1/8/2021
Hailee Steinfeld returns as the celebrated poetess in Apple TV+'s arch multi-hyphenate series.
Dickinson is a study of genius. Not necessarily the individual genius of its protagonist, virtuosa poet Emily Dickinson, but the cultural constructs of genius and all the jubilation and despair associated with possessing that kind of talent. The magical realist antebellum dramedy speckles its story with Dickinson's writing, of course — artful chyrons here, lyrical recitations there — but
Dickinson is more interested in grappling with young Emily's process than her output.
Throughout the first and second seasons, she encounters a number of eminent artists, such as Louisa May Alcott (Zosia Mamet) and landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted (Timothy Simons), who briefly mentor her, sharing trade wisdom or warning her of the dysphoria of fame. They can only do so much: Emily may not always feel in control of the words that pulse through her, but it is ultimately within her power to select her audiences. Can genius flower in the dark?