Dash & Lily
Ratings: 3.5/5
Episodes: 08
Directors: Fred Savage, Brad Silberling
Writers: Lauren Moon, Joe Tracz
Producers: Karl Frankenfield, Nick Jonas, Brad Silberling, Josh S. Barry, Shawn Levy, Joe Tracz
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Release Date: 10 November 2020
Streaming On: Netflix
Star Cast: Austin Abrams, Dante Brown, Midori Francis, Troy Iwata, Agneeta Thacker, Leah Kreitz, Keana Marie, James Saito, William Hill, Michael Cyril Creighton, Ianne Fields Stewart, Diego Guevara, Patrick Vaill, Gideon Emery, Adrienne Lovette, David Rodriguez, Laila Drew, Matty Evers, Jack Ronan Grindley, Ashlee Jimenez, Annis Kamara, DeLance Minefee, Olivia Perez, Deborah Unger, Victor Verhaeghe, Blake Clendenin, Nic Inglese, Glenn McCuen, Brody Scharr, Natasha Yvette Williams, Doris McCarthy
Plot: It is a Christmas themed web series about two young people Dash & Lily and their whirlwind holiday romance that builds as cynical Dash and optimistic Lily start to pass back and forth a notebook, which is filled with their dares, dreams, and desires, at locations all across New York.
Not meeting with each other and communicating only through the book, the show follows their journey.
Review: ‘Dash & Lily’ is an American rom-com television series based on Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares by David Levithan and Rachel Cohn. The 8-part series opens with a beautiful shot of New York City during Christmas with snow all around will surely make this lockdown holiday season much more enjoyable. It romanticizes New York at a busy time of year, which is seen before but is always welcome. Ironically, while New York is quieter than ever now, it brings a heavyweight of nostalgia.
The series directed by Fred Savage, Brad Silberling has an interesting premise but seems like a typical romance written all over it. However, with Austin Abrams’ character Dash picking up a red book, which has ‘Do You Dare’ written on it is a lovely watch!
The premise is whimsical and lacks realism for today’s world, but if audiences suspend their belief a little bit and believe that our generation would resort to pen palling, then what you essentially have here is a Netflix series that pulls on the heartstrings.
When it comes to performances, Austin Abrams is a bit low in energy in his role as ‘Dash - the pessimistic one’, however, he is appealing enough. Midori Francis pulls off the tricky feat of making the potentially plastic Lily feel entirely real. In short, Midori Francis simply gets richer material to work with; and even gets a more layered backstory than Dash. Together, Austin and Midori play Dash and Lily’s burgeoning feelings with enough nuance that it often feels like they are sharing the screen, even though they almost never do!
Unlike Holidate, Dash & Lily has a sweeter, more magical worldview that puts it squarely in the young adult category.
Overall, ‘Dash & Lily’ grabs the heart using the Christmas vibes and argues that despite the distance, we can still connect. Also, the show proves that love, and the holidays, are not defined by mass gatherings even as it provides a nostalgic vision of the before times.
