NOTE: this post contains spoilers for Lessons in Chemistry episode 3, "Living Dead Things."
Six-Thirty (BJ Novak) narrates the episode as he explains what happened in the aftermath of Calvin's (Lewis Pullman) death. He says he was trained to be a military dog, a protector, but he was a coward and ran away. He ended up digging in Elizabeth's (Brie Larson) garbage after fleeing the military base and found new purpose protecting Elizabeth and Calvin.
But when Calvin is killed, Six-Thirty's self-image shatters. He is crippled by grief and a profound sense of failure.
The agony of grief
A policeman hands Elizabeth Calvin's watch and personal effects. She is physically slumped with grief, unable to process the sudden loss. Six-Thirty, guilt-ridden and also grieving, doesn't know how to comfort her.
The camera work mimics the silence and feeling of disorientation that people experience when grieving a loved one. Elizabeth picks out a casket, arranges a funeral and does all the things you do after a loved one passes away. But she's moving through all these tasks like a ghost. At home she sits limp in a chair, ignoring the ringing phone, while Six-Thirty watches anxiously from the couch.
Elizabeth and Six-Thirty arrive at Calvin's graveside funeral service. The scientists from Hastings are there but don't acknowledge Elizabeth. A newspaper reporter covering the service wants to know who Elizabeth is because she is sitting in the first row, which is typically reserved for family. She doesn't answer his questions and ignores everyone. Harriet (Aja Naomi King) is at the funeral, sitting quietly in the back.
After a few moments, Elizabeth gets up and leaves. Back at the house Six-Thirty brings her the leash, but she just walks away. In voiceover, Six-Thirty says Elizabeth wouldn't look at him for days, barely spoke to him and wouldn't touch him.
No going back
After a few days, Elizabeth and Six-Thirty return to Hastings. She's hoping to bury her grief in work. When she gets there their lab has been stripped. All of their work, notes and personal items were put into storage.
Elizabeth asks Fran (Stephanie Koenig) where Calvin's things are. Fran tells her all of Calvin's work now belongs to Hastings. She also tells Elizabeth they can't release any of his personal items to her.
Elizabeth has also lost her job, because her job was working for Calvin. But Fran tells her if she leaves the dog at home Fran can find her work with another chemist. So Elizabeth leaves Six-Thirty at home alone all day, leaving the TV on for him.
Dr. Donatti (Derek Cecil) approaches Remsen Foundation rep Wilson (Beau Bridges) about continuing Calvin's work. Donatti taps Dr. Boryweitz (Thoman Mann) to be his research assistant and tech. He takes all of Calvin and Elizabeth's research so he can secure the Remsen and put his name on their findings. Weeks later, Elizabeth sees Boryweitz in the cafeteria and asks him if he can get her Calvin's personal things. A little while later he brings a box of Calvin's things to her house.
Renewed purpose
Elizbeth starts feeling sick. She checks her menstrual cycle chart and realizes she is pregnant. Six-Thirty is happy and hopes it can be a new start.
Elizabeth, overwhelmed with grief and other emotions, grabs a sledgehammer and starts destroying the kitchen. Harriet brings Elizabth a copy of the article about Calvin in the paper. She wants Elizabth to demand a retraction because the article isn't flattering. When Harriet asks what Elizbeth is doing she tells Harriet she's turning the kitchen into a lab.
Six-Thirty is determined not to fail again. He will protect the baby at all costs. He takes up residence at the living room window and barks furiously at anyone that comes near the house.
Harriet goes to the reporter and calls him out for saying inaccurate things about Calvin. She wants him to rewrite it, but he won't.
When Elizbeth is going through Calvin's things she finds an album he left that had a note on it for Harriet. Elizbeth brings the album to Harriet and tells her Calvin wanted her to have it. The two women bond through their grief and memories of Calvin. Elizabeth tells Harriet she's pregnant but that she is scared and overwhelmed. Harriet comforts her.
The next day, Elizabeth gets up at 6:30 and starts rowing on Calvin's rowing machine. Days pass and Elizabeth works on her research, rows, builds her lab and cooks. Six-Thirty guards the house. After she feels sharp pains in her third trimester, she goes to see Dr. Mason (Mark Evan Jackson), who knew Calvin. He tells her the baby is fine.
One foot
Hastings fires Elizabeth for being pregnant and unmarried. That night Elizabeth goes through more of Calvin's things. In the pocket of the lab coat she finds an engagement ring.
As the grief washes over her, she reaches out to hold Six-Thirty. She gets his leash and the two of them walk to the spot where Calvin died. Then together they run. In voiceover Six-Thirty says Calvin used to say the beauty of running was that when you don't think you can move forward your purpose is just being there. Just put one foot in front of the other. And then before you know it, you'll be home.
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