Lessons in Chemistry

My family and I have spread the word of the Lord

all over this country,

and we have seen great joy and great suffering.

Many people will tell you that we no longer live in an age of miracles.

"Preacher man, I lost my job. Preacher man, I go hungry.

My children go hungry. I don't see any miracles here."

But my children, John and Elizabeth, they're miracles.

Us being here together is a miracle. You are a miracle.

That sign that you have been waiting for, it already happened.

First you must believe, then come the miracles.

Not the other way around.

- So do you believe? - Yes.

I said, do you believe?

- Yes. - Yes, Lord. We believe.

Now, I ask you, Lord, if I can serve as your vessel,

give us a sign.

- -

God is good.

John, when I grow up,

will I be able to talk to God and help people like Daddy does?

Lizzie, you don't wanna be like Daddy.

What do you mean?

Daddy doesn't speak to God. It's all for show.

He's just a real good liar.

I don't believe you. What about the fire?

You watching?

It's pistachios.

Whenever Dad needs a sign from God, I just use these.

Chemistry. That's the real magic.

Will Daddy go to hell for lying?

Well, I guess that depends on whether you think hell is real.

What do you think?

I think that...

living a lie will eat you up inside.

And whatever hell is...

must feel something like that.

Hallelujah. Praise God.

You know, I knew it from the moment I saw her.

I said to Walter, "That is a star right there."

Oh, I'm seeing that we have two more minutes before we wrap up.

How about a, uh, quick Q and A with the audience?

Are those pants? Why is she wearing pants?

Cameras, follow her.

How about you?

Hello, Miss Zott.

Hello, Miss...

Fillis. Mrs. Carol Fillis.

I could be way off base here. My husband likes to say

what I lack in smarts I make up for in effort.

- - But when you said

osmosis was the movement of a less concentrated solvent

through a semipermeable membrane to another more concentrated solvent,

I found myself wondering

if my leg edema might be a by-product of faulty hydraulic conductivity

in my own plasmas.

What kind of medicine do you practice?

Oh, no, I'm not a doctor. I'm just a housewife.

"Just" is a lousy word second only to "actually."

Do you want to be a doctor?

Oh, heavens, no.

I... I've got my boys and Peter to take care of.

Then let me reask the question. If you were to be a doctor, what kind?

An open-heart surgeon.

I'm only kidding, of course. I...

How could someone like me even begin...

The public library. And then MCATs, school and residency.

You really think I could do it?

Dr. Fillis, open-heart surgeon. Sounds entirely plausible to me.

It appears I am not alone.

Thank you.

All across the South,

we've been seeing young folk participating in what they call "sit-ins."

I'm here at the Montgomery courthouse,

where one of the lead agitators and proponents of this method,

the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr., was arrested on charges of loitering.

- -

Him wasn't doing a goddamn thing

but standing on the corner in broad daylight.

His mere presence is powerful, and they know it.

The only thing more dangerous than being Black in public

is when you start inspiring people.

- Linda, Junior, upstairs, please. - No.

They need to see this too.

Yeah, Dad. Claudette Colvin is my age.

All right.

- How was school? - Good.

That's it? That's all I get?

How about you tell me one new thing you learned today?

Did you know that the line between the numerator and the denominator

is called the vinculum?

I did not know that.

I wonder what the etymology is. I'll get the dictionary.

I'm a little tired. Could you let me know in the morning?

Of course.

I love you, bunny.

I love you too.

Hi, Dad.

I loved watching you up there. You're so inspiring.

Bless you.

Thank you.

I clocked seven whole minutes of seeing your face tonight.

Well, you got about one minute more.

Where are my charts?

I can't stop thinking about the news.

The way they pushed that brilliant, decent man down the street

like he was a criminal. I need to...

I need to channel all this inside me somewhere good.

All you do is good, hon.

We're gonna stop traffic.

College students in the South have been kneeling at churches,

sitting in at lunch counters. Why can't we do the same on the freeway?

Harriet, you can't be serious.

It's a form of peaceful protest.

We both know there is no such thing when people like us carry signs.

I know that you want to save the world, but we're barely seeing each other...

- - ...as it is.

Now he's concerned.

That's what I said would happen if you took that Kaiser job.

We've got our careers, yes,

- also our kids to worry about. -

I see. I see. I see. So...

...you're scared of what your white colleagues will think

about your radical disobedient wife.

Do not put those words in my mouth.

Oh, I'm sorry, husband dear. Did I talk out of turn?

That's not fair.

This conversation isn't over.

I agree. I'll see you in the morning.

I love you.

- Sloane residence. - Did you watch the show today?

- Uh, sorry, no. -

I didn't catch it.

I wore pants on national TV.

I could actually feel Phil's arteries constricting in real time.

- Wow. -

My team and I have been planning it for weeks.

I can't believe we pulled it off.

I finally feel like I'm making a difference at the studio.

I've never been more tired...

Uh-uh-uh-uh. Hold it right there, you two. Hold on.

Oh! Congratulations.

Supper at Six is now brought to you exclusively by Swift & Crisp.

Elizabeth Zott's and America's favorite choice in shortening.

Where are my fucking coupes?

Shari! Where are my fucking coupes?

No, Swift & Crisp is not my favorite choice in shortening.

Have you ever inspected the lipid dispersion

at a microscopic level?

The reason why the dough rises high and fast

is because it is hydrogenated synthetic vegetable oil.

To say nothing of the taste.

Yeah. Inspecting the lipids is on my to-do list

right after not giving a single shit.

Walter.

Here we are.

No. I will not lie to my audience.

They tune in because I'm honest, because I treat them with respect.

Liz.

Do you know why people watch television, hmm?

Because it's on.

If you have a problem with this, well, then we'll just find another lady chemist

to cook us a pot roast tomorrow, and we'll call it Feasting at Five .

- Okay, okay, everyone take a breath... - Shut the fuck up, Walter.

You do Swift & Crisp, or you're out.

Have a great show, everybody.

All right, ladies.

We've got to start spreading the word about this protest.

Marge, I need you to reach out to our guy at the LA Times .

If they pick it up, Washington Post follows suit.

Shirley, put that keen eye to use on some flyers for me

and mimeograph at least 300 copies.

Start with the college campuses and then get them all out into the local stores,

offices, diners. What am I forgetting?

- Gas stations. - Yep.

Oh, and I need to reach out to Ella Baker. She's been working closely with students,

and I want to involve the groups who have already been doing the work.

- Mm-hmm. - All right. Thank you, ladies.

- - Welcome to Supper at Six.

Today is an exciting day here on the show,

because I will be introducing you to one of my favorite ingredients.

There has been a recent craze surrounding vegetable shortening,

also known as hydrogenated cottonseed oil.

However, I will be making strawberry shortcake with...

beef tallow as our source of fat.

- High-quality beef tallow... -

is extremely nutritious.

- However, if money is an issue... - I'll talk to her at the first commercial.

Beef tallow is not only highly nutritious,

but it also has an uncommonly high smoke point

- at 400 degrees Fahrenheit... -