July 15th, 1992.
Sometimes I wonder how it is that we grow to see what is important to us in our lives, because well, a lot of the time, there it just happens. We just wake up one morning, hit with the feeling that something has changed or that something in us needs to change. Sometimes it takes hitting rock bottom to realize that we need to rebound.
We need to be better.
It’s kinda crazy how we get lost as human beings. We run from expectations. We run from emotions. We run from feelings. And how do we bounce back? Well sometimes that means hitting rock bottom.
And here we are – with Dex hitting the bottom and Emma finding a way to move forward. But, is moving forward that easy? Is hitting the bottom the most painful thing? Sometimes I am unsure. But for Dex and Emma, things are definitely changing.
In this episode Dex is hitting rock bottom and to be honest, he’s making me really dislike him. How is it that he takes everything for granted? He shows up to see his Mom three hours late, high and hungover. She’s dying and he still can’t be there on time. He still can’t prioritize his family. It’s as if he doesn’t see what is happening.
So yes, I was glad that he saw how sick she was and that he got ill. I was glad that he had to come face to face with reality. I was glad that she told him that he’s squandered his life and that he’s taken things for granted. Dex has done just that.
What I do and don’t understand about Dex that in his mind he thinks that he’s made it because he’s a celebrity. He doesn’t get that he’s also drinking and drugging his life away. He’s not made the things that should matter in his life a priority and that’s been really painful for his parents to watch.
They have sacrificed everything for him and he’s taken it for granted. He thinks that he always has a safety net and with that he’s taken his parents for granted. He’s made sure that he’s put himself first and even as his Mom is sick, he’s not made an effort to put her first. He’s more worried about strangers validation and strangers loving and admiring him than he is about the people that matter.
Truth be told, I think that Dex keeps his distance from the world and those who love him, because he doesn’t know how to feel loved and is afraid of giving love and receiving it. I wonder why, but there is probably something that I am missing. I think that because the truth is – his Dad looks like a man who gives so much love, but maybe Dex didn’t feel it? I am not sure.
What I am sure of is that his Dad was right to scream at him and tell him that he should never come back the same way. That he needs to get his shit together. It broke my heart to see that, but it also made me cheer for his parents. They needed to put him on the straight and narrow.
When Dex leaves and he calls Emma, needing her comfort, but Emma is out on a date. Remember Ian, the geeky guy from the restaurant. She went on a date with him and he tells her that he thinks Dex takes her for granted. There’s not really a lie there. Dex does just that.
I do feel bad for Dex in this episode, because it’s a lot for someone to feel unwanted. But I am really hoping that he find way to pull his shit together.
Emma and Dex belong together. I’ll stand by that. Sometimes people just need time to find their way and these two seem to need a lot of time.
One Day is streaming now on Netflix.