Daisy Jones & The Six — From Book to Show
I read Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid shortly after it came out in 2019 and gave it a five-star review on GoodReads. Needless to say, I was very excited to watch the new Amazon Prime Video adaptation released a few weeks ago.
Starring Riley Keough (she/her) as Daisy Jones, Sam Claflin (he/him) as Billy Dunne, Suki Waterhouse (she/her) as Karen Sirko, Will Harrison (he/him) as Graham Dunne, Sebastian Chacon (he/him) as Warren Rhodes, Josh Whitehouse (he/him) as Eddie Roundtree, and Camila Morrone (she/her) as Camila Alvarez, Daisy Jones & The Six follows a fictional band in the 70s as they rise to fame. Dealing with band relationships, addiction, and creative differences, this show, framed by band interviews, promises to explore the reason behind the band’s breakup at the height of their success.
This show is captivating in the way that it expands on small and subtle, yet important moments from the book. The chemistry between the band members as friends is palpable, and their relationships feel real and genuine, for the most part. The cinematography, costumes, and sets really make the 70s setting come alive in a beautiful way. While the story is mainly character-driven, the viewer is sure to be sucked into the world of the 70s and the lives of the characters so much so that they will be distracted by the largely plot-less story.
While the show does a great job of portraying the characters and their relationships, the chemistry between Billy and Daisy, which was so clearly present in the book, is nearly eradicated in this adaptation. Instead, the show amplifies Billy’s jealousy and exclusion of Daisy at every turn, which makes their romantic interactions feel forced and unnatural. As a result, their big romantic culmination in a kiss doesn’t feel as satisfying or authentic as it could have.
However, the eighth episode was quite redeeming for the show as a whole, giving insight into the way that Billy truly cares for Daisy after she overdoses in the shower. This is one of the only moments so far where we really see that Billy loves Daisy and it brought a tear to my eye. It seems as though the episodes are only increasing in quality and emotional substance as the series goes on, and I am excited to see where this show takes us.
3.5/5 stars
