Warning! SPOILERS for Daisy Jones & The Six episodes 7 & 8 ahead.Simone was always central to Daisy Jones & The Six, but the rock drama’s TV show additions actually make her story better. While Taylor Jenkins Reid’s book of the same name quickly established Simone Jackson as the most important person in Daisy Jones’ life, Amazon's Daisy Jones & The Six miniseries goes further, focusing on Simone’s own path to musical success. Indeed, Daisy Jones & The Six episode 1 sees Daisy and Simone both struggling to decide which direction to take to succeed in making their own music, with Simone only slightly ahead of Daisy when they first meet.
Although Amazon’s Daisy Jones & The Six shows Daisy and Simone on the cusp of making a name for themselves in the music industry, Simone was already far more successful when Daisy met her in the original story. The Daisy Jones & The Six book had Simone doing world tours by the time Daisy hired a manager and signed with a label for her solo album, justifying their time apart. Still, even with Simone already established as a disco star in Reid’s book, her future self’s input in the interviews was always focused largely on Daisy, whereas the miniseries rightfully decides to shine a light on Simone’s story specifically.
Daisy Jones & The Six Proves Simone Is More Than Just Daisy's Family
Simone was Daisy’s only champion at the start of Reid’s Daisy Jones & The Six. When her parents ignored whether Daisy was still living at their place and were generally uninterested in Daisy’s life, Simone effectively took Daisy in as a teenager, being the only one to cheer Daisy at her graduation and becoming involved with helping her achieve her songwriting dreams. However, even if Simone’s support of Daisy was clearly invaluable, Simone’s story in the book only ever tackled her relationship with Daisy.
Instead Daisy Jones & The Six on Amazon chooses to focus just as much on Simone’s own problems as it does Simone and Daisy’s relationship. Daisy Jones & The Six episode 4’s reveal that the producer who sexually harassed Simone punished her by using her voice without crediting Simone in The Chanterelles’ song perfectly exemplifies how the miniseries centers on Simone’s story. This way, Daisy Jones & The Six allows audiences to see Daisy as a supportive friend instead of only showing Simone supporting Daisy, as Reid’s book does, while also recounting Simone’s struggles before becoming a disco star.
Simone & Bernie's Romance Also Lets Simone's Personal Life Be The Focus
Simone’s presence in Reid’s Daisy Jones & The Six only ever showed a different side of Daisy compared to that of the Six and the people in the industry at the time, but the Amazon rock drama’s choice to focus on Simone’s story goes much further. Daisy Jones & The Six changing Simone by introducing her relationship with Bernie is important because it gives the rock drama more LGBTQIA+ representation that was not truly present in the novel. This offers a more personal perspective on Simone than the book, which only focused on her as a disco star.
Simone’s commitment to making it as a singer is evident in Amazon’s Daisy Jones & The Six, whether her future would have eventually brought her to become a disco pioneer or not. However, since Reid’s book only showed Simone’s monumentally important career, Amazon’s Daisy Jones & The Six choosing to show a beautiful queer romance blossoming between Bernie and Simone, as well as focusing on their working partnership, makes it even more special. This way, Daisy Jones & The Six grants Simone the chance to be perceived as a multidimensional character more than in the book.
Simone's Daisy Jones & The Six Changes Make Her Story Feel More Real
Amazon's Daisy Jones & The Six changes makes Simone’s story more believable. Reid’s novel often stated how LA was the place to be in the 1970s if someone wanted to make it as a rock star. However, Simone already being a renowned disco artist would not conform to the story of how Daisy and Simone met in Daisy Jones & The Six, making Simone taking Daisy in much more improbable, no matter how known Daisy was on the Sunset Strip. Making Daisy and Simone meet while they are both trying to have their songs published makes their story more believable.
The Daisy Jones & The Six interviews in the book were always supposed to tell the true story of the rise and fall of Daisy Jones & The Six as a band. Everything the readers learn about Daisy Jones & The Six and those close to them was filtered through their words as they retold what happened in the past. Instead, Amazon’s Daisy Jones & The Six focuses just as much on showing what happened in the 1970s, making it more realistic for Simone’s story to be the focus, even when it does not strictly relate to Daisy’s story, all the while making Simone’s journey more rewarding and interesting.