Rating: 4/5

Grab your tissues and cozy blankets because Netflix’s new “One Day” television series will tug at your heartstrings. Adapted from David Nicholls’ 2009 novel, “One Day” has taken the internet by storm, leaving many fans bawling by the end of its 14 heartfelt episodes.

The show kicks off at a graduation party for the University of Edinburgh’s class of 1988, where main characters Emma Morley and Dexter Mayhew begin their journey together after their failed one-night stand. The show documents their twenty years of somewhat platonic friendship only on one day of every year, July 15. After children, moments of weakness, fruitless careers and bottles and bottles of alcohol, the couple finally gets the timing right. However, the happy ending they deserved was shattered when Emma gets into a fatal car accident.

After watching “One Day”, fans dissected and discussed each character’s red flags on the internet.

Dex cannot live without Emma, yet when they were friends, he took her for granted and treated her horribly. For example, after moving to London, Emma works in a Mexican restaurant to make ends meet. As an act of kindness, Dex tries to tip Emma, resulting in a deeply insulted Emma. Similarly, Emma’s red flags consist of mocking Dex’s dreams of being famous and traveling the world. Furthermore, she constantly makes it known that she is smarter than Dex. Emma continues to keep her distance from him even though

While praise for the adaptation flooded in, it was not without a few critiques. Emma’s actress, Ambika Mod, received backlash for taking the part. As a long-time fan of the novel, Ambika initially rejected the role of Emma as she couldn’t picture herself as the famous Emma Morely. Many criticized her for not fitting into the conventional Eurocentric beauty standards anticipated in romantic dramas, while others were shocked by the casting of a person of Indian descent.

Over the last decades, a pattern in the entertainment industry concerning the race of lead characters has been prominent, with most protagonists being white and conventionally attractive. Furthermore, Indian actors are often typecast as comic relief characters or as traditional and uptight characters. In our opinion, Ambika was perfect for the role of Emma. She did an amazing job balancing Emma’s quick wit and deep love. Many fans from South Asia have come forward, saying how momentous it was for them to see a fellow woman of South Asian descent be a lead in a Western show.

Overall, “One Day” should definitely be added to everyone’s “To Watch List”. Its classic friends-to-lovers trope and the actors’ intense chemistry is the perfect formula for a great romance television show.