The only Ghost I ever saw
Episode 3 of Dickinson Season 2 begins with Anna and Clara causing problems in church for Mrs. Dickinson while Emily finds herself troubled by what she experienced last episode. Given she keeps seeing the ghostly apparition everywhere, Emily eventually leaves church and speaks to Sue outside about Sam. Sam wants to publish her poems but Emily is having second thoughts; she’s not sure whether this is what she wants or not. Desperate for help, Emily decides to seek out spiritual help. Along with Lavinia, they settle on doing a séance. Emily arrives at the shed, intending to find some candles, interrupting Henry who’s in the midst of a heated argument with Betty. It turns out Henry’s been writing about “The Political Power of Slave Masters.” but going under an anonymous name to publish his work. He’s the prime candidate for Emily to talk about writing too, and tells Emily that if he could he’d put his name down on the work. Anyway, Emily recruits Hattie and the two troublesome girls to join in their séance. There, the girls discuss the patriarchal nature of weddings and how it’s designed intentionally for men to rule them. After this, Emily eventually speak to the spirits and ask whether she should seek fame or not. After some initial meowing, all the items in the living room start moving as the lights shut off. Emily finally sees the spiritual ghost of “Nobody” who begins reciting poetry in front of her. Suddenly, he collapses on the ground following a ghostly gunshot. Seeing a paper note on the ground is enough for Emily to make her decision. With Sam Bowles in the parlor, Emily heads in and tells him she’s happy to be published. However, Sam has a whole stack of other papers to get through first before considering publishing her poems. It’s a first step at least but one that still sees Emily in the dark about her future.
The Episode Review
Dickinson rounds out its trio of episodes today with some busywork séance summoning and Emily’s confliction over whether she should get published or not. It seems like this is going to be the crux of drama this season with the various supporting characters going through the motions and conducting different sub-plots of their own. Mrs Dickinson exploring her own sexuality and role in life for example, looks to be a recurring theme while Sue and Emily’s will they/won’t they chemistry is blurred with the arrival of Sam Bowles. Still, if you’re a fan of this sort of anachronistic teen period drama, Dickinson looks set to deliver more of the same over the coming weeks.
