Major spoilers ahead for the first two episodes of Lessons in Chemistry.

Literature is filled with great heroines, but one of our contemporary favourites has to be Elizabeth Zott in Lessons In Chemistry.

Less than a year after the debut of Bonnie Garmus’s bestselling novel, a TV adaptation has landed on Apple TV+ with Captain Marvel star Brie Larson at the helm of this feminist STEM drama. The first two episodes (released on Friday) dive straight into Elizabeth’s past in the 1950s, when she worked as a lab technician and dreamt of completing her PhD to pursue a career as a chemist.

However, the sexist industry and her misogynistic co-workers make this aspiration a daily struggle. That is until she meets the rude loner and poster kid for the department, Dr Calvin Evans (Lewis Pullman).

Fans of this bestselling novel will be well aware of the major themes explored within the series (such as sexual violence and death) though, it does not necessarily prepare them for the visual dramatisation of them on screen.

As a means to cope with the relentless misogyny at work, where male colleagues tell her “a smile once in a while wouldn’t kill you” and “some sex appeal wouldn’t hurt”, Elizabeth tries to control every variable of her life. 

From taking a scientific approach to cooking to methodically organising the lab, Elizabeth aims to set herself up for success in every area of her life to protect herself and achieve as close to perfection as possible. 

The aspiring chemist even works to perfect her signature lasagne, as she tells Calvin this is her “78th attempt” to get the recipe right – though she is having an issue with the consistency of the cheese. Elizabeth takes a logical, rational approach to every aspect of her life, putting her scientifically inclined mindset – that everything can be explained, predicted and determined –  to each challenge she faces. 

Elizabeth also wants to take back control over her life after she was violently raped by her former mentor. Now, she insists that the door must be left ajar to every lab she works in, even with Calvin, as she always needs to know “she has a way out”.

Sadly, life is not always within our control. At the end of episode two, Calvin goes out on his daily run and is hit by a bus and killed. The heartbreaking accident alters Elizabeth’s future entirely, as devout readers will know, she leaves the lab soon after Calvin’s death, unable to stay on without him.

The eight-part series jumps between the present, when Elizabeth hosts the cooking show Supper At Six, and the past – both in the lab and her previous life with Calvin. These contrasting periods in Elizabeth’s life both demonstrate her desire for control after volatile and unpredictable events. 

Later, as it cuts to the present, Elizabeth tears up in the studio as her prized lasagne has burned in the oven. It becomes clear that she is not crying over the ruined dinner, but over the loss and devastation she feels when unexpected things happen in everyday life. 

“Sometimes you burn the lasagne,” she tells the live audience, a reminder that not everything goes to plan no matter how many steps or how closely you follow the recipe to make it a success.

Lessons In Chemistry serves as a reminder that it is impossible to control every variable of our life, some things remain out of our control. One of the most tragic and wonderful parts of life is that it is unpredictable. Sometimes, that brings new beginnings and adventures, such as Elizabeth falling in love with Calvin; other times, it leads to destruction or tragic accidents.

Sometimes you do burn the lasagne, and when that happens, take time to process it. As Elizabeth says: “Children, your mother needs a moment.”

New episodes of Lessons In Chemistry arrive on Apple TV+ every Friday.

Images: Apple TV+