Dash & Lily is a Netflix original series that kicks off with the hero finding a red hardcover notebook at the bookstore. In it, he meets a girl who gives him some dares.
I was hooked. My "quick" show ended up being a major binge. It actually would have taken less time to watch that two hour movie than I spent watching episode after episode.
IIRC, there are eight episodes. And through them, we see Dash and Lily become intrigued with each other through their written words. They don't meet, and for part of the series, they don't know each other's names. And then once Dash finds out Lily's name, he still withholds his because of how unusual it is.
Oh, FYI, the characters are teenagers. At one point we learn they're seventeen. The storyline makes a lot more sense if you have this information.
Dash is cynical. His parents are divorced and it seems both are self-involved. Neither even realizes Dash is on his own for Christmas.
Lily comes from a loving extended family and she adores Christmas. But this year, her parents are in Fiji and her grandfather is in Florida. It's her brother and his boyfriend that start the notebook game for Lily because she's never dated.
Dash and Lily are good for each other. He gets her out of her comfort zone, and she gets him to stop reacting the same way to things as he has in the past. So when Dash ends up at dinner with his father and the father's girlfriend of the month, he's able to avoid an argument and build bridges. Something he wouldn't have been able to do before the notebook game with Lily.
The series is charming and the actors do a great job making it all seem so believable. Even the secondary cast did a great job. There's a lot of layers and nuance for our hero and heroine, which helped me engage in the series.
I don't want to give too much away, but this is a great series to watch around Christmas since all the events take place around the holiday season.
The downer is that when I finished the episodes, I checked to see if there would be a season 2. There won't be. Netflix cancelled the series. The good news, though, is season one felt complete. In fact, maybe it's better this way because in my imagination, I can have Lily and Dash date through college, get married, and spend their lives together. Living their own HEA. If there were a season two, the series writers would have to think up ways to keep the drama going.
If you're looking for about four hours of watch time--available in half hour episodes--I highly recommend Dash & Lily. I'm giving it two enthusiastic thumbs up.
