Over my holiday break from December to late January I was desperate to find a new show to watch. I feel like I have seen every ounce of content geared towards my age group multiple times, and I really wanted something new and different to binge watch. After seeing the recent success of Disney’s Hawkeye series I quickly fell in love with the lead actress Hailee Steinfeld and went down a rabbit hole of her past work. I have seen most of the mainstream ones like Pitch Perfect 2 and The Edge of Seventeen but then I came across the Apple TV+ series she stars in, Dickinson, and was instantly captivated.
After reading the synopsis of the series and seeing the cast packed full of celebrities (Hailee Steinfeld, Jane Krakowski, and Wiz Khalifa). I immediately knew this series was underrated. I began watching the show and finished it not even a week later. It was so good, and I had to make sure that everyone knew about this hidden gem.
The plot essentially follows an adolescent Emily Dickinson and her family as they survive during a pre Civil War America. It follows the struggles that a typical woman in that age would face but Emily doesn’t want to do housework or get married, she wants to write poetry. This is incredibly controversial for a woman in her time period but she goes through many struggles and challenges to eventually become the Emily Dickinson we all know today.
Although this show sounds incredibly historical and factual, it was so much more than just a historical drama. If I were to describe it, it was sort of like Bridgerton mixed with Parks and Recreation style humor. This show had me laughing and tearing up within the same episode. It truly had something for everyone, such as the hysterical comedy stylings, insane love stories and affairs, as well as a very interesting look into the historical moments of the time period.
This show also seemed to mirror some of the current affairs of today such as the Coronavirus pandemic as well as the many racial injustice issues we are still seeing in this age. I highly recommend this show to anyone who is looking for a romantic drama that will also have them laughing until their sides hurt. Give Dickinson a watch on Apple TV+, the 3rd and final season just came out in December of 2021.
Happy Binge-watching!
HCXO,
Jenna :)