Shannon and Julie Recap Daisy Jones and the Six Episode 1-3

First impressions:

Shannon: Leading up to the series and in these first three episodes, I was just really excited. I feel like this show has been in the works for years and to finally be at the release month, week, day felt so surreal. Everything I had seen or heard from before the show aired also had me super excited; the costumes and actors were everything I could have ever hoped for and the two songs that were put out were really great. I could not stop listening to Look At Us Now (Honeycomb). I think I played it for two hours straight one day. When we finally sat down to watch the show, I was kicking my feet and giggling like an idiot. And while the first three episodes were set up for the major plot points later in the story, I still think they encapsulated the heart of the story and the characters perfectly. My biggest takeaway from the first three episodes is that Riley Keough is a superstar and was literally put on this earth to be Daisy.

Julie: I had heard great things from people who had seen the show early, so I wasn’t worried that it wouldn’t live up to the book. The casting is impeccable, and I love the chemistry that all the actors have with each other; it’s the thing that holds the show together. The vibes are fabulous, the costumes are fantastic, and the music is perfect, both the in-world songs and the soundtrack in general. The pacing is such that each 50 minute episode seemed to fly by, leaving us wanting just enough to keep tuning in for following weeks, but not dumping heavy cliffhangers on the audience. I honestly think the series has the potential to outshine the book.

What we’re most excited for going ahead:

Shannon: Mostly I am excited to get into the meat of the story! At the end of episode three, we finally got to see Daisy and Billy singing together, so I am really excited to see more of that. The writing of Aurora was something that I loved in the novel; it will be interesting to see what changes in the show. I am also so ready to see Karen and Graham’s relationship. They are my two favorite characters, and I loved their relationship so I am excited to see that happen.

Julie: I’m really excited to see the rise of the band – the first three episodes mostly focused on exposition and how Daisy and Billy cross paths, but I can’t wait to see them start to work together and cultivate their creative relationship. One of my favorite scenes from the book was where Daisy and Billy get in the studio together to record Look at Us Now (Honeycomb), and they realize that there is something undeniable about their partnership. It’s a moment of pure magic, and I’m very excited for the scenes of the two of them onstage creating that magic again.

Changes from the book (good or bad):

Shannon: One slight change that I took note of that caught my attention was that Chuck had to drop out of the band to go to college and become a dentist, when in the book, he was drafted (and ultimately killed) in Vietnam. I don’t know why they decided to change it, but I was a little disappointed because it serves as a reminder of the time period, and the comments made about not writing songs that are politically charged kind of hit harder. Secondly, and this is a big one, is that when interviewing older Camila, the journalist labels her as “Camila Alvarez,” not “Camila Dunne,” nor her maiden name, which I believe is Martinez. This is going to significantly change Camila and Billy’s storyline as well as Billy and Daisy and even characters like Eddie. I’m interested to see how this continues to affect the story going forward. On a more foundational note, I think it is adding a new level to the story to see what is really happening outside of the interviews. You can say whatever you want 20 years later to someone who wasn’t there when these events were taking place, but then to splice the interviews with the real story gives it another layer. Maybe we’ll find out someone was lying the whole time and some events were not what we were made to think.

Julie: To piggyback off Shannon’s Camila observation, I saw someone post about how she is wearing two different wedding rings in the flashbacks versus the documentary talking heads, which makes me wonder if she remarried. Some fans are speculating that she gets together with Eddie, but I’m intrigued by the possibility of Camila getting more of an expanded story. One of my biggest issues with the book was that almost the entire narrative hinges on Camila’s character – we are supposed to see her as an almost saintlike figure, the mother of Billy’s child who put up with his infidelity and alcoholism and ultimately didn’t get the kind of life she deserved. It felt a little one-note to me, and I’m looking forward to seeing her character fleshed out on screen. I think Camila Morrone is doing a great job at embodying her, and she pulls focus in an important way that feels right for the story. Daisy Jones is all about blurred lines and grey areas, with no one character being fully in the right or fully in the wrong, and I think Camila’s character plays into those elements too.