Neurodivergent (Headcanon) Alley: Calvin Evans (Lessons in Chemistry)

*Calvin-related spoilers.*

After my mom read Lessons in Chemistry, she told me that she thought Elizabeth could be read as autistic. When we started watching the miniseries together, by the end of episode 1 I was exclaiming, “You didn’t tell me he was autistic too!” I positively basked in these characters and their relationship, and while I understand why the story takes the turns it does, I could’ve watched ten seasons of the “Elizabeth and Calvin Fall in Love and Do Science” show.

One of the most interesting things about the autistic coding in this show is how Elizabeth and Calvin are so alike and also so different. While Elizabeth starts the series generally keeping her head down but giving her unvarnished opinion when the subject arises, Calvin is regarded around the universe as rude, self-involved, and eccentric. He has a lot of particularities that people make allowances for, because he’s a brilliant/famous man, and he gets pretty much whatever he wants. But to the discerning eye, it’s quickly apparent it’s not his intention to be selfish or rude.

Calvin loses himself entirely in his work, but he needs a certain environment to make that happen. He has his own lab where he works alone, constantly playing jazz music to help him think. He doesn’t want others coming into his space, in part because of his intense allergies/sensory sensitivities to scents. When he’s in the zone, he forgets to eat, subsisting on peanuts and crackers. When he’s blunt and impolite to others, it’s because his mind is going in a thousand directions and he doesn’t have any brainpower left for social niceties.

By the way, Calvin is probably ADHD as well. He needs a lot of stimulation to focus his thoughts—besides the unpredictability of the jazz music, he also jogs in an era when that’s not really a thing and is a dedicated rower. Exercise is his first recourse when things don’t make sense to him. When Elizabeth pulls away from him, he doesn’t know what he did wrong—in his excitement over a breakthrough, he forgot that she needs the door kept open and didn’t listen to her panicked insistence on opening it—and the next time she seeks him out, he’s playing hooky from the university to row nonstop on the erg in his garage, trying to work out his confusion and frustration.

It's true that Calvin has absorbed some of the sexist attitudes of the society around him. When he first discovers that Elizabeth entered his lab to swipe some of his supplies, he assumes that she’s a secretary sent by another lab to do their dirty work. But those attitudes aren’t ingrained in him—as soon as he gets better/more complete information, he quickly reverses his previous thoughts and apologizes to Elizabeth for his ignorance. Likewise, he’s passively unaware of sex discrimination in the sciences, but once Elizabeth points it out to him, he immediately gets on board with the unfairness of it. This, to me, is a very autistic trait as well. Not only is it driven by information and an appreciation for justice rather than prejudice, but it also flies in the face of social norms. As Calvin learns about the barriers women face, it’s the most natural thing in the world for him to agree that it’s wrong and push back against anyone who thinks otherwise.

I just…he stims, he’s barely aware of his surroundings when he’s busy thinking, he gives his honest thoughts on everything, he calls Elizabeth up after hours to talk about science. All-around spectacular character—I need so much more of him!