In Lessons in Chemistry we follow Elizabeth Zott while she navigates the hardships and delights of life as a smart woman in the United States of the 1950s. In my review on the first episode, I wrote that all the ingredients were there for something good. Luckily, the series managed to deliver. In this first (and very likely only) season of Lessons in Chemistry, we join Elizabeth Zott (Brie Larson, United States of Tara) in an emotional rollercoaster through her life in the 1950s. She starts out as a lab assistant at a company called Hastings. Even though she is a brilliant scientist, she is not taken seriously by her peers. After all, she is a woman and women cannot do chemistry (duh). That is, until she meets Calvin Evans (Lewis Pullman, Outer Range), who gives her an opportunity to work with him on possible scientific breakthroughs as his equal.
We join Elizabeth Zott in an emotional rollercoaster through her life in the fifties as a woman
From there on, a chain of events unfold, about which I do not want to say too much for fear of spoilers. Know that Elizabeth’s life is sometimes hard and raw, but also filled with delightful moments. This is all beautifully portrayed by Brie Larson, who is absolutely amazing as Zott. Her range of emotions as she goes through that emotional rollercoaster is what sells this show. What furthermore really helps sell the show is that every set has clearly been composed with attention to detail. No effort was spared in its production.
The series is based on a book with the same name. It is in spirit faithful to that book, but there are also quite a few differences. I think most changes suited the format of TV over a book, such as grouping events so that each of the eight episodes feels like a whole. One thing I liked less was the added storyline of the highway that is planned to be built through Evans’ neighborhood. This line runs parallel to the events in Zott’s life, but only barely intersects it. It therefore feels like it was a bit forcefully added and it does not really come to its right. I think the show would have been better without it; a whole separate series could have been written about it.
Besides that, it might be good to know that the series is heavy on politics; it covers sexism, racism, economic opportunities, inequalities, etc. If that is not your cup of tea, I would recommend skipping it, because the messages are not subtle. If you, however, can accept this or would even enjoy this (I did, nice to see some justice in the world!), I would seriously recommend giving it a watch. It is one of my series highlights of 2023. So if you are still looking for a feel-good show with some emotional moments, a great story, and good character development, definitely check this one out.
PS. The trailer contains a lot of spoilers, so watch at your own risk.
About the writer, Nienke de Boode
She started with watching NCIS, CSI and Bones, but over time her passion for TV shows has grown to what it is today, with dozens of shows that need to be watched. You can always wake her up for a good crime show, but she is also open to different things. Comedy and fantasy are on her list of favourites as well. Since October 2014, she also writes for MySeries to combine her love for TV shows and writing.
