7.5/10

Whatever happens tomorrow, we’ve had today. And if we should bump into each other sometime in the future, well that’s fine too, we’ll be friends.
One day is an adaptation of the 2009 novel of the same name by David Nicholls. The convoluted storyline is no easy task for the actors and the Director to interpret as the action spans over two decades from 80’s to 2000’s. This charming, heartfelt mini-series is not only about Dexter and Emma’s burgeoning friendship but examines grief too in a thoughtful way.

The 14-episode drama checks in on Dexter and Emma on one day, July 15th each year. It first starts in 1989, where the pair are strangers who meet at an Edinburgh Uni graduation party, make a connection and then the story evolves from there. Each year that passes the characters relationship develops and one aspect immediately noticeable is the compelling portrayal of Dexter by the actor Leo Woodall, where underneath the playboy act, a sweet soul lies beneath and is surprising in every way.

Dexter and Emma are polar opposites. Emma has some idea what her plan for the future is but when things don’t go as expected she struggles mentally to cope. Dexter lacks drive, but is confident and has a bit of arrogance that manifests itself when he takes advantage of his loved ones. However, he does have a soft, funny side to him as well.
The 20 something years are portrayed in a light hearted way, revealing how being a young adult can be very painful. There are themes of death, how friendships change throughout the years and how careers change. Both characters have different romances along the way but their relationship stays strong. Dex is thrown into a presenting job and becomes famous where Emma flits between being a waiter, to teaching and then having a writing career. As the pair navigate through their 20’s there is a strain in their relationship and the fun of the show is seeing how they work to maintain it.

This show is a bingeable as the episodes are pleasantly no longer than 35 minutes with no “filler” ones that can halt the momentum of the drama. Each programme is dedicated to either Em or Dex and they’re not knowing what the other might do on that particular day each year. This makes the show more authentic as you get to know the characters on a deeper level. I really enjoyed Episode 5-6 that takes place in 93 and 94 where there is a turning point in Dex’s life and episode 8 where Emma’s character arc changes professionally and personally.
Netflix were wise casting English actors with their natural accents which adds to the sense of the normality of living a real life in London.

Ambika Mod and Leo Woodall (Emma and Dexter) have a lovely chemistry which moves between deep intimacy to their obvious sexual tension. Moreover, the show also never makes the characters seem mean even when they are at their worst. It carefully unpacks their decisions in life and across all aspects of their decision making so that u can recognise yourself in them. They never feel false in their actions and this is one of the reasons that One Day rises above most other dramas on offer at the moment. The show is no fairy-tale and presents the experience of being alive for what life brings to us with all the magic and anxiety that comes with it.
Highly recommended.
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