S01.E14: Episode 14

[AnimeMania]

2003. 2004. 2007. Unable to contemplate the future, Dexter looks back on his and Emma's intertwined past — and gets a visit from some familiar faces.

Premiere Date: February 8, 2024    Netflix    

[braziliangirl]

what a beautiful series. I understood their love, friendship, conflicts. so human, sweet, sincere, sad, funny. the longing, happiness, sadness. Ian was such a good bloke too. what I liked was that most of the characters seemed liked real people: messy, funny, infuriating and loveable. trying to figure it out what to do in this world.

[shelley1234]

I really loved this much more than I thought I would.   I think the actors were great and had just amazing chemistry.   

I hated seeing their happiness cut short when it took them so long to get there.  

The first part was brutal to watch.  Dex sure uses alcohol to hand pain and loss, eh?  I did love seeing Dex's memories of the Christmas weekend when he was at his dad's.  And his dad reminding him that he has to find a way to continue living...just as he had to do 10 years ago.  

The middle year was lovely and awkward to see all those who love Em come together to be with Dex on the anniversary.  

I gotta say, I'd watch a whole series just about Tilly.   I absolutely adore.  She's such a great friend to both Em and Dex as the years go on.  Her hugging Dex and just remarking that she's gonna keep hugging him.  ❤️

Ian continues to be hilariously awkward.  I adored that backyard conversation.  It's clear how much they both loved Em.  I'm also glad he found love and happiness. 

Dex and Sylvie also found harmony and peace.  And humor.  And healthy co-parenting.  Love that for them.  

The final year of the series was poignant and sweet.  Seeing Dex still so in love with Em and overwhelmed with sadness, but finding his way. Returning to their stomping grounds with his dad and Jazz was wonderful.  

I also loved seeing bits of their first meeting that we didn't see in episode one.   That was such an interesting choice holding that back from the audience and giving it to them at the very end.  

 

[memememe76]

I loved this series so much! The first production of this decade I can truly proclaim as loving even if it’s not deemed “prestige”. Mod and Woodall are sensational, I really hope this elevates them both for more work. 
 

In terms of production, this maybe the best 90s nostalgia hit I have ever seen. It does not go over the top with it, and those years have a lived in quality. Also, the handling of alcohol and drug is really well done, how it ebbs and flows.
 

Do you think Dexter recovers? I want him to be clean by the end. I ended up liking everybody. I was even sad that the ex-wife is divorced too. I wish her the best. 

[30 Helens]

I’m of two minds about this show.  I really enjoyed the episodes as I was watching them, and I appreciated the slice-of-life structure of the annual vignettes. Because we were always dropping in on events already in progress, it really felt like a natural glimpse into an evolving relationship, with no forced plot points or manipulated emotions.

Until the end. Did we really need the tired old trope of Young Love Cut Short by Tragic Death of Heroine? And while I understand the narrative need to have Emma’s death occur on camera, the coincidence of it happening on that day was too much. In that moment, the show changed from stylistically natural to plot-driven, and I felt cheated. (I also hated how the accident was telegraphed in all the standard cliche ways. Nope, couldn’t see that coming from 10 miles away.) And perhaps because of the way this plot turn was presented, it left me feeling hollow. I got nothing of value from Dex’s widower journey, and I didn’t feel like he really did, either. 

I did like seeing the evolution of the relationship, though. I never really felt any sexual chemistry between the leads, but what they had at the end felt very real. The transformation of unlikely friendship into deep, mature love is something that isn’t often portrayed effectively. But these actors sold it, and the way the episodes were structured made it possible.

Which makes the ending feel like even more of a betrayal of the overall aesthetic. It’s like the producers felt the need for a Big Ending, and came up with the most melodramatic/ least original one possible. But if there was ever a series that didn’t even need an ending, this was it. It would have been much more satisfying if the show had simply given us a hint of what might lie ahead for these characters, and allowed us to imagine the rest. That would have been more in keeping with the spirit of what came before. It just makes me wish the creators of One Day had trusted their own show.

[memememe76]

It is based on a novel (and a movie starring Anne Hathaway). Whether one likes the ending or not, the series ended the way the book essentially did. 

[Jodithgrace]

Yes, the book ended just this way and with Dex and Jazz climbing Arthur's Seat. 
This was a lovely production.

I lost track of how many children Tilly and Graham ended up with. She always had what looked like the same baby, year after year. (It probably was the same actor baby. lol) but in the 2nd anniversary of Emma’s death, they showed the whole family and she had at least three. 

[tennisgurl]

That was a very bittersweet ending to a beautiful show, my heart hurts but I think mostly in a good way. I hate that Em died just when she and Dex had finally found happiness, but I get why the show/book ended that way. The whole story was about the messy ups and downs of life, and while this is a big down, I hope that spending a day with his family exploring where he and Em first met can help Dex finally move on. Dex was so frustrating but I felt bad for him, even before he lost Em, he just seemed so lost, even more than Em when she was in her "giving up on writing" phase. Even when Em felt stuck and not living up to her potential, she at least always more or less knew what she wanted, Dex never seemed to find his real passion, just coasting on his looks and charm. 

I'm really glad that both Sylvie and Ian were both shown to be perfectly nice likable people and not just road blocks to the Em/Dex endgame. I'm glad that Dex and Sylvie found a way to be friendly co-parents and that Ian found love, they both deserve happiness. 

I really enjoyed all of the characters, everyone was messy and could make bad choices but were doing their best and I had a great time watching how Em and Dex's friendship grew into real love, they just had to mature a lot to get to the point where they could be together. 

Edited March 15 by tennisgurl

[SoMuchTV]

I guess I’ll be the odd man out here. I stayed with it because I have heard a lot of positive comments, but in the end it just didn’t hit for me. Maybe it would have been different if I’d read the book?  It just seemed like every episode had something new to make me cringe. I did like Tillie and her little family but that wasn’t enough to carry it for me. 

Very glad so many people did like it, though. On to the next thing!

[dancingdreamer]

Such chemistry  between  Em and Dexter. I sobbed when she was killed. I loved this from start to finish.  

Then they had to go and play,  Lilac Wine.

Edited June 19 by dancingdreamer