When Dash and Lily dropped on Netflix I was reminded of the book it was based on Dash and Lily's Book Of Dares written by David Levithan and Rachel Cohn, it was vaguely on my radar way back in 2010 but I never picked it up. I'd heard mixed reviews so that was probably why. However, when I saw the trailer for the TV adaption, I was very interested. It looked cheesy, cliché, and "slap in the face" festive. And I'm glad to report, it was all of these things!
This is about Dash and Lily (shocker, right?). Dash is a broody young man who has recently broken up with his popular girlfriend, he's spending Christmas alone as his parents seperated and he's sick of the festivities they always put him though. Lily, however, is all about Christmas. She loves the festiveness and is basically a real life elf. But her social life leaves a lot to be desired. She's lonely. When her parents suddenly announce that they're going on a 'second vacation" over Christmas break, she has no idea how she'll find her usual Christmas spirit. A notebook of games connects these two teenagers and it leads both of them to the Christmas joy they need.
Okay, so, this is corny as hell. BUT it's wonderful. Have you ever read a YA contemporary and felt slightly disgusted at the cuteness and yet still think "this would make a great cheesy movie"? That's Dash and Lily. I've never read the book it's based on and I have absolutely no interest in doing so, and yet.. I loved the show. It's the epitome of a guilty-pleasure.
The characters were both equally likeable and dislikeable, and yet somehow still had the same amount of growth in an 8 episode TV show. I don't know how the creators managed it but they did. I grew so attached to both the main characters and I really appreciated the more serious side stories that were intertwined throughout the show. If you don't finish this show wearing a LangstonxBenny t-shirt I don't know what went wrong. Side-note: If you enjoyed Love, Victor, I think you will like this show.
I really appreciated how well the show (I say show as I don't know if it differs at all from the book) deals with the alternative love interests. Dash's ex and Lily's 'love interest' were both well written characters that didn't feel forced into the story to make conflict. Me and my husband kept saying that we could see either characters with our protagonists which made for a better viewing experience. There's nothing worse than when a show forces a bitchy ex into a story just with the intention to cause conflict as you always end up saying "but how would they've ever been a couple?". Dash and Lily was an all round very realistic cast of characters.
As a couple, Dash and Lily were convincing together. The actors had great chemistry and the notebook entries really built them up as a great ship. My heart often ached for both of the characters, as they had very different yet realistic problems in life. I enjoyed how they both seemed to better the other instead of "fixing eachother with love". If they had ended up as friends, both characters would've had the same amount of growth, which is awesome.
My only quim with the show was how sped up the ending felt. Yes, it was probably realistic given how they knew each other but yet.. I wanted a bigger first meeting. Not a deal breaker, but I feel like if they had a 10 episode season they could've done a much more satisfying ending.
All in all, if you like a corny rom-com and want a festive variation of that in TV form, I recommend Dash and Lily. It's fun, nothing to take seriously, and has a lot of beautifully shot Christmassy scenes. It's also very queer which my heart sung at seeing.
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