Lessons in Chemistry Season 1 Episodes 1 and 2 Review: Little Miss Hastings / Her and Him
This piece was written during the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike. Without the labor of the actors currently on strike, the series being covered here wouldn’t exist.
Lessons in Chemistry combines all the right elements to cook up a two-episode premiere for what will undoubtedly be one of 2023’s best new TV shows.
With Academy Award winner Brie Larson at the helm as the star and an executive producer, this adaptation of Bonnie Garmus’s bestselling novel is sure to have a winning recipe — even when it experiments with the beloved book’s pages.
Lessons in Chemistry Season 1 Episodes 1 and 2, “Little Miss Hastings / Her and Him,” proves that thesis true by discovering brilliance in the mundane throughout this cleverly written and performed character-driven drama.
This show could easily get bogged down in excessive exposition as it steeps viewers into a fast-paced and scientific world. Instead, Lessons in Chemistry refuses to talk down to its audience or make its characters less intelligent. The Apple TV+ drama knows it and its audience are smart and thrives because of it.
With a teleplay written by Lee Eisenberg and directed by Sarah Adina Smith, “Little Miss Hastings” is less of a crash course introduction to Elizabeth Zott and more of a gradual character study of the show’s protagonist.
The first episode bookends Lessons in Chemistry with Elizabeth’s future at Supper at Six, a cooking show in the 1950s that has young women cheering for her arrival at the studio and women at home taking notes on her every word.
That framing device infuses a grander sense of curiosity into the show’s DNA, which “Little Miss Hastings” elevates by pulling back seven years to meet Lewis Pullman’s Calvin Evans, a renowned scientist and progressive man, first.
This change of pace and perspective could disarm readers of Garmus’s book. While a pivotal character in the source material, Calvin’s presence is still more supportive of Elizabeth’s leading character status.
However, Calvin getting more prominence from the first episode’s opening minutes is evidence of Lessons in Chemistry‘s dedication to embracing the TV medium and expanding the characters’ roles from the page to the screen.
Conversely, one of the only pullbacks from two otherwise excellent episodes is the minimal use of the fantastic Aja Naomi King as Harriet. The writing signals it will correct that disadvantage in time. For instance, while a friend to Calvin upon her introduction, a dynamic between Harriet and Elizabeth has yet to emerge.
More importantly, Harriet has an engaging arc as a legal aid advocating for her predominantly Black neighborhood against the government that seeks to destroy it in the name of infrastructure and thinly-veiled racism. That story should carry great on-screen emphasis as Lessons in Chemistry progresses.
Still, like the book, the show’s structure means it can move nonlinearly through time. So, even with the second episode’s devastating ending, the show can detail more of Harriet and Calvin’s friendship. As it should, Pullman and King are a joy to watch in the few scenes they share.
Most of Lewis Pullman’s scenes are with Brie Larson. The two outstanding talents do more than keep up with each other throughout both episodes — they make each other better. All the while, Lessons in Chemistry molds romantic tropes to challenge the 1950s and fit Calvin and Elizabeth’s characterization.
What results is an unmissable match of charm and wits.
Pointedly, “Little Miss Hastings” breaks the ice between Elizabeth and Calvin by acknowledging the deep-rooted and systemic sexism within their profession, their working dynamic, and the larger society. Both episodes also confront internalized misogyny and intersectionality, which is refreshing and necessary.
Lessons in Chemistry navigates those essential building blocks of its DNA with the same care it does the comforting, healing, and nurturing power of food.
Whether it be Elizabeth finding peace in the routine of a recipe or Calvin and Elizabeth opening themselves up to each other over a shared meal, Lessons in Chemistry uses the culinary arts as a sister science to chemistry. Both organically inform their evolving relationship — sometimes in tandem.
Fundamentally, “Her and Him,” written by Elissa Karasik and directed by Sarah Adina Smith, tells vital chapters of Elizabeth and Calvin’s achingly beautiful love story, with standout performances from Larson and Pullman.
The episode begins with an appreciated content warning, though, as it depicts the sexual assault that traumatized Elizabeth and derailed her career. The show portrays the act as the graphic crime it is and sensitively details its effects on Elizabeth, providing bone-chilling context to things like pencils and open doors.
Lessons in Chemistry reflects a time (unfortunately, not all that different from today) when a woman is not believed or even supported by other women but expected to apologize for defending herself against an abusive man in power. Elizabeth’s attempts to shift blame on the person who deserves it are ignored.
Ultimately, Larson’s performance is believable and honest to all of Elizabeth’s experiences over the years that Lessons in Chemistry explores. Subsequently, Elizabeth Zott begins to feel increasingly authentic and less like fiction. The same is true of Calvin Evans because of Pullman’s lived-in performance.
“Her and Him” carefully navigates how the pair find their professional footing as a budding personal dynamic amplifies conflict. Lessons in Chemistry creates space for Larson and Pullman to play with the tension and express where Elizabeth and Calvin’s heads are in subtle expressions rather than relying on their spoken word.
Many of the perceivably unimportant interactions in “Her and Him” feel ripped from the book’s pages. Larson and Pullman fully embody their characters.
“Little Miss Hastings” and “Her and Him” are absolute romance masterclasses.
Lessons in Chemistry harnesses the book’s energy with Elizabeth and Calvin’s swoon-worthy first kiss. The direction creates intimate snapshots in time, like when Calvin asks Elizabeth to move in with him. But Calvin’s love declaration is the best heart-stopping scene — only rivaled by how “Her and Him” ends.
With only two episodes, this show finds itself on the precipice of spectacular television through its excellent production in every meaning of the word, including the costumes, soundtrack, set design, and even the title sequence.
Lessons in Chemistry is only getting started, but “Little Miss Hastings” and “Her and Him” are shining examples that this show will have you taking note of Elizabeth’s lessons, just like her faithful Supper at Six viewers.
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What did you think of the two-episode premiere of Lessons in Chemistry? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Lessons in Chemistry streams Fridays on Apple TV+.
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Shelby Elpers
Shelby is a TV enthusiast and pop culture writer. She's an avid podcast listener, green tea drinker, and soccer fan. Her brand can be summarized in rom-coms, superheroes, teen dramas, and workplace comedies.