Elizabeth’s show Supper at Six was on the rocks in the penultimate episode of Lessons in Chemistry. What happened to the show within the show?
Considering the time period, it shouldn’t be surprising that a lot of people—mostly men—didn’t like what Elizabeth Zott was doing with her series Supper at Six. It taught women more than just cooking, and she wasn’t willing to lie about how great canned goods and processed foods were when she knew that wasn’t the case.
That led to the series being on the rocks. Would Elizabeth make changes to protect herself and the staff, or would she end up walking? What would Elizabeth then do with her life?
Where is Elizabeth at the end of Lessons in Chemistry?
In the end, Elizabeth decided she needed to stick to her values. As much as she loved cooking and loved teaching women they could be more than housewives, she needed to be true to herself. That meant leaving Supper at Six.
While at Mad’s science fair, Elizabeth realizes that she has truly missed chemistry. That’s what she wants to go back into, and that’s what she ends up doing by the end of the series. As she realizes this, she decides to teach chemistry instead of teaching cooking.
Elizabeth doesn’t leave everyone in the lurch, though. She secures a sponsor through Tampax and then announces that a new host will be selected from the audience. After all, many women have continued to show up to learn, and it’s their time to shine.
The final moments push us three years into the future, where Elizabeth is teaching men and women. However, she points out that they can’t call her doctor yet. She hasn’t finished her Ph.D just yet.
Lessons in Chemistry is available to stream on Apple TV+.