Isobel Grieve
If you felt the first three episodes were lacklustre compared to the book, you’ll be pleasantly drawn in by Tracks 4–6, as the action is fast-paced while the story slows down. How so? Well, compared to the rush in Tracks 1–3 to get through the origin story of most characters before the convergence of Daisy Jones and The Six, we’re now deep in the beauty of their messy album conception, the beginning of an artistic affair and the downfall of the greatest band of all time’s comradery.
Instead of drugs, alcohol, and cheating on his wife, Billy Dunne (Sam Claflin) becomes addicted to Daisy Jones (Riley Keough), and it begins to isolate Camille (Camila Morrone) once again. The dynamic between bandmembers Graham Dunne (Will Harrison), Karen (Suki Waterhouse), Eddie Loving (Josh Whitehouse) and Warren (Sebastian Chacon) becomes the true comedic accent to the show.
In the novel, Daisy Jones officially joins The Six after their joint tour when the single “Honeycomb” climbed the charts; in the series, all it takes is one set at an outdoor festival. As much as Daisy Jones joining The Six on stage prematurely and forcing her way into the background of every other song is charming and the beginning of her iconic presence on stage, I am starting to find her arrogance annoying at points. Still, I also admire the confidence she has around men regarding how they view her.
Daisy Jones and the Six Tracks 4–6 escalate the stakes for Daisy’s reckless behaviour; she’s falling off the rails as she’s also falling for Billy. It’s less clear how Billy actually feels about Daisy, there’s a toxic obsession with their artistic dynamic, but his feelings beyond that duo don’t scream love. There is want in Sam Claflin’s eyes when he watches Riley, but it’s also as much disdain and disappointment. I think it’s hard to say how they will portray Billy’s feelings at this point, but I want to commend Sam’s acting throughout these last few episodes.
Camille (Camila Morrone) continues to be the strong woman we all wish we were. She knows her worth and her value, and she communicates with a directness that most people would be scared of. Changing it so that it’s Camille’s photo that captures the dynamic between Billy and Daisy adds so much to the original implications. It makes it all the more complicated and heartbreaking for Camille but also gives her agency in the triangle. The way she uses Eddie for her own kind of revenge is a little unhinged, but I like the drama of the story. I know Billy must have some inclination that Camille went out and got what she wanted from someone else, all in the name of proving her worth and her point to Billy. Showing him how much it hurts, and maybe that’s enough, but I hope the secret gets to Billy at some point; I want to see Eddie and Billy clash for real; I’m tired of the side eye Eddie is giving… I need to see some direct conflict with them.
I don’t like how they’ve portrayed Karen in Episode 4. I think how they’ve written that she needs to see Graham desired by another woman to see him for who he is tragic. It also gave me a serious ick when she shut down Graham’s girlfriend’s taste in music and trapped him between her legs while the girl waited in the driveway. It’s giving pick-me.
In Daisy Jones and The Six tracks 4–6, I don’t think Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber are using Warren to his full potential. He’s certainly portrayed as a dimwitted fun guy who’s along for the ride, but there’s more to his story, and he ends up married to a superstar. I want to see how he manages that. In general, as much as Graham and Karen get their little sidebar romance, and the dynamic between The Six bandmates is funny, in the wake of focusing on Daisy and Billy so much, the other’s stories are passed over when they could heighten the stakes of the story.
The music is still hypnotising. I love “Let Me Down Easy;” they’ve done a great job connecting the songs and lyrics to the story. I think it all complements each other incredibly well. However, so far, we haven’t seen all of the songs shine on a stage, with a crowd and all that comes with that. I think that on-stage dynamic, something we’re all waiting to see, really cracks open the chaos underneath the surface of the Aurora album. With that one glimpse of Daisy on stage with The Six at that festival, we saw what could be, and now I’m desperate to see it all play out. I hope it all lives up to what has been described in the book.
