, and resilience. As much as the two deny it, they spend most of the time pining for one another.
Episode length ranges between 19 and 42 minutes, meaning One Day is easy to get through in… well, one day. Due to its format, the show feels like taking a journey through the decades with these two characters. It’s a touching display of human emotion and the ephemeral nature of youth.
The series delves into the intricate challenges Emma and Dexter face while trying to forge paths for themselves. She evolves from an idealistic youth into a confident, successful young woman, while Dexter has to learn some tough lessons, including that his charm and good looks won’t get him by in life forever.
The series’s portrayal of Dexter’s descent into addiction was particularly compelling. Many people assume addiction is a linear downward journey toward the so-called “rock bottom.” That’s not always the case, and Leo Woodall does a wonderful job showing the nuance in his character’s ongoing battle with self-destruction. One of the standout and most heartwrenching episodes for me was the 1992 one where Dexter had to face his cancer-stricken and disappointed mother while severely hungover.
Both Woodall and Ambika Mod do an excellent job of portraying Dexter and Emma through various stages of their lives. The pair’s chemistry elevates what could have been a gimmicky drama series to a poignant story about growing up, grief, and love.
One Day is a worthwhile tale about how one encounter between two young people turns into a friendship spanning decades. Unlike the original movie, which was rushed due to time constraints, the series takes the time to explore the lives of these characters and offers enough character development to keep the audience deeply invested in their story.
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