‘Dickinson’ Review: Hailee Steinfeld is Poetry in Motion in Apple TV’s New Drama

Apple TV+, the new streaming service from Apple, is opting not use nostalgic shows and movies to fill their platform alongside their own original content. Apple, by going this route, is really taking a risk with how successful they can be. Rebelling against the streaming service formula and in order to forge a new path, the service definitely needs a series that reflects this new attitude.

They definitely have that in Dickinson. 

Dickinson follows one of the most iconic, rebellious, and unconventional writers/poets of all-time, Emily Dickinson (Hailee Steinfeld). Living in 19th Century America, women are set to solely be housewives and any attempts for women to strive to be anything else is just plain blasphemy. This kind of life is far from appealing for the unconventional and creative person Emily is, and she strives to make a name for herself as a writer instead. With her friends and family doubting her ability, and even completely rooting against her, Emily will continue to show the world her strange and rebellious mind and give the world a new reason to remember the name Dickinson. 

The series’ delightfully rebellious nature stems directly from Steinfeld’s stellar leading performance and the style that comes from David Gordon Green’s direction and writer/creator Alena Smith. Most of the characters speak within the time’s more proper vernacular, but that’s not the case with Emily — it makes for one of my favorite aspects of her rebellious mindset.

It’s such a subtle thing about Steinfeld’s performance that makes Emily standout and her sense of rebellion so much stronger for it. Steinfeld is pure poetry in motion as Emily as she brings the genuine sense of humor that she always brings to everything she does as well as pure passion that drives Emily in every way. She instantly has viewers hearts and you really get to understand her plight with how the premiere episode sets up how others treat Emily and how women are viewed. 

Although Emily’s ambitions are simple — wanting to see her worked published in a local college magazine –she’s constantly met with scrutiny and doubt from those around her,  especially her family. Her frustrations about acceptance and success can be immensely felt throughout the premiere episode and it all nicely leads to a dinner scene that’s full of emotion.

It’s also intriguing to see Emily be so interested in Death. This plays a particularly strong role in motivating her to never give up on her ambitions. It’s rare to see a character be motivated by something that’s often depicted so grimly, but it works as a powerful element to how strong Emily’s beliefs are. Not to mention, it leads to a pretty rad Wiz Khalifa cameo and he makes Death such a charming and intriguing kind of character. 

Her friendship with George (Samuel Farnsworth) is incredibly sweet and it’s one of the only people she finds solace and acceptance in. There’s also an interesting plot thread with her friendship (or potentially more than friendship) with Sue (Ella Hunt) that will definitely create ripples within her family, especially with Sue being engaged to Emily’s brother Austin (Adrian Enscoe). This will be interesting to see play out over the course of the season.

Emily’s relationship with her father (Toby Huss) is also very complex as he’s accepting of the fact that Emily doesn’t want to be a housewife or get married but is one of the biggest detractors in her wishing to publish her work. There’s clearly a loving relationship between the two that’s shown within the final moments of the episode, but with Emily being the rebellious soul that she is, their relationship definitely going to take some hits throughout the rest of the series. 

The series rebellious soul is displayed in the series not just by performance but in unconventional production elements. The series’ aesthetic simpler than other period pieces, but it’s still eye-catching. During scene transitions modern music that matches the modern attitudes that Emily presents is employed.

Dickinson is the kind of show that Apple TV+ needed to have a strong start to its service and I’m already hooked to see what the rest of the series has to offer. Steinfeld is a treat as always and there’s plenty of quirky and rebellious beats that would definitely put a smile on Dickinson’s face. 

Dickinson is currently streaming on Apple TV+.