July 15th, 1994
Going out for dinner with your friends is supposed to be fun. It’s supposed to be talking and bonding. It’s supposed to be relaxing. But this episode – well this reminded me of why I don’t like dinners all the time. Complicated is not a good time on any level.
For Emma, there’s no part of her life that isn’t complicated in 1994. She’s trying to find a balance – working on what she wants to write, teaching, being with Ian. But the thing is that nothing is really going her way. Ian is an annoyance, writing is meh, and Dex has basically all but disappeared from her life. However, the only thing that was getting her through was that she was looking forward to spending time with Dex.
It’s funny, as when we grow older, even though we don’t spend as much time together, it doesn’t seem to always matter as much. It doesn’t matter because you’ve weeded through friendships and what you’re left with is people who really, really matter. You’re left with the people who are meant to be there.
But that doesn’t mean that friendships are a linear thing. There are ups and downs and ins and outs, and sometimes you are going to have your moments. For Emma, this evening with Dex – she didn’t care about his celebrity. She wanted nothing more than to talk to him about the real things in life and her relationship with Ian.
When you need a friends advice, it takes courage. It takes courage because asking for help is never an easy thing at all. From the moment that Dex and Emma meet up – it’s as if there are two different storylines going on – his and hers. He believes that Emma should be taken with his celebrity and getting them into the most amazing spot in London.
It’s kind of painful to watch Dex think that he’s doing these amazing things by taking her there. He’s more interested in the waitress than he is listening to Emma. She needs him. She wants to talk to him and tell him about things.
But Dex keeps disappearing to the bathroom and TBH, it’s the dinner date from hell. If I was Emma, I would have followed him in and slapped the shit out of him. He would deserve it. As usual though, Emma is better than all of us and doesn’t. She takes his shit, until she can’t take it anymore.
Sometimes, I know, that understanding that your friends need you isn’t easy. It’s a balancing act – one where you are wondering if you are there enough for them and one where you wish that they knew how much you needed them. Sometimes you just outgrow the friendship and Emma realizes that she’s done just that.
When she storms out, I had to cheer. I cheered because I didn’t think that she had it in her. I didn’t think that she would ever walk away from Dex.
But I always knew that she would call him out on his bullshit. So when Emma does just that and tells him all the things that he’s done wrong – you bet your ass I cheered. Dex doesn’t get it and he seems to think that he can manipulate Emma into not saying that their friendship is over. But she doesn’t listen and she does just that.
It may destroy them both, because they love each other. I just think it will be a bit for them to get there.
Even longer now.
But Emma… she did the right thing. It’s just sometimes the right thing is the hardest thing to do.
One Day is streaming now on Netflix.