If you are a fan of Jane Krakowski, and you’re not watching Alena Smith’s incredible Dickinson, then are you really a fan?
Krakowski makes comedy look easy, but her performance as the devoted, conservative Mrs. Dickinson is an entirely different animal. The effervescence that she brought to her other beloved television roles is still there, but Krakowski channels it in a completely different manner. She can wink and grimace, but here she gets to do it through the constraints of the time period and a corset.
In season two, Mrs. Dickinson is worried about the state of her marriage. Her husband, played by Toby Huss, seems distracted by the family business and she longs for affection that she begins to fear is fading. There is a scene where Mrs. Dickinson confronts her husband when he is trapped in a hole in the ground and the pain on her face is absolutely heartbreaking. Krakowski is then able to reach a feverish orgasm while wrapped around a bedpost as she gives in to her personal fantasies. Krakowski gives you everything.
It’s unfathomable that an actress of Krakowski’s caliber doesn’t have an Emmy on her shelf. Her work in this second season is measured, irreverent, and honest.
