Written By: Samantha Stemmer
Have you ever found yourself, after enjoying an episode of “Black Mirror”, wanting more? Have you ever thought, “the concept of this episode could be made into a whole series?” Well Netflix’s new series “The One” might be what you have been waiting for. “The One” which stars Hannah Ware as the series eight-episode lead was created by Howard Overman and debuted on Netflix on March 12, 2021. The sci-fi drama is just realistic enough to make you question if it could happen in real life, the same way “Black Mirror” does.
“The One,” based on the book by John Marrs, provides a solution to singles scrolling though dating apps, going on endless bad dates, and relationships that just do not work. CEO and founder of the app, The One, Rebecca Webb, played by Hannah Ware, discovered a way to match peoples DNA with their one true soulmate referred to as your “match.” While this may seem like a fairy tale to some, as the show progresses, viewers quickly see the repercussions that follow.
There are four main storylines that the show covers throughout the eight episodes. The first storyline follows Rebecca Webb in present day and what is unfolding as detectives discover a body in Thames River and suspect Rebecca has some connection to it. The second storyline is set in the past as Rebecca and her friend James discover the science to creating the matching technology. Thirdly, viewers follow the story of one of the detectives, Kate, as she meets her match. Finally, the last storyline is about a couple who is happily married but the wife decides to find out who her husband’s match is. The four storylines can result in a drastic change of tone in the show and ruin the flow, for example, one minute you’re enjoying a murder mystery and the next you’re watching the demise of a marriage.
(James Pardon/Netflix)
While all of the storylines are interesting in their respective ways, there is not enough time with each of them to truly feel satisfied. It seems that the writers were overly ambitious and might have had better success focusing on only one or two of the storylines provided. There was also a lot of lost potential with the lack of exploration of the sci-fi elements of the show that comparative series, “Black Mirror,” always seems to do so well. The show does however leave viewers wanting more and hoping for a second season as it wraps the final episode on a cliffhanger.
If you are searching for a binge worthy show that is not a huge commitment, I would recommend giving “The One” a shot. You are definitely going to have to focus while watching not to miss any plot points of the different storylines, but after the first few episodes you should be drawn in. If you decide to give this series a watch, let us at The Vision Room know what you think and if you would find out who your match is?