We will not deny feeling absolute dread before tuning into Lessons in Chemistry episode 3. But after watching it, we were left with some feelings of relief and also felt strangely lighthearted, which is in direct contrast to Elizabeth’s journey. Either way, here is a recap of the episode, and it is our favorite so far.
Spoiler Alert
Is Six Thirty feeling guilty?
It is safe to assume that the viewers of Lessons in Chemistry must be hating on Six Thirty after the last episode. The dog is also afraid of the same thing, which is why he is skitting around Elizabeth. He was originally being trained to be a military dog, but since Six Thirty’s temperament was much softer, he did not get along well with them and ran away. That was when he found Elizabeth and started living with her. Sixty loved his new owners and wanted to protect and love them all his life. But he had made a mistake when he went on that jog with Calvin, which ended up killing him. Probably, Six Thirty could sense that a truck was coming and was actually trying to protect Calvin. But he underestimated the length of his leash and how tugging at it would still put Calvin in harm’s way. If only he had stopped a little before he did, Six Thirty might have protected Calvin. He moons over Elizabeth’s anger as the audience suspects that she was probably not even aware of Six Thirty’s guilt. In fact, we are sure that she did not even blame him for what happened to Calvin. But the dog thought differently.
Are Donatti and Dr. Boryweitz stealing Calvin’s work?
Donatti desperately wants the Remsen Foundation’s money, and since Calvin is no longer around to get it, he decides to continue with Calvin’s work without Elizabeth’s authorization. Elizabeth was not allowed access to any of Calvin’s and her research as it was kept in the storeroom, saying that it belonged to Hastings. Elizabeth was not even allowed to get any of Calvin’s personal items, as the institution wanted to wait for his blood relatives. But Calvin is thought to have no living kin, which means that his items are just rotting away in the storeroom. Elizabeth is finally able to get them after she requests that Dr. Boryweitz bring them to her as a last memory of Calvin. When she first approaches him, Boryweitz definitely thinks that she is about to confront him about the research. But Elizabeth is clueless, and she only asks for Calvin’s personal items.
Boryweitz did not want to steal Calvin and Elizabeth’s work this way. But when Donatti told Boryweitz that if not him, he would get someone else to do it, Boryweitz was left with no choice, as he knew that even if he did not do anything wrong, he couldn’t exactly stop it from happening, so he chose the easy way out.
How does Harriet’s and Elizabeth’s friendship develop?
Harriet may have been angry with Calvin for not attending the meeting, but she cared for him. Her first meeting with Elizabeth was when the latter was breaking down the kitchen counters to build a chemistry lab after discovering that she was pregnant. Harriet did not know what to make of Elizabeth and probably thought it wise to leave her alone. At Calvin’s funeral, Elizabeth told the reporter that she had not known Calvin long enough. It was Elizabeth’s technical brain that did not understand or respond to the essence of the reporter’s question and instead thought in numbers. However, her statement was misconstrued and published in the newspaper as saying that Calvin was a bit of a recluse and a grumpy man who people did not like to talk to. While Elizabeth doesn’t do anything about the article, Harriet decides to take it up with the reporter and the newspaper. Ramsen apologizes to Harriet and tells her that he was just doing his job by spicing up the article. However, Ramsen makes up for it by coming to Harriet’s next hearing in front of the judges, who were going to decide whether to build the freeway or not. Ramsen becomes that white face in the audience who lends legitimacy to Harriet’s case in front of a racist bench of judges.
Later, when Elizabeth finds a record in Calvin’s belongings with a note addressed to Harriet, she goes to meet the woman, and they both spend some time together, discussing what they knew of the man and, in the process, striking a comfortable but slow friendship.
Does Elizabeth Forgive Six Thirty?
Elizabeth has always continued to take care of Six Thirty throughout the episode. She may have been swallowed by her grief, but even before her work, it was the dog that pushed her to get out of bed and not succumb to the despair she felt. But that did not mean that Elizabeth was once again as affectionate as she previously was.
As life moved on, Elizabeth became pregnant, and for the longest time, she hated that new reality of her life. Elizabeth started rowing the way Calvin used to, and until she was in her final trimester, she did not visit a doctor. However, the doctor is the first nice man in the show after Calvin and Mr. Powers. He does not talk down to Elizabeth, even when she tells him that she has been rowing, and he is sweet and gracious enough to invite her to join his rowing team. If our guess is right, it is the first time that Elizabeth is being invited to a boys’ club with dignity and warmth, and it is also one of the few times she is seeing just how nice men can be. But contrary to that, she gets a shock at her workplace when Donatti tries to fire her from her job because she is a pregnant woman. Elizabeth fights for her place and rightfully points out that her being asked to leave is not legally binding as it is coming from prejudice and not any sound logic. That was a confrontation for the ages, and we would consider it pretty iconic. Later that day, Elizabeth continues with her lab building and asks Harriet for an ax.
During Lessons in Chemistry Episode 3’s ending, Harriet doesn’t have an axe, but she tells Elizabeth to not hold her feelings back and to let them out in whatever way she can. That is when Elizabeth goes for a run with Six Thirty, and much like Calvin, she understands that when you feel lost, the only thing to do is to keep moving at all times. We can consider this the point when Six Thirty and Elizabeth’s relationship goes back to normal.
Final Thoughts
We certainly liked Lessons in Chemistry Episode 3, and while we are worried that the next few episodes may feel a little rushed, we believe this was important as it showed one of the many ways in which women deal with grief. Usually, the representation of female grief seems to be about them letting themselves go mentally and causing havoc in all aspects of their personal lives. But Elizabeth’s struggle has been much more relatable for us because of how she tempers down her overwhelming emotions till the last minute and only lets them out when she feels seen and understood in a way she hadn’t felt until then. This was a must-watch episode, and we loved it.
