Hot Takes: ‘Daisy Jones & The Six’ Edition
Image Courtesy: Prime Video
Taylor Jenkins Reid, the mastermind behind it all, how dare you give us that ending? How dare you write one of the best, most layered stories ever created and then make it into one of our now favorite TV series? How DARE you cast Sam Claflin to be one of the most problematic male leads on television but still make us root for him? (sometimes) Oh, we could go on. But we won’t bore you with our complaints and whining about how the DJATS cast has to tour in some way, shape, or form because we can’t stop playing ‘Aurora’ over and over again. It’s NBD; it’s not like the album is going to be in our Spotify Wrapped. Oh god…. it will most definitely be in our Spotify Wrapped, and it’s only April.
The best way to describe Daisy Jones and The Six is a show celebrating unfaithful spouses, jealousy, miscommunication, and drug abuse, all packaged under a little box labeled under ‘rock and roll’. The hit book turned Amazon Prime original gave us an incredible album, complex characters, and beautiful relationships. As the show made its season finale, we’ve had a lot of opinions on how the story panned out from book to screen. It’s rumored to be inspired by different aspects of the famous band Fleetwood Mac, and if you know anything about them, then you know that Jenkins did a pretty good job in doing so. Keep reading to see if you agree or disagree with any of our Hot Takes on the show. If you’re a Billy Dunne hater, you’re welcome here.
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Hot Take # 1
Simone Jackson was one of the most underrated characters despite being the one who was there for Daisy from the beginning. Episode 7 of the series was a Simone-centered one and one of the best-written. But people had much to say about the episode, and a lot of it was negative. Comments such as: “That was the most boring episode” or “That was a waste of an episode” circled around Twitter and other platforms. If your favorite characters are Camilla, Karen, Billy, or any other members of ‘the Six,’ you were out of luck because they were not in this one. Still, it was necessary to build upon Simone’s character and further develop one of the most incredible friendships in the show. It also explored the relationship between two black lesbian women at a time fresh out of the civil rights and gay liberation movements. Simone has had such a demanding career with many setbacks because she is a black woman, but being seen in a lesbian relationship, although arbitrary, is detrimental to her career.
I still wish we had gotten to see more of Simone and Daisy’s friendship, but this episode not only added to Simone’s character but gave us some insight into who Daisy is. Episode 7 gave us one of the most emotional scenes in the show, concluding with Simone telling Daisy, “You are a real selfish b*tch.” And as insane or mean as that may sound, it was precisely what Daisy needed to hear. This scene, pivotal for the show and character, reminds you that the people who genuinely love you will tell you the truth.
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Hot Take #2
Camilla Dunne, the woman that you are. I believe that Camilla is truly the heart of the show. She was there with the band once they started to take themselves seriously, and when The Dunne brothers decided to make the move to L.A., although it took Camilla some time, she ended up leaving her hometown for the man that would be known to be the love of her life. While Billy was going through the toughest moments of his career with drug abuse and addiction, Camilla was right by his side through it all. When we see Daisy being introduced into the band and Billy tries to push her away because deep down he knows (and shows it) how he’s tempted by her, Camilla still encourages Billy to have her join the band because she’s too talented to pass up.
All of this to say, Camilla was seen as ‘weak’ in the show for some reason. I think it all comes from a place of love. Camilla is a character that puts everyone else first before she thinks of herself. She would think of all of the band members, her daughter, and Billy before she ever thought about herself. There were moments on the show where she would break into tears or would be questioning if Billy still loved her but didn’t ever show signs of wanting to leave (until the last episode). Camilla Dunne loved Billy that much.
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Hot Take #3
If you read the book, you’d agree with me when I say Eddie was such an insufferable character. It seemed like he was always complaining about something. But in the show, I have to say I am an Eddie stan. It may be because, as a Leo, he was giving me major Leo energy or because he treated Camilla better than her husband. But Eddie was not taking anything from Billy. Although he was letting things roll off for the band’s sake, he knew his worth. I was heartbroken to see he got one of the worst endings. It made no sense to change from him being a successful producer to a ‘washed up has been.’ Justice for Eddie Roundtree; he deserves better.
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Hot Take #4
Graham and Karen’s storyline is gut-wrenching and extremely sad because of how much they loved each other but in very different ways. I genuinely believe that both Graham and Karen are valid in how they felt regarding the abortion storyline. Contrary to popular belief, I think Graham is in all his right in being upset because he didn’t get the chance to know when Karen was going to do the procedure. Also, Graham having the history that he had with his father and not having a father figure in his life at all. I can only imagine how crushed he must have been when he found out that his opportunity of becoming a father was ended because Karen decided to go through with the procedure.
That being said, I also agree with Karen in going through with the procedure because:
Her body is her choice.
She was honest with him from the start; she never wanted to settle down. Karen always envisioned herself as the ultimate rockstar, and she would do everything she could to achieve that.
Graham never asked her what she wanted. He immediately jumped to conclusions when Karen mentioned she was pregnant, and he was ready to find a new keyboardist to replace Karen. Weird and not fair.
All in all, ‘The 1’, 'Champagne Problems', and ‘Midnight Rain’ by Taylor Swift were written for Graham and Karen’s storyline. If you love this show and you love to feel pain, listen to those songs on repeat. It’s too painfully accurate.
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Hot Take #5
I’d like to come out and say that I was one of the biggest Billy Dunne haters. But, considering how I liked his character in the book, it’s interesting how drastically that changed when we saw how selfish and stubborn he was in the show. Similar to the book, we see how self-centered he is when he joins the band, which was initially his brother’s, and takes over everything. And how he made Eddie move from guitar to bass, or when he missed his daughter’s birth (ok, that one is understandable, but it’s giving pathetic man), or when he led Daisy on and acted like it was all in her head.
Reading the book, I wanted Billy and Daisy to be together; as a sucker for the right person, wrong time trope, I was aching for these two people who were meant to be together. But the show made it clear that Billy didn’t love Daisy in a healthy way; he romanticized her “brokenness.”
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Hot Take #6
Daisy Jones was raised in the type of household where the adults try to not only dim your light but also abandon you when you need them the most. It’s safe to say that she had no one. So when she crosses paths with Billy Dunne and the band, it’s like a miracle fell into her lap. A little family and someone who understood her and saw her for who she was. Doesn’t that sound amazing but also absolutely terrifying? Daisy loved Billy with every fiber of her being, not only because she fell in love with him through the process of writing music but also because she had nowhere else to pour that love into. As I mentioned previously, her parents weren’t great to her. She had no one. Simone, her best friend, moved across the country to progress her career, which left her with the man she couldn’t have—but ultimately ended up loving more than herself.
Miscellaneous Hot Takes
Give us the steamy scene between Camilla and Eddie! We know you have it; thank you, Suki Waterhouse, and we deserve to see it.
Julia is a queen. The mind of a mastermind and the only person that could get the band to open up after all these years.
Warren Rojas, you are the best character in the show. It was nice to see him playing for Daisy on her solo albums.
Billy and Camilla’s marriage was different from the books. We didn’t see how much he truly loved her; instead, they wrote that “love” for Daisy. He and Camilla seemed purely physical and built on obligation rather than love.
Nick was a douchebag, but necessary. Although we wish he were a more fleshed-out character, there was only so much they could do in 10 episodes. And with his time, he helped Daisy understand her worth.
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Morgann Rhule & Maria Paula Gonzales
