#’Dickinson’s Pico Alexander Breaks Down Filming Lavinia’s Spider Dance for Ship

Dickinson‘s second season has been a rollercoaster for on-again-off-again couple Lavinia (Anna Baryshnikov) and Ship (Pico Alexander).

After boarding with the Dickinsons at the beginning of this season, Ship set his sights on Lavinia with hopes of finding an subservient and obedient life partner. As fans of the series know, that’s not exactly the kind of woman Lavinia is.

Determined to put his unstable past behind him, Ship could have never anticipated that Lavinia would become fascinated with stories of his ex, Lola Montez, a provocative and well-known historical dancer. “He thinks she’s one thing, and she’s just so not,” says Alexander of Ship’s impression of Lavinia.

“It seems like Lavinia and Ship both serve the same purpose for each other,” he continues, “which is to show them what they don’t want in some way.” Despite this truthful observation, it doesn’t stop Ship from seeking out Lavinia in Dickinson‘s latest episode, “I Like a Look of Agony.”

(Credit: Apple TV+)

When Ship hears about the rumblings of an impending war, he begs for Lavinia back, but she’ll only budge under one condition — if he accepts all her quirks. In order to prove he will, Ship agrees to sit for a performance which turns out to be Lola’s famous Spider Dance.

The hilarious and erotic dance set to the aptly titled tune “Lola Montez” from Volbeat stuns Ship where he sits. While Lavinia previously aspired to be the perfect housewife, she’s since decided to explore herself and push boundaries like her sister Emily (Hailee Steinfeld) does with poetry.

(Credit: Apple TV+)

“It was definitely hard to keep a straight face. It’s hilarious,” Alexander admits. What makes the scene even better is that the actor hadn’t seen it until it was time to film. “It’s great to see another actor show up on the day with something that they’d been working on in private for however long before you have to shoot the scene.”

While the scene was certainly a lot of fun to watch, Alexander notes that it’s not always laughs and fun filming such a moment. “That’s always a little nerve-wracking, to do a dance for somebody,” he says. “So it’s awkward, and the person doing the performance feels very vulnerable. It’s actually maybe not quite so giggly.”

Whether it was funny or not, Ship was won over by the performance before the episode’s end, but will it be enough for him to stay with the free-spirited Lavinia? It’s unclear whether Ship’s not sure of what he wants or if his standards are too high, but Alexander says it’s “probably a bit of both.” See how the pair finish their Season 2 story when the finale episode arrives next week on Apple TV+.

Dickinson, Season 2, New Episodes, Fridays, Apple TV+