Watching Lessons In Chemistry, yes, I am loving the show. Full disclosure though, I am feeling a little bit bitch slapped – because the tone and the characters change so quickly from one thing to another. And yes, before you come from me, I know that’s life and sh*t like that happens, but it does remain a lot in a television show. But being as we’re in episode two and this is happening, I am setting myself up for that being the expectation. Hopefully that means I won’t bitch about it (we all know I will).
That being said though, Brie Larson and Lewis Pullman are so captivating and have so much chemistry, I would watch them in anything. They want to read us the ABC’s? No problem, I will watch. They want to sit there and stare and the sun? Let’s do it. The chemistry that these two have on the screen is just everything.
What I also appreciated from this episode is that they did give us a trigger warning. Because I was triggered and I had to press pause and take a moment. We do see what has changed Elizabeth, what happened in the past, and her sexual assault. Her life changed in an instant. When she applied for her Phd program, she was somewhat awkward, but she was happy. She was assaulted by one of her professors and to make it stop, she stabbed him with a pencil. I applaud. Yes, I literally applauded. Judge me, that’s fine. Elizabeth was able to get out, but her torture did not end there. Why? Because in order to continue with her Phd program they told her she would need to apologize to her professor for the ‘misunderstanding’. Ummm, hell to the no. There is no f**king way. Watching a show, I have never been so pissed at what I was seeing. Now, I do understand more about Elizabeth and I don’t think how she is — well I can understand.
In the present, we see Elizabeth trying to figure out a way to work with Evans, after she said that this was a mistakes. Evans doesn’t understand what happened and Elizabeth won’t talk about it. She’s withdrawn and you can tell that it absolutely guts them both.
What I do love is the way that Lewis Pullman’s portrayal of Evans makes you feel so many things. Yes, aware that I am probably not explaining it well, but I do know is that as I watched this episode I FELT THINGS. I wanted to hug Evans. I wanted to tell him it would be okay. I wanted to save him from himself. I wanted to tell Elizabeth to open her eyes and forgive him. I want these two to find a way to forgive each other – though in the same breath, I am not sure of what they are forgiving. I just feel that they need to communicate.
And they are about to be forced to do just that.
Donatti’s job on the line, he comes to the lab to look for Evans. He’s not there, so he does what slimy assholes do. He threatens Elizabeth, telling her basically that if Evans doesn’t get his sh*t together, he’s going to have to fire people and he will tell everyone that it is Elizabeth’s fault. I hate that man so much.
This show has taught me that I wouldn’t have survived the sexism of the 1950’s. I would have been in a lot of trouble.
The only thing that I will say nicely about Donatti is that his bullshit forced Elizabeth to go and talk to Evans, which we all wanted and needed. Seeing the two be vulnerable and finding their way to each other… it was everything. I admit that I cried.
I cried a lot.
And yes, I will tell you right there to keep your judgements to yourself.
From the moment that Elizabeth and Evans make up, you see a different side of the both of them. Love is strange, it brings things out of you that you didn’t know you could feel. Then again, it also can make a person stupid, and yes, I am speaking from experience. The two thrive off of each other and are pushed to be better people because of each other.
But in the moments that each one of them is being pushed forward because of the other, you get to see the vulnerability and the love between them grow. The two decide to work through Christmas, where their research turns a positive result. And you know, there’s the whole thing where he asks her to move in and she says yes.
Oh, and I shoulda mentioned earlier that Elizabeth got a dog. That’s important because well… you’ll see.
When Elizabeth and Evans go to present their findings to the board, the stupid men in suits shut them down because of Elizabeth. Well that and the whole DNA thing. They don’t believe in DNA. Morons.
The board won’t move forward without Elizabeth being off the paper, but Evans isn’t hearing it. He won’t let her sacrifice who she is and the things that she’s done. He won’t let her not show brilliance. This leads the two to admitting that they love each other.
I hate love (i’m a bitter bitch) but I love seeing these two in love. I love seeing the way that they grow together. They are like lobsters (and if you’ve watched friends, you know what I am talking about). I just really love them.
I love the fact that the two just meld. They are submitting their research independently. They are happy together. They have their life together and unfortunately because of it, Evans doesn’t show up for his neighbor and that’s pretty shitty.
Do I understand that people in love sometimes loose focus? Yes. But his neighbor needed him and I’m just like ugh Evans, I wanna love you, but you can’t just not show up.
Evans and Elizabeth are happy. I love their happy. I love them with Six Thirty. I love Evans runs with Six Thirty. I love it until Six Thirty is apprehensive and he’s trying to get Evans to stay. But the two struggle and Evans ends up getting slammed by a bus. He’s dead. I’m kinda destroyed. What the actual hell to this really traumatic ending? I’m not like that at all.
A new episode of Lessons In Chemistry premieres Fridays on AppleTV+.
OTHER OBSERVATIONS
- I really am not happy with the ending. I love Evans so much and the possibility of those two together forever I was looking forward to.
- I really hate the fact that Evans wasn’t there for his neighbor. She deserved better.
- Six Thirty, I wanted to love you. I’m glad you tried to protect Evans, I just wish you two would kept running and beat the bus.
- I kinda love Harriett so much and I wanna see more of her. I feel like Evans really loves smart women in his life and I respect that.
- Harriett schooling men is what I live for.
- Not looking forward to seeing Elizabeth’s reaction to what happens with Evans. It will break me
- Evans offering to not eat saltines in the lab anymore. That’s like legit him saying “I love you” without saying I love you.
- Will never be over that ending.
