Dickinson – Split the Lark

By starrymag | February 4, 2021

By: Alexandra Gil M

 

 

The episode starts with the Dickinsons arriving at the event. They enter and are all shocked. We hear screams from Mrs. Dickinson (Jane Krakowski). Henry (Toby Huss) wants to see what all the fuss is about and Mrs. Dickinson is upset she didn’t wear her cape. Ship (Pico Alexander) says he is starving and asks Lavinia (Anna Baryshnikov) if she thinks they have popcorn. They don’t have popcorn at the Opera she says. They all hope it´s entertaining.

 

They run into Sue (Ella Hunt) and Austin (Adrian Enscoe) and go to say hi. “I have to talk to Sue,” says Emily (Hailee Steinfeld) and runs to her. They all say hello and ask each other about their relative hotels. Emily says they found mice and Sue says she could not stay in the hotel any longer. “I don’t think you could afford to stay there any longer shadily,” says Henry.

 

Emily soon spies Sam (Finn Jones). He came she says and the camera slowly turns to him giving him a musical cue to enter. “Welcome to the opera,” he says. Austin excuses himself and leaves. Sue thanks Sam for the tickets as they are the best seats. Mrs. Dickinson gives Henry a hard time for getting Orchestra seats. She asks, “Why didn’t you get us the box ?” “First you put me in a hole, now you want to put me in a box,” he claims. They all leave to their seats, but Emily stays to talk to Sue. Really that was an excuse to talk to Sam.

 

Sue asks Sam if he is there alone. He replies that she couldn’t make it so he is sitting alone in the box, but Sue insists that Emily should definitely seat with him so that she can have a better view. He accepts and they go. Off to the balcony! Emily sits, but they immediately start to see people talking around them about them. This makes her a little uncomfortable. Sam says that he is supposed to interview the star of the opera: Adelaide May (Kelli Barrett) and that he has a backstage pass. “This is a new opera house, “he says, so they need the press. Emily is a child and as soon as she sees her mom from above she waves and says, “Hi, Mom!”

 

Back to Sue, she is sitting alone until Austin returns. “What took you so long?” she asks. She replies, “You’ll never guess who I ran into – a buddy from school.” But Sue does not remember him at all. He misses the good times he used to have. Apparently, he’s not happy right now.

 

Lavinia and Ship are getting ready for the show. She gives him the meaning of an Italian word from the flier, but Ship already knows it because he studied it in college. “You dropped out,” Lavinia immediately says. So, she continues to say that most people’s first time at the opera is a bit dramatic – they either love it or hate it she adds. His response: Cool.

 

At the balcony Sam and Emily continue their conversation. He asks if she has never really been to the opera. “No, never,” she says. She tells him that she has only dreamed of it and she adds that so many of her dreams are coming true since she met him. However, as soon as she says this he gets uncomfortable and tries to shut it down by stating, “Don’t mention it. It’s nothing.” She replies, “It’s everything.” But Sam says they have a problem because she wrote a letter to Mary. apparently she was extremely uncomfortable and that is also the reason she is not there since it made her feel violated.  He asks, “Why would you write something like that?” “Because that’s how I feel,” she says. “About a married man?,” he abruptly claims.

 

He assures her that his interest in her is purely professional and has tried to make this absolutely clear, recognizing that he is well aware of the rumors that are going around every time he takes interest in a female artist. He asks her if she understands that. “Of course,” Emily says.  He acknowledges that it is romantic, having her poem printed, specially when she has waited for so long. However, he states, “the romance should be between you and yourself,” and that’s the end of that conversation.

 

Then, the show starts. The performers and the music – everything is exciting. Suddenly, the lead kind of trips. I’m not sure if it is a part of it, but it does not matter. Mrs. Dickinson sees it and bursts out laughing, waking Henry as he was already asleep. Anyway, she show continues, but it is super boring for them so they just sneak out. They exclaim, “We’re free” and they leave.

 

On the other hand, Austin and Emily seem to be enjoying the performance and having some sort of revelation as well. “She’s riveting,” says Emily, but in the middle of the excitement she grabs Sam’s hand. “I have to go,” he says. He gets up and leaves, but before he does that Emily has another poem she wrote. However, he does not take this one. He tells her keep it and walks away.

 

The last act of the opera is a solo from Adelaide, but when the camera comes back to her we can see Emily is picturing Sue on the stage, singing the poem Sam refused to take called “Split the Lark.” She’s singing it directly to her and it’s a beautiful rendition. It’s over and the audience gives a standing ovation. We realize Austin is crying and Emily is quite taken as well. As he prepares to leave, Sue asks him if he is going for the carriage, but apparently he is coming back alone and is leaving Sue behind alone. Although, he makes it clear that she can come back with whomever she wants and leaves.

 

Emily sees an opportunity. She takes the press permission and goes backstage to look for Adelaide. She tells her, “I’m a reporter,” she says, but apparently she does not give interviews. However, she still goes to her room and finds her there. She knocks and is lucky enough to be allowed in. “I don´t have the energy to sign autographs tonight,” says Adelaide. She goes on to say, “I know it’s terrible, but they all love me so much they want to kill me.” She thinks Emily is the girl that will help her with taking off the dress, but Emily reveals that she is there to tell her how amazing she is.

 

Adelaide is not happy. Emily rambles on how the performance broke he heart and made her feel things she has never felt before, but Adelaide is not impressed because that´s what everybody tells her. She asks Emily, “What is that like, feeling things?” She goes on to say, “I could do the performance in my sleep.” According to Emily that is impossible as she saw her crying. She does not understand how the performance cannot be as real for Adelaide as it was for her. Apparently, it’s not even her real name. Emily says that it does not matter what that is because she will not forget the way she made her feel tonight. “It all fades,” says Adelaide – the voice, everything. And eventually you are forgotten. Emily insists, “I am not going to forget you.” She offers Emily to see the stage and Maggie Roger’s “Light On” starts playing while she is on stage. She comes to a realization and says, “I want to be famous.”

 

“Why do you want to be famous,” asks Adelaide. She is not convinced by Emily’ response. Adelaide notes, “Because once you are exposed, you go stale.” She explains that the critics will put you on top for a minute, but then drag you down. They´ll get sick of you and destroy you. they hate you because you made them love you. But Emily does not care what they think. She wants to know how Adelaide finds the courage to perform in front of all the people. But Emily has another hallucination. She sees Sue again and asks her, “What is it that you really want? What is the deeper yearning that you have?” Emily wonders what Sue means, but Sue already has an answer. Sue replies, “You crave meaning, you crave beauty, you crave love.” With that, she kisses her. It is a passionate kiss that leaves Emily breathless and confused. She then departs. Emily stays on stage by herself or a moment until the cleaning guy shows up and asks her what she’s doing there. He tells her to clear the stage or he’ll have to reporter her. In the last line of the episode she responds, “You don´t even know who I am.”