Review: Daisy Jones & the Six
Based on the New York Times best-selling novel, Daisy Jones and the Six, follows the story of the iconic 1970s band, fronted by two feuding yet charismatic lead singers, Daisy Jones and Billy Dunne. Drawn together by personal and artistic chemistry, their complicated musical partnership catapulted the band from obscurity to unbelievable fame. And then, after a sold-out show at Chicago's Soldier Field, they suddenly called it quits. Now, decades later, the band members finally agree to reveal the truth. Set to the soundtrack of original music from the Daisy Jones and the Six-this is the story of how an iconic band imploded at the height of its powers.
Riley Keough, Sam Clafin, Camila Morrone, Suki Waterhouse, Will Harrison, Josh Whitehouse, Sebastian Chacon, Nabiyah Be, Tom Wright & Timothy Olyphant.
Daisy Jones & the Six takes its time with the story, ultimately splitting itself into 4 different sections of the story that unfolds. As someone who hasn’t read the book, it is rather difficult to discuss its accuracy and adaptation, but will as an original one. The story & the songs are about love, a unique and complex love that unfortunately results in a lot of emotional heartbreak and outbreak. The series takes its time building this up to be a key factor in blowing up multiple story threads set up very well throughout earlier episodes.
The writing and story are both so very precise and I thought it was handled fantastically. Told both chronologically and throughly future interviews, the series never feels messy nor clustered with its amount of coverage. It’s balance of comedy, drama and music allows for an incredibly breezy watch and the performances are complement it greatly. Particularly Riley Keough Nabiyah Be & Camila Morrone who deliver star performances the entire series. Along with their superb supporting cast & other lead Sam Clafin who delivers a terrific performance, both complex and compelling.
The music is as addicting as any other piece of music released this year so far & with the bonus of the series, adding many layers to every lyric and song on the Aurora album. A first listen is delightful, but a second is much more satisfying after each episode unfolds. I can certainly see these songs holding their own for many years online, with the prospect of an actual tour. On the topic of technicals, the cinematography and editing are incredibly consistent and effective, often beautiful and imaginative shots that build on the narratives complexity. All this comes together wonderfully and helps the pacing massively, which can sometimes drag in certain moments. Or become repetitive.
Dealing with such a compelling story & emotionally complex dynamics between characters. I felt rather letdown by its emotional conclusion, which didn’t quite get me as much as I’d hoped. However, this isn’t due to the finale’s storytelling which I thought was perfect. I felt as though the series focused a bit too much on the build up of story threads that they forgot to set some really emotionally resonating moments up for future episodes. Especially with characters such as Billy & Daisy, as they’re both quite unlikable towards the end, despite an emotional conclusion. A little more time with the emotion in previous episodes would have helped build up to that brilliant finale that did almost made me shed a tear. Despite loving every episode of the series, I felt as though something was missing, but couldn’t quite put my finger on it. I’m sure over time this will come clear.
Either way, whether you’ve read the book or not, I thought Daisy Jones & the Six was a terrific season of TV. Wonderfully written & directed, boosted by its incredible ensemble performances. The complexity of the story could certainly be talked about for years to come. It isn’t without its minor issues, but is satisfying and fun enough to keep you watching.
