Dash and Lily
Starring: Austin Abrams, Midori Francis, Dante Brown, James Saito
Rated: TV-14
Netflix is not playing around with the holiday content this year. They’re providing plenty of new festive original movies, documentaries, and series to get us in the Christmas spirit. One of those series is Dash and Lily, a charming and fun tale of two teens finding love in New York at Christmas.
Lily (Midori Francis) loves everything about the holidays, except seeing everyone being coupled up other than her. Fed up with being single yet again, Lily’s brother convinces her to leave a journal in the local bookstore with mysterious clues for someone to pick up. This leads to a written romance between her and the cynical Dash (Austin Abrams), who hates the holidays. Can the two make it work despite their differences?
Right off the bat, this show keeps you glued to the story. At just 30 minutes per show, each episode is just the right runtime. Sure, it has some cliches, but the will they/won’t they aspect keeps the suspense alive. Dash and Lily have such different personalities that they help bring each other out of their shells. It’s fun to watch their character growth throughout the series. And, of course, the real thing keeping you watching is to find out if they’ll ever meet in person.
Granted, if you take a step back and look at the show, there are definitely flaws. Some of Lily’s family is bizarre, to say the least. Her parents are like two-dimensional people who exist as roadblocks to make the story more complicated than necessary. Her grandfather's mood changes rapidly in terms of punishing Lily for her antics from one episode to the next. I understand the reasoning behind his decisions, but he changes his mind to fit the plot so that the characters can have a happy ending. It’s a little annoying. The ending episode is way too rushed. It could have been one hour or broken into two episodes. Everything magically falls into place with barely any explanation. (I shouldn’t question the magic of Christmas, though!)
Also, it’s a little concerning when you look at the show from an adult’s perspective. Yes, I realize I need to let the teens have fun. But Lily is running around New York at 16-years-old meeting a random guy who has her journal. So many things could go wrong. What if a serial killer picked up Lily’s journal? What if she was writing to a crazed maniac luring her to her demise? I shouldn’t have been worried about those things while watching the show, but I’ve seen too many true-crime series not to feel a sense of concern. While I am glad Dash turned out to be a good guy, please always be careful about who you’re meeting up with in person! Safety should be your top priority. Okay, I’m done with the PSA about dating safety. Back to the review of the show.
Austin Abrams is becoming a bit of a breakout star between Euphoria, Chemical Hearts, and Dash and Lily. He is always convincing in whatever role he plays. Dash is cynical about the world, but that comes from a place of hurt and pain. He gives a layered performance as the character that keeps you invested in his storyline.
Mindoro Francis is so charming and sweet as Lily. Her character is so enthusiastic about life. She loves New York and wants someone to spend the holidays with. Francis and Abrams have excellent chemistry together both when they’re sharing the screen and writing to each other in journal entries.
My favorite aspect of the show was obviously the Christmas setting! Every episode felt magical because of the New York City holiday backdrop. The set decoration is fabulous and festive. If you’re a Christmas enthusiast like me, you’ll have fun with this. Plus, the soundtrack fits the setting perfectly. Nick Jonas is the show's executive producer (“Okay, Rebecca. Now we know why you watched the show!”-everyone reading this review), And the Jonas Brothers even show up in an episode. Any show that can include a Jonas Brothers concert is a fun time.
Dash & Lily is a festive, fun, and feel-good holiday watch. You’ll find yourself swept up in the story of two teens’ quest to find each other in New York City at Christmas.