Get Emotionally Prepared For Netflix’s Slow Burn Romance ‘One Day’ [TV REVIEW]

Every day we could meet someone new. Whether it’s that person who holds the door open for you when entering a store. That person who offers you a pen when you forget to bring one to class. Or that person who bumps into you in the club spilling your drink but offers to buy you another. Everyone is a perfect stranger until they’re not and the impact of a single meeting could alter the trajectory of your entire life if you let it. For me, that’s the overall message of Netflix’s newest limited series One Day.

The David Nicholls global best-selling book “One Day” comes to life yet again in the Netflix series which premiered on the streaming service on Thursday, February 8. Back in 2011 the feature film starred Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess and now Ambika Mod and Leo Woodall are leading the TV series adaptation of One Day as the protagonists Emma Morley and Dexter Mayhew.

On July 15, 1988, during a huge party on graduation night, Emma and Dexter meet for the first time. They spend the rest of the evening together and end up at Emma’s flat she shares with her good friend Tilly (Amber Grappy). An attraction between Emma and Dexter is obvious from their first meeting but after getting to know each other throughout the evening it’s clear how opposite they are. Emma is a sarcastic aspiring writer with hopes of changing her proximity of the world and Dexter is a sought-after pretty boy with no real ambitions but to be rich and famous.

Ambika Mod as Emma and Leo Woodall as Dexter in One Day. Photo: Netflix

After the day, and the episode, ends, viewers are transported to the following year on the same day. That’s the general format of the 14-episode series with other key characters like Dexter’s parents Stephen (Tim McInnerny) and Alison (Essie Davis), Sylvie (Eleanor Tomlinson), and her parents Helen (Joely Richardson) and Lionel (Toby Stephens) and Dexter’s classmate Callum (Brendan Quinn) being major factors in his plot line and Ian (Jonny Weldon) being a major factor in Emma’s.

Leo Woodall as Dexter and Essie Davis as Alison in One Day. Photo: Netflix

Episodes aren’t long with the shortest one running around 19 minutes and the longest 38 so if you have a day, you could knock out the entire series in a sitting. I found that to be the best way to watch the show. I never read the book, but I watched the 2011 film a few times, not recently but I remembered enough to know what was going to happen beforehand and nothing shockingly different was altered from the feature film to the small screen. But since it’s been a while watching these characters it was like going into the show with fresh eyes. The series aspect allowed the story to be fleshed out more, but I don’t think that benefited the story in any way because a lot still happens off-screen.

Ambika Mod as Emma in One Day. Photo: Netflix

As mentioned earlier each episode, until the final two which highlights 2000 -2002, and 2003 -2004, and 2007 respectively, takes place a year later so the audience is playing catch up as well as the narrative suggests what happened to Dexter and Emma since we saw them last. The pair experience life in very different ways but maintain a close friendship. The only real benefit to the series is having more time with the lead actors. Ambika and Leo are the perfect pairing for the slow-burn romance of the characters. Their chemistry is steamy when it needs to be, then awkward when the moment arises, and devastating all at the same time. There were moments in the show that were quite boring and had me checking how much time I had left on the episodes and that happened about mid-way through, but then the momentum began to pick back up towards the end. Maybe because my anxiety was kicking in knowing how this story ends.

Leo Woodall as Dexter in One Day. Photo: Netflix

Because the One Day series is so like the film, I figured the ending would resemble the material before and I imagine the book ended the same way. I think you can get where I’m going with this, so I won’t say anything else besides make sure to have tissues handy for episode 13 and beyond.

Leo Woodall as Dexter and Ambika Mod as Emma in One Day. Photo: Netflix

If you want a quick rom-dram watch, then One Day is the perfect series for you. It has all the makings to be a good show to revisit every Valentine’s Day season because it has the heart of a good romance and the irony of the comedic side of a rom-com. By the final credits, you’ll be asking yourself how long would you wait for “the one” and reminding yourself to always say hi to that stranger because you never know how impactful they could be to your life.

All episodes of One Day are now available to stream on Netflix.

Did you watch One Day yet on Netflix? Do you plan on it now after reading my review? Share your thoughts in the comments.

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Photo: Matthew Towers/Netflix