What I’m Watching: Dickinson

Dickinson: Season 1, Episode 4 “Alone, I cannot be” (B)

So much for Sue, who was discussed occasionally but didn’t factor into Emily’s misery quite as much as her fondness for a tree whose peaceful shelter was to be forever disrupted by the construction of the railroad on her family’s property. I immediately recognized Robert Picardo, eternally memorable to me as the Emergency Medical Hologram from “Star Trek: Voyager,” as the man seen briefly talking to her father at the start of the episode. I wish he’d get better parts since he really is so talented. The other major guest star of the hour, who I identified by his voice a minute or two after he first appeared, was John Mulaney as Thoreau, another very liberal interpretation of a famous author, who in this case isn’t actually all about the serenity of his surroundings and still has his mom doing his laundry while he’s supposedly living in nature. His goodbye greeting of “Never meet your heroes” was harsh, and I’m not sure what effect the visit will have on Emily. Austin being tasked by his father to write a poem went very poorly, and of course he would turn to masturbation for inspiration, prompting some very humorous body language from Jane Krawkowski when his mother walked in on him. George may never be able to win Emily’s heart but he stepped in to help them get in the door by mentioning the college paper, and Emily ultimately ended up reaching her father when he came to tell her that he would ensure that construction went around the tree so that some comfort of hers could remain untarnished.