I am someone who loves Jim Sturgess (Across the Universe) very dearly. This means that movies like One Day have always taken residence in my “films to cry over” folder. So when the Netflix series One Day came out, I thought to myself “Surely, we’re not going through this pain again.”
***SPOILER ALERT: This post spoils the ending of One Day.***
I was wrong. We are very much going through this pain again. The series is based on David Nicholls’ 2009 novel of the same name, which chronicles the lives of Emma Morley and Dexter Mayhew. On St. Swithin’s Day (July 15), 1988, Emma and Dexter meet and spend a platonic night together. From then on, the two spend every July 15 together, where they reconnect and reflect on their lives. It hurts to watch these two balance between friendship and true love, as timing thwarts their relationship. By the time you finish the book/film/series, you’re left bereft.
While everyone was discussing the new Netflix series, I thought surely I couldn’t be the only one who remembered Lone Scherfig’s 2011 movie starring Anne Hathaway as Emma and Sturgess as Dex. The final moments with Emma are seared into my brain every single time I am riding a bike around New York City. When I saw everyone complaining about the end of the series, I knew that none of those “criticisms” would have happened had you all struggled back in 2009 when the book came out or in 2011 when the movie was released.
To be fair to those who went into this series unaware, yes it sucks. Emma Morley finally finding happiness with Dex and then dying sucks. But what I find baffling are the criticisms of Emma from the series.
Emma represents a lot of us
In many ways, Emma represents something a lot of women struggle with in relationships. Ambika Mod, who plays Emma in the Netflix series, is processing the backlash against Emma in therapy. I don’t understand why that exists when the character we’re supposed to be criticizing is Dex.
Leo Woodall, our favorite little trickster from White Lotus, plays Dex in the Netflix series. The thing about Dex is that he needs a lot of work. My favorite line from the movie that plays in my head on a loop is “I love you, Dex, so much. I just don’t like you anymore. I’m sorry.” This is because Dex is constantly making decisions that hurt himself and no matter what Emma says, he won’t listen to her.
Emma’s “waiting around for Dex” is complicated. She’s someone who loves this man dearly as her friend, and while yes, she does want something more with him, she maintains their friendship above all. So to criticize her when you can say a lot about Dex is baffling to me.
I am someone who is often romantically invested in a man because of my friendship with him. So Emma sticking around Dex for all these years makes sense to me. But I guess if you’re not like that, you’d criticize her for doing it. But it is something many of us connect with.
Granted, I haven’t yet watched the series because the minute I learned it was based on this same story, I knew I had a lot to unpack emotionally first. But that’s just the appeal of One Day as a whole. It’s the story you turn to when you need a good cry. Emma and Dex’s love story spans generations, so it’s no surprise that newcomers are emotionally wrecked by it.
Now, I cannot wait to dive into Mod and Woodall’s take on these characters. I’ll just make sure I have my tissues ready.
(featured image: Focus Features)
