Dash & Lily - First Season

Imagine this.

You're in your favorite bookstore,

scanning the shelf where your favorite books reside,

and there…

nestled between the familiar spines sits a red notebook.

Imagine you're in New York and it's Christmas.

You're surrounded by people, by possibility…

and the hope that, somewhere in the city,

is that one person that's meant for you.

You just have to find them.

How do you do that?

It all depends on the kind of person you are.

It's the most detestable time of the year.

The forced cheer, frenzied crowds.

The carolers who've had so much eggnog they've forgotten the words.

And, of course, the couples naive enough to mistake

holiday spirit for being in love.

I made that mistake once, too.

Never again.

Hey!

-Season's greetings! -Oh, come on, tinsel?

The emoji industry has yet to create an icon

to represent one's feelings about being cast aside

by their divorced mother so that she can spend Christmas in Hawaii.

That'd be huge in New York.

Well, at least someone knows the words.

There is one refuge from the holiday hordes.

Some bookstores think they need to host a cookie-making class

in order to sell you some Proust.

Not the Strand.

Hey, this was mis-shelved.

Gabriel García Márquez should be under G for García, not M for Márquez.

And, also, this is biography. It's not fiction. So…

Thanks.

Hey, kid, if you ever wanna work here…

I'll remember this.

Hey, this was also in the wrong section, so…

Do you dare?

I've left some clues for you. If you want them, turn the page.

If you don't, put the book back on the shelf.

So, you've chosen to play. A revealing choice.

Shall we begin?

A coded message. You can decipher it with the right books.

But only if you can find them.

Your first clue requires some heavy reading.

Look for French pianism.

What the hell is French pianism?

Oh, and if you need to use your phone, don't bother playing.

French pianism.

I'm not telling you anything.

But this is the information desk.

Are you not obligated to, like, give me some information?

Look, if this is about earlier, I… apologize.

I know you would never mis-shelve a book.

I don't understand. Did I wrong you?

Did I buy you a James Patterson book for Christmas,

or are you taking pleasure from my suffering?

- Could you tell me the section-- - I'm not allowed.

I promised her I wouldn't discuss anything related to that.

But since you asked, there's a little pleasure.

You said "her."

- No, I didn't. - Yes, you did.

You said "her." She's a her, and she is testing my knowledge of the Strand.

Thank you for your help.

I didn't help you.

Okay, Clue Girl.

If this is how you want to play it…

…game on.

Pianism as in piano, but there's nothing in the music section,

unless…

heavy reading.

It's a code. Page 88, seventh line, second word.

Are you…

Am I what?

Let's make this harder. Fat Hoochie Prom Queen.

Obviously YA, obviously pink.

Yes.

Your next book isn't a Christmas story,

but Santa does show up to hand out weapons.

Now, presuming you read this as a child, what bothered you about this scene?

That's easy. Why is jolly St. Nick giving an eight-year-old a knife?

If you said Santa Claus arming an eight-year-old,

this can go on.

Your next clue is inside the most popular title

in Sex and Sexuality.

Dash?

Priya.

-Hey. -I didn't know you were in town.

She wouldn't, because we're not friends.

No one's in town. Everyone's off in Bora Bora…

Oh, sure,

back when I dated her best friend, we shared a social circle.

Now we don't.

…about their presents this year. That's why I'm here.

I'm trying to find a present for my little sister. She's into fantasy.

Yeah, I remember, at your party last year, she challenged me to a duel.

About this year, um… I'm… I'm sorry I didn't invite you.

I just… I thought it would be weird, you know, but since you're in town,

you should totally still come. It's on Christmas Eve.

Thanks, but my dad's taking me to Sweden tomorrow.

- Sweden. - Yeah.

It's supposed to be beautiful in December. All those long Swedish nights.

Right.

Well, that's too bad.

Sofia's coming.

-Sofia's back? -Yeah, just for the holidays.

Anything she should, uh, know?

Tell her I'm trying new things.

Okay.

Hey, wait, Priya, um… Here. For your sister.

I have a feeling she'd like it. It's fantasy for kids with weapons.

Merry Christmas.

The fact you were willing to stand in the Strand

with The Joy of Gay Sex bodes well for our future.

However, a few rules.

If you are not a teenage boy, please return the notebook to the shelf.

if you have use for the manual in your hand, I completely support that.

Love is a spectrum, but if girls aren't on yours,

please return the notebook to the shelf.

And finally, if you've made it this far, you're obviously clever,

but I want to know…

are you brave?

Hello.

Um, sorry to interrupt your browsing,

um, but I have been asked to share a dramatic reading.

Um…

And apologies to Joni Mitchell.

Um…

"It's coming on Christmas." Um…

"They're cutting down trees,

putting up reindeer, singing songs of joy and peace.

Oh, I wish I had a river

that I could skate away on."

"But it don't snow here…"

Maybe you thought this would scare me off.

But I love this song, and if you chose it, that means you love it, too.

"…crazy scene…"

Are you here now?

Did you turn up to see if I had the guts to follow through?

"Oh, I wish I had a river. I'm so hard to handle."

"I'm selfish, and I'm sad."

"And now I've gone and lost the best baby I've ever had."

"Oh, I wish I had a river to skate away on."

"It's coming on Christmas."

-Whoa! Hey, hey. -I'm putting you out of your misery.

What are you doing? It's not the end of the song.

Got what you needed.

The last two words of the message?

You just said them.

Are you going to be lonely on Christmas?

So, here we are. What happens next is up to you.