Lessons in Chemistry episode two spoilers follow.
A romance between Elizabeth (The Marvels' Brie Larson) and Calvin (Lewis Pullman) was always inevitable on Lessons in Chemistry.
Not because, like Miss Frask (Stephanie Koenig) warned her "there's no such thing as a purely professional relationship between a man and a woman" or because when you get two chemists together there's bound to be chemistry, but because Lessons in Chemistry does such a great job of making them utterly perfect for each other.
They complemented one another in terms of humour and passion and drive, yet they balanced out each other's quirks.
He challenged her need for control, whereas her sense of structure calmed his anxieties.
It was perfect. Almost too perfect... And that's when it became clear that this beautiful jewel of a relationship was about to implode.
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When they presented their pitch for the Remson grant and their submission was rejected because Elizabeth was named as the lead author and scientist you think, ha! There it is.
The predictable, clichéd moment where he sells her out, even though at the back of your mind you don't believe the show could truly be so boring and hackneyed. Thankfully, it isn't.
Lessons in Chemistry veered away from this obvious trope, with Calvin rejecting the grant and suggesting they go at it alone.
This was the first time the show subverted our expectations, though we still sensed something was very off. There was an underlying discomfort from all this perfection.
Things started to bubble to a head when a hopeful Calvin made mention of their future suggesting marriage and babies.
Elizabeth was quick to set him straight. Women have to make a choice, it's babies or it's a career, and she had no plans of stepping away from the field of science.
She assumed this would be a dealbreaker for Calvin, but we knew better. It was already clear that he was far too smitten to choose a life without her and much to our delight (and dread) he proved us right.
He wanted her over everything, which is exactly what was so dreadful. Once again, things were the kind of good that could not last.
Science has been trying to find the laws which govern our universe, equations that explain our past and predict our future but perhaps we've forgotten the most important variable: surprise.
"What if life is necessarily unpredictable?" he asked her, looking wistful and dreamy, simultaneously dooming them.
Unpredictable? If he didn't end things, some unpredictable external force would surely rip them apart.
The fateful event leading up to their end started with him taking their dog, 6:30, for a run.
We've seen this predictable storyline before. We knew he wouldn't make it back for that delicious breakfast she was preparing and yet, though we could sense he was about to die, the show stretched out the inevitable with tiny misdirections to keep us on our toes.
It's in the moment in which he slowed down and we, the viewers, readied ourselves for the heart attack that never came.
Then again, when 6:30 stalled at the curb, we were certain that all Calvin's yanking on the dog leash would lead to him tripping into traffic and getting run over, but it didn't. It was much, much worse.
Calvin was hit by the car we knew would come, but not in the way we had anticipated it.
It was not a slow-moving scene that fit the tone of this show and allowed for hope that he could possibly make it.
It was a smack-on impact. No room for maybes, he was dead and it was the suddenness of the collision that took your breath away.
He didn't fall, or turn and look at the car before it hit him. There was no time.
Calvin was instantly wiped off the board, and it was that moment and the combination of moments leading up to it that show just how clever Lessons in Chemistry is.
It knows it's dealing with themes and situations we've seen countless times before, but keeps things fresh and intentional by subverting our expectations over and over again.
While we might know the eventual outcome, we are kept in fight-or-flight mode until it happens, and that's what makes this episode so heartbreakingly brilliant.
Lessons in Chemistry episodes 1 and 2 are available to watch now on Apple TV+, with new episodes airing weekly on Fridays.
TV writer, Digital Spy Janet completed her Masters degree in Magazine Journalism in 2013 and has continued to grow professionally within the industry ever since. For six years she honed her analytical reviewing skills at the Good Housekeeping institute eventually becoming Acting Head of Food testing. She also freelanced in the field of film and TV journalism from 2013-2020, when she interviewed A-List stars such as Samuel L Jackson, Colin Firth and Scarlett Johansson. In 2021 she joined Digital Spy as TV writer where she gets to delve into more of what she loves, watching copious amounts of telly all in the name of work. Since taking on the role she has conducted red carpet interviews with the cast of Bridgerton, covered the BAFTAs and been interviewed by BBC Radio and London Live. In her spare time she also moonlights as a published author, the book Gothic Angel.
