From premonitions to the opera to the cusp of the Civil War, the second season of Dickinson had it all.
Let me first admit that I knew of Emily Dickinson but wasn’t familiar with her poetry. After watching the first season when it first streamed, I bought a book about Emily and her poems but of course, I am by no means an expert. From what I can tell, Apple TV+ has been able to pull off presenting what life was like in the 1800s for women, for African-Americans in the North, and everyone else all the while speaking in modern tongue.
While many people have appreciated Bridgerton’s more modern take of a classic time period, to me, Dickinson captures this style better.
Let’s take the music for example. In the first season of Dickinson, we were introduced into Emily’s world with songs by Lizzo, Billie Eilish and dances that featured twerking. The style continues in the second season where I found myself Shazaming multiple times to find out these new tracks being played in a pre-Civil War era.
In regards to Emily, this season concentrated more on her introduction to publisher Samuel Bowles who was prepared to make her famous during her lifetime. In the show, it shows his relationship with Emily, Sue and others in a not so positive light. After a quick Google search, I learned that Bowles and Dickinson were lifelong friends. So perhaps, this will not be last we see of him.
Meanwhile, Austin wants to start a family while Sue remains quiet about her recent miscarriage. Instead, she puts her efforts in being a woman of society, buying a new dress for every party, denying her feelings of grief for her recent loss and denying her romantic feelings for Emily. Austin in turn, decides he wants to do more with his life and struggles to remain faithful to Sue. Spoiler alert, Austin eventually will stray and I for one, am looking forward to the introduction of his mistress.
Lavinia finally finds a boy who wants to marry her and is about to fulfill her lifelong dream of being her mother’s mini me. But if you know anything about the Dickinson family, only Austin married while the sisters never did. In this show though, Lavinia is portrayed as a woman ahead of her time, wanting an open relationship, having her independence and realizing that she really isn’t her mother’s mini me after all
As the Dickinson family is moving forward, so is the abolitionist movement. We see Henry, Hattie and other African-Americans of the North prepare an underground abolitionist journal. This causes strife between Henry and his family who are worried for their safety while feeling that they must do something to save their people in the South.
Highs:
+ Emily gets a taste of fame, which she finds that she does not want.
+ August and Sue realize marriage is not all that it is cracked up to be.
+ The golden dress that Sue only wears once is worn by Hattie.
+ The African-Americans of the north prepare for a civil war.
+ Emily (and possibly her father?) have permissions on what destruction lies ahead. For a show about the lives of people that happened 200 years ago, it was a nice cliffhanger to see what their visions may mean later in season 3.
+The mention of creating podcasts and Blue Apron.
Lows:
– Not enough of Wiz Khalifa as Death (We only get to see him once? We only get to see Emily all dolled up in that gorgeous red dress and lipstick once? Rude.)
So there you have it, a very short recap to another excellent season of Dickinson. Now excuse me as I go binge-watch the entire two seasons, again.
