Lessons in Chemistry

Go with the positive reviews. The naysayers are wrong. One person criticizes differences from the book. Oh, gee, that's never happened before, right? The acting is great, the story is compelling, and if it's different in some ways from the book, so what? Both can be good. It does present the challenges women faced in the patriarchal 50s. Perfectly? Is anything ever perfect? But no one can honestly say women didn't face some of the exact chauvinistic attitudes portrayed in the series. Stupidity and arrogance from men. Misogyny. And too many women willingly invested in that system. This show is well worth your time.

Brie Larson is the reason I began watching "Lessons in Chemistry", and sure her acting was exceptional, though it was a kind surprise to see that the story was one of the most touching and emotional that I have ever seen. The rhythm of the narrative is just fine, and the script is marvelous, no pun intended. The series may be a little bit too optimistic, as it holds place for political conversations that were as relevant in the fifties, when it takes place, as they are nowadays. But the rest of it was exceptional, including the reflections of two very relatable characters: Elizabeth Zott and Calvin Evans. Do yourself a favor and fall in love with them!

Some shows exist only to make you feel good and this is one, a story with real heart. Beautifully written and played by the whole cast with Brie Larson excelling as the main character Elizabeth Zott. A show about cooking, about life, about love and relationships all pulled together through chemistry it runs the full gamut of emotions. It will challenge you, it will make you laugh at times and at times it will pull on your heartstrings. The show does not miss a beat with each episode consistently good as more is revealed and Elizabeth Zott grows through her experiences.

Sometimes with shows like this it can become overly sentimental but this show avoids that pitfall. All the characters and situations are believable and honourable mention to Alice Halsey that plays the gifted daughter Madeleine. Too often children are written as saccharine cute or so smart and precocious as to be annoying. This is another aspect that the show gets right. Madeleine is gifted, and Elizabeth has to find her a school that will challenge her enough to prevent her from becoming bored. The relationship between mother and daughter is played so beautifully and naturally it was one of the highlights for me.

Plus, as an added bonus we get a lovable dog that's ever present. In one episode we get a narration from the dogs point of view that also avoids falling into any traps and is just as important to the story as the other episodes, acting only to add more layers onto the 'lasagne'. The writing and direction is excellent.

I really enjoyed this and was left with a warm feeling of satisfaction at its conclusion.

What a pleasant surprise this was. Really, the only issues I see is macro plotting and pacing, which, at the outset, make it feel like it's spinning its wheels a bit too much. Once it does though, it's a force. It is subversive of genre in many ways. The acting is great (Larson is perfect casting especially) . It's unpredictable, thematically cogent, and gets messaging right- something tv shows rarely get right. Usually they beat you over the head with it or else have little to no point at all.

Like all fiction, of any medium, it has a lot to say about many things, and in doing so, has a quality of elegance about it.

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.