Lessons in Chemistry: Coincidence and Chaos, the mystery of science
Brie Larson and Alice Halsey in Lessons in Chemistry. © Apple TV+
Not all who wander are lost. And, not all mysteries are about murders. If anyone had suggested that I included this television series on this blog before I watched it, I would have quickly dismissed the idea. On the surface, this story is about several things: the nature of love, sexual politics, race, civil rights, the corruption of patriarchal institutions, the acceptance of others, and…chemistry. But a mystery? Seriously?
Warning some spoiler alerts.
In Lessons in Chemistry, we encounter many characters and storylines that are all connected to Calvin (Lewis Pullman) and Elizabeth (Brie Larson). The overall narrative begins with what we would consider ‘the present’ when Elizabeth is hosting a live 1950s cooking show. The question on everyone’s mind is: how did this lady chemist end up hosting a hugely popular television show, especially with a matter-of-fact personality that is about as far off from 1950s television culture as it can get?
Then…we flashback to her life eight years earlier when she is a lab assistant at what seems to be an incarnation of the Hughes Corporation since we know it isn’t JPL. The sexism is rampant. It doesn’t matter that Elizabeth has a Master’s in Chemistry from UCLA. It is her looks and coffee-making skills that are in demand.
Fast forward to her relationship with Calvin and his subsequent death, and there still isn’t a mystery—until Mad (Alice Halsey) is born. The mystery begins for Mad when she can’t get any extra information from Elizabeth about her dad, Calvin, who clearly died before she was born. after her teacher assigns everyone a family tree assignment. Mad decides to investigate and thus begins a combination of Nancy Drew/The Hardy Boys tactics, with the help of Reverend Wakely (Patrick Walker) who serendipitously helps Mad on her quest.
This inquisitive Mad triggers a number of events which open doors to help Elizabeth, herself and her grandmother to heal. It is the investigation though, that emotionally dominates the last three episodes of the limited series, which I believe adds an emotional layer that makes the narrative exceptional. She will not rest until she learns the story of her father’s origins and early childhood. Through sheer determination that surprises her already stubborn mother Elizabeth, she breaks down barriers that would daunt even Sam Spade. Elizabeth’s desire to keep Mad emotionally protected is more fasciating because she has become far more human, worrying about her daughter’s psychological welfare during the emotionally perilous quest.
What is at stake when there is a mystery that must be solved that doesn’t involve a crime? It all depends on the character’s emotional and psychological needs. For Mad, the questions surrounding her father’s early life dominates her existence. The importance of this lesson isn’t truly appreciated until we reach the final episode, when we see Elizabeth back at UCLA, having confronted her past at being sexually assaulted by a Chemistry Professor and her Doctoral Chair, teaching and talking about the chaos in molecules that creates life. If you still are not getting the message, Elizabeth reads out a passage of Great Expectations by Charles Dickens that was dog-eared by Calvin. The bottom line is that the randomness in chemistry and what we consider science is what becomes so influential in the personal lives of everyone. In the chaos there becomes meaning, and in any additional questions when we find answers. It is definitely a good lesson for everyone, not just chemistry students. Will the viewer truly appreciate the message and understand the importance of moments of happiness in their lives? Mysteries in science are truly as compelling as mysteries in detective fiction. In scientific mysteries, solving the mystery can only open more doors to more mysteries. Sort of like an unending detective series in metaphysics.