Relationship Spotlight: Calvin Evans & Elizabeth Zott (Lessons in Chemistry)

*Spoilers.*

Okay, one more Lessons in Chemistry post for now. I liked the show a lot, and as I’ve said, I understand why the story takes the turn it does, why we end up seeing Elizabeth make her way through the world on her own. But at the same time, my favorite part of the show, hands-down, is Elizabeth, Calvin, and the interactions between them. Their relationship smacked me in the face in the best way.

I’ll start with a quality that frequently comes up in my favorite fictional romances: we see how and why they like each other. Elizabeth and Calvin are both attractive people, and we’re shown how people around them respond to that, from other chemists at the university sexualizing Elizabeth to secretaries wanting to “bag” the famous genius Calvin. But even though both have people propositioning them for different reasons, they’re both disinterested in those sorts of attentions, and when they meet each other, looks and status don’t factor into it.

Things begin badly, when Elizabeth swipes some supplies from Calvin’s private lab and he makes some ignorant assumptions about her. Once he realizes his mistake, she rebuffs his attempts to apologize. It takes an unexpected encounter to resent things between them. When Calvin the midst of an allergic reaction to someone’s perfume, throws up on Elizabeth’s dress, she drives him home, and after that, they’re able to begin again on more neutral footing.

For them, love begins with science. They spend hours discussing Elizabeth’s research. There’s a lovely montage of Elizabeth starting to pack extra sumptuous food to share her lunch with the perpetually too-distracted-to-eat Calvin, and they dine together while looking over formulas. He calls her up after hours to discuss new ideas, and she gets so wrapped up in them that she accidentally burns her dinner.

When Calvin suggests that they work together, moving Elizabeth to his lab so she can conduct her research in a more official capacity, she’s wary. She’s depressingly aware that, as a man, he would be assumed to be the brains behind her work, and she doesn’t want to be granted favors out of any unprofessional motives. They agree that they’ll be colleagues, nothing more. And when Calvin realizes he’s developing feelings for her, I love that he explains that to her, alongside an apology for not abiding to the terms of their agreement. Another quality I love in my favorite fictional couples—they talk things over. Rather than pine after her, try to get Elizabeth to change her mind, or give her some sort of ultimatum, Calvin just tells her how he’s feeling and then leaves it up to her to admit she’s developing feelings for him too.

I love the give and take of their relationship. At first, working together is tough for them because, while their scientific knowledge/interests wind along very similar paths, their structural and sensory needs are very different. Calvin can’t find anything after Elizabeth organizes his lab, they argue about his messiness, and it’s hard for Elizabeth to focus while Calvin is playing the jazz records he needs in order to think. One, this is a great example of two autistic-coded people with opposing needs. And two, they once again talk it over and find ways to make it work. Calvin keeps his cracker crumbs and peanut shells far away from their equipment, and they trade off records on alternating days, so they both have an opportunity to listen to the music that’s most helpful to them.

I love that Calvin’s Christmas surprise for Elizabeth is cooking dinner for her. I love that she’s bowled over by this effort and affection, even if she has a full mental list of constructive criticism on his meal. I love that they get one another in a way that no one else does, and that even when they can’t understand each other, each makes space for the other and is ready to listen until it makes sense. I love that their relationship is built on shared interests, on affection that’s shared entirely in their own way, and on honesty and vulnerability.

It can’t last—if Calvin had survived, the story would be completely different—but while they’re together, the relationship is so, so good for both of them. Even though they don’t get their happily ever after, it makes me happy to know they found each other and shared their lives together for the time that they had.