Lessons In Chemistry: A love note to food science
Warning: Major Spoilers Ahead!
I must admit that I rarely use my (parents’) Apple TV subscription. Though I know many incredibly noteworthy shows and movies are in their repertoire, I always end up on Netflix rewatching Gilmore Girls for the hundredth time. Right after Halloween, however, I found myself perusing Apple TV for the first time since Ted Lasso finished airing, and subsequently came across my new obsession: Lessons in Chemistry.
This new television adaptation of the popular book of the same name by Bonnie Garmus does not seem like a masterpiece at first glance; I’ll admit that even after watching the trailer, I was not convinced it would be a show I would finish, hooked in solely by Lewis Pullman in a lab coat, but I was unbelievably surprised.
The show focuses on main character Elizabeth Zott, played by Brie Larson, as she goes through her day-to-day work at a laboratory called Hastings during the early 1950s. There, we learn quickly that Miss Zott is an extremely talented chemist, far more experienced than many of her male colleagues, yet her gender makes it nearly impossible to climb up in rank, leaving her stuck in a lab assistant position.
I’ll be the first to admit that Brie Larson is not an actor on my radar, but her performance as Elizabeth Zott feels incredibly natural. Her chemistry with her fellow actors in Lessons In Chemistry is spectacular. Though Elizabeth’s character is odd at times, you can see Larson’s true passion for acting seeping through every scene.
Elizabeth Zott then meets Calvin Evans, a rude, standoffish, irritable scientist at Hastings, but one willing to share his lab with Elizabeth as they begin to work on groundbreaking chemistry together. You’re probably thinking, “Oh, I know how this story ends. They will fall in love and live happily ever after doing science together,” and yes, that does happen. We are gifted with beautiful episodes of these two characters falling in love, fitting together like puzzle pieces…until Calvin is unexpectedly killed in a car accident. He leaves behind an unmarried, unknowingly pregnant Elizabeth, who can no longer continue her research because she is a woman, and the research, according to the lab, belonged to Calvin, and therefore Hastings, not his “lab assistant.”
The majority of this show takes place after the traditional love story. We watch as Elizabeth grapples with overwhelming grief after losing her career and the love of her life, as well as having to prepare for the birth of her child. We see Elizabeth rely on food for comfort and stability. Throughout the show, we see how Elizabeth combines her love for cooking with her love of chemistry, often citing how cooking is just chemistry at its core. Elizabeth connects with Calvin in the early moments of their relationship by cooking for him and showing him how she uses science to perfect her culinary skills.
Food, specifically food science, becomes the focal point of the show, as Elizabeth demonstrates how women in the 1950s were connected to cooking and food. We see the expectation of mothers and wives to take care of children and have dinner ready for their husbands when they get home from work; women were not supposed to have jobs; if they did, they were assistants or secretaries whose main job was answering phones, taking notes, and getting coffee for their male bosses.
Elizabeth gets a job as the host of a cooking television show called “Supper at Six.” It is meant to be hosted by a cheery housewife dressed in pink who makes dinner for her husband and makes him a drink afterward, too. Elizabeth eventually turns the show into a science-focused program, teaching the housewives of America the science behind the everyday cooking they do.
Will Elizabeth return to the laboratory and finish the groundbreaking work she started with Calvin? Will she continue to use the platform she has to empower women in their homes and their kitchens? These are just two of the burning questions I wish I had the answer to, but with only six of the eight episodes currently out, these questions remain unanswered, leaving me craving more.
With this all said, you need to check out this genuinely heartfelt and telling show, which encapsulates the essence of being a woman in the 50s. Episodes of Lessons In Chemistry come out every Friday exclusively on Apple TV. So, if you’re looking for a show that will make you sob within the first two episodes and become invested in the characters’ daily lives, then be sure to check this out.
Thumbnail Photo of Lessons in Chemistry actress Brie Larson courtesy of WikiMedia Commons