Netflix’s eight episode series “Dash & Lily” premiered on November 10th, 2020 and earned a 100% score on Rotten Tomato’s Tomatometer. The series was based around the book series by the same name, specifically centered around the first book, “Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares” by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan. When the series was released, I was beyond excited. I read the first book in eighth grade, and it became one of my favorite books of all time. So to see the book that I enjoyed so much come to life, especially during a pandemic and one of the hardest Christmases of my life, was such a wonderful holiday gift. I watched “Dash & Lily” twice in 2020, but have not touched it since. Since this year doesn’t feel super Christmas-y (thanks, college!) I decided that rewatching it would be the perfect way to get in the holiday spirit.
Episode one, “Dash,” focuses on the title character and his apprehension for Christmas. Dash was left stranded by his parents during the holidays–his parents were both on Christmas vacations, both believing that their son was with the other parent. Dash wants to spend the season in solitude, but everything changes when he finds a mysterious red notebook at his favorite bookstore, The Strand. The notebook is essentially a book of dares, and a way for the writers to get to know each other. The mysterious author of the book challenges him to search the bookstore for a hidden message. Dash becomes hooked on the cleverness of the unknown writer. He completes the tasks asked of him and adds a note of his own, hatching a plan with his best friend Boomer to catch her dropping the notebook off. The plan fails, but the notebook is left at Boomer’s pizza shop, continuing the game.
The second episode, “Lily,” goes back to the day before the events of the previous episode, focusing on the writer of the red notebook. An avid Christmas enthusiast, Lily was left alone with her older brother Langston for the holidays. Her parents took a trip to Fiji, and her grandpa was off visiting his girlfriend. Heartbroken by her family’s betrayal at her favorite time of the year, Lily was feeling lonelier than ever. Langston and his boyfriend Benny decide to help Lily out by trying to find her a boyfriend to spend the holidays with. Langston decides that writing a book themed dare in a notebook would fit Lily well. At the end of the episode, it is revealed that Dash and Lily had already had several run-ins with each other in the streets of New York, although they never actually introduced themselves. We also learn that Boomer actually did meet Lily at the pizza shop, but he agrees to keep her identity a secret in order to help his best friend continue talking to her.
The third and fourth episodes find Lily being challenged out of her comfort zone when Dash convinces her to go to a club night. She is confronted by a figure from her past when she runs into her childhood bully, ultimately causing her to leave, losing a red rain boot in the process. She fails to leave the book in the club, resulting in Dash believing she is angry with him for pushing her too far. He resorts to using the red rainboot to track her down, landing him at her great aunt’s house. Meanwhile, Lily tries desperately to get the book back to Dash, and leaves it in Boomer’s care. He agrees to come up with a reasonable explanation for why he has the book, and Dash is able to continue the game.
The fifth episode, “Sofia and Edgar,” brings about newfound challenges for the pair as Dash’s ex-girlfriend and Lily’s former bully both re-enter their lives. By some twist of fate, Dash happens to know Edgar, and the pair run in the same social circle. Sofia and Dash begin reconnecting, bonding over their shared past. Lily sees Edgar again and he invites her to a poetry reading. Benny and Langston break up and it is revealed that Lily’s parents are actually house-hunting in Fiji, meaning Lily has a limited time left in New York City. Angry and feeling betrayed by her family, she ends up going to the poetry reading in order to confront Edgar. She explains how he ruined many aspects of her life, and he apologizes. He asks Lily to go to a party with him to try and mend their relationship, and Lily agrees. Feeling sidelined after “notebook boy” began “reconnecting with an old friend,” she decides going on a date with someone else might be just the thing she needs.
The sixth episode surrounds the holiday party being hosted by Priya, Sofia’s best friend. When Lily and Edgar arrive, she feels incredibly out of place in her big Christmas sweater. He ends up deserting her for much of the party. Meanwhile, Sofia and Dash are growing closer and Boomer doesn’t like this recent development. He ends up returning the notebook to Dash, encouraging him to let Sofia go once and for all. Dash hides away in a bedroom, reading the latest updates from Lily. When he reemerges, Dash and Lily meet. They end up hitting it off pretty well, making fun of each other’s dates before they ultimately split up. Lily learns Dash’s name but is interrupted before she has a chance to introduce herself. She ends up leaving the party early, and Dash and Sofia go to a museum to spend Christmas Eve together. They kiss, and the episode ends.
The seventh episode is “Christmas.” She tells her grandpa she is going to her great aunt’s house, and heads there with one red boot on one foot and a red converse on the other. She does this in an attempt to get her notebook back, and possibly a shoe. Dash had agreed to get the notebook under the tree Christmas morning, and since he didn’t, she figured he took it there. Lily is then asked by her caroling troupe to meet up at a local bar. She agrees since there were no plans for celebrating Christmas in her family. Before she leaves, her aunt lets her know that should she see a red notebook, she’ll “dash” it over, reassuring that there was “no pun intended.” This confuses Lily, and as she is making her way to the bar she realizes the truth–notebook boy is named Dash, and Dash is the guy she met the previous night at the party. Then, she remembers how that night ended: with Dash and Sofia leaving together. Lily calls Boomer, panicked, and he confirms her suspicions. Heartbroken, Lily gets drunk before texting Edgar that she wanted to kiss him. He shows up at the bar and does just that. While the pair are kissing, Dash bursts into the bar, red notebook and boot in hand. He spots them, and says “Lily?” in disbelief.
Then, the clock turns back to the night before. Dash puts a stop to he and Sofia’s kiss quickly, explaining that he is thinking about Lily while kissing Sofia. The two realize that there is nothing left between them, but Dash agrees to spend the night with Sofia in the museum as friends. When they wake up late the next morning, Dash is panicked as he realizes he forgot to get the notebook under the tree. He gets a notification on an app he and Boomer downloaded in order to track the missing red boot that it had been spotted on a girl at a local bar, and he makes his way there. When he enters, he sees Lily kissing Edgar and realizes that she was the girl from the party. Shocked and hurt, he realizes that she is drunk and insists on taking her home. The two argue in the taxi, both feeling betrayed and misled. Dash writes a final note out of anger, insisting they end things. He drops her off at her aunt’s house, and leaves. Lily’s grandpa picks her up and she is greeted by a Christmas surprise–her entire family (parents included) home for the holidays despite her heartbreak and anger.
The eighth and final episode, “New Year’s Eve,” shows Lily’s family saying some goodbyes. Her grandpa makes his disappointment in her clear in front of everyone, explaining to her that he was going to allow her to stay in New York with him, but only if she put the blame for her actions on Dash. She refuses to do so, instead calling everyone out: her grandpa for not compromising about living in Florida to be with his girlfriend, Langston for breaking up with Benny over a vacation and her parents for lying to her about Fiji. While this is going on, Dash receives the notebook while at The Strand. He finds out Lily is moving to Fiji and goes to Boomer for help. The last time the two spoke, Dash confronted Boomer for keeping the fact that he had met Lily a secret, and Boomer was avoiding him. Dash tracks Boomer down at a Jonas Brothers concert, where all of their friends end up helping Dash come up with a plan in Nick Jonas’ trailer. Nick Jonas makes a cameo, helping to convince Dash of what to do. The group spends the day planning a surprise for Lily, and they leave the notebook outside her home. Langston finds the notebook and decides against telling Lily, and she and their parents head to the airport.
During the drive, Langston goes to repair things with Benny and he decides to let Lily know of Dash’s invitation. Dash confessed he had been falling in love, and employs Lily to “go back to where they began.” She ends up abandoning her parents in the Manhattan traffic, running straight to The Strand. There, she finds that Dash has set up a romantic date with a New York City theme, highlighting many of their best memories over the course of their relationship. The two reconcile, and Lily confirms her feelings for Dash by kissing him. The moment is interrupted when her grandpa calls, informing her that he and her aunt have decided to allow her to live with them both part time while her parents are in Fiji. Lily ignores a call from her parents when she realizes that she and dash are locked inside of the strand, and the two spend New Year’s Eve together.
The fast-paced and action-driven plot of each episode helps to turn “Dash & Lily” from what could’ve been another heavy series into the incredibly binge-worthy show it is. Watching “Dash & Lily” feels more like viewing a quick Hallmark movie rather than an eight part series. The show is cute and quirky, filled with lovable characters and captivating storylines. Each plot point is tied up neatly at the end, making its one season run feel more appropriate compared to other shows canceled prematurely. Although the casting of the two leads was not what I imagined, specifically when it comes to Dash, I was pleasantly surprised by both of their performances. Another wonderful addition is the music. My personal favorite was the use of “Stay” by Gracie Abrams during the end montage right before Dash and Lily’s first real date.
“Dash & Lily” is the perfect way to unwind after finals week for us college students. It is filled to the brim with holiday cheer and puts viewers in a great mood. The romance between the characters is truly magical, and allows the audience to follow along as they fall in love under really unique and special circumstances. Christmas in New York is always a great start to a story, and “Dash & Lily” is no exception to this story.