***spoilers ahead***
Lessons in Chemistry is a limited series following the career of chemist turned television home cook, Elizabeth Zott. If the tale feels like a true adaptation of a life perhaps that’s because author Bonnie Garmus loosely based her novel of the same name on her own experience as a woman working in a male dominated industry. The series departs from the novel in a few of its plot points, but the heart of the story shines through. The writing is sharp and witty, and choosing Brie Larson to play protagonist, Elizabeth Zott, was superb casting.
Elizabeth Zott is everything men hate about an intelligent woman. She’s straight faced, hard to amuse, doesn’t trifle with traditionally female activities, and has, *gasp,* a Masters degree in chemistry. To top it all off, she is conventionally beautiful and obviously uninterested in the men around her. Her aloofness and all business manner is perceived by everyone as pretentious and maybe a bit neurodiverse. But as the audience, we’re privy to the nuance of Elizabeth’s internal world. She is meticulous, devoted to scientific discovery, and an incredible home cook. Her dedication to getting the chemical formulas for her recipes just right informs her cooking, so watching her attempts at the perfect lasagna becomes a master’s lab.
Brie Larson’s portrayal of Elizabeth Zott is captivating. You can’t take your eyes off her. Because her outward expression is so composed and restrained, you hang on her every word and facial tic. Larson plays Zott straight, but at the same time finds a way to imbue her with quirkiness and wit that endears the audience to her character. Larson is also great with comedy, so when Elizabeth makes an observational quip, her comedic timing is perfect. Underneath Elizabeth’s austerity, though, Larson leaves room for loneliness in her performance. Her portrayal in the series is a reminder that you are watching an Academy Award winning actress.
Elizabeth is a chemist by profession, but she uses chemistry as the method by which she lives her life and interacts with the world around her, including the people. Early in the series, Elizabeth begins an apprehensive working relationship with another research scientist, Calvin Evans. Calvin is not unlike Elizabeth in demeanor and intelligence. He is a star in the science world, a very particular, aggressive person, and singularly focused on his work. They are both initially dismissive of the other, but soon realize they share a passion for science and eventually each other. She brings out his tenderness and he brings out her smile. For the short time they are together, they make a transformative scientific breakthrough that is ultimately stolen by their colleagues when Calvin abruptly dies in an accident. Calvin, played by Lewis Pullman (Top Gun: Maverick), doesn’t appear in the series for very long, but he leaves a lasting impression that sets up the trajectory of the rest of the series.
When Elizabeth learns that she is pregnant, she is deeply engulfed in grief, and fired from her job because of the pregnancy. Amidst this turmoil, Elizabeth is simply trying to hang on to herself and this forces her into a relationship of necessity with her neighbor, Harriot, played by the immensely talented Aja Naomi King. We do not get enough of King in this series. Harriot is Elizabeth’s only real connection to Calvin as Harriot and Calvin were neighbors and close friends. So Elizabeth leans on Harriot for guidance on motherhood, for friendship, and they eventually learn to lean on each other for support. Larson and King’s on-screen chemistry is a joy. When they’re sitting at the table talking life, love and careers, it feels like two old friends in their own world. Harriot isn’t only there to play against Elizabeth, though, she is her own woman with a law degree, a husband who is a military doctor and two children of her own. Throughout the series, Harriot is fighting development plans to run a freeway through their majority-Black neighborhood. And when Harriot calls Elizabeth out for believing herself a friend, but not using her platform to be an ally, Elizabeth hears her and steps up accordingly. It further illuminates the depth and trust in their relationship, and Harriot’s influence on Elizabeth’s character.
The rest of the series follows Elizabeth’s journey balancing her life as a single mother to a precocious little girl showing the promise of intelligence equal to her parents’, and hosting a cooking show where she uses chemistry to teach bored housewives the art of making the perfect meal. Mads, Elizabeth’s daughter, goes on her own journey, as well, to find out everything she can about her father, Calvin, and where she came from. Joined in her adventure by local Reverend Wakely (Gaslit, The Resident), played by Patrick Walker, her story turns into a little detective caper reminiscent of Harriet the Spy.
Lessons in Chemistry is a beautifully crafted story with a marvelous lead in Brie Larson and phenomenal performances by the supporting cast. Rainn Wilson (The Office) appears as Zott’s asshole station owner, and Kevin Sussman (The Big Bang Theory) counters Wilson’s brashness with his own nervous anxious energy as the put-upon but supportive station producer.
All episodes of Lessons in Chemistry have been released and are available to watch on AppleTV+.
