The Dickinson Finale Revealed It Was Secretly A Deeply Personal Passion Project For The Creator
Quick Links
AppleTV+'s Dickinson further cemented Hailee Steinfeld as a bona fide star, likely setting her up for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and made her a ton of cash. The actor, who is also an acclaimed singer, fully inhabited the role of Emily Dickinson in a fresh and modern way, developed by series creator Alena Smith.
The final moments of the three-season show, which ended in December 2021, have been hotly debated. Partially because Alena took a far more abstract approach to the true meaning of the series and the life of Emily Dickinson. As it turns out, the ending of the show was far more personal than fans may know.
Spoilers Ahead For The Series Finale Of Dickinson
The Truth About The Series Finale Of Dickinson
Despite Dickinson being based on the real-life of the acclaimed writer, the series is very much the brainchild of creator Alena Smith. In an interview with Vulture, Alena revealed the three seasons of the show were meticulously created by her.
"There’s not a single script of Dickinson that didn’t go through five to eight to 15 rewrites by me, and there’s no way the vision could have been cohesive without that," Alena explained. "These three seasons of Dickinson are one story and one vision because it is my vision."
While Alena almost certainly spearheaded the acclaimed show with the help of an amazing crew and cast, her statement also revealed how deeply personal the series was to her.
"It’s also me telling my own coming-of-age story in a coded way," Alena admitted.
In truth, the series is a reflection of her own life and her own family, despite being about a very famous historical group of talented relatives.
So, when crafting the finale of the show, Alena went back to her own experiences, even if they weren't entirely historically accurate.
"The methodology that I used to arrive at those final moments was the same methodology I used throughout, which was, what is the truth, for me, of this moment? The finale was about standing up and putting my arms around the whole process and letting the relief flood through me: We made it to the end."
The Important Meaning Of Emily's Dress At The End Of Dickinson
By the end of the final season of Dickinson, Emily ends up designing her very own dress. This had been built up the entire season, and it was very deliberate.
"The show began in this cheeky, irreverent mode of, 'We’re going to disrupt the things you think you know about Emily', and one of the things people think they know is that she always wore white and wore that white dress," Alena Smith said. "That isn’t true; it’s just one dress she had."
Alena went on to say that because a replica of that dress is on display at the Dickinson Museum, it's been "mythologized".
"We began our show taking that myth apart. She’s never seen in white, but in a lot of bold colors and patterns. But this show is asking the question, 'How did she become Emily Dickinson?' and the white dress becomes this talisman of her full achievement as the poet she would become."
Alena punctuated her statement with the most important point: "If this is her origin story, this is her superhero cape."
Costume designer Jennifer Moeller reached out to the Dickinson Museum and obtained the original pattern. Not only that, but she got in touch with the dressmaker who made the dress, which is a replica.
"Our dress is made of the exact fabric the one at the museum is made with, and it is one of the things I kept from the show. I have it hanging in my closet," Alena said.
"In terms of how Emily comes to design her dress, it becomes this interplay with Betty’s story and recognizing Betty as an artist as well. Emily honors Betty by saying, 'I don’t want you to just make this dress for me. I need your artistic vision to help me imagine a whole new kind of dress.'"
While Betty is a fictional character, she served an important function in Emily's overall character arc.
"[Betty] becomes Emily’s most important interlocutor in this final episode. Betty is a grown woman, even more than Sue. She has experienced that full maturation into a grown-up female artist. In some ways, Betty represents where Emily needs to go. In the scene where they are imagining the dress, I was saying to them as I was directing that they should treat it like they were launching a very cool start-up. Like Social Network vibes."
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7tbTErZ%2Bippeoe6S7zGiuoZmkYrWivM%2BepZ6cXZbBbsDHnmSeppRivKd5w6KapKGeqLyvecWipZqklWK1orXLnpxmq6Satq%2ByxKWbaA%3D%3D