Ten stars is, for this show, like giving a one to any other show. Brie Larsen is wonderfully captivating from the first scene to the last - ever a remarkable performance. The writing and direction likewise tug the viewer from scenecto scene, episode to episode. For we who have not read the book, there is little or no foreshadowing - the slight predictability after episode 4 of one major subplot takes us to a very unexpected conclusion. The supporting cast fill their characters with believable behavior and engaging conflicts carrying forward the several threads. Pacing, direction, costumes, color light are all done to perfection.
The mark of a really good show is it entertains. A great show moves our feelings and thoughts to our own lives, drawing out our empathy for the characters and connecting our own experiences. A great show helps us see something about our own lives, threads of connections we may not have known were there until we looked back and saw the pattern, the tapestry that began with a single chance change in our lives. Lessons in Chemistry is such a show for me, and I imagine it will speak to most others as well.
The worst thing one can say about season 1 of Lessons in Chemistry is the show ends with seemingly nowhere to go forward. But as Elizabeth, Brie's character tells us, change is the only constant. We may have great expectations there will be a new chapter, but if there is not, the show as is leaves us richer.
