One Day - series adaptation on Netflix, starts Feb 8th

[Netaporter]

Anyone fancy a watch thread? Loved the book by David Nicholls, loved the film, but it’s never really gained a strong following for some reason? The series stars Ambika Mod (This is going to hurt) as Emma and Leo Woodall (The white Lotus) as Dexter.

Maybe try another forum if you can’t cope with debate & discussion.

Genuine question, what fictional stuff have you enjoyed?

Loads: Succession and Slow Horses spring to mind for recent ones. I also enjoyed One Day.

🤣

Another strange comment. Were you actually around in the 80s and 90s? Murky & litter everywhere??? That actually made me laugh & is simply not true at all!

Exactly!

so every time an Asian or black actor plays a part there needs to be a depiction of casual racism

bloody hell. Watch a documentary about racism to satisfy your itch @westisbest1982

This is interesting:

https://www.glamourmagazine.co.uk/article/one-day-star-ambika-mod-processing-emma-morley-criticism-therapy

The article is paywalled, so there’s little point me posting the link, but I had to laugh just now after reading Camilla Long’s review in The Sunday Times when she also points out how mismatched the Emma and Dexter characters are as a couple in this version of One Day - “They’re barely the same species”.

This is really sad. I usually give the benefit of the doubt, but this feels racist. It’s a horrible phrase and “species” echos past biological based racism.

Ambika if you’re reading, lots of people loved your performance, you absolutely deserved to play Emma and you are talented and beautiful. In the words of Taylor Swift, haters gonna hate!

I’m sorry that’s disgusting, I agree with @Theonlylonely.

@westisbest1982 if it had been any other poster I would have thought you were laughing in disgust at that Times article. But your tone has shown throughout this thread that you really did find it funny and have a massive racist chip on your shoulder.

Report me, delete my comment - I don't care. Someone had to say it.

It is. I won’t be buying Sunday Times again and it’s not at all funny.

I felt the same @Theonlylonely. I thought Ambika was incredible and knew she would be after her performance in this is going to hurt.

I’ve already reported a post on this thread and am going to leave it now.

I won’t be reporting you because, well, there’s nothing worth reporting.

Full review here if anyone wants to read it all: One Day is a helpless fantasy that’s outrageous, empty and absolutely awful

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/11e7ff18-d971-4a4d-a555-fb766df69f8a?shareToken=09101a975bbbd56677ae8ac094887278

God you really are an absolute saddo.

Why is that?

And I do think that resorting to insults on an online forum tells me everything I need to about that person. It's a shame this thread has descended to this, really, and the passive aggression.

Lots of people seem to be jumping into this thread automatically shouting 'you're SO racist!' without actually reading and responding to the discussion in an intelligent way.

I don't see people here saying Ambika Mod is a terrible actress/ ugly/ doesn't deserve to play a leading female role? She's obviously a lovely person, talented actress with a great future ahead of her.

What people are trying to debate is the impact of casting a (any?) brown-skinned actress in THIS adaptation of THIS book, which, while undoubtedly fiction, is not fantasy.

Plenty of people have commented that from their experience of 1980s university life in similar universities to Edinburgh, this casting decision massively undermines the authenticity of the story for them.
Historical accuracy matters to a lot of people (me included) and a lack of due care and attention to it can ruin any production. It mostly matters to film and TV production companies too, which is why they hire expensive historical researchers to make sure props, costumes, locations are all as authentic as possible.
Why is it important? Because it 'grounds' the story in a particular era, with people using the cues to make sense of it. Imagine if the producers had said let's set it in the 1980s but give everyone smart phones - we'd all be here saying how stupid and unbelievable it was.
That's all that people are saying here - that for them the casting choice of Emma is jarring and unrealistic. It spoils their enjoyment because based on what they know of the history they are constantly thinking 'no, THAT just wouldn't have happened like that...'
It's not about being racist, or critical of Ambika. If anything, it's being critical of Netflix and the production company.
A lot of people disliked Bridgerton for the same reason.

If it doesn't bother you, then great, go ahead and enjoy. However that doesn't mean that either point of view is right or wrong - they are equally valid opinions on the adaptation.

FWIW, an Indian friend of mine is also critical of the casting of Emma, and argues that it whitewashes the awful experiences many Indian/Pakastani students had at university in the 80s. It is also hugely 'jarring' for her too! Make of that what you will.

I came on to say I’ve stopped before the ending - they are in a happy place post Paris, pre cafe. Am I missing much by skipping rest? I know the main part of the ending.

I’m about that age and had a mixed race mate with a western name when at uni. She later married a white man. It’s not the Emma I was expecting but is absolutely possible for that time. Great actress I’d watch her in anything

@Newgirls I think you are missing a lot - in particular, several flashback scenes which add depth to the story for both lead characters and their relationship. This is where we finally get more insight into what happened over the years between the snapshot dates of 15 July.

Ok maybe I have to toughen up and stick with it

I would soldier though to the end! The final sequences are my favourite part of the whole series.

This thread derailed quickly into an area it definitely wasn't heading

Why can't PP just ignore the racist trolls

She was a successful author, clever,happy, self-reliant and healthy.
He was a recovering alcoholic who had let everyone in his life down at some point but luckily had rich parents to bale him out.

But somehow some people this thread wonder how she pulled him? He was a middle aged charity case, not the shiny bright thing he was decades before.
He was bloody lucky to pull her!

Funny, I wouldn't have bothered watching this if it wasn't for the casting choice. I've read the book seen the earlier version so needed to know there would be something different about this version.

In this respect it's been incredibly successful.

And no, you're not a racist because you have a brown friend