“Dickinson” Series Finale ‘This was a Poet –‘ Recap: A New Dress For a New Kind of Poetry

By Dani On Dec 23, 2021

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In Dickinson‘s sunsetting series finale, “This was a Poet –“, Emily Dickinson (Hailee Steinfeld) is inspired by a visit with Death (Wiz Khalifa) in her lively flower garden to rid herself of all past constraints and make a uniform fit for the prolific and profound poet that she is and will be centuries from now.

You Need a Uniform | Death pays Emily a visit while she tends to her springtime garden. He arrives in a dapper, white suit wearing a top hat and all. In the eyes of Emily, the color white symbolizes passion, which is clearly what has been resurrected in Death. Death foreshadows to Emily that time is limited for her to produce the hundreds of more poems she has to write. “You got work to do, Miss Dickinson. You need a uniform,” Death tells her. With that, Emily is inspired to reconsider her usual dress attire.

A Dress to Live In | Back at the Dickinson homestead, Emily struggles to remove her dress. She intends of sitting down for the day and write, but she insists on getting out of a corset and into something she can actually breathe in. After fumbling to unbutton the back of her dress, Emily asks her sister Lavinia (Anna Baryshnikov) for help. The exercise of undressing and the inability to dress and undress by herself confirms Emily’s desire to create a new uniform for herself as Death suggested.

Coincidentally, Betty (Amanda Warren), the talented Amherst seamstress, comes to see Emily and show her appreciation for Emily’s attempt to provide her hope while she’s needed it most. Before Betty leaves, Emily asks her to help her design a dress that she can write and “live in”. Betty happily takes the challenge of the unique design that Emily describes.

The ending result is a seamless, non-fitted white dress with buttons down the front and a pocket to carry her pencil and scraps of paper. This will be the dress that she chooses to wear as she walks the Earth and other ethereal places of the mind – her poet’s uniform.

A Family Mended | Austin (Adrian Blake Enscoe), Sue (Ella Hunt), and their unnamed son stroll over to the Dickinson home from next door to make amends with Mr. and Mrs. Dickinson (Jane Krakowski) and share some important news. First, Austin asks Mr. Dickinson (Toby Huss) to partner with him for a legal case in which they’d represent men who were wrongfully accused of kidnapping and assault for saving their young sister Angeline from being sold to slavery.

Mr. Dickinson agrees to partner with Austin, a surprising move given Mr. Dickinson’s “stodgy Whiggishness”. The second bit of news that Austin and Sue bring is that they have finally decided on a name for their baby boy – Edward, after Austin’s father.

An Unexpected Guest | Little does Emily know that while Betty and she are creating her poet’s uniform, Colonel Thomas Wentworth Higginson (Gabriel Ebert) has shown up at her doorstep to meet her and thank her for her letters and poems. Higginson describes her words as a “balm… amid the anguish of war.”

When Maggie (Darlene Hunt) informs Emily of her guest, she dismisses the opportunity to meet her unexpected guest. For Emily, it is too soon to meet him. She has much to write before she is ready to come face to face with her mentor. Emily tells Maggy to request that Higginson visit another time.

During Higginson’s visit, he delivers Betty a collection of letters that Henry wrote to her and their daughter along with the news that Henry is alive. These letters and the news that Henry is living are all Betty had been hoping for. Her heart rejoices!

Forevermore That Bitch | While Emily has rejected Higginson’s request to meet her, Sue takes it upon herself to make sure Higginson is well taken care of during his visit with the Dickinson family. Sue understands how important Higginson’s presence is in Emily’s life and her future legacy as a poet.

Mrs. Dickinson couldn’t be happier when Sue quotes the suggestions of “The Frugal Housewife”, a book that Mrs. Dickinson had gifted her when Austin proposed to Sue. “Susan Gilbert, you really are that bitch,” responds Mrs. Dickinson with an expression of satisfaction. Loving Emily and appreciating her poetic ingenious, Sue shows up as Emily’s greatest source of support once again and she will continue to do so forevermore.

“This was a Poet” | With the presence of Higginson and a reflection of Emily’s talent and genius, the Dickinson family settles into the reality that Emily is who she’s always said she is – a poet.

“This was a Poet – It is That
Distills amazing sense
From ordinary Meanings –
And Attar so immense…”

A time-lapse to the future shows Emily content in her room as the seasons pass outside her window. Her room is a sanctuary where she will write almost 1,800 poems over the course of her lifetime and become the greatest poet in American history.

“The White Heat” | Having fully embraced herself and her life’s purpose, Emily takes a trip to the edge of the sea with her dog.

“I started Early – Took my Dog –
And visited the Sea –
The Mermaids in the Basement
Came out to look at me –”

Wearing her white dress, the color that burns with “The White Heat” of passion, Emily takes to the sea by boat. “Wait for me,” she says to the mermaids in the distance, “I’m coming.”

Dickinson is available to stream only on Apple TV+.

Photo Credit: Apple TV+