'Cherish the Day' Episode 1 Review: Ava DuVernay's new OWN series masterfully explores black love
The opening moments of Oprah Winfrey Network's (OWN) 'Cherish the Day' from Ava DuVernay (creator of 'When They See Us') does not shy away from showing the viewers what the anthology series will be about — black love.
We see both leads of the show, Gently James (Xosha Roquemore) and Evan Fisher (Alano Miller), having intimate moments, albeit not with each other — since they have not met yet. Once their respective one-night stands are over, we see both of them going back to their respective lives.
Evan comes from a privileged background — he went to Stanford and he works as a programmer with a major tech company. Gently, on the other hand, comes from a different background. Her father was killed on the streets when she was a child and she now works as a live-in caretaker for Miss Luma Lee Langston (Cicely Tyson), a former actress.
Evan and Gently run into each other at a local library when she tries to return Miss Luma's overdue books. Evan takes note of her name and finds her on Instagram. He is also quick to DM her to ask her for a date.
Right from the start, the viewers can see the attraction between the two. Sometimes the conversations might feel like exposition, but much like 'Before Sunrise' (starring Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy), these conversations flow smoothly.
Another movie 'Cherish the Day' could remind viewers of is 'One Day', which stars Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess. However, by examining black love, DuVernay brings in the issues that affect that section of the population — something viewers would not see in 'One Day' and 'Before Sunrise'.
Roquemore and Miller have great chemistry as both Gently and Evan pull the viewers into their lives. And like all relationships, theirs is quite messy too but 'Cherish the Day' manages to keep it as real as possible.
The next episode of 'Cherish the Day' will air on February 12 at 8/9c.
