One Day - is Emma meant to be like this?

[AreolaGrande]

Have never read the book. Saw the film years ago but don't remember loads about it 😳.

Am on ep 3 of the Netflix show and Emma is just so bloody miserable and sour? She's vile to Dexter and I don't get why someone as charismatic as him would bother with her relentless negativity and moaning. I seem to remember Anne Hathaway's Emma having more about her? The connection between her Emma and Jim Sturgess's Dexter was much more believable?

Not sure I can be arsed persevering tbh.

I started watching it last night, wasn't overwhelmed.

I seem to remember in the book Emma was meant to be quite sturdy, not overly attractive and wearing unappealing clothing as we tended to do in the late 80s.

But in both the film and this series they have cast a very pretty, thin actress, who displays her apparent lack of attractiveness by wearing glasses. I guess the series is slightly better as she does do chippy Northerner well.

I thought Dexter was well cast though.

Yes I wondered that too!

Sure that must it southern girls hating on an actress because she has a northern accent

Fucking hell

What a load of old bollocks

Not hating on her (unless you do?) more that if you come from the area then you are more likely to get the humour… we all have different senses of humour. I thought she was funny - I laughed out loud quite a few times

@Delatron, me too!

Emma is funny she just has no on screen chemistry with Dexter

He really is! I had to see how old he was in real life 😆

Em in the series looked very mardy most of the time, and I found it difficult to believe that Dex would have found that attractive. I could get that he would have found her sparkiness and northern wit appealing though, as a stark contrast to the rollover 'Ra' girls he usually shagged/dated.

It was quite a depressing watch on some levels, not least the SPOILER ALERT denouement (which I already knew). It wasn't enjoyable escapism for me as it touched on a few raw nerves.

I have to say I found Emma relatable in the book. It reminded me of my sense of humour (sharp with and sarcasm) at that age - I am not northern so I don't recognise that humour as specifically northern. But I thought she should also be more fun and funny and spontaneous than she was in this TV adaptation. She was just very negative - I don't believe a Dexter would be attracted to the relentless negativity.

Agree @Bouledeneige . She sucked the joy out of most things. Unless you kind of see their relationship as all about sexual chemistry and not necessarily about being natural soul mates or even really liking each other. But that's not the point of their relationship, is it?

Well, I’m a working class northerner so you’re way off there. 😂

Well that blows my theory out of the water 🤣

Im reading the book again at the moment. The bits I thought were particularly mardy ( where she basically judges him when they first met with the '40 years old' speech, which I thought was horrible and judgmental, is in the book. She is a judgmental cow in the book, and is played like that in the TV series I think. I don't think any 21 year old man would put up with that level of rudeness, but that s how its written!

Oh men love a feisty woman and someone that challenges them and takes the piss. Especially if they’re used to air heads who hang on to every word they say. Who fawn over them…

Intelligence is very attractive- we notice him checking out her book collection.

I just watched the last three episodes and thought it really picked up. (Had found the middle few episodes rather boring). It was nice to see them both happy together and I thought the chemistry was very much there. SPOILER ALERT

And then absolute heartbreaking. Cried my eyes out and it takes a lot for me to do that.

Loved the book. Hated the film. Almost gave up on the series as found it slow but glad I persevered. I warmed to Emma throughout. She was not as I imagined her but then she's not Asian in the book. She was genuinely dry and funny which I liked. I thought their chemistry grew too.

Completely agree. But he didn’t know this about her when he first approached her. That’s the bit I find hard to believe. Then I find the characters themselves to not have much chemistry, but appreciate quite a few people saying this improves as the show goes on.

Yes I suppose if you can get any woman to sleep with you, having one who challenges you may be more intriguing. But she was just rude!

I didn't find her rude at all, just direct, bold and funny, while also being emotionally reserved and scared of being hurt. Maybe try not being so mimsy and passive in life yourself. Or try just actually being rude. People say it like it's a bad thing.

I may need to rewatch I genuinely don’t remember her being rude. She took the piss out of him a bit so I guess if you think that’s rude. But he clearly didn’t mind!

I didn’t think she was rude either, just a bit outspoken! And as you say a contrast from the vacuous ones he was used to- though to be fair that is also a charicature. Just because someone is rich/good looking doesn’t mean they are a bad person. We can believe this for dex so why not the Sloaney girls?

Anyway I think it’s mostly down to Leo’s acting that we don’t detest dex. I was astonished to find myself sympathising with him having hated him in the book!

Me too. Really didn’t like him in the book - adored him in this! I

Just can't believe these comments? He's good looking but she is beautiful too!
People are acting like they are very different lookswise.
Maybe he is sick of the blonde toff types?

People are acting like they are very different lookswise.

Well, they are. He is absolutely gorgeous. The pairing is ridiculous.

though to be fair that is also a charicature. Just because someone is rich/good looking doesn’t mean they are a bad person.

That is so true, the 'Ra' universities (as DD would call them) are full of pretty and clever girls. Think of Nigella Lawson and her cohort at Oxford in the early 80s. No one could call Nigella and her ilk vacuous.

It's a lazy cliche really.

Emma is just too mardy looking to be classed as beautiful. Even when things are going well with Dexter, she doesn't exactly radiate that inner happiness that makes a young person glow and look at their best.