Dickinson Review: Forever – is composed of Nows (Season 2 Episode 7)

Dickinson Season 2 Episode 7, “Forever – is composed of Nows,” leans into Dickinson‘s comedic, irreverent tones, and is a dramatic turnaround from the night at the opera. In many ways, it’s reminiscent of Season 1’s style yet maintains the strong, clear plotting we’ve seen all of Season 2.

Emily (Hailee Steinfeld) is still cycling through feelings of panic and longing, obsessing over Sam (Finn Jones) and what she believes is her lost opportunity to be published. It’s altogether frustrating (like, c’mon, Em, did you get nothing from the Sue vision and your conversation with Adelaide on the last episode?) but ultimately understandable.

It’s easy to forget that while this is a show about one of the greatest poets of all time, the Emily at the center of this story is very much coming-of-age.

While her writing shows great depth and passion, like any young person, Emily feels everything all at once, and feels it deeply. Plus, like any teenager, she wants more than what she’s got, even if it’s ultimately not what’s best for her.

Keeping all of that in mind, it’s easier to empathize with some of her spiraling, even though as an adult — and a viewer — it seems so obvious to me at this point that Sam, and everything associated with him, is not good for Emily. At Emily’s age though, did I necessarily see things so clearly? I absolutely did not and had plenty of my own starts and stumbles.

Fortunately, while Emily’s experiencing a rough patch, and to some extent, regressing, the other Dickinson women are growing. There’s no way the conversations Emily has with Vinnie (Anna Baryshnikov) or elder Emily (Jane Krakowski) could have happened last season. Those characters, and by extension, those relationships, have completely transformed.

Seeing the development of those familial relationships has been one of the highlights of the series thus far, and the scene between both Emilys is one of my favorites the entire season. It seamlessly transitions from the things that make Dickinson…well Dickinson, shifting from the absurdity of the spa cocoons to the poignant honesty between mother and daughter.

In truth, all of the antics surrounding the spa are delightful, serving as a send-up of modern-day self-care culture. To be clear, I appreciate a spa day but so often we distort what self-care is (and quite frankly, some of the things we do to ourselves in the quest for relaxation or beauty are objectively absurd if we think about them too much).

It’s telling that what actually makes Emily feel better isn’t a result of any of her water cure treatments; it’s conversations with people who affirm her worth and remind her of who she she is at her core, since she’s feeling disconnected from both of those things.

What we consider self care may help your pores, but it won’t help your soul.

As with so many feelings when you’re young, Emily’s centeredness doesn’t last. Upheaval comes quickly, and everything — from the lighting to how the last scene is scored and blocked — telegraphs “DANGER: DO NOT DO THIS” as Emily hands over all of her poems to Sam.

This is akin to handing over her heart and all of her secrets. The show builds the anxiety of this moment up brilliantly, so much so that I’m genuinely concerned for how bad the fallout of this choice will be.

The other storyline I’m heavily anticipating is the lead-up to the Civil War and Henry’s newspaper, a plot that runs parallel to Emily’s own quest for publication. While Emily’s desire for publication is rooted more in self-interest, Henry’s work is a matter of survival; his words and the words of his co-authors could lead to real change.

This season, Dickinson has had a moment on almost each episode introducing us to a facet or leader of the movement for emancipation.

From a narrative standpoint, I understand why we’ve only gotten glimpses thus far, but I’m eager for the show to dig into this completely. I don’t think they’d ever turn over an entire episode to the storyline, but the time has come for this to get a bigger chunk of Dickinson‘s run time.

Overall, Season 2 hasn’t had many missteps, and this episode, while a departure from its predecessor, is strong. But much like Emily, I want more.

Stray observations:

• Is Sue (Ella Hunt) seeing someone on the side? There have been been a number of moments (albeit brief) throughout the season that suggest she’s not totally faithful to Austin, and this could help explain the growing distance between her and Emily. Sue has seemed checked out of that relationship all season, a far cry from the Dream Sue we see in “Split the lark” or the Sue of Season 1. Sue is fairly unwilling or unable to be Emily’s vessel for all of her feelings, and the show must be building towards helping us understand why.
• Anyone else catch that brilliant Oregon Trail bit with George? Few things give me as much nostalgic joy as caulking a wagon or hearing about a loved one getting dysentery.
• We should try to incorporate the term “spiritual measles” into our regular, everyday lingo. I can think of quite a few people in my life who have this affliction. Present company included.
• I could watch hours of footage of Jane Krakowski subtly reacting to being hit with (eucalyptus?) leaves. Or the bloopers. I’ll take whatever you’ll dish out, Dickinson.

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Dickinson is available to stream on Apple TV+. New episodes premiere on the service on Fridays. 

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