Dash and Lily recap: Episode 1, ‘Dash’

Dash and Lily Episode 1 starts with Dash’s perspective as he finds a mysterious red notebook full of clues that brighten his Christmas spirit.

Netflix has released its darling new Christmas series, Dash and Lily, based on the book of the same name by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan. In Dash and Lily Episode 1, we’re first introduced, through narration, to the optimistic, holiday-loving Lily (Midori Francis), who doesn’t like the idea of spending Christmas alone. She decides to leave a red notebook with clues and dares at The Strand, in hopes that her perfect match will find it.

Cut to Dash (Austin Abrams), who takes center-stage in the first episode. Dash is a cynical teenager who was previously burnt by his ex-girlfriend Sofia (Keana Marie), during the holidays. Since then, he’s detested the entire season, as it brings back bitter memories. But his spirit brightens substantially when he finds Lily’s notebook while visiting The Strand, one of the few places he genuinely enjoys visiting because they don’t succumb to crazy Christmas cheer.

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When we first meet Dash, he’s walking through the bustling streets of New York City, which is full of carolers and people rushing to get gifts and decorations. Someone runs into him, and then he notices the carolers singing in the background. One of his biggest criticisms of carolers is they get drunk on eggnog and forget the lyrics, although he does hear at least one voice among the group. “At least someone knows the words.”

As a Christmas gift to himself, Dash has told his mother, who is vacationing in Hawaii with her new man, that he’s staying with his father while he’s told his father he’s staying with his mom. That means he gets to spend winter break alone, which is just what Dash wants, or so he claims.

To kick off his break, he visits The Strand and thus finds Lily’s notebook. The first page of clues takes him to various places in the bookstore to find specific words to form a message. At one point, he winds up holding a book called The Joys of Gay Sex, just as his old friend, or acquaintance, Priya (Agneeta Thacker), finds him. Priya was in the same social circle as Sofia, which is how they knew each other. Priya tells him Sofia will be home for the holidays.

Ultimately, Dash completes Lily’s first message, which asks, “Are you going to be alone for Christmas?” It then asks whoever has found the book to return it if they happen to be gay  — hence the book selection (but Lily promises she’s an ally!) and if they’re not a teenage boy. She’s looking for her match, after all!

Since Dash fulfills her requirements, he decides to keep the book and continue playing her game. He plans to find out Lily’s identity with some assistance from his best friend Boomer (Dante Brown), who works at a local pizza parlor/video store. He returns the notebook to The Strand shelf, where he found it and tells Lily to bring it to the pizza place. Then, he and Boomer concoct a plan for him to keep an eye on the shelves for whoever returns the book.

But Lily isn’t so easily fooled. She manages to return the book without Boomer seeing her, and when Dash reads the note, it tells him that he won’t find her until it’s the right time. The next phase asks him if he’s ready to be brave and complete a dare for her. The dare is to go into a department store “Santaland” and steal Santa’s hat, which will reveal her name. Of course, this comes after Lily has learned of Dash’s true feelings toward Christmas — that he hates it. Dash seems to admire what he calls a “sadistic” streak in her.

He also doesn’t mind having an excuse to wreck the Santaland display and achieves his goal of finding the hat. Lily’s name is emblazoned along the side in glitter. “Lily.”

Once revealed, Dash and Lily Episode 1 rewinds to the beginning, where we see things from Lily’s perspective. Remember the person who ran into Dash and the caroler who knew all the words? Guess who? Yes, Lily! So Dash and Lily have already briefly crossed paths. It seems like fate to me!

If you’re looking for a reason to watch Dash and Lily, I say go for it. From the first episode alone, I’m already hooked. Netflix has made a really adorable show that feels perfect for the holidays. I think Collider said it best, calling it “sugary sweet and charming af.”

What did you think of Dash and Lily Episode 1? Will you continue to watch? Let us know your thoughts and opinions in the comments below!

All eight episodes of Dash and Lily Season 1 are now streaming on Netflix.