In this Season 1, Episode 1 review of Netflix’s new holiday series, Dash & Lily, I discuss how these 20 something “teens” really didn’t draw me into their tale in the pilot episode. Oh my God this will be fun!
What's in this review
Dash & Lily: Season 1, Episode 1 recap
Warning: This section may have spoilers that will upset you if you read them instead of watching them unfold. If you are a sensitive lil bitch, skip this section. Otherwise, you can read through it. After all, I can’t really spoil something that is already fermenting. Or can I?
In the pilot episode, we meet Dash and Lily. The story focuses around Dash finding a secret notebook in a local, Shop Around the Corner-esque bookstore in New York City only a few days before Christmas.
Dash takes a lot of cues from Hallmark Count Down to Christmas heroines. Some bitch burned his ass last Christmas. Now he hates the holidays more than the jaded lead in Holidate.
In fact, he hates them so much, he told both his divorced parents that he planned to stay with the other. And since both parents are like Kevin’s parents from Home Alone, neither really gives a shit or checks in on him.
But this is OK because this teen is 20-something. He really doesn’t need supervision. He just needs a real job so he can stop bumming off his parents.
For argument sake, let’s pretend Dash really is a “teen.” So, he finds some notebook at this local bookshop. This notebook provides clues to a dorky/nerdy “teen” to follow. If he plays along (spoiler, he does), he can find out more about this equally dorky/nerdy girl.
With the help of his friend, Dash plays along and tries to trap this girl in a sting operation. Of course, it doesn’t go well and she totes calls him out on it. But after attacking the local Macy’s Santa, he finds out her name: Lily.
At the end of the episode, we find out that they have already bumped into each other. They just didn’t know it! OOOHH!
Dash & Lily: Episode 1, Season 1
Overall
-
Plot
(3.5)
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Characters
(3)
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Watchability
(3.5)
User Review
( votes)Husband's Take
The first thing I’ll say is this: Dash & Lily is a welcome relief from an endless litany of cloned Hallmark movies that make up the Count Down to Christmas. And as a pilot episode goes, it sort of drew me into the story. Sort of.
That said, Dash & Lily really confused the shit out of me at first. The guy who plays Dash (Austin Abrams) looks like he is in his mid-twenties. He kept talking about being alone for the holidays and living with his parents. I kept thinking, how is it odd for a single young man living in NYC to be alone?
I had to look up Dash’s age to confirm that he was, in fact, supposed to be a teen. But Jesus, 50 something Paul Rudd looks more like a teen than this dude does. I sense a Season 2 recast here: Middle aged Paul Rudd plays Dash, a 16 year old boy playing a fun game of dares with a mystery girl.
Once I got passed marveling over the twenty something teen, I still had questions. Such as:
- What kind of parents leave their son home alone over the holidays? Wait! Kevin McCallister! Is that you?
- Is this really just Home Alone 15?
- Why did the instructions to return the book if the finder was not a teen come after he completed the first set of clues?
- What would she have done if the person finding it was a 30 year old man? A woman?
- Who hurt Dash and why? He’s fucking depressing to watch.
What the Netflix series did well included not making it a Hallmark Christmas movie. That’s pretty exciting and worth noting.
I can’t say I really laughed at any point though this claims to be a comedy. His Abrams’ portrayal of a teenager was a bit laughable, mainly since he doesn’t look the part, not from his acting.
Parts amused me. The bookseller guy came off as a sarcastic prick, which made me smile. But he wasn’t featured enough, which made me sad.
I also can’t compare this to the books Netflix based Dash & Lily on. You’ll have to ask someone who read the books and watched the first episode for their take.
Another positive included its mystery to uncover component in the opening episode, which made it interesting enough to watch. I’m not sitting at the edge of my couch, anxiously waiting for the kids to go to bed so I can endure another episode excited here. I just don’t hate it as much as I did Hallmark’s One Royal Holiday.
Dear God, shoot me now if I have to endure that shitty dumpster fire again. For now, we’ll keep watching the series and hope it continues to get better.
Pros
The Hallmark channel has nothing to do with making Dash & Lily.
The mystery is interesting enough I guess.
Cons
It features twenty-something “teens”
I find the story far-fetched at best.
It does not feature Paul Rudd as the main teenage lead.
Questions you may have about the series
Who doesn’t like a bunch of boring questions and answers about a topic they are interested in? I know I sure do! Here are some common questions that I am sure many of you are just dying to know the answer to.
Is the series based on a book?
Netflix’s Dash & Lily is based on Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares written by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan. Joe Tracz created the series, and 21 Laps Entertainment (the company that brought Stranger Things to life) produced the series for Netflix.
Where can I watch Netflix’s Dash & Lily?
Umm, Netflix. Dash & Lily is a Netflix series released in November of 2020. You can stream it on Netflix. You can’t watch the series anywhere else at the moment, but you could purchase a digital copy of the book is based off (Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares) of on GooglePlay, Amazon, or other reading related apps.
When does it come out on Netflix?
Dash & Lily season one came to Netflix in November of 2020. If you have a Netflix account, you can stream it now. Or you could bum an account login off of one of your friends if you are desperate to watch this series.
Will there be a Dash & Lily Season 2?
From what I understand, Netflix may release a second season. But, according to What’s On Netflix (which I cannot vouch for it’s credibility), the current status of a second season is pending. I guess we’ll see if it was popular enough to release a second season as the weeks unfold. If you really want to see a second season, maybe try petitioning Netflix. I heard streaming networks and others really love this.
Ready for an Episode 2 review and poorly written recap? Check out my review here.
