Music, vintage vibes, romance break up, success, failure, etc. Daisy Jones & The Six is a show that can give you all this. To sum up, the show is a complete package. Daisy Jones & The Six is a tv series, an adaptation of the book of the same name by Taylor Reid Jenkins.
The TV adaptation differs from the book, so if you enjoy changes in the storyline, you will appreciate it. But if you are an ardent fan of the book, whether you will enjoy the changes depends on you.
I have not read the book, so I don’t know what major changes they made. This review will be based solely on the TV series without considering the book. A little warning as you go on reading, this review will absolutely have spoilers.
The drama aired on March 2, 2023. The series is releasing three episodes per week, so as of right now, the series has six episodes. Daisy Jones & The Six is directed by James Ponsoldt, and you can catch it on Amazon Prime.
Recap of Episodes 1 to 3
In the first three episodes, we see how the band came into existence and then grew in popularity. We know that the band was initially known as the Dunn Brothers because it was created and headed by the two Dunn Brothers, Billy and Graham Dunne. Then we see the band performing, the band losing one member because he got into Dental school. Meanwhile, Billy gets into a relationship with a girl, Camilla.
Daisy, whose real name is Margaret, had her song stolen from her by the guy she was dating. Her coming out of her shell by performing a song in a club/bar. The band, having not met Daisy yet, moved to California to pursue their dreams. Camilla went along with them; she acted as their manager. They convinced Karen, a pianist, to get into the band.
We see the band (now known as The Six) growing or learning with Ted Price, but we also see the relationship between Camilla and Billy falling apart because Billy changes for the worse. She gets pregnant, and he is supportive initially, but later, he cheats and is on drugs too.
We also see Ted trying to get Daisy to work with him. In episode 3, we witness a reunion between Billy and his daughter, whom he couldn’t meet for a long time because he was sobering up. Then we see Billy dropping out of the band to focus on their family, but then he rejoins. And finally, in Episode 3, we have Daisy and the six meeting with each other.
Review of Episodes 4 to 6 of Daisy Jones & The Six
The song they recorded with Daisy became a hit, and everybody was happy except Billy. The way Billy feels about the song is understandable in some ways. It was a song he wrote, and someone just made it better but changed the deep meaning behind it. But, one is not wrong in thinking that it is because his ego is hurt, and almost everyone in the band thinks so too.
Also, the contrast in personalities between the band members was portrayed by how they spent the money they got from the music. The constant coming back to the present to see the artist as they are in the present and the flashback of how they made one increasingly curious about what exactly went down.
But the problem is, as our curiosity goes up, we realize that this is a very cliche story, so we probably already know what exactly is going to happen.
The performance in Episode four was filmed beautifully. In my opinion, the ecstasy and the nervousness that the artist performing the song goes through are clearly visible, we see the excitement on stage, but their emotions off stage are alien to most of us.
The actors, Sam Claflin (Billy) and (Daisy) were able to portray the tension between them pretty well, the tension right now being due to Billy’s ego.
Fame doesn’t come easy. We all know that, but when they show us how difficult it is, we are left dumbfounded. That is how I felt watching the scene with Simone, and the fact that she couldn’t even use her voice, everything about that is just heartbreaking. I do have to appreciate the actress for her performance; the expressions were subtle, yet, they expressed what they intended: a sort of numbness mixed with disappointment.
The episodes also show how Billy and Daisy come together to create more songs, keeping aside their very one-sided beef apart. Well, their coming together wasn’t very surprising, but still, it is nice to see it happen. Camila is right. Trusting someone is the hardest thing to do. And she, unfortunately, in my opinion, is trusting the wrong people. And as the series progress, everybody becomes aware of the same.
The two, initially, just won’t stop bickering, and it is giving enemies to lover’s vibe, and trust me on this one, it is not my Wattpad phase coming through. But Daisy is not the only person that is head-to-head with Billy. From the beginning, we can see that Eddie has disagreements with Billy, mainly because of his crush on Camilla.
Billy’s ego getting crushed, as Daisy and others rightfully start giving their opinion, was embarrassing and stressful to watch. But, as I said, they bond with each other through burgers, secrets, breaking into price’s house, and writing songs.
One thing I like about the fight between Billy and Daisy is that it is not just for the sake of the plot. At least, that’s how I felt. They both have their personality difference, and even their idea of songwriting is different.
As the plot furthers, we can see sparks forming between Billy and Daisy, so you get to see that in these episodes. If you want to watch the series for that, just letting you know episode five is where it all somehow begins.
Also, the progression of the band from just focusing on Billy to them all being part of it happened because of Daisy. That is what Eddie says. This is also a major cliche, by the way, but this one I approve because it means great songs are on their way.
The sparks and the audience are not the only ones to see it. Others do too. Camilla senses it, which leads to her also having a spark with someone else, but she tries to put it off before it leads to a fire.
The show basically offers nothing new, not in plot, not in acting. But newness and uniqueness should not be the only qualities we look for in a story, and sometimes cliches do the work too. But, unfortunately for me, this series does not do the job.
The music production, in my humble opinion, did a really good job. I enjoyed both the songs and the background soundtracks. So, kudos to them because they make this very average series above average.
Characters and Cast
There is nothing outstanding about the actions that need pointing out. As far as I am concerned, the actors portrayed their characters. Now, this is not to say the actors are bad. But I just found it difficult to connect with the characters. It is just that every character here feels forced, and something is lacking in them. You cannot pinpoint the problem, but you can feel it.
This may also be because of the way the characters are written. Everybody here is, to some degree, an asshole. Except maybe Camilla, but her character feels annoying too. I mean, your husband cheated on you while you were pregnant, and you just forgave him.
Eddie needs to learn how to keep his personal feelings away from the band because it smells like trouble. To be fair, all the members may need to keep it down a notch while bringing their personal conflicts to the professional arena. But, it is impossible because they are a family.
Karen and Graham are the only likable characters, but the trouble is brewing there in the form of jealousy and regret. I mean, Graham did move on fast after a rejection from Karen. If I were Karen, I would be surprised too. But, the plot changes the tides again, and they are in a sneaky relationship, trouble and trouble again.
And Daisy Jones, our main lead, is very unhinged and, at times, unconventional to the point it looks forced. Also, miss girl definitely needs therapy. Both the girls in the rock band are not unconventional or unique, I enjoy some of that, but Karen’s is more believable, I guess. At first, I rocked the unconventional character of Daisy too, but then it felt like the writer was leaning too much into the concept of I am not like other girls.
But, if you look at her character as someone who is overdue for therapy, even though she is seeing one, then her character makes sense. But, she will still get on your nerves which seems like characteristic of the main leads in this story.
Our Verdict
It is very rare that book turned into a TV adaptation ever turns out as good as the book. Unfortunately, I cannot gauge how much justice they did to the book because I haven’t read them yet. But, judging it solely as a series, I felt it to be very average, made better by the music. At the end of the day, I would say it all depends on who is watching.
If cliche romantic stories with conflicts are your thing, you might enjoy it. If not, you may find it to be a very mediocre watch. The acting, the story, and the creation are not bad, but they aren’t great either. You can survive without watching this series.
I will very generously rate episodes 4 to 6, a 3 out of 5. Let us wait and see if it gets better in future episodes.
Our Rating: ⭐ (3/5).
Also read: Deliver Us Mars Review: Is It Worth Playing?
