Dickinson (2019–…): Season 1, Episode 4 - Alone, I Cannot Be - full transcript

In the name of the Bee -

And of the Butterfly -

And of the Breeze -

Amen!

Found you.

Please go away.

But I just got here.

I'm trying to be alone.

Want a drag?

Fine.

What you reading?



Walden.

By Thoreau. Have you read it?

I couldn't get through it.

I think it's incredible.

A life of absolute solitude,
alone in nature.

I wanna live like that.

Why?

Because. The wilderness is...

honest.

Trustworthy.

Whereas all other people do is hurt you.

Tell me who hurt you.

Sue.

You're still upset
about her moving to Boston?



I don't wanna talk about it.

She wrote Austin a letter
and still hasn't written me back.

Hey, you guys will make up.

George, if you don't mind,
I just need some space right now.

I need to be with my tree.

Looks like I'm not the only one
disturbing your solitude.

We've got the conditional line
coming right through here.

What are they doing here?

They must be surveyors.

For the railroad.

Construction starts tomorrow, you know.

Of course I know that, but they can't
build the railroad in our woods.

This is private property.

Maybe your dad gave them permission.

Dad. You can't do this.

Excuse me? Do what?

You can't let them tear down our woods.

Is this any way to enter my office?
Whatever happened to a knock?

I'm sorry, but this is an emergency.

They are out there right now,
getting started.

Of course they are.

Tomorrow is the first day of construction
on the great Amherst Belchertown Railroad.

You must be excited.
I know my daughters are thrilled.

Now they can buy dresses
from the finest dressmakers in New York.

They've got a regular case
of railroad fever.

- I've certainly got railroad fever.
- The whole town's got railroad fever.

Then the whole town should see a doctor,

if they think anyone's gonna run a train
through our woods.

My dear,
the train will run through our woods.

- It's simply the most efficient route.
- "Efficient"?

What is efficient about filling
our peaceful, quiet woods

with noise and smoke and other people?

Emily, I'm afraid
you can't stand in the way of progress.

The papers have already been signed.

Do the papers say
they're allowed to cut down my tree?

"Your tree."

The big oak tree.
The one Great-Grandfather planted.

If it's necessary, then yes.

Dad, please. I'm begging you.

I love that tree.

I need that tree.

It's where I go to think, to listen.

If you let them kill that tree,
you're killing me.

Do your daughters speak to you like this?

Most of the time, yes.

Well, I didn't bring her up
to behave like a mad heathen.

Emily, I'm ashamed of you.

"Ashamed of me"?

Why? Because I care more about our
oak tree than dresses from New York?

Well, I've also ordered a suit.

Traitor.

Ithamar, I apologize.

No need.

It seems my daughter
has chosen to embarrass me,

but perhaps my son
will make a better impression.

Austin, I have an idea.

As you know,

the groundbreaking ceremony
for the new railroad

will be held tomorrow afternoon.

It will be quite a to-do.
The whole town will be there.

And I think it would be proper

for a member of our family
to make a contribution.

What exactly were you thinking?

I was thinking you might write a poem.

Are you sure you want me to do it?

Of course, my dear boy.

Who else?

William Austin Dickinson,
you are my only son.

And you happen to be a man
of rare intelligence and talent.

I'm sure you will rise to the occasion.

I guess I could give it a shot.

There's my boy.

This will be a good thing
for the Dickinsons.

Hear! Hear!

And as soon as
that train is up and running...

I'm sure you won't even remember
that old tree.

Really, her manners are appalling.

Hey, what happened?
You talk to your father?

I don't have a father.
Or a brother. I don't have anyone.

You have me.

I don't want anyone, George.
I just wanna be by myself.

That's too bad.

I was hoping we could hang out.

I can't. I'm going somewhere.

Where you going?

To Walden.

All the way to Concord? Why?

To find Thoreau.

I think he can help me.

Help you how?
Isn't he just a cranky old hermit?

He is an environmentalist, George.

He loves nature
more than anyone in the world.

Or at least Massachusetts.

If I tell him
what they're about to do to my tree,

I bet he'll do something.

Maybe I can get him
to write a letter of protest.

And people will listen to him
even if they don't listen to me.

Okay, then. I'll go with you.

No. I wanna go by myself.

Come on. You're not allowed
to travel by yourself. It isn't safe.

A lady needs a companion. And...

I feel like taking a day trip.

So much for living a life of solitude.

Hi.

That dress is so glam.

Hi.

George, come on.

Finally. What took you so long?

I got us so many snacks.

I'm not even hungry.

We have a long journey ahead of us.

We need sustenance.

- Okay, what did you get?
- Peanuts.

Popcorn. Gingerbread.

- Doughnuts.
- Okay.

Got a stomachache already.

Also got some taffy.

We already missed a carriage
that was going straight to Northampton.

Now we have to wait for another one.

It'll be so much more convenient
when the train comes directly to Amherst.

"Convenient." "Efficient."

You know,
we don't have to speed everything up.

Sometimes it's good to slow down.

Why do you hate technology?

Thoreau says, "We don't ride the railroad,
the railroad rides us."

I have a feeling
I'm not gonna like this guy.

Then why are you coming to Walden?

Because. I like being with you.

Is that...

Lavinia!

I thought you were the weird one.

Another letter to Sue?

She can't ignore me forever.

You are really invested
in that friendship.

It is possible she did write to me,
and the letter was lost.

Or maybe Austin stole it.

I wouldn't put it past him.

Or who knows,
maybe my last letter upset her.

Why? What did you say?

Only that she had me chained up
in an insane asylum of love.

If you wrote that to me,
I'd be pretty psyched.

Thanks.

Do you think that Sue and Austin
will still get married?

- Not gonna be able to keep writing, am I?
- I'd just like to have a conversation.

We're sitting on a train together,
side by side.

It just seems like an opportunity
for, you know, interaction.

We could share some laughs,

profess our undying love for each other,

discuss how many children
we're gonna have.

Three boys, two girls?

Fantasize about growing old together
on the porch that I'm gonna build for us.

You know,
just to get to know each other better.

I hope they don't.

What?

Austin and Sue.
I hope they don't get married.

Because, for Sue...

I think it would be like a prison.

Why are you so anti-marriage?
Some people love being married, you know.

Right. Some people called men.

No, not just men.

If I were a man,
I would definitely want a wife.

Someone to cook for me, clean for me,
raise my 500 children.

All while I got to do
exactly what my heart desired.

You're so cynical.

Marriage can be comforting.

Cozy.

I just think, wanting to be alone forever?

That's weird.

- People need each other to survive.
- Concord, last stop.

Not according to Thoreau.

Mr. and Mrs. George Gould?

- Yes?
- No. We're not married.

Well, this is Concord. End of the line.

Look at all this foliage. It's gorgeous.

- I'm so glad to be out of the city.
- Yeah. Let's go peep some leaves.

Not exactly off the grid around here.

Poetry. Poetry.

The poetry... Okay.

Poetry.

How do I summon the muse?

Come to me, muse.

What in heaven's name is that?

It's my headdress.

Why would you ever wear such a thing?

I wanna get abducted by Indians.

I beg your pardon?

Okay, so, the thing is,

I was in town today
and I saw Joseph Lyman walking arm in arm

with Eliza Coleman,
and he straight-up ignored me.

And Eliza doesn't even have ringlets.

And what I'm thinking is

maybe I could just
get kidnapped by Indians,

and then the chief would have
a really handsome son,

and I could marry him
and then be an Indian princess.

And then who would be laughing then,
Joseph?

What makes you think
the Indians would want you?

Mother.

Wow. This place is so...

crowded.

It does seem... populated.

This is not how he described it
in the book.

Yeah.

It's way more fun than I expected.

I didn't come here to have fun. I came
here to have a conversation with Thoreau.

And I'm starting to think
that he doesn't even live here.

Are you looking for Henry?

Excuse me?

David Henry, actually. He switched it.

Well, of course he lives here.
His cabin's right over there.

As a matter of fact, I'm his mother.

- His mother?
- Yes, indeed.

We are very proud of our Henry
around here.

You must be fans of his.

And I imagine
you wanna get that book signed.

No, no. I don't want to intrude on him
just for that. I...

No. Henry is always game to sign a book.

Okay, come with me
and I'll take you over there to meet him.

Really? Right now?

Of course.

I have to pick up his laundry anyway.

His... laundry?

This feels wrong.

We're disturbing his sacred solitude.
We shouldn't have come.

Emily, relax.

We're here to save the tree. Remember?

Yes, right, the tree.

He'll understand, I know he will.

I go to the water.

I go to the well.

The pure, sacred water of the Ganges
is intermingled with the water of Walden.

- Don't. You really don't have to.
- Oh, it's fine. He's just doing his yoga.

Who knocks? Mother, it's you.

- Henry, it's laundry day.
- Is it?

I lose track of time out here

in my extreme solitude.

Well, I've come to get your dirty clothes.
And these two would like to meet you.

More cheap society.

I hope we're not disturbing you...

Hang on a minute.

There you go.

Is this everything?

A man only needs one set of clothes,
you know.

Despite the endless dictates of fashion.

- And what about your checkered trousers?
- They're in the bag.

All right, then.
I'll bring them back tomorrow.

Well, then wait. Take my shirt.

You're going to entertain your guests
half-naked?

These are not my guests
because I didn't even invite them.

Don't be rude, Henry.

I'm so sorry, Mr. Thoreau.
You must want us to leave.

Well, actually...

I was hoping I could interview you.

Interview me?

For what paper?

I'm the editor of
the Amherst College Literary Journal.

Many of the students at our school
are great admirers of yours.

Would it be possible
to ask you a few questions?

Don't, George, he wants us to leave...

Yeah. I can make time for that.

Why don't you both come in?

I hope you're not hungry...

because all I have is beans.

So, my main question is...

Don't you ever get lonely?

- Never.
- Really?

I find it wholesome to be alone
the greater part of the time.

To be in company, even with the best,
is soon wearisome and dissipating.

I love to be alone.

I never found a companion
that was as companionable as solitude.

I feel the same exact way.
That's why your book has inspired me so...

I would rather sit on a pumpkin
and have it all to myself

than be crowded on a velvet cushion.

Write that down.

I know just what you mean.

You see,
I have a place I like to go to be alone.

Just like you. The woods behind our house.

But now they're going to build
the railroad through it.

They're going to cut down
my favorite tree.

Is this part of the interview?

I came here to ask for your help.

I hope you don't think
I'm gonna donate to some charity.

Oh, no.

No. I was thinking you might...

write a letter.

A letter?

About what?

You see, people will listen to you.
Your voice is important.

And I think if you could write
about our woods

as well as you wrote about Walden,
I just think people would hear it.

And then my tree could be saved.

What do I care about your tree?

What do you mean?

I thought you...

you said you loved the woods.

I love my woods.
I'm not much interested in yours.

Harsh.

Sister, what are you doing here?

Hello, Henry,
I've brought you some cookies.

You must be bone-tired
after trekking all the way here.

It's really not that far.
We live just a mile away.

Our dad owns a pencil factory.

Yes, you are brave

to make such a long journey
into the wilderness.

Well, anyway, there you go.

Peanut butter, your favorite.

I see you have company.

I'm his sister. I live just down the...

Your home is far away.
And you must return there now.

Good luck on your arduous slog
back to civilization.

Where were we?

We were talking about solitude.

Yes.

You see, solitude suits me.

I am no more lonely
than the loon that laughs so loud.

Or than Walden Pond itself.

What company has that lonely lake, I pray?

It seems the lake has plenty of company.

Excuse me?

The pond is full of people.

They're everywhere.

You didn't say that in your book.

The people may be there,
but I have no use for them.

Right. Except for
when your mom does your laundry.

- Don't put that in the article.
- Why not?

It's the truth, isn't it?
Great writers should tell the truth.

Are you lecturing me on writing now?
What do you know about it?

She happens to be a poet.

Really? Anything I would've read?

No. None of it has been published.

I see.

I don't think you do.

You publish your books,
which are full of misinformation,

and yet people read them.

They admire you, they interview you.

Whereas everything I write
I have to keep to myself.

Try writing something
and not showing it to anyone,

then you'll know
what real loneliness feels like.

- I think this interview is over.
- I wish we hadn't come.

- I wish you hadn't either.
- You're a dick.

Never meet your heroes.

So, I heard whisperings
the poem is about me.

Ladies and gentlemen,
I would now like to introduce my son...

William Austin Dickinson,

who has composed a piece of verse
in tribute to this grand event.

Yeah.

Yeah. So...

I wrote a poem.

"The wheels of destiny
Have run their course"

Amherst is getting the iron horse

Yes, Amherst gets a train at last

We used to go slow, but now we'll go fast

Through woods and hills
The train will romp

We'll build it a bridge
To get over the swamp

The train will carry all the people
Red-skinned savages and Negroes

So, I can't wait to ride the train
And after that I'll ride it again

"Again"

Good rhyme at the end there.

I held my legs together
when he was trying to be born.

Mom, what are you talking about?

Because I was scared
and your father wasn't home.

So I held my legs together a bit too long
to keep him in there.

I think now that may have been a mistake.

Writing poetry is hard.

Maybe I should have asked you
to cut the ribbon instead.

Or maybe you should have just asked Emily.

I thought I'd find you here.

I never mean to hurt you, Emily.

People hurt each other all the time
just by proximity.

I'd say it's the greatest danger
of civilization.

It will cost a little extra.

And the ride won't be as fast.

But...

I will have them lay the tracks
around the old fellow here.

Hey, Dad,

you know what I love about trees?

What?

The root system.

Under the earth.

It's just as big as the tree.

It's like... a mirror image but hidden.

So, right now, you and I,
we're actually between two trees.

One tree we can see...

and the other upside down.

Invisible.

Like a secret.

Mr. String Bean, how was your day?

Hey, Henry,
you're the only authentic living human

that lives life to the marrow.

Well, thank you. But I already know that.

That woman was wrong about you.

Well, thank you very much, Mr. Cup.

She said that you were a phony.

But she's the phony.

I know that. But you know women...