The Massachusetts Law Society is so looking forward to your speech.
They triple confirmed with me that you were coming.
I'm sorry. I'm just a bit preoccupied with family matters.
This wouldn't have anything to do with why none of your family was present
at the memorial for young Stearns, would it?
Sadly, yes. My son is behaving abominably,
my wife has taken to bed, and now even Emily is upset with me.
Emily. Well… She's always been a bit of a handful.
Bit of a wild child, that one.
I suppose.
Well, I was going to keep this part a secret till we got to Boston.
But you look like someone who might welcome some good news.
What's that?
Edward Dickinson,
you won't just be giving a speech at the Law Society tonight.
In fact, you'll be greeted
by the leaders of the Massachusetts Republican Party,
who plan to offer you the nomination for the next Lieutenant Governor.
Lieutenant Governor?
-It's an honor. -Indeed it is.
I am thrilled to get you back into politics
and to leave your stuffy Whig days behind you.
Edward, think of it. You'll be a Republican.
At last, you'll be on the right side of history.
I'm afraid I cannot accept.
Edward, you were made for this position.
You are a pillar of Amherst,
which is now one of the most pro-abolition townships in the whole state.
And you have a measured and traditional approach to the law.
I may have the credentials, but I don't have the desire.
I need to be in Amherst with my family, not in Boston with Republicans.
I beg you to take a moment to consider--
My decision is final.
-Geez. -Stop the carriage!
-What is this? -I'm letting you out.
Here? We're halfway to Boston.
What about the meeting at the Law Society?
-Edward, you never cease to disappoint me. -Oh, God.
You are a backwards-thinking, stuck-in-the-mud, stuffy, old Whig.
You simply cannot accept that the life of this country is moving on.
So I suppose that means it will have to move on without you.
So, get out. Now!
-Edward Dickinson, you are a coward. -What?
And a milksop.
And a mouse!
-How? -Now, driver!
Conkey.
Yes.
All right, I am a mouse.
But I need to get home to my little mouse family.
To know the worst leaves no dread more -
I wonder what she wants to talk to us about.
I don't know, but I guess it's urgent.
I got a box with a piece of cake inside of it
on top of a note card that said, "This is urgent."
Yeah, I got one too.
There she is.
Emily. You wanted to see us?
Brother, sister.
Yes, I summoned you. Thank you for heeding the call.
Why is she talking like that?
I summoned you because we have a matter of great urgency to discuss,
something that concerns the three of us and our mutual future as siblings.
Call it a sibling summit, if you will.
-I will. -I have no idea what's happening.
William Austin Dickinson, despite your recent efforts
to establish a distance between yourself and this family,
the fact remains that no such separation has officially or legally been created.
Therefore, the family, effectively and forthwith, remains intact.
-Hence, consequently, and ergo-- -Ergo?
Ergo, you are still our brother. And you are still our father's only son.
What in the world?
Emily, whatever it is you're trying to say, can you say it in a way
that doesn't sound like we're on trial for some very boring crime?
Okay. Dad asked me to be the executor of his will,
and it turns out he is giving everything to Austin, including us.
What do you mean "including us"?
When Dad dies, Austin becomes our guardian.
He gets the house, all the assets and us. We are just another piece of property.
Well, I mean, yeah. I figured.
When you don't have a husband and your father dies,
you belong to your brother.
It is a patriarchy after all.
Okay. Well, I am not just gonna sit here
and let my brother take control of my life.
I don't want to control your life.
I don't even want to be a part of this family.
Dad messed all of us up.
And I've got my hands full dealing with my own personal trauma.
-Yes, about that. -Okay.
Austin, you have spent the past few months, shall we say,
drawing our attention to all the ways in which our father has failed us.
And I am ready to admit now that you were right.
About what?
Our father has been a tremendous disappointment.
-Yes. -He has behaved exactly and at all times
in accordance with contemporary social expectations and norms,
which is to say, he's been a real asshole.
Yes, well, I'm glad you can see that now.
I can.
You were right. I was wrong. I should've never chosen him over you.
Wow.
Okay. Thank you.
And yet, here we are.
With you next in line to his patrimonial throne.
And the two of us, powerless.
-Your subjects. -I truly don't see you that way.
Which is why we are having this conversation.
-I need you to make a promise to us. -What promise?
That you will not allow history to repeat itself.
What exactly do you mean?
The past is the past. It's gone.
And there is nothing we can do to change it.
But if we are willing to face the past,
then maybe-- maybe there is something we can do about the future.
So, Austin, will you promise us
that you will not be the same kind of man our father was…
that no matter what the laws of society say,
as long as we live together, you will treat us with respect
and you will give us the freedom, all the freedom that we deserve?
Sisters…
you can count on me.
All right.
On one condition.
What?
Vinnie has to get rid of her cats.
-I agree. I hate those cats. -No!
-Just am not a cat person. -Yeah, me neither.
I am not getting rid of my cats, you guys.
Vinnie, we spend $36 a week on milk and cream. We can't afford that.
Question: What is your position on foxes?
-What? -Never mind. It's not up to you.
We are independent women, and you just promised to always respect that.
We will go over the details later? Should we shake on it?
Okay, I want to.
Love you, big bro.
I love you guys.
It's honestly weird not to be drowning in grief for a moment.
Making the world a better place one Dickinson at a time.
Okay, Mom. Up and at 'em.
It is a brand-new day. It's beautiful.
And it's time for you to get out of bed.
Leave me alone.
Nope. I am here to cheer you up and comfort you,
whether you like it or not.
Please don't jostle me.
Mom, you need to be jostled.
You have been in bed for over a week.
I can't just let you lie here and die of sadness.
Plus, the house-- the house is dusty.
We need you back on broom duty. You're the broom queen.
Flattery isn't going to work.
I'm simply too riddled with grief to go on living.
There's a hole in my heart that's never going to be filled.
Could we talk about it?
The only person I wanna talk to is my sister Lavinia. And she's gone.
You know, even when people die, their spirits can stay with us.
I'm telling you, I saw the spirit of Aunt Lavinia at her funeral,
in the shape of a bird.
Come on. That's impossible. She hated birds.
-She did? I never knew that. -Nobody knew my sister as well as I did.
Nobody loved her like I did. I miss her so much.
Tell me what you miss.
Everything.
You know what I was thinking about today?
The way she would slip her hand into mine whenever we were next to each other.
She did it ever since we were children. No thought to it.
Just as if we were meant to be conjoined.
Go on. What else?
The sound of her voice, the jokes we shared,
the way she could make me laugh.
We always spoke the same language. We were cut from the same cloth.
She was at once part of me and the person I wanted to be.
That's having a sister, I guess.
Yeah. I'm glad I have one.
You and Lavinia are so lucky to be growing old together under the same roof.
I wish I had that experience,
instead of leaving home as young as I did.
Honestly, sometimes I'm envious of you girls.
Mom, I didn't know you felt that way.
Your relationship with your sister is the most precious one.
Be grateful for every moment you share,
because, one day, she won't be there anymore.
Mom, when was the last time you cleaned this place?
I don't know. Feels like forever. Why?
Because I--
I think I just saw a mouse!
-Mouse? There's a mouse in my bedroom? -Yes. Yes.
Where is it? Where did it go?
I just saw it. It's over there. It ran into the corner.
How is it that Vinnie has 500 cats, and we still get mice?
Haven't you girls been cleaning at all? The house must be filthy.
I'll get a broom. I'll chase it.
-No. I just had a thought. -What thought?
My sister, your Aunt Lavinia, she hated birds…
-Yes, you mentioned that. -…but she loved mice.
She used to keep them as pets.
She'd feed them cheese and name them after all of her favorite fairy tale characters.
-Rapunzel, Rumpelstiltskin, Snow White. -Cute.
And sometimes, she'd play pranks on me because she knew I was afraid of mice.
-Once, she put one in my bed. -Okay, rude.
Emily, don't you see?
That mouse, I believe it's the ghost of Aunt Lavinia.
Oh, my God.
Mom, I think you're right.
I'd know the ghost of my sister anywhere.
That mouse has her exact vibe.
I got her.
Aunt Vinnie, is that you?
-Don't hurt her. -I'm not gonna hurt her.
Mom, Aunt Vinnie is here with us.
She's here to listen to whatever you need to tell her.
Go ahead.
Sister?
Sweet Vinnie, is that really you?
Talk to her, Mom. Let it out.
I'm sorry that I left home so young.
I'm sorry that we didn't have the chance to grow old together.
I'm sorry that having husbands and children kept us apart.
Keep going. Mom, this is helping. I can feel it.
You were the best friend I ever had.
And I'll miss you every day for the rest of my life.
And now I'll let you go.
There she goes.
Those were the things I wanted to say at her funeral,
but I didn't get the chance to.
She's heard you say them now.
My heart still has a hole in it.
But now there's a little mouse that lives in the hole.
Mom, that is so beautiful.
I think I might put that in a poem.
Really? That would make me very happy.
Right. Time to get dressed and sweep every inch of this house.
Ladies and gentlemen, Mrs. Dickinson is back!
Austin. Good. You're here. I just brought out the tea.
Is somebody here?
Yes. George Gould. He came to see you.
George. Why are using the fancy tea service for George?
Hey, buddy.
I came to say goodbye.
George.
A uniform.
Just picked it up from the tailor's.
Fit's just right.
So you're--
So you're off to fight?
Yes, I am.
I got my draft card a couple days ago.
I'm joining the Massachusetts 21st.
That's the same regiment as Frazar.
May he rest in peace.
Buddy,
I can't believe this.
The Union need all the men they can get.
Every man in Amherst is getting drafted. Cards come every day.
I'm surprised you haven't gotten yours yet.
Yes. Well, I'm sure mine will come soon.
Any day now.
George Gould, you're very brave.
Just doing my duty.
I've been called to fight, and I will fight.
Because I believe in a better country,
same as John Brown,
same as Frazar.
There's something I have to tell you.
-Both of you. -Austin. What is it?
I've done something that I don't think either of you can ever forgive me for.
What could be so bad?
I paid someone to go to war in my place.
My draft card came, and a few days later,
I went off to a bar, got drunk,
and I paid the Irish bartender to go in my place.
It was later that day that we found out that Frazar had been killed.
I just--
I couldn't leave him.
Leave who?
The baby. Our son.
I want to be a good father.
I don't want to be the kind of father I had.
I don't wanna be that kind of man.
I wanna be different.
And I want our son to be different too.
And if I go off and leave him and never come back,
how will I teach him?
How will I make sure
that the future of the Dickinsons is different from the past?
Now, there's gonna be a dead Irishman off in a field somewhere,
and I'll be right here.
A traitor.
And coward.
Austin.
I understand.
You don't have to say that, George.
But I mean it.
You've done what you've done.
And there's no going back on it now, but that doesn't mean all is lost.
You can still make up for it.
There is work to be done in all corners of society.
You don't have to go to war to be a man.
You might find ways to make this country better by staying right here,
at home…
while you're looking after your family.
We left it all on the floor.
Yes, we did.
Some people want it to happen.
-Others wish it would happen. -Yeah.
-And some people make it happen. -That's right!
-We made it happen. -Yes!
We turned a negative situation into a positive situation.
-We play to win! -Yeah!
Greatness is an evolutionary process.
-I believe I can fly. -Go, Michael Jordan.
I believe you can fly too, Michael Jordan.
I do too.
In fact, I just saw it happen.
We flew over those Southern boys.
They never even saw us coming. They just heard the sounds of our wings.
-Henry, that's beautiful. -We were like birds.
Hell yeah, man. We moved together. We flew together.
Battlefield Boys for life! You hear me?
-Battlefield Boys. -You hear me?
-A murmuration. -A murmur-what?
A murmuration.
That's what you call a flock of birds that flies synchronistically.
Starlings are the classic example, but geese have been known to do it too.
-Henry, have a drink. -Hey! There you are!
We ain't in class no more.
Everybody! There you are!
-Holy shit! That was epic. -What the hell?
-Look who's here. -You all right there, Colonel?
Yes, I'm just--
It's been an emotional 24 hours.
As soon as I realized what you'd done, I feared you were all dead.
No. We not dead. They dead.
I'm sorry, sir,
but in the end, we decided to go ahead and create our own future.
So I see. And what a victory you have won.
It's incredible.
Though I will say you caused quite a stir back at the base.
Saxton doesn't know what to do other than yell at me.
We never meant to cause you trouble.
Please. You reminded me how much I miss being a troublemaker.
I'm a reformer, not a conformer.
To be honest, I actually feel like-- like I lost my way a little bit,
which is why I'm going to be taking a sabbatical.
A "sababa"?
A sabbatical?
Yes, I have much to ponder, much to reflect on.
And I'll be taking some time off to do that.
While I'm gone,
you'll be in charge.
I've decided to make you a sergeant.
I'm sorry.
-Me? In charge? -Yes, you.
You've more than proved yourself. Don't you think, guys?
-Hey! -Who could be better?
-Yeah. -Henry.
Henry, Henry, Henry, Henry, Henry, Henry!
Go ahead, Alphabet!
-Hey! -It's settled.
And where will you go?
Home, Boston town. But first, Amherst.
Amherst?
Yes. There's someone there that I just have to meet.
A poet whose words have brought me
so much comfort and clarity during these bitter months.
Her name's Emily Dickinson.
Henry, what is it? You look like you've seen a ghost.
I know Emily Dickinson.
-What? -I used to work for her family.
Wait. You're telling me that this whole time,
I've been with someone who knows this person?
Somebody who's actually been in her presence?
This genius who-- who captured emotions that I didn't even know I possessed?
Her lines still haunt me.
Check this out.
My Life had stood - a Loaded Gun -
In Corners - till a Day
The Owner passed - identified -
And carried Me away -
-Okay. God dang. -Some white girl wrote that?
She spittin'.
Henry, honestly, you have to tell me.
What is she like?
You know, you should really discover that for yourself.
-You're absolutely right. -Yeah.
All the more reason for me to leave at once.
Higginson, wait.
Yeah?
If you're going to Amherst,
there's something I need you to do for me.
Well, would you look at that?
Beautiful.
Wow.
I'll tell y'all, now that I learned how to fly…
Yeah? Go on, tell us.
I'll never walk again.
Emily.
I came to see you.
Come in.
You have guests.
Austin invited some people over to say goodbye.
Goodbye to who?
George. He's going to war.
Not George too.
Well, I wanna say bye to him then,
but I want some time alone with you tonight.
All right.
Is there something specific that you want to talk about or…
There is,
but it can't be said in words.
Emily. Emily, the guests.
The two of us.
Okay? Tonight.
"Come, let's have one other gaudy night.
Call to me, all my sad captains.
Fill our bowls once more.
Let's mock the midnight bell."
That's from Shakespeare Club.
Let's party, my platonic friend.
Watch me.
Helen!
Come on in, honey.
Dinner's hot.
What on earth?
Betty.
Good evening.
Mr. Dickinson, what happened to you?
You look like you've been living underground.
Well, I'm all right. I'm all right.
I was thrown from a carriage halfway to Boston.
So I decided to walk home, but I'm fine.
Your coat is in tatters.
You must be starving.
Would you-- Would you like a bowl of soup?
No, no, no. You're too kind.
It's meatball soup. Very hearty.
Meatball soup?
Why don't you come on in?
There's plenty of food. I'll mend your coat for you.
You can't go home to Mrs. Dickinson looking like that.
Hi, Mama. I was playing fairies in the woods.
-She has quite the imagination, this one. -That's just like my Emily.
Mr. Dickinson's gonna come eat some soup with us.
-No, I-- -Now, you hush.
I can't let a man go hungry.
He can sit in Daddy's chair.
She misses her father.
Yes. Well, I'm sure he misses you.
Being a father is one of the greatest gifts in the world.
So, yeah.
I've been working on a new performance piece about grief.
We've all been processing so much grief, you know?
We've lost loved ones. And we've lost more than that.
We've lost an old world.
We've lost the way things used to be.
So, what's the new piece?
Yeah, it sounds amazing.
Well, it's site-specific.
I do it in the barn with a dying sheep.
Not Old Bessie?
Yes.
-No. -I sit across from Old Bessie,
and I stare into her eyes, and I think about death.
I picture the sheep slowly dying,
her body slowly decomposing,
her eyeballs popping out of their sockets
just as Joseph's eyeballs must have popped out,
one by one.
Pop! Pop.
I meditate on the basic reality that one day we will all be dust.
It's called Sheep No More.
It's dedicated to the memory of all my dead ex-boyfriends.
Wish I was sticking around long enough to see that.
There is no audience.
I do love sheep.
These years of war have really changed all of us, haven't they?
Yeah. Sometimes I feel like we've inherited a totally different world
from the one our parents knew.
Maybe that's a good thing.
The world is messed up, but…
I think we can all find ways to make it better,
even if just a little bit.
I wanna believe that, George.
And I don't know what my way is yet, but I'm gonna find it.
And whenever you come back home, I--
You'll be proud of what I've done.
Well, then, I hope I come back.
The way Hope builds his House
It is not with a sill -
Nor Rafter - has that Edifice
But only Pinnacle -
Look on the bright side, George.
Now that you've enlisted, you'll receive a free copy of Drumbeat,
the Union Army newsletter my husband and I publish
with the help of Abraham Lincoln himself.
The President.
Here. I happen to have a spare copy right here.
And Emily has a poem in this one.
A poem?
Oops, I mean, anonymous does.
I don't understand.
Emily, I gave them one of your poems.
You… did?
I said it had to be anonymous. I knew that you'd want it that way.
But your work is so powerful.
And I just felt like the country needed it.
Will you forgive me?
Hey, you should read it to us.
That would be huge.
-Yes. A poem by Emily. -She won't do it.
-She never reads aloud. -Emily, do it. Just this once.
Would you, Em?
It'd be the greatest goodbye gift for me,
to have your voice in my head while I'm…
out there.
I'll do it.
I'll do it for all of you.
But mostly for Sue.
These are the days when Birds come back -
a very few -
a Bird or two -
To take a backward look.
These are the days
when skies resume
The old - old sophistries of June -
A blue and gold mistake.
Oh fraud that cannot cheat the Bee.
almost thy plausibility
Induces my belief.
Till ranks of seeds their witness bear -
and softly thro' the altered air
Hurries a timid leaf.
Oh Sacrament of summer days,
Oh Last Communion in the Haze - Permit
a child to join -
Thy sacred emblems to partake -
Thy consecrated bread to take
and thine immortal wine!
Thank you for publishing my poem.
Thank you for writing it.
You know, this…
this right here…
this is better than any poem.
All the letters I can write
Are not fair as this -
Syllables of Velvet -
Sentences of Plush,
depths of Ruby, undrained,
Hid, Lip, for Thee -
Play it were a Humming Bird -
And just sipped - me -