The last 20 minutes of Daisy Jones & The Six’s premiere are electric

The first three episodes are, for better or worse. Daisy Jones & The SixPrime Video has launched the first Prime Video video. They are all about getting everybody in the correct place, at the right time and with the right mindset.

Before Daisy Jones (played by Riley Keough) meets the Six, she is a free-spirited groupie turned aspiring songwriter in Los Angeles, while they’re a brother-led band from the suburbs of Pittsburgh. Based on the book of the same name, Daisy Jones and the Six will eventually recount the story of the band’s greatest performance — and how they all splintered apart right after it.

Scott Neustadter, Michael H. Weber, and Daisy attempt to create a new identity and a vision of their future. But while the book’s structure could be used for a faster-paced and generally more interesting exposition, the show feels burdened down by trying to keep the book’s format. This is until the final moments of the third episode. These are the only glimpses at how captivating the show can be.

[Ed. note: This post contains some spoilers for the first three episodes of Daisy Jones & The Six, and some book spoilers.]

Photo: Lacey Terrell/Prime Video

Daisy Jones & The Six — the book, not the show — is structured as an oral history, with different characters recounting the same experience from their own point of view to the fictional author. It’s a key part of the story that all comes to a head in the climax, which brings the author into the fold and reveals a crucial twist. It’s a talk-head documentary that attempts to recreate this. However, having the characters summarize what flashbacks just shown is not as compelling as it being able to piece together events from different perspectives. The talking heads aren’t used as effectively as they could be, since they mostly just announce what’s going to happen or summarize what just did, instead of adding more depth to the characters by how they’re saying it.

The first three episodes are all about setting everything up. It becomes boring and repetitive, with little fun. It’s almost a drag — until the end of the third episode, when Daisy Jones and the Six finally meet in a fiery recording session. Tom Wright (Producer) invites Daisy to assist him in tweaking a song by Billy Dunne, Sam Claflin (Frontman). Billy is resistant to the changes Teddy and Daisy propose, since it’s a very personal song to him. Daisy is, however, mostly there for the ride. The two of them clash but eventually give it a try. Billy, who is particularly irritable, insisted that they return to his version. He ignores Daisy when she tries to speak to him. But Daisy just said she was trying to let him know that her voice is good.

Photo: Lacey Terrell/Prime Video

And then Teddy lies that Billy’s mic isn’t working, forcing Billy and Daisy to share a microphone and record. It’s clear that there’s Something going on there — an attraction that is unsaid because Daisy wants to be taken seriously and Billy is trying to turn his life around for his wife and newborn daughter; a respect for the other’s musical skills but reluctance to admit it; and from the majority of the episodes we’ve seen so far, two entirely different paths and musical ambitions. It’s a lot unsaid, and it all goes into the resulting performance, which is nothing short of electric. Hopefully, it’s indicative of where the show goes from here.

The story of Daisy Jones & The Six They can do only so much together. Claflin and Keough have great on-screen chemistry. This is what these characters need to make the story as exciting as it was in the book. The music is a great example of Fleetwood Mac-inspired rock duets and promises many good things in the future. After all, this is a show about one band’s most iconic album; if it fails to deliver on the music, it can only go so far. These three episodes are a bit clunky, but they might be worthwhile if the rest of the series delivers.

These are the three first episodes Daisy Jones & The SixPrime Video is now available, and new episodes are added every Friday.