I binge-watched The One (based on the 2018 novel of the same name by John Marss) the past two nights on Netflix and very much enjoyed the series. It’s a science fiction/detective hybrid, a genre mix that goes back at least as far as Isaac Asimov’s robot novels, and I’ve tried my hand at myself with the Phil D’Amato forensic detective series. The One does a good job of it.
The premise of The One -- that DNA profiles with sufficient detail and ubiquity can help you find your one true reciprocal love, resulting in irresistible mutual attraction if and when you meet -- is certainly appealing and provocative, and something which Sergio Pistoi who wrote DNA Nation would think is not implausible in the not too distant future. It surely seems not beyond the realm of scientific possibility, which is the sine qua non of science fiction versus fantasy.
But plausibility does mean free from wrenching complications, and therein lies the fun of The One. What happens when someone in a happily married couple finds his DNA “match” is not his wife? If a brother and sister have close genetic predisposition in the right ways, will sometime who is powerfully attracted to one sibling feel the same about the other? (Right, the matches that turn up in The One are not only hetereosexual.)
And there’s not just personal heartbreak but cutthroat corporate intrigue and murder at play in this volatile situation, which is where the police detective, Brit-style, comes in. Kate Saunders, a tough and smart detective who has found a surprising true match herself, is one of the better flawed heroes we’ve seen on the screen of late. She's well-played by Zoe Tapper, as is Rebecca Webb, CEO of the mega-corp that runs the DNA dating app, by Hannah Ware.
There are some weaknesses in the plot, such as why some people are a little better at resisting their perfect matches than are others, which is never quite explained. But if the mix of biological science fiction, high terrain corporate intrigue, and good old murder investigation is your cup of tea, I recommend a nice long sip of The One.
"DNA is the ultimate dossier"
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