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The latest episode of Dickinson is called ‘Forbidden Fruit a flavor has’, which is an interesting and short poem:
Forbidden fruit a flavor has
That lawful orchards mocks;
How luscious lies the pea within
The pod that Duty locks!
Many interpretations of the poem take the forbidden fruit metaphor (using contextual clues about Emily’s life) to also be related to vices or choices seen as ‘too much’ by society, but there’s also one interpretation as a sort of trans or lesbian metaphor (Emily often described herself in masculine terms and the poem may specifically be about her speculated relationship with Sue).
In the episode, the three Dickinson children strain against expectations and act out in completely different ways. At the start, their mother decries the ‘decadent lifestyle’ of late for Austin and Sue, and says that the Dickinson way is to ‘stay at home and sit quietly with our own thoughts’. Naturally we must get a chuckle worthy line from Austin about ‘novels and chill’ that’s also a bit of a groaner.
Austin’s side plot is the most minor in terms of screen time and a direct connection to Emily’s poetry, which is the purchase of a printing press for Henry and the other free Blacks in the area to use. It’s certainly something not socially acceptable given the time, but it’s not sexual like the other two siblings delve into.
Lavinia’s story is the most fun, which follows her trying to get more out of her relationship with Ship, who is a bit of a dullard and a bore. But Lavinia’s invoking of the legendary Lola Montez (I’m beginning to like that Spanish guitar sting) directly leads into a kinky recreation of The Scarlet Letter, which she correctly describes as ‘trashy’. Which is funny considering how much of a religious oddball Nathaniel Hawthorne was (he wrote the book).
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Emily’s story had the biggest time spent on it, which is fair — although the name of the show is Dickinson so I suppose it could be interpreted as about any of them. There was a subtle joke I liked, which was Sue choosing to wear glasses to look smart, and then at the salon, young hot widow Jane was always wearing them for the same reason (although it’s never said out loud).
There’s a funny little joke where it’s noted that two of the ladies have married ministers (which I believe is historically accurate), and both are regressive dudes. But as they hear about Emily’s potential new fame, Abby immediately calls herself the best friend and tosses in a ‘get it girl’. Very thirsty, but I don’t mind it.
The conflict in the episode comes from all of the people implying or flat out telling Emily that Sam sleeps with all the female poets he’s showcased. Sue flat out rejects this, and only says it’s due to Emily’s genius — certainly a supportive tactic, and it doesn’t seem like she’s lying. But despite Emily’s confusion on it, there’s a real chemistry there, and Sam has a very flirtatious energy, even if he never does anything.
Because the only hookup we see is the one in Emily’s mind, the forbidden fruit of a married man who has plied Emily with shockingly good compliments — the one telling her she’ll get her own shelf in the library is a particularly good one. But I’m not sure I’m entirely sold on this recurring theme of Emily getting inspiration from what other people have said. Still, it’s a spicy episode, and I like that we’re getting something interesting from all of the Dickinson siblings.
A note on the Black magician that appeared at the end, who is called Henry ‘Box’ Brown and pops out of a crate. He was a real dude, who escaped slavery by shipping himself in a crate to the North – what a legend (despite what Hattie says in the episode, this really did happen). I do like how the show adds these interesting historical people to add color, especially people I’ve never heard of.
What did you think of this episodes? Start a conversation in the comments section below.
New episodes of Dickinson are available Fridays on Apple TV+.
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