Summary
- "You've never seen me before in your life." - Dexter and Emma's opposite worlds collide in a playful yet significant first meeting.
- "Are people really having that good a time?" - Emma questions her post-college life compared to Dexter's success, hinting at insecurities.
- "I'm not being a footnote." - Emma wants to remain a constant in Dexter's life, showcasing their deep connection and friendship.
The themes in Netflix's One Day are wonderfully represented in the series' best quotes. One Day follows two individuals, Emma Morley (Ambika Mod) and Dexter Mayhew (Leo Woodall), reuniting on the same day every year after first meeting in 1988. The series focuses on the romantic nature between the two and with this comes significant quotes that are both heartwarming and heartbreaking.
One Day is based on a novel of the same name by David Nicholls, which was also previously adapted for a film in 2011. Throughout their story, Emma and Dexter experience many personal changes, but the other remains a constant key figure in their lives. One Day is a romantic drama but still manages to spotlight other relatable topics, such as transitioning into life after college and the loss of loved ones. These quotes best represent the themes in One Day and the significant points throughout Emma and Dexter's decade-plus journey together.
Warning: This article contains major spoilers for Netflix's One Day.
One Day Cast & Character Guide
Netflix's miniseries One Day includes a number of lovable characters played by a cast of mostly phenomenal upcoming actors with a few big names too.10 "You've Never Seen Me Before In Your Life."
Episode 1, "1988."
Whilst drunk and dancing, Emma laughs off Dexter's attempt at recalling where he'd seen her before in school, telling him, "You've never seen me before in your life." While the quote is said playfully, it still holds a lot of significance and sums up their relationship. Emma finds it slightly humorous that Dex would have seen her before that night because they ran in opposite social circles and spent their years in college differently.
Emma and Dexter's complicated friendship and love story fit within the trope of opposites-attract couples. Their differing approaches to life come up multiple times throughout the series, as Dexter becomes a large TV personality and Emma is focused on her writing. When Emma and Dex see each other during their yearly reunion, their contrasting lifestyles always either lead to defensive arguments or a much-needed push in the right direction.
9 "Are People Really Having That Good A Time?"
Episode 3, "1990."
When outside, Emma observes two people tossing around a frisbee and asks Dexter, "Are people really having that good a time?" Among the themes of friendship and romance in One Day, there's also an important theme of adulthood, and finding one's place in the world after college. Up until this point, Emma had been working unfulfilling jobs, such as touring with a theater group and working at a dismal Mexican restaurant. Especially after meeting up with Dexter, who's become a TV personality and appears to be happy and successful, Emma's question seems to be asking what she is doing wrong.
8 "One Selected Day Struck Out Of Your Life."
Episode 10, "1997."
Emma makes a speech at her friend Tilly's wedding in which she quotes Charles Dickens and says, "Imagine one selected day struck out of your life and think how different its course would have been." Although Emma is talking about Tilly's relationship, there's an obvious parallel to her connection with Dexter as the quote symbolizes their entire journey together. They each greatly affected one another, and it's difficult to imagine the course their lives would have taken had they not made a tradition of meeting every year around St. Swithin's Day.
7 "I Was Just Waiting For You."
Episode 13, "2000. 2001. 2002."
After finally starting a proper relationship with one another, Emma tells Dexter she's ready to start a family. When she asks how he feels about doing so, he tells her, "I was just waiting for you." His response is endearing during the moment and heartbreaking by the end of the episode. The romantic relationship between Dex and Emma is captivating and believable due to their connection being grounded in friendship, rather than fleeting lust. From Dexter's response, it appears he's always known exactly what he's wanted with Emma and now all the pieces have finally fallen into place.
7 Reasons Netflix's One Day Show Is Way Better Than The Anne Hathaway Movie
Netflix's One Day makes some substantial improvements over the 2011 film starring Anne Hathaway when it comes to adapting the book of the same name.6 "You Used To Make Me Feel Good About Myself."
Episode 7, "1994."
No romantic drama is complete without conflict looming over the couple and, during an argument, Emma tells Dex, "You used to make me feel good about myself." This occurs after the two meet up and during their conversation, Dexter boasts about his extravagant lifestyle, which makes Emma feel poorly about herself. Emma's tearful comment is a sad juxtaposition to Dexter's compliments towards her earlier in the series. This argument, while difficult to watch, proves to be beneficial to Emma and Dexter as they spend some time apart and better themselves as individuals before coming together at the end.
5 "We Grew Up Together."
Episode 13, "2000. 2001. 2002."
At this point in the series, Emma and Dexter are engaged, and she comes across Dexter's outline for his wedding speech. One of the lines reads, "We grew up together." Similarly to Emma's speech at Tilly's wedding, this line greatly depicts the years Emma and Dex have spent with one another. There were many instances over the years when it was clear the two needed to find their footing in life before being with one another. Still, even through many changes in their individual lives, they could always rely on each other during hard times.
4 "There Was Yet Another Date Of Greater Importance."
Episode 14, "2003. 2004. 2007."
When Emma spent Christmas with Dexter and his family in 1988, she reads him a passage from a novel by Thomas Hardy, which says, "There was yet another date of greater importance...her own death. A day which lay sly and unseen." Although the scene in which this quote is heard takes place at the beginning of Emma and Dexter's story, it's not seen until One Day's final episode. It comes after Emma's death, making her fascination with the passage all the more tragic.
Considering the entirety of One Day is centered on one important date, the quote has a heavier meaning beyond what Dexter and Emma are discussing in 1988. It just so happens the date of Emma's death becomes significant for two reasons. Meaning that starting the final episode with this quote and the flashback scene is saddening, as Dexter and Emma at that moment were unaware that the "sly and unseen" day would fall on the anniversary of their meeting, years earlier.
3 "You Should Have Said Hello."
Episode 1, "1988."
The idea of fate and 'what-ifs' is present throughout all of One Day, so when Dexter tells Emma, "You should have said hello," it's worth wondering where they would've ended up had they met sooner. As a matter of fact, while on a trip to Greece together earlier in the series, Emma confesses she had a crush on Dex before they properly met. Therefore, it's reasonable for audiences to ponder the outcome of their connection, had they begun dating sooner.
2 "It Won't Always Be Like This."
Episode 14, "2003. 2004. 2007."
During a conversation in which Dexter imagines after Emma has passed away, she reassures him, "It won't always be like this" and that "time" is the solution to feeling better. Though this scene wasn't present in the novel, it's an important moment in Dexter's ending. After Emma's death, Dexter struggles immensely and is unsure of how to move on. Emma's reassurance was another helpful push, and likely not the last, to get Dexter's life back on track. Following this scene, Dexter visits the places he and Emma spent during their early years, reflecting happily on old memories.
Episode 14, "2003. 2004. 2007."
One Day's ending wraps up Emma and Dexter's story in a bittersweet way. While visiting places Dexter and Emma spent time at, scenes from their earlier days together appear as flashbacks. One of these scenes is when they are coming down from Arthur's Seat, discussing the previous night. Emma tells Dexter she'd like to remain friends and says, "I'm not being a footnote," referring to being a footnote in his life story. It's the final tearful moment in the series, as Emma's insistence on being a part of Dexter's life is touching, knowing just how important she'd become to him.
One Day
Based on the novel by David Nicholls, One Day is a 2024 romantic drama series created by Nicole Taylor. Despite their lives drifting apart after high school, Dex and Emma reunite one day every year as their lives run parallel. Love, heartbreak, and the experience of growing apart together lie at the center of this decade-spanning love story.
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- Cast
- Leo Woodall , Ambika Mod , Amber Grappy , Tim McInnerny , Jonny Weldon
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