Dash & Lily: Christmas in New York

Five minutes into watching Dash & Lily, I knew I was going to binge this sucker all the way through. It's slightly ridiculous how much this show was made for me, but I mean come on. You're going to set a YA romcom in New York, at Christmastime, and have the opening meet-cute (of sorts) take place at the iconic Strand bookstore in Manhattan, literally the location where I had my first ever date? I fell for this thing hook, line, and sinker.

Based on the Dash & Lily's Series of Dares books by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan (which I will now need to order from the library), this show follows the burgeoning romance between two teenagers in New York City, Lily (Midori Francis) and Dash (Austin Abrams). Lily has placed a red notebook on a bookshelf at the Strand with a series of clues, and Dash happens upon it. Intrigued, he decides to play along, and the two become penpals of sorts via this notebook, constantly daring each other to do various activities across New York City and get out of their comfort zones. As all of this is playing out, they are facing their own personal dramas in terms of families and past relationships, with a wonderful supporting cast of actors that keep things lively and engaging. As things progress, in true romcom fashion, you start to wonder if these two weirdos will ever meet in real life, or if too many obstacles will clutter the road to happily ever after. 

I don't know if this is the latest trope, because we also saw this in To All the Boys I've Loved Before, but apparently all YA romances are between girls of mixed white and Asian heritage and white boys who were born too late to become a part of the mumblecore movement. Both Midori Francis and Austin Abrams are charming leads, but I definitely felt more swept up in Lily's life, given her immigrant family and general introversion. Abrams is a low-rent Timothee Chalamet, and since Dash's story is that he is a child of divorce with two exceedingly wealthy New York parents, it's a little harder to not roll your eyes at the poor little rich boy. Also, I always have to suspend a lot of my disbelief when I watch any YA romance; the notion of 17-year-olds falling in love and getting up to all manner of shenanigans instead of just living a loner existence and doing their homework is alien to me. That being said, the romance is fizzy and fun, surprisingly emotional in spots, and while the resolution feels rushed, with many plot holes you mustn't examine too closely, this show is an instant classic. And sidebar: can Pixar please make a movie called Collation? I know it's just a joke for this show, but damn, I really need to watch this romance between a stapler and a blank piece of paper. 

This show hits my New York sweet spot, featuring all the Christmas lights and beauty that makes this city so bewitchingly magical in the winter months. It felt like an I Love New York tourism ad, and I was delighted. It showcased so many activities and locations I won't be able to experience this year because of the pandemic, but getting to experience them all onscreen was the next best thing. Dash eats cannolis at Veneiro's - that's the Italian bakery my parents buy my birthday cake from every year. He visits Bethesda Fountain, which is one of my favorite spots in Central Park, and he drops off the notebook at the Alice statue, which has been my Whatsapp profile photo for years. And the soundtrack features some of my most beloved Christmas songs, including Joni Mitchell's River and The Pogues' Fairytale of New York. 

Look, I know this recommendation is insanely biased, and I may just be writing this blog post for myself. But if you too are a New Yorker who loves this city during Christmas and is sad that the pandemic means the experience won't be quite the same, then you need to be mainlining Dash & Lily ASAP. Everyone else, this is still a charming and lovely series you may love, but you're not gonna love it as much as I do. Now please excuse me, I have to go put up my Christmas tree.