NOTE: this post contains spoilers for Lessons in Chemistry episode 2, “Her and Him.” Also, advance warning that this episode depicts a sexual assault.
The episode opens in 1950 with a younger Elizabeth (Brie Larson) taking the qualifying exam for her PhD studies. While the examining committee decides her fate she waits in a small office. Her mentor, Dr. Bates (Tate Ellington) comes into the office, almost certain she passed. Suddenly he kisses her.
Elizabeth backs away, but he corners her and holds her down over the desk. Bates assaults her. Elizabeth stabs him with the pencil she had in her hand. Bleeding, Bates runs out.
Elizabeth is brought before the Associate Dean (Pamela Shafer), who tells Elizabeth she must submit a formal written apology to Dr. Bates if she wants to continue her studies. Infuriated at the unfairness, Elizabeth decides to leave the PhD program.
Elizabeth is stuck with her choices
The scene shifts back to Hastings after Elizabeth walked out of the lab. Elizabeth goes to Fran (Stephanie Koenig) and asks to be reassigned. But Fran bluntly tells Elizabeth the lab tech position has been filled. Elizabth will have to work with Calvin (Lewis Pullman) or quit.
Elizabeth decides to divide the lab down the middle with yellow tape. When Calvin arrives she explains she's done this so they can continue to work together. Calvin, clearly upset, has no idea what he did to upset her. Confused and hurt Calvin leaves so that Elizabeth can continue working.
At home, Elizabeth once again takes solace in cooking. When she hears a noise, she goes outside to find a large dog digging through the scraps in the trash. Elizabeth gets the dog a proper meal and decides to adopt him. She names him Six Thirty, because that's the time he wakes her up in the morning.
While Elizabeth is bonding with the dog, Calvin is babysitting for his neighbor Harriet (Aja Naomi King). She has two children Linda (Amentii Sledge) and James (Yasir Hashim Lafond). Harriet is a community activist trying to fight the creation of a highway right through the middle of the neighborhood. Calvin asks Harriet if there's anything he can do to help the cause. She asks him to come to the next meeting.
At Hastings the next day, Elizabeth arrives at the lab and finds a note from Calvin saying he's sorry for whatever he did.
When Calvin blows off a meeting, it puts pressure on Dr. Donatti (Derek Cecil). Donatti stops at the lab and finds Elizabeth but not Calvin. Donatti tells Elizabeth if Calvin doesn't secure the Remsen grant he will have to start firing people, starting with the female support staff. He also threatens to tell them it's Elizabeth’s fault they get fired because she distracted Calvin.
The truth is revealed
Elizabeth tries to convince Calvin to come back to work, admitting she misses working with him. They clear the air and Calvin agrees to come back to work. He asks Elizabeth if she wants to learn how to row.
When Calvin takes Elizabeth out on the water, she ends up tipping the boat and is terrified because she can't swim. Calvin rescues her. When they are sitting on the dock they talk more openly with each other and Calvin tells her he has deep feelings for her. Elizabeth kisses him. Spending time with Elizabeth, Calvin misses the meeting he promised Harriet he would attend.
In the lab, Calvin tells Elizabeth she needs to relax. He tells her science is like jazz and she needs to slow down and let things unfold, wait for the unexpected and just follow the rhythm. Then he takes her to a pool to teach her to swim. She is nervous, but he kisses her as they go under the water to distract her and help her go with the flow.
The element of surprise
At Christmas, Elizabeth and Calvin's big breakthrough comes. They drink and dance together in the lab to celebrate. Calvin makes Elizabeth a romantic dinner in the cafeteria. Elizabeth gifts Calvin a leash for Six Thirty so he can take the dog running.
Calvin catches Harriet outside taking down holiday lights. He apologizes for missing the meeting but says he's been buried with work and is preparing for his and Elizabeth's Remsen presentation.
In front of the department heads and Dr. Donatti, Calvin has Elizabeth run the presentation. The department heads tell Calvin they won't submit the work for the Remsen if a female lab tech has first billing over a world-class scientist like him. Upset, Elizabeth offers to remove her name from the study. But Calvin refuses. Calvin tells her she is what he treasures most in the world and they will submit their work on their own. Together they start preparing their research for submission as their romance deepens. Calvin theorizes that surprise is the one variable that no one can control or plan for.
The next morning Calvin takes Six Thirty for a run. Calvin tries to cross a street but Six Thirty stops and yanks on the leash, refusing to go forward. As Calvin pulls the collar slips off Six Thirty's head and the sudden slack causes Calvin to fall back, right into the path of an oncoming truck. He is hit by the truck and killed.
Lessons in Chemistry is streaming exclusively on Apple TV Plus, with new episodes releasing on Fridays.
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