Mom, look.
What is it?
A lead.
Holy shit, it's a limo!
[grunts]
[Fred] It's a Cadillac!
I bet he's a professional baseball player. Or a movie star.
Sir... I need to apologize to you. Uh, please.
My secretary, uh, misspoke on the phone with you earlier.
Uh, how so?
Calvin Evans was here.
Yeah, he was adopted.
No, sir.
He was taken from us.
Tuberculosis.
When did this happen?
Last summer.
Calvin was an extraordinary boy.
Unparalleled aptitude for the sciences.
He benefited so much from the Remsen Foundation's support.
Calvin.
I'm sorry... but he doesn't want you.
[phone ringing]
- Supper at Six. Can I help you? - Supper at Six. Yes.
[clicks tongue] Mmm. Who are those for?
Next time, let me know. I have a singular florist.
I got them for the office. You said it was drab.
I wanted to de-drab it.
[chuckles] Well, they're beautiful. [chuckles]
- It doesn't weigh as... - Thank you.
Good morning. The Remsen Foundation hasn't called back.
I wasn't going to ask.
But since you've brought it up, that's very rude of them.
I always make a point of returning all my outstanding calls
- by the end of the day. - Of course.
Because you are a citizen of a civil society.
I mean, Mad's about to drive down there herself.
- Miss Zott. - Also, um--
- Thank you. - Yeah.
- [clears throat] Hello. - Hi.
Yes?
Actually, never mind. It's nothing.
Fran, you never have nothing to say.
It's personal. It's not show-related. So if you wanted to--
Oh, that is convenient because we are friends and also colleagues.
[whispers] I have a crush on Walter.
- Oh! Oh, this is fantastic. - I said, stop smiling.
I can't. I won't. [gasps] Are-- You must ask him to dinner.
- No. The man asks. - Not if the man is shy.
Not if the man doesn't value his self-worth.
Not if the woman is confident. Not if the woman knows what she wants.
Mmm. Forget I said anything.
That is impossible. I have an impeccable memory. You--
- Yes, hello. Hi. - Phil is asking for you both on the stage.
- Will Walter be there? - Yes, Walter too.
- We'll be right there. - Mm-hmm.
- [both] Thank you. - Sure.
- I can't wait for this meeting. Walter? - Forget it.
I can't. Walter.
[Phil] Swift & Crisp is dead.
Why? Our numbers are holding.
They believe that politics don't belong in the kitchen.
- [clicks tongue] May they rest in peace. - Oh, you find this funny?
- No, I don't find racism funny. - [Walter] Okay. Okay.
So we have our work cut out for us. We'll find another sponsor.
No. I can't even get a cat food company to return my calls.
Oh, you don't believe me?
You know what?
You mock me, you belittle me, you dismiss our sponsors.
You think that this show is some kind of public service.
Well, guess what? It's not. It's a business.
So here's your deadline.
Two weeks to find a sponsor or you're fired.
Enjoy these last few days.
[Harriet] We're only missing one vote to stop the construction of the freeway.
The undecideds are Thompson and Sommers,
and neither is conveniently returning my calls.
Really?
Thank you.
[Harriet screams]
[paralegal] Is everything okay?
[inhales sharply] We have it. [inhales sharply]
Thompson is out, but Sommers is in! We have the vote.
- You're sure? - [chuckles]
It only took seven years, three hundred motions
and half-a-dozen trips to Sacramento, but surly, old,
beautiful Sommers is in. [breathes shakily]
- [stammers] Anything for me to do? - Yes.
Pray that that man doesn't drop dead of a heart attack
- before Tuesday's vote. [chuckles] - I'm headed to church.
Go. Yes! [inhales sharply, screams]
- Oh, she's just so clever. - Oh, my God.
I can't believe that she actually called herself.
- [chuckles] What if she comes, mmm? - [Wilson] Good morning.
Welcome back into town, sir.
What am I missing?
[inhales sharply] Elizabeth Zott personally called,
not once, not twice, but three times.
Who's Elizabeth Zott?
Elizabeth Zott! Supper at Six? She's on television.
- Why does she want to talk to me? - [chuckles]
That's what we're desperate to know.
[chuckles] Well, I'm on the edge of my seat.
- [chuckles] - Get her on the line, please.
[chuckles]
- [squeals, chuckles] - [chuckles]
[phone ringing]
[applause]
Well, surely there should be a higher bar to applause than stuffing mushrooms.
[audience laughing]
Did you know that there are over 10,000 mushrooms varietals in the world,
but only four to five percent are edible?
When you think about it, it's sort of like humans.
There's only four to five percent that I find digestible,
- wouldn't you agree? - [audience laughing]
[inhale sharply] While we wait for these mushrooms to roast,
why don't we have a little Q&A?
Hmm...
- Oh, right here. - Oh. Oh.
Second row from the back.
Miss Zott, I'm sure you don't remember me. But I was here a few months ago.
Dr. Fillis, open heart surgeon. Of course, I remember.
[chuckles] Well, not quite yet.
But I did get accepted into USC medical school.
[gasping]
I knew you would. I knew you could.
I'm the oldest student in the class and I'm constantly exhausted,
but I've also never been happier. [chuckles]
Now that is worthy of applause.
I just wanna thank you for seeing something in me
that I didn't see in myself.
[audience applauding]
Thank you.
[sniffles, exhales sharply] Are there any other questions?
- [clamoring] - Right here.
You know, in all of the excitement of the day,
I forgot to tell you about a giant opportunity. Big.
[sighs] I'm all ears.
Woodrow Wilson Middle School asked you
to be the judge of their sixth grade science fair.
I politely declined on your behalf.
No. I'll do it. They-- Anything to distract my mind.
Really?
Really.
I will call and make it so.
Hmm.
Walter, are you currently dating someone?
No. I function best alone.
I used to think that too.
- And then? - I met Calvin.
If the opportunity presents itself-- love, I mean--
I'd like you to consider it.
[inhales deeply, exhales heavily]
God, I feel like I'm in a shrink's office.
- [chuckles] - [sighs] Well...
Off to call more sponsors.
Walter...
Doing this was not... what I asked for or what I wanted.
But now that I feel the show being pulled away from me, I--
I feel like a piece of me is going with it.
Elizabeth.
I am your producer.
[smacks lips] It is my professional duty and my personal choice to have your back.
Whatever happens, that won't change.
Thank you.
Now if you'll excuse me,
I have to go RSVP to a bunch of six graders on your behalf.
[phone ringing]
Elizabeth Zott.
Yes, it's the real Elizabeth Zott.
Yes, but I would prefer to meet in person. What is your address?
[sighs]
- Are you nervous? - No.
Because it would be perfectly fine to be nervous.
- I'm nervous. - You are?
I am.
It's you and me.
[sighs]
I've never seen this one. He's so serious.
Sorry I'm late. Harry Wilson.
[inhales sharply] I told my wife you were coming by,
and she shrieked like you were Elvis. [chuckles]
How can I help you?
Hmm. Um...
Mr. Wilson, uh, this may sound peculiar,
but we are here to ask some questions about Calvin Evans.
Um... Why did the Remsen Foundation support Calvin his whole life?
I'm sorry, how do you know Calvin Evans?
He w-- Um...
This is Mad, my daughter.
Mine and Calvin's.
Please, uh... [inhales deeply]
Please, hold on. [breathes heavily] It's not for me to explain.
Oh, my goodness.
[panting] Hi.
Uh, Ms. Parker, I have an urgent message.
You must be Mad. I'm Avery.
I'm your...
Calvin's mother.
It's okay.
- Thank you. - Yeah.
Come on, bunny.
There's so much I wanna ask, but--
Why did you give my dad to that boys' home?
I-- Um...
[sighs] If it's okay, I think I'd like to start from the beginning.
[clicks tongue, inhales deeply]
When I was 16,
- uh, I got pregnant accidentally. - [baby crying]
Here you go. All right. Easy.
Having a baby was the most extraordinary thing
that had ever happened to me.
But like most things in my life,
my parents had other plans, and I had no say.
No. Please. No, no, no.
[sighs]
I didn't know where they brought him.
I had no picture of him.
But the one wish that they did honor was his name. Calvin.
I only knew him for a matter of minutes,
but his existence changed the entire course of my life.
When I turned 25,
I gained access... [sighs] ...to my trust fund,
and I hired a lawyer to help me find Calvin.
Wilson became like a father to me. [chuckles]
I also started the Remsen Foundation
and donated money to boys' homes within a 300-mile radius
in hopes that I could help him from afar.
We never stopped looking.
And then, one day,
it was as if the clouds lifted and the heavens parted,
and Wilson managed to find him,
only to be told that he had recently died.
That hope popped like a balloon.
It flattened me.
Wasn't until that magazine cover decades...
[sighs] ...later that I saw him again.
I don't much care who's responsible for miracles.
I only cared that this miracle was mine.
I wrote letter after letter, asking to meet him...
but I never heard back.
And then, one day...
I received a letter in the mail from a law office.
It was a cease and desist.
I thought he hated me.
That he wanted nothing to do with me.
And he had every right. I mean, I'd have hated me too.
I came by your house once.
I saw the two of you together.
He looked so happy.
So at peace.
And I knew it was time for me to let him go.
Had I known he had a child... [exhales shakily]
I'm so sorry.
He thought that you were dead.
What a poor boy to believe that.
Tell me... [chuckles]
...what did I miss?
Who was this man?
He was brilliant, decent and kind.
- And a very funny dancer. - [chuckles]
I'm a funny dancer. Are you a funny dancer too?
I don't know.
Hmm.
You know, I had... [clears throat] ...hoped that, uh,
we could get to know each other a little bit.
I never got the chance with Calvin,
and I'd give anything to get to know his daughter.
My granddaughter.
It's been a long journey to get here, and we're gonna need some time.
- Of course. - Yeah.
Can I ask, why did you name him Calvin? Was that a family name?
No, I named him after John Calvin.
I'm not sure I know who that is.
He was a 16th-century theologian
that your great-great-grandmother used to read to me.
He believed in predestination.
A theologian. [chuckles]
That would have... [sniffs] ...delighted him.
I hope to hear from you soon.
[door opens, closes]
Do you wanna talk about today? About meeting your grandmother?
I thought that when I got to the end of the mystery,
it was going to feel different.
Hmm. Well, in science,
discoveries usually lead to more questions.
I don't wanna ask more questions.
I just want my dad.
I know. I miss him so much.
But you know, I see him in you.
You do?
Mm-hmm.
You know how your brow crinkles when you're frustrated?
Or how you always read three books at once?
Or how you forget to eat sometimes when you're thinking so much? That's all him.
Dad told Wakely that Great Expectations was his favorite book.
And it's mine too.
You know that coloring book you have, the paint by numbers?
Imagine that every person that you meet, every place that you go,
every letter that you read about your dad is just another color,
painting in the picture of him.
That's a metaphor.
It is.
Hey, do you wanna play hooky with me tomorrow?
I played hooky with you today.
I know. You're getting very good at it.
[both chuckle]
Mmm. Mmm.
[people chattering]
[student] When your eyes see the image through the red and blue filters,
the image appears to be coming right at you.
Well, that is a very meticulous drawing of a panther. Thank you.
[sighs] Well, what do you think?
I prefer the humanities.
Hmm.
And what do we have here?
Well, my father owns a bakery,
and I wanted to test the effects of different environments
for slowing the growth of mold.
Wow. Well, that will be very helpful to your father.
Do you wanna be a baker when you grow up?
No, I wanna be a biologist.
You do? Well, have you read Charles Darwin's Descent of Man?
Or Erwin Schrödinger's What Is Life?
I have not, but I will. Thank you.
Of course. Best of luck to you.
Mmm.
- I love watching you on TV... - Thank you, bunny.
...but I don't think you belong there.
Oh. Where do I belong?
A laboratory.
Well, I made a choice.
A choice that I would make a thousand times over.
But I will always be a chemist.
Chemists do chemistry.
Mmm.
[people chattering]
[music playing]
[Mad] Charlie, tell me if this is long enough.
[Charlie] Oh, this looks really long. This looks great.
- [Mad] Make it a bit longer. - Are you sure?
[children laugh]
[chuckles]
Make it a little longer.
Why don't we drink spiced cider year-round?
- One of life's great mysteries. - [chuckles]
[Mad] Here you go, Junior.
How's Mad feeling about Calvin's mother?
I don't know.
I don't know where she fits.
You, Charlie, Linda, Junior, you're our family.
You and Mad are definitely part of our family,
but if you recall, that's not where we started.
I just want Mad to feel safe and be loved. And she has all of that.
You say that like love is finite.
It never hurts to have more people who love and care for that little girl.
Which reminds me, I have not properly thanked you
for saving that little girl's home and the rest of the neighborhood.
- [chuckling] - Goodness.
Well... [sighs] ...we're not there yet, but after Tuesday's vote,
I do expect a lifetime of beer and blueberry pie for my efforts.
The freeway here...
is just one version of what they're doing to communities like ours
all over this country.
The fight can't stop in Sugar Hill or even California.
Now, I may not have cameras on me, but I'm a one-woman bullhorn.
And so are you.
For a few more weeks, anyway. We still haven't found our sponsor.
Something tells me you're not shutting up anytime soon.
[sighs]
Isn't this great? [sighs] Huh?
If we didn't have a ceiling, I'd say it's beautiful.
Now, all right. Let me get in there before this man hurts himself.
I-- I know you're not putting your shoes on my couch.
- [chuckles] - [Harriet chuckling] This man.
- Should we continue it? - [Charlie] Keep going.
- Is there any word? What are we doing? - She's never late.
[Fran] Uh, what do we do if she doesn't show?
[Walter] Can you cook?
[Fran] I-- I can scoop ice cream into a bowl. Does that count?
[Walter] Uh-uh. [breathes heavily]
You know what? I'll have-- I'll have Harry drive by her house.
- Hey, Harry. Harry-- - Oh, my God. Thank God.
Sorry. I'm sorry. I had an appointment across town, and it went over.
Harry, these are for the audience. Please place one of these under each seat.
- There's another box in my car. - Okay.
Hi, Walter. I'm gonna need to make a phone call before the show starts.
- There is no time. - [director] Five minutes, people!
Let's go. Let's go. Let's go. Perfect is the enemy of good.
- You all right? [sighs] - I'm well. How are you?
You have a look on your face. What is it?
Clarity.
[announcer] And now, Supper at Six with Elizabeth Zott.
[director] We're live in five, four, three...
[audience applauding, cheering]
Hello. My name is Elizabeth Zott, and this is Supper at Six.
[sighs]
I will be starting today's show with a few announcements.
Before we dive into the chemical compounds of a baked-ham glaze,
you may notice that there are no Swift & Crisp products littering our set.
Well, that is because they dropped our show.
And for that, I thank them.
[audience murmuring]
I know that everyone doesn't stand for what I stand for,
but our convictions mean nothing if we don't voice them.
Swift & Crisp is vile on a sub-chemical level.
Seed oils are damaging to your mitochondria.
And the fact that I told you to put that in your body
will haunt me for the rest of my days.
But luckily, we have a new sponsor. One that aligns with our values.
Tampax.
[gasping, murmuring, laughing]
When did this happen?
I have no idea.
I have been using Tampax for years.
They are soft, durable and hygienic.
Please look under your seat. There's a present for you.
[chattering, laughing]
For the men watching who haven't bothered to ask about menstruation,
I'll explain it to you.
It is the process where blood discharges from the lining of the uterus
in intervals of one lunar month,
from puberty to menopause, except during pregnancy.
I had a call with the head of our network this afternoon and relayed that to him.
- [scoffs] - And he agreed with me.
She said the word "uterus" to Kenneth?
...a partner we can be proud of. But that was not the sole purpose of my call.
I am leaving Supper At Six.
[audience gasping, murmuring]
Did you know about this? This is not what we discussed.
I will be stepping down on live TV.
And as someone who has studied television exhaustively,
I predict an uptick in viewership for the next few weeks.
Hosting this show has been the thrill of a lifetime.
And I have every single one of you to thank for that.
We set out to do something that matters, and I believe that we did.
And, Kenneth,
I will be doing all of this under the condition that changes will be made.
Kenneth. [chuckles] If I knew you were coming,
I would have broken out the good stuff.
You're fired.
The show is yours.
Every night, I ask your children to give you a moment to yourself
and, well, I think it's time that I did just that.
It is time for me to reflect, regroup and figure out what is next.
I bet you're wondering who the next host of Supper At Six will be.
Well, it will be one of you.
[murmuring]
Now, I know that that might sound scary.
But remember, courage is the root of change.
And change is what we are chemically designed for.
I will not ask you to pull yourself up by your bootstraps
because many women do not have bootstraps to pull themself up by.
If your life has been anything like mine,
your dreams will not come to you in a linear fashion.
[chuckles] But if you have a voice you feel is not being heard,
we would love to meet you.
And with that, let's discuss glazed ham.
Can I take you to dinner tonight?
Oh. You wanna discuss the reshuffling...
Uh, to discuss my... [chuckles] ...feelings for you.
[clicks tongue] What? Ye-- What? Yes. Yes.
I would very much like that.
I'll pick you up at 6:45.
Mm-hmm.
[clears throat] Sorry for the delay.
As soon as Councilman Sommers joins us, we will begin.
Thank you for joining us, Councilman.
We're now on the record.
The interstate highway system is the future of this nation
for the economy, for growth and for national defense,
should that ever be necessary.
I'd like to thank both parties for arguing so vociferously
and passionately over the past eight years.
Progress has been halted long enough.
So, in the matter of the California interstate highway system
versus the West Adams/Sugar Hill committee,
all those opposed to routing the highway through West Adams/Sugar Hill?
All in favor?
- The motion is passed. - [gavel bangs]
[people chattering]
[scattered applause]
I tried calling. I'm so sorry. What can I do?
[breathes shakily, sobs] Seven years.
I just wanna eat brownies and cry.
I can help with that.
[sighs]
Brought beer.
Beer could be good too.
- Come here. - [sniffles]
[crying]
[sniffles]
[Elizabeth] Three-quarter going into full pressure in two.
That's one.
That's two.
Full pressure.
This is the place where Calvin came to quiet his mind.
I wanted to share it with you. We had our first kiss right over there.
Mmm. Thank you for bringing me.
Seeing Mad with those giant, inquisitive eyes
made me feel like I was seeing a piece of him.
She's smart, huh?
Terrifyingly.
I caught your show the other night. You quit.
I did. I want to get back to science.
You know, I have a foundation specifically geared
toward funding the work of scientists.
I am aware.
Your application offers a "Mr.", no "Mrs." and certainly not a "Miss."
Well, I'll fix that.
And after I do,
I'd love to help you with whatever it is you're interested in pursuing.
Though I have the feeling that you don't like help.
No. As I've gotten older, I've found help to be a gift.
[sighs]
[exhales heavily]
[students chattering]
Hello. My name is Elizabeth Zott, and welcome to Introduction to Chemistry.
Please pass this to the person next to you or behind you.
And it is Miss Zott until I graduate from the PhD program.
Living things are made up of atoms.
But, in most cases, those atoms are not floating around individually.
Instead, they are usually interacting with other atoms.
Both the strong bonds that hold molecules together
and the weaker bonds that create temporary connections
are essential to the very existence of life.
Yes?
Is it random which atoms are connected?
[chuckles] Think of your own life.
You can't anticipate the moments.
It's only when you look backwards that you see how it was all connected.
What does this have to do with chemistry?
Everything.
The only constant variable in a chemical reaction is change.
The unexpected.
Our job here is not to avoid surprise.
We can't control it.
So there's only one thing left to do.
Surrender.
Now, we don't have to accept the bad things,
but we do have to accept the inevitability of change.
Both in ourselves and our circumstances.
Charles Dickens.
Not exactly known for his work in the sciences.
[students laugh]
But the greatest scientist that I have ever known
kept this book on his bedside.
He said it made him a better chemist.
I laughed it off at the time
because I found it to be an absurd thing to say,
which I'm sure you do now.
However, I eventually relented and, um...
and this is the page that he had dog-eared.
"That was a memorable day to me, for it made great changes in me."
["(You Don't Know) How Glad I Am" playing]
"But, it is the same with any life.
Imagine one selected day struck out of it,
and think how different its course would have been."
"Pause, you who read this,
and think for a moment of the long chain of iron or gold,
of thorns or flowers...
that would never have bound you,
but for the formation of the first link
on one memorable day."
[chattering indistinctly]
Oh, thank you! Thank you for everything. [laughs]
I love this so much.
And what do we have here?
[guests chattering]
Let's begin, shall we?