It’s not every day we see a female character in a period drama who is in a love triangle and diverts from her given trope into becoming the all-consuming asset of the story. What I’m trying to say is that Camila Dunne is an ideal wife and mother who is devoted to her husband, who may be in love with another woman, but none of this defines her. It is so easy to peg women against each other in such a situation and have it lead to savagery and ‘cat fights,’ ah, the favorite of all dramas, but instead, Camila and Daisy never actually hate each other. In fact, there’s an underlying admiration between the characters, which is so rare to see. Unlike her short appearance in the book, in “Daisy Jones & The Six” series, Camila plays a huge role in bringing the band together and in the progress of the series as a whole. From naming the band The Six because of her existence in their lives to the friendship between Karen and her, everything works to make Camila’s story as familiar as Billy’s or Daisy’s. She’s not just a piece of the puzzle that is the love triangle; she makes up one-third of it.
Played absolutely to perfection by Camila Morrone, who is so enigmatic on screen that you can’t help but fall for her character and connect even when you might not have anything in common with her. When Billy asks Camila to join him on the road with no questions asked, she contemplates her fears, but her love wins over. Yes, she leaves everything behind to follow the man she loves so he can achieve his dreams, but she never leaves behind her passion. She’s never sidelined and is as much a part of the band as any of the musicians, as their photographer. Her opinions are vital for the band as well. When Camila gets pregnant, she thinks about what this means for the future of the band, and she’s not immediately overjoyed by this idea as would’ve been expected of her back in the 70s. After all, women were meant to be wives and mothers. Billy, of course, chooses to do the right thing even though he doesn’t realize the weight of it all and later falls under it. But Camila never falters, even when she’s all alone through her pregnancy and after Billy loses his motivation to be the ‘perfect’ man. She wakes him up and gets him out of his pathetic state so he can give her the life that she dreamed of when she left her home.
The last few episodes are nothing short of a rollercoaster of emotions that are majorly on the down low until right at the end, where it is a little bit uplifting. Still, after spending 3/4 of the episodes in tears, it’s impossible to feel any kind of joy at that point. When Daisy sings with Billy for the first time, and the song Honeycomb becomes a sensational hit, Billy is absolutely appalled by the idea that they should do more work together. Leave it up to a man to think that a woman like Daisy couldn’t actually make a huge difference to his music, but I digress. It is Camila who convinces Billy that Daisy is what will change the course of the band and give them the boost they need to be superstars. She seems to be prescient because, along with this, she also foresees a happy ending for Daisy that Daisy had never dreamed of for herself. Rather than being weary of the fact that her daughter wants to be like the woman her husband is deeply in love with, Camila tells Daisy that Julia is obsessed with her. She encourages Daisy to fully accept her stardom and herself as a woman with those words alone. It would’ve been so easy to show her tearing down Daisy for ruining her family, but instead, she clearly sees that Billy is as much to blame as Daisy, if not more.
Camila and Karen share the most beautiful friendship that blooms slowly and wonderfully through the show. Of course, there isn’t much of it we can see on screen, but when we do see it, it’s highly charged and impactful. Although Camila is a mother and sees that as a future for herself, even wanting to extend their family to two children, she understands Karen’s need to be independent. Without so much as a word, when Karen looks upset at the party, Camila immediately knows what’s wrong. As someone who is married to Karen’s boyfriend’s brother, she could’ve been the person to push Karen to leave the band and start a family. But instead, she takes her to the clinic herself for an abortion.
When Camila finally realizes Billy’s love for Daisy, she is devastated, but she never loses sight of what she wants. Daisy sees Camila as the woman that Billy will never leave. Finally, Camila makes the decision to leave because she doesn’t see a better alternative for herself and Jules; she wants Billy and Daisy to be rockstars, but she also doesn’t want a miserable life for herself or for Billy and Daisy. There is still love between Camila and Daisy even after all of this because before Camila dies, she tells Jules to tell Daisy that she is her biggest fan. I think rather than saying Camila alone is a step ahead for women on screen, we could say it’s all the women of “Daisy Jones & The Six.” I could talk about the lack of empowering female friendships in television shows, but I see crumbs and take them as they come. To conclude, Camila Morrone has my heart and is also one of the biggest stars of “Daisy Jones & The Six.”
