Lessons in Chemistry Season 1 Episode 7 Review: Book of Calvin
Lessons in Chemistry Season 1 Episode 7, “Book of Calvin,” takes a character study of Calvin Evans under a microscope and transforms it into a love letter about finding faith in unexpected people and places.
Written by Elissa Karasik and directed by Tara Miele, this penultimate outing retools a story to reveal unseen connections like This Is Us and commentates on life’s endless opportunities for renewed hope like Ted Lasso.
If the past six excellent episodes aren’t enough irrefutable evidence, “Book of Calvin” is bound to secure Lessons in Chemistry as a comfort show for many and one of the best shows of 2023 for most.
Lewis Pullman takes center stage as Lessons in Chemistry chronicles Calvin’s history with vivid voiceovers and adequate flashbacks. The show is clever in its use of the narrative tools, never bogging down the story but elevating it.
“Book of Calvin” seamlessly melds new footage with scenes from Lessons in Chemistry Season 1 Episodes 1 and 2, “Little Miss Hastings / Her and Him.” The shift from Elizabeth’s perspective to Calvin’s isn’t jarring but subtle, adding energy to previously seen exchanges and expanding Bonnie Garmus’s book.
For instance, the source material has Calvin say that he kept the engagement ring in his lab coat pocket with multiple intentions to propose to Elizabeth. Lessons in Chemistry Season 1 Episode 3, “Living Dead Things,” alludes to that section of the book when Elizabeth finds the ring.
But the Calvin-centric episode allows Lessons in Chemistry to show those attempts, resulting in comedic and sweet performances from Pullman and Brie Larson. Their all-encompassing chemistry lights up the screen, so it’s a delight to see them together again on “Book of Calvin.”
The sequence when Elizabeth moves in with Calvin is an endearing standout.
In fairness, Pullman and Larson bring authenticity to all of their scenes, including when Calvin loses his temper and when he apologizes for doing so. The latter pulls such tender and vulnerable performances from both actors that it’s easy to forget a TV show is unfolding — the characters come to life.
Because Lessons in Chemistry spends more time without Calvin than with him, “Book of Calvin” encourages viewers to soak up these extra chapters of his life until they become similar to the momentos Mad cherishes.
Of course, learning about Calvin’s specific, complicated relationship with religion and discovering how Calvin turns to Harriet’s workplace about the unsolicited letters is relevant. The character-driven approach Lessons in Chemistry takes to those developments in Calvin’s life makes them narrative sticking points.
St. Luke’s exploitation of Calvin’s mind and manipulation of his sense of self at such a young age ripple through his non-existent relationship with his father, his attachment to science, and his aversion to forming lasting relationships.
Consequently, with such a deep dive into Calvin’s past, Lessons in Chemistry follows through on its experiment with the source material by utilizing the medium of TV to create expanded versions of the characters from Garmus’s book.
In turn, “Book of Calvin” is a nice companion to the character work with younger Elizabeth on Lessons in Chemistry Season 1 Episode 6, “Poirot.”
Like Ridley Haitkin with younger Elizabeth, who also only has a short time, Caden Dragomer delivers a fantastic performance as a younger Calvin Evans. Refreshingly and significantly, “Book of Calvin” doesn’t jump from that point of boyhood to one in the future without bridging the time passed.
The penultimate episode strings the chapters together with poignant reflections on a man who lives on in the love of his life, a daughter he never got to meet, neighbors who became friends over his taste in music, and a friend he forged through the exchange of thoughtful letters.
The latter is so well-executed. It’s pretty brilliant that “Book of Calvin” doesn’t let Calvin’s voiceovers dangle but roots them in the written words he exchanges with Reverend Curtis Wakely after a coincidental crossing of paths in 1948.
The unexpected dynamic doubles as a crossroads of Calvin’s significant conflicts.
Moreover, it gives Patrick Walker more to do on Lessons in Chemistry and inspires hindsight for Wakely as much as it does Calvin. “Book of Calvin” gives the supporting role additional dimension through his own complicated relationship with faith, his father’s fight against cancer, and his move to California.
As much as Lessons in Chemistry makes the impact of Wakely on Calvin apparent, “Book of Calvin” also illuminates how Calvin impacts Wakely. The casual elements in the script that signal the progression of their dynamic, like Calvin gradually addressing Wakely as Curtis in the letters, are great touches.
But it’s also exciting to look back at the other episodes and identify the connections between Calvin and Wakely. The viewer becomes akin to Mad in that sense, parsing through clues like she does Wakely’s letters.
For example, Wakely’s quote, “Because people who don’t ask questions have blind faith, and blind faith is the furthest thing from faith,” from Lessons in Chemistry Season 1 Episode54, “CH₃COOH,” is a perfect summation of Calvin and Wakely’s conversations. It’s also noteworthy that he says that to Mad.
After depicting Elizabeth and Calvin’s tumultuous relationships with religion, it’s a hopeful break in the cycle that Mad has Wakely to turn to as a positive figure.
Even though it presumably reveals the man who appears at Calvin’s funeral on Lessons in Chemistry Season 1 Episode 3, “Living Dead Things,” as Calvin’s father, it’s not the most poignant revelation the penultimate episode brings — not yet.
It’s undoubtedly a well-earned cliffhanger for the series.
However, Lessons in Chemistry still needs to make the viewer care for or at least understand a man who supposedly didn’t want Calvin as a young boy yet clearly showed interest in his career through the Remsen Grant.
Through both twists and with one episode left, the limited series remains one of the most character-driven shows on TV. After all, “Book of Calvin” builds its emotional stakes and attention-grabbing mysteries by investing in its leading and supporting characters, resulting in a beautiful episode about life’s surprises.
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Lessons in Chemistry streams Wednesdays 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.