When new content gets added to Netflix, there is usually a surplus of media surrounding it. However, up until this point I had barely seen any mention of the show “One Day”. It wasn’t until I looked at the cover photo which contained characters for the show, that I decided to watch it.
The Netflix original is a live adaption of the novel “One Day” by David Nicholls written in 2009. Nicholls’ novel was followed by a film adaptation starring the infamous Anne Hathaway. This series follows the original storyline, but stars the actors Ambika Mod and Leo Woodall who play their respective characters, Emma Morley and Dexter Mayhew.
The story begins when Dexter first meets Emma at their university graduation party on July 15, 1988, St. Swithin’s Day. Their friendship begins when they spend the night together and recognize the unlikely, but natural connection between the two. The 14-episode-long show follows the two as they continue to live their different lives separately but intertwined for the next 20 years. “I mean, I got time,” Dexter tells Emma while asking her to come to his home for breakfast during the first episode, “Do you?”
I wasn’t expecting to like the show as much as I did, let alone finish all 14 of the 45-minute-long episodes in one night.
One thing that caught my attention immediately was Ambika Mod, who played the cunning and passionate Emma Morley. From the first second on screen, you can see Mod’s talent and passion for the role. It isn’t every day that women of color get to have that chance on screen. The character of Emma Morley only felt like a real person. Not some brown woman stereotype. And that only made the story more intense and compelling.
When asked why having a woman of color, particularly a dark-skinned woman as the center of this story, sophomore Lila Franklin said, “I think it’s really important because now we can finally see ourselves in the role of a woman of color just living life. It’s tiring only seeing ourselves in pieces about great struggle or a piece that puts us back in a time where our ancestors were extremely oppressed. It’s just really important for us to be able to see ourselves in the role of an everyday person who has struggles but also has happiness. It just is special to feel normal. If that makes sense. No big oppressive tragedy but it’s also not shallow, it is just raw life and we rarely get to see that.”
What Does It Mean To Impact
Without diving too much into detail, the show follows the story of a boy and a girl who love and lose a lot. The show is summarized from a quote that only readers of the novel can recall. Although it isn’t explicitly stated, its words ring through the scenes just as they do through the pages.
“‘Live each day as if it’s your last’, that was the conventional advice, but really, who had the energy for that? What if it rained or you felt a bit glandy? It just wasn’t practical. Better by far to simply try and be good and courageous and bold and to make a difference. Not change the world exactly, but the bit around you. Go out there with your passion and your electric typewriter and work hard at…something. Change lives through art maybe. Cherish your friends, stay true to your principles, live passionately and fully and well. Experience new things. Love and be loved, if you ever get the chance,” wrote Nicholls.
Reactions from the show didn’t just stop once the final credits rolled. I, for one, finished the show and immediately felt different. I believe that the reason why the show had such a profound impact on me, and others, was because it reminded viewers that life is short, sweet, and definitely unpredictable. Friendships are no exception.
Sophomore Ella Doby said, “I think the way the show was set up was interesting and it made me want to keep watching. I’d never seen that kind of format for a TV show before. The biggest takeaway is probably to just value the friendships you have and don’t be scared to try new things.”
Without unleashing major spoilers, I can proudly say that One Day is the beginning of a new chapter in media. From the adaption of the 2009 novel to the 2024 show, changes were made but intent still stayed the same. I think this is another thing this production did a great job of showing.
Franklin said, “I think that for me it taught me that people come and go but if they’re really meant for you they will come back when it is time, and life isn’t something that starts when you graduate college or high school or when you get married and you can’t take any moments for granted. And I think that’s really relevant for our generation because we spend so much time wrapped up in electronics or what’s going on in our little bubbles of the world when there is so much to see and so much to love. And anything can change in one day, but sometimes that’s hard to see but the show put that into perspective.”
