The season finale of Daisy Jones & The Six has aired on Prime Video, which means there’s a lot to dissect about the series and how it differs from its book counterpart by Taylor Jenkins Reid.
Where’s Pete?
The great Pete debacle was settled after the show premiered. Chuck is a member of The Six, but he’s drafted to Cambodia to fight in the Vietnam war where he unfortunately passes away. In the series, he leaves the band to pursue Dental school.
Eddie is not an original member of the band, his brother Pete is. But on the show, Eddie is a combination of himself and Pete and his last name is changed to Roundtree from Loving. Once Chuck leaves, Billy forces Eddie to play bass until they can find someone else (they never do).
Meet Teddy Price
The Six’s meeting with Teddy Price is a bit more unconventional in the series as opposed to him watching their set in a club. At first, the band asks for a meeting with Teddy which Rod scoffs at sitting poolside. Eventually, Billy runs into Teddy (who is American, not British) at a convenience store and asks him to check out their band.
How Daisy Joins The Six
Unlike the book, Daisy doesn’t record her debut album First in the series at all. She was working on songs but nothing that the label wanted. So, one night at Teddy’s house, he’s playing “Honeycomb” lightly in the background. When she hears it she asks who is singing and Teddy asks her what she’d do to the song. She goes home and writes her version of the song and presents it to Billy and Teddy in the studio.
After recording the song (which features virtually none of the same lyrics as the book) they play the Diamond Head Festival in Hawaii. Daisy is scheduled to perform “Honeycomb” with them but after the label sees how they perform onstage together, she ends up staying a lot longer. This erases Daisy opening up for The Six on their tour and singing an acoustic song with Eddie that Jonah Berg (the Rolling Stone reporter) covers, insisting she belonged in the band full-time. Instead, Camila convinces Daisy to join after she attends their housewarming party. As long as Daisy takes care of them, they’ll take care of her; they’re a family.
Camila and Billy’s Meet-Cute
Camila and Billy’s chance meeting doesn’t go exactly how it does in the series. Instead of meeting at the local laundromat, Billy spots her working at the bar at a wedding gig The Six are working. The series keeps his cheesy pickup line, “If you give me your number, I’ll write a song about you.”
That’s not the only big change between them. In the book, Camila turns down Billy’s offer to go to California where the band will pursue music. That much is intact. However, where it differs is when Camila decides to actually tag along. The band is long gone in the book when Camila makes the trek out to California. She’s restless without Billy and it isn’t until he calls her to let her know they get a record deal with Runner Records and propose does she go. In the series, Camila changes her mind fairly quickly and can go with them on their trip, taking care of them every step of the way.
Daisy Has a Daughter and The Series is Sans Twins
In the book, Daisy adopts two boys. However, this facet is changed in the series. Instead, Daisy has a daughter which makes the story that much more enthralling. Because there’s so much emphasis on Daisy’s upbringing and not having the mother she deserved growing up, she can be that woman for her daughter. “Dream bigger, little bird.”
Additionally, Billy and Camila never end up having the twins. At least, they’re never shown or mentioned. With the time frame getting smaller (down 20 years from 35), it makes sense why they wouldn’t have, with all the turmoil dealing with their marriage, Billy’s relapse, and Camila’s sickness. They talk about wanting to try for more, but it’s a pretty fleeting moment between them.
BillyDaisy’s Reunion
Reid ends the novel with no indication that Billy and Daisy reunited, rather, it’s left to interpretation by the reader. But in the last few seconds of the finale episode, Billy appears outside Daisy’s door and she opens it. They smile at each other.
Camila’s Message to Billy (and Daisy)
In the book, Camila writes a letter to her daughters explaining what she wants them to do once their father is ready. In the show, her message is received via video, making it far more impactful on the viewers at home. Now that the two have healed and grown as people, they can re-enter each other’s lives and give Camila that song they promised. Morrone’s delivery in these final moments encapsulates why Camila Dunne will always be one of the best characters in the Daisy Jones & The Six universe.
Karen and Graham’s Secret Relationship
In the show, it’s Graham who makes the first move on Karen. Various parties know of their secret and Camila is the one that tells him he should let her know how he feels. He kisses her and she laughs at first, saving it by saying she was caught off guard. She ends up walking off but later realizes her true feelings for him after watching him interact with Caroline (Olivia Rose Keegan). They talk about it and she just didn’t want to be seen any differently for dating a member of the band she’s in. Karen is the one to make the move in the book, asking Graham over the phone why he hasn’t made a move yet.
Camila and Eddie
The book implies that Camila may have had an affair with an old flame, but it’s amped up on the show. Eddie had always had a crush on Camila but could never act on it because Billy quickly entered her life. He’d known her since they were kids and it was “impossible” not to fall in love with Camila. Once Camila suspects Billy of keeping secrets with Daisy, not to mention the confirmed infidelity when she caught him cheating, she has a secret affair with Eddie. It’s implied that it was only one night, as she runs into Eddie at a party where he ditches the girl he was with for Camila, “I’ll choose you over anyone.” Swoon.
Warren’s Name Change
There’s a lot more inclusivity in the series, namely Simone being queer and Warren being Latino. In the book Warren’s last name is Rhoades and there’s no indication that he’s of Latin descent at all; Camila is the only confirmed Latin character. Chacon, who plays Warren Rojas in the series, wanted to bring his own heritage to the character.
Billy Kisses Daisy
This is an addition that doesn’t happen in the book like, at all. Billy continuously fights his temptations, desperate to be the father and husband Camila needs. Daisy attempts to kiss him in the book but Billy shuts her down. However, in this scenario, in order to get Daisy to sing “More Fun To Miss” she wants him to tell her he doesn’t have feelings for her and if he can prove that she’ll go sing the song. Billy kisses her instead. In the finale, it’s Daisy who shuts a drunken Billy down after a brief make-out session noting that this isn’t who he is.
Teddy’s Death
Teddy’s death in the novel is the catalyst for Billy and Daisy relapsing. However, these events are pushed forward, long after Billy and Daisy went to rehab. He died over a soundboard doing what he loved, making music. In the series, it’s clear that Billy wants to get sober for Camila, promising her he will work for their relationship.
The Split
The events of the band’s split are far more complicated on screen than in the book. It’s only after Billy and Daisy leave to go to rehab that the band can no longer continue. On-screen, Eddie is the first to leave the band after a long-standing grudge against Billy (“I’m tired of feeling like a second-class citizen in a first-class resort.”)
Furthermore, Camila is the one that gets Daisy to go to rehab and get help, not Simone. After the Chicago show, it’s clear at some point (possibly over brunch earlier that day) that Simone and Daisy had discussed her getting help. Simone promises that nobody will find out about it. However, in Reid’s novel, Camila goes to Daisy to let her know the truth. “… So if you’re waiting around, hoping that something’s going to crack, I just… I have to tell you that it’s not gonna be me. And I can’t let it be Billy. Which means it’s gonna be you.”
Simone’s Queerness
There’s also never an indication in the book that Simone could be queer, but in the series, it’s explicitly stated. In fact, readers don’t learn a ton about Simone outside of her helping spearhead the Disco movement and being Daisy’s best friend. There are moments between her and Bernie (Ayesha Harris), but Reid never goes into detail about Simone’s sexuality. Though Bernie wants to show Simone off to the world, Simone is a lot more reserved, as her record label thinks it’s best if she stays closeted. Unfortunately, these issues were true to life, especially for Black queer artists. She essentially gives them the middle finger though, choosing love over fame.
All 10 episodes of Daisy Jones & The Six are available to stream now on Prime Video.
