This episode is laughably bad and unfortunately begins the rapid downslide of this promising series. The initial 2 episodes were really enjoyable, and have a lot of the elements that I love in other series - a period setting and good production values had a premium feel to it. I also love stories of strong, intelligent women overcoming sexism to prove themselves. I was hoping for this series to fill the gap left by Mad Men, Masters of Sex and Queen's Gambit, which all exist in this realm.
Lessons in Chem started well - with a notably autistic spectrum coded protagonist, played well by Brie Larson, and her lab partner and love interest, who also showed autistic or adhd traits. I was intrigued by the idea of a show that has a neurodivergent couple doing science and seeing their relationship grow and change through their work and personal lives. So what went wrong?
Well, episode 2 speeds through their romantic relationship. We don't get to see any natural progression. Zott's sexual trauma is quickly brushed aside and we go from them arguing to being together in a few scenes. Then, the bus accident happens, and while shocking, ultimately, it was hard to care as we hadn't spent enough time with this character to it be more than shock value.
Episode 3 is garbage, and the show does not recover. Firstly, we have a DOG narrating this episode. Why? It's played to be emotional and profound, but it was laughable and took me completely out of the story. Immersion and believability died within scene 1 of episode 3. This show was billed as being for an intelligent audience, yet the dog spelling out the story in a series of Instagram inspirational quotes was insulting. SHOW don't tell. TV is a visual medium, and the visual storytelling would have been sufficient and more engaging. Better Call Saul has long periods without dialogue, using clever direction to tell the story. THAT is how good TV is done.
It's not the only issue however.
We learn (through the somehow omniscience dog) that Zott is pregnant. She was adamantly against having children in episode 1/2, and has profound sexual trauma, so it's not she didn't consider an abortion considering her work comes first. I was hoping to see a story of a strong woman NOT defined by motherhood, but unfortunately, the story did not take this direction.
The other issue is again, we had barely any time getting to know her lover Calvin. So I watched the characters being pained over his loss, but why should I care? He had an hour of screen time at most, and we learned very little about him. So there is a huge dissonance between the characters emotions and my own.
The series from this point is merely okay. The production values are good, the acting is good from a decent cast, but this show has none of the spark in dialogue or direction of the previously mentioned shows, and ultimately it feels flat.
Sorry Brie, you did your best, but this series is doggy doo doo.
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