DAISY JONES AND THE SIX ROCKS THE RATINGS
Review By Christina Tsetsakoy
Daisy Jones and The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid was recently adapted into a TV show and it is one of the best book adaptations that has come out in the last couple of years.
As more books are being adapted into movies or TV shows, I am skeptical of how well they will depict the books and if they will stay truthful to the plot. However, this show went beyond anything I could have expected.
Daisy Jones and The Six is heavily inspired by Fleetwood Mac before and after they met Stevie Nicks. The show takes place primarily in California during the 1970s and is set up in the format of an interview documentary series. The two main characters are Daisy Jones, played by Riley Keough, and Billy Dunne, played by Sam Claflin. The show is about a band and their rise to fame, but also about the difficulties they experience to maintain their fame.
What originally attracted me to this book was its format. It was set up as an interview between the members of the band and other crucial characters in the band’s lives. This was something I had never seen before, adding a special reading experience. The book flips between the present and the past to uncover the abrupt ending of the band's career.
While this might seem to be difficult to adapt to television, the show did a great job portraying this format. Within each episode, there would constantly be cuts between the two time periods, which allowed the viewer to experience everything with the band. It also provides the audience with a variety of opinions on certain topics, making it more interesting.
Although the show did not end up casting older or younger versions of the characters, they accurately portrayed the age of each of the characters. The interviews were set 20 years after their last concert, and although they were the same actors, they clearly looked aged. This added a very authentic feel to the show, showing the characters’ growth through the episodes.
Another great aspect of the show was the casting itself. Each actor portrayed their character exactly as I had envisioned them. They each added something unique to these fictional characters, making them feel relatable. One of my favorite characters from the show was Warren Rhodes, who was played by Sebastian Chacon. In the book, he was a side character, but in the show, Warren became a crucial part of the story. Warren always managed to make me laugh and that is attributed to Chacon’s personality peeking through.
The clothing and locations are what made the show feel authentic and like a real documentary. The costume and set designers embodied the energy and excitement of the 70s. They also very accurately portrayed Daisy Jones and her eccentric fashion choices. Each character had a unique style that displayed their personalities. Every small detail, like the decorations on the bus the band drove, to the bars that they performed in, contributed to an authentic setting of the 70s.
Something else that made the show even more interesting was how Camila, Billy Dunne’s wife, was always seen video taping the band. While she did this, it would change camera angles to show the perspective of Camille's camera. There was a filter laid over the scenes to show that they were tapes. It was a nice personal touch that added to the documentary style of the show.
Daisy Jones and The Six blew me away the first time I read it and I felt the same way while watching the show. I would highly recommend watching the show even if you haven’t read the novel. The feeling that I had while reading it was the same while watching it. This was my favorite adaptation of the year so far, and as more of Jenkins’ books are becoming movies and TV shows, I hope they are able to perform as well as this one. Daisy Jones and The Six rocked the music charts and my ratings as my number one show.