What I’m Watching: Dickinson

Dickinson: Season 1, Episode 8 “There's a certain Slant of light” (B+)

Who knew that Emily could cook? There was never a proper way to analyze her talent because she just expressed such disinterest in any kind of housework typical of women of her era, and when she’s actually trying to impress someone like Ben, she does a pretty superb job. Even her mother, who was having a tough time with her husband not being there, was pleased with what she could pull off. I was happy to see Jessica Hecht, who recently appeared on “The Affair” and is perhaps best known for her role as Susan on “Friends,” as Aunt Lavinia, who was enticed by the ham-loving Ithamar. It also made a lot of sense that Zosia Mamet, who portrayed Shoshannah on “Girls,” was cast as Louisa May Alcott, who was most interested in getting paid and going for runs, all while conjuring up story ideas like the one that would eventually become “Little Women.” I like that we got to see Sue soften up a bit after she was upset about Emily throwing herself at a married man, playing piano for her and then waiting in her bed to confess that she was jealous. It was a throwback to the closeness between them that we saw at the start of this show, but this time it ended in Sue going to Austin to be honest with him about how she found kids to be scary. Emily’s also getting herself a conservatory courtesy of her father, something that made Lavinia rightfully feel like she never gets anything close to what both of her siblings are given.