If you’re looking for a show to get you in the holiday mood, I’d highly recommend grabbing some hot cocoa and watching the new Netflix original series “Dash & Lily.”
I have conflicting feelings about romantic comedies, as sometimes they make me physically cringe, but others make me feel warm and fuzzy. This show is more of the latter as it puts you in the holiday mood and gives you a small, romantic taste of New York City, which I love very dearly. Seeing iconic New York City locations like Washington Square Park and Central Park brings me back to fun times I’ve spent in the city.
The show is also reminiscent of another romantic comedy set in New York: “You’ve Got Mail.” With a plot revolving around a bookstore, communicating without seeing each other and meeting at a party to figure out each other’s identities, I can’t help but think of the Tom Hanks classic. This show has definitely been added to my guilty pleasure list for this reason, as I will always be a sucker for Tom Hanks’ romantic comedies.
The scavenger hunt through the notebook Lily placed between her two favorite books at a bookstore to find a suitor is, I’m sorry, admittedly super cute. This show is the right level of cheesy, stupid romantic, and I’ve indulged myself.
How these two push each other out of their comfort zones to have fun and try new things just gives you a good feeling. Lily being able to inspire Dash and help him believe again is endearing, as well as Dash reassuring Lily that being weird isn’t “bad” (although I don’t think making friendship bracelets in middle school and wearing personalized clothing is weird; Lily’s boots are dope).
The characters in this show are likeable, though they may be predictable, as Dash is a grunge-loner type with divorced parents and Lily is this overly excited bundle of Christmas joy with a ton of family to support her. The way these two characters communicate through a notebook is endearing in a time when most everyone is on Tinder or communicates via Snapchat. All things considered, the reality of the matter is that this would never happen in real life: that a cute potential significant other would find this notebook in a bookstore instead of someone who might end up on “Law and Order: SVU,” but it’s nice to think it might happen this way.
The relationships between other characters in this show are also enjoyable. Whether it be Dash’s friend Boomer or Lily’s brother Langston, the characters all care about one another in this really sweet way. How Lily gets to overcome her childhood memory of being made fun of by a boy she liked when she meets him again later in the show just makes you really happy for her.
There’s also no blatant manipulation in this show and all of the relationships end pretty healthily. Everything in this show really gives you a good, holiday vibe.
I happened upon the show when looking for a new one to binge as a serial binge watcher myself and was pleasantly surprised by it. So if you’re like me and enjoy the holiday season and are looking for a show to binge watch, turn on “Dash & Lily.”