Original subtitles

Previously on Genius...

Albert Einstein.

Your reputation precedes you.

Your mother, sister and I are moving

to Italy. So you're abandoning me?

No! I'm looking out for your future.

How is Marie? Wonderful. She's teaching me French.

You will go back to Munich, and that is an order.

I'm sorry, Father,

but I'm not going back to Germany.

It is time to stand up for Germany!

Tell me, my son, uh, the genius,

how do you propose to make a living without a job?

I'm going to be a professor.

You failed your entrance exam!

I won't fail again.

Welcome to Zurich Polytechnic.

I apologize, I didn't think...

That a woman could possibly understand

the Maxwell-Faraday equation.

Einstein, say hello to Mileva Maric.

Thank you, Papa, she's so beautiful.

She makes such lovely colors.

It's called refraction.

All the colors are there, inside the light.

The glass just pulls it apart so we can see.

Did they teach you that in school?

We don't learn about science in school.

I found it in a book.

What ever will become of you, my brilliant Mileva?

Energy moves.

And it changes, through work.

Through heat.

It passes into and out of the systems that govern our lives.

And, as these systems interact,

they seek balance.

A block of ice

in a hot room melts.

And along with this transfer of energy

comes an associated increase in entropy.

Now, this process,

like all natural processes, is...

irreversible.

The ice melts.

However, it...

Is there something the matter, Miss Maric?

With me? No, sir, nothing.

Are you confused?

It's only, w...

If heat is a result

of the motion of the underlying molecules

and Newton's laws of motion

are reversible,

then what explains irreversibility here?

In this class

we will deal only with what has been proven.

The existence of molecules has not.

Miss Maric raises a fair question, sir.

Herr Einstein, please.

These pencils for example...

Of course they won't hop off the floor

and neatly rearrange themselves back in the box, Herr Einstein...

but they could, mathematically, could they not?

Newton's equations work both ways,

so, theoretically,

if the movement of molecules is the underlying principle...

Herr Einstein!

I appreciate your enthusiasm, but we do not engage

in theatrics here.

Apologies, sir.

Thank you.

As was my point,

a block of ice melts...

Miss Maric!

Miss Maric! A word?

I've no time for idle conversation, Herr Einstein.

Nor do I.

Of what use is conversation if it's idle?

No, I-I wanted to discuss

your inquiry in class.

Did I seem in distress? Excuse me?

As though I was in need of a savior?

Uh, quite the contrary.

Then I'm unsure why you took it upon yourself

to intercede with Professor Weber on my behalf,

or why you believe you're entitled

to my attention in this moment.

I can assure you, I come highly recommended.

Herr Einstein...

...are you attempting to flirt with me?

Well, that wasn't my intention, but I...

I did not come to university to flirt,

or to meet a man, and certainly not

to find a husband.

I fear you've misunderstood me, I merely...

Stay away from me!

Good God, man, what did you do to her?

I have no idea.

What a troubled creature.

Uh, we didn't have a chance to meet before class.

Michele Besso.

Albert Einstein. Sorry about your pencils. Oh, no.

No apology necessary.

It was a-a compelling demonstration, actually.

Yes, for a moment, I thought we'd bear witness

to an explosive transfer of energy

from Professor Weber's skull.

Well, that would have been fantastically irreversible.

Marcel Grossmann.

Uh, we were just headed for some lunch.

Would you care to join us? Why not?

Miss Maric.

Are you under the impression you're the only one

in the building?

Sorry, did I disturb you? Your playing is...

...adequate, but it makes it quite difficult to concentrate.

Apologies.

Mozart helps me think.

I'm not sure this assignment requires much thought.

Not if we were to follow these...

inelegant instructions.

There must be a better approach, don't you think?

I think following the instructions is the way

to pass the class.

Is that all you want from an education?

To pass your exams?

I want a degree, don't you? Certainly.

But I'm a student of science because...

well, I... I want to discover new ways

of understanding the world around me.

Don't you already know how this will turn out?

I find knowing how it will turn out reassuring.

Discover quietly, Herr Einstein.

Please.

Ah!

Ah, ah.

He's a menace.

If he had been the least bit contrite about the damage,

I might be willing to overlook it,

but the idiot had the nerve to claim the fault

was with my instruction.

He was reaching beyond what was required.

Let us not fault him for being eager.

Eager? He's a lazy dog.

He hasn't completed a single one of my assignments.

Yes, but he passed his winter exams with flying colors,

did he not?

I am baffled as to what you see in him.

Potential. Einstein may be

the brightest mind I have yet taught.

Now, I agree he can be impudent, but he is young.

Who of us was not a horse's ass at his age?

I will have a talk with him.

"B" for "Boltzmann"?

You, too?

Half a term on gases,

Weber still hasn't mentioned kinetic theory.

I'm beginning to think I'll learn more

if I spend all my time with a good book.

Well, I'm afraid I've beaten you to this one.

I don't mind sharing.

Maybe you could read to me.

Did your fiddle decide to fight back?

I should've taken your advice and followed the instructions.

Well, I hope you've learned your lesson.

Why must you be so cruel to me, Miss Maric?

Herr Einstein. Take a walk with me.

Herr Professor, Miss Maric and I were just discussing...

I only have a few minutes before my next lecture.

Of course.

If you decide to share, do give me a knock.

Please.

Give her a chance.

Let her take the entrance exam.

This is a school for boys.

And the best instruction in the sciences

Eastern Europe has to offer.

And what would your daughter do

with such instruction?

Chatter in her sewing circle?

Mileva does not sew.

She's up all night,

filling her brain with things I can't begin to understand.

Then how do you know she understands them?

I am afraid we are done here, Mr. Maric.

Miza, will you please show the headmaster what you're reading?

Is that a prop?

Did you truly think I would be moved by such a display?

And how did you come by that book?

We took the train to Vienna, there weren't any books

on electromagnetic theory near home.

So the methods of Faraday have, uh, piqued your interest?

Oh, yes.

It is Faraday's concepts of fields and potentials

that provide the most natural setting

for the mathematical discoveries of Green and Gauss.

It is not often I come across a student

with your boundless potential.

But I'm afraid to say that not all your professors

share my patience with your eccentricities.

I don't understand. You are skipping classes,

missing assignments and challenging your instructors.

Frankly, you give the impression

you think you have all the answers.

The opposite, in fact.

I-I've got nothing but questions.

How am I supposed to find answers if I don't ask?

By respecting the fundamentals.

And being mindful where you place your attention.

The library is no place to... woo a woman.

Sir? I am not blind.

I have seen you in close conversation with Miss Maric

on more than one occasion.

Miss Maric? I, I barely know her.

And I certainly wasn't... Good.

You keep it that way.

The Slavs are a dangerous sort, I assure you.

Now, I was more than happy to take up your case

with the doubters on the faculty.

Thank you, but I...

And come graduation, I can be useful

in securing your future.

If... you prove my faith founded.

Of course.

I-I'll do my best, sir.

Good.

Miss Maric.

Good evening.

Is Herr Einstein in?

He is not.

I believe he is still in Aarau with Marie.

No message, then?

Just this.

As if it wasn't struggle enough for her

that she was born lame.

This will ruin her.

I will not have our daughter dragged down

by these antiquated notions of femininity.

She has not only passed her entrance exam,

she scored higher than anyone.

Do you think the world will clear a path for her

simply because you will it?

Not because I will it.

Because I fight for her.

Out there.

But here? In my own home?

With my wife? No!

There will be no discussion.

Well, no man ever married a woman for her mind, hmm?

Marija...

Don't worry, Mama.

I won't need to marry.

I plan to be a scientist.

Oh, my beautiful daughter.

What a joy it is, to celebrate your birth.

Seems any day now, we will be losing you to another man.

But we could do worse than you, Albert.

Not much.

Ow.

Who knew inviting you into our home

those years back, we would expand

our merry band so exponentially?

Dear Maja is as much a sister to our girls

as she is to you.

And now you've brought us Mr. Besso.

Such a charming dinner companion.

I hope you'll return for many more meals.

Mm. Yes.

And so would Anna, apparently.

Julius. Enough.

But most importantly,

thank you, Albert.

For making our Marie so very happy.

To Marie.

To Marie!

What happened?

I was, I was working with a Kundt's tube,

measuring the effect of temperature

on the speed of sound waves,

and in an attempt to magnify their amplitude,

I neglected to compensate

for the flammable nature of the...

Cheri, Cheri,

ce que tu dis n'a aucun sens.

I'm sorry, I don't understand.

Exactly.

You never did pay any attention

during our French lessons,

and sadly, physics is not my forte.

I'm sorry.

Of course you, you don't want to discuss physics.

I don't want to discuss anything.

Take me for a walk.

Oh!

I can't thank you enough for the welcome

your family has shown me.

Our pleasure.

The train won't wait. Take a breath, son,

there's plenty of time.

Well, Miss Winteler.

I do hope you'll return sooner rather than later, Mr. Besso.

Oh, look it, you're blushing.

I could make the trip to Milan.

Maybe...

But Grossmann's family have a house on a lake

and I've been invited to join them. So...

I do enjoy sailing.

Albert, you would tell me if something was troubling you.

Of course, Mariechien.

You know I'm a modern man, Albert,

but my Marie is risking a great deal with you.

I expect you to do right by her.

Safe travels, son.

Okay.

God, I close my eyes,

and her face is all I see.

This conversation is far past insufferable.

You should have joined us.

There is a third sister.

You would have enjoyed her company.

I'm not in the market for a wife.

Who said anything about shopping?

I'm talking about love.

Oh, Jesus, save me. Albert, please.

Albert.

What?

I want the sordid details.

I don't understand how you all arrived at this notion

that we're engaged.

I can't understand your reluctance.

She is beautiful, she is kind.

And she loves you so deeply.

I'm not sure I want to spend my life

with a woman who can't carry a compelling conversation

on the nature of things.

That is not what wives are for.

For once, I am with Marcel.

Tell me why I put up with you bourgeois bores.

Because you want to borrow my geometry notes,

you faux bohemian.

All right. Uh...

Here. Ah.

That odd little gimp stopped by the other day.

Gimp? Hmm.

You mean Mileva.

She does have a little hitch in her gait, doesn't she?

Do love the sound of her voice, though.

Miss Maric! Miss Maric.

What a kind gesture, leaving this book for me.

I couldn't help but think about the pencils.

From our first class?

If we think of entropy as Boltzmann does,

as a measure of probability, well, then,

the process is irreversible,

because the number of possible configurations for the pencils

outside of the box is nearly infinite,

whereas there's only a handful of possibilities

for the way they fit back in...

I'm glad you enjoyed it.

Now if you'll excuse me...

Don't go.

We don't have much time left in the term,

and there are...

things I want to talk to you about, like...

The probability of chaos.

You move me.

You're playing a trick.

No. I... What?

What do you mean?

I know you're spoken for.

Herr Grossmann told me.

About Marie.

So this is, what, a little fun at my...

Stop.

But Marie, it's not... She's...

It doesn't matter.

I can't.

This is not a possibility.

But why not?

You both look ruddy.

Seems the summer holiday

has treated you well. In my mind,

I'm still on a sailboat with schnapps in hand.

The Wintelers had hoped to see you in Aarau.

Yes, well... Good Lord, Besso,

if I closed my eyes,

I could mistake you for my mother.

Ah, finally.

All summer long, I have been starved

of your constant derision. How ever did I survive?

It is a mystery.

Ah, Albert. I nearly forgot, there's a book

that you must read.

Mach. The Science of Mechanics.

He argues for the reconsideration of Newton.

Huh.

"Huh." Huh.

The reconsideration of Newton.

Are you listening?

What?

Dear God, he's an imposter.

Quick, Grossmann, send for the constable.

Welcome back, gentlemen.

Sir?

Sir, I was wondering,

have you heard anything of Miss Maric?

I thought you had no interest in her?

I don't. I don't. Or it is merely intellectual.

She lent me a book.

Well, if you must know, she's auditing classes

in Heidelberg and will not be returning.

Do you remember what we discussed?

Attention and commitment.

They will serve you well.

Yes.

Hey, Fritz, look.

Cannot believe this.

What is this girl doing in our class?

Good morning, everyone.

Good afternoon.

My name is Professor Philipp Lenard.

I'm pleased to welcome you

to The Kinetic Principles of Theoretical Physics.

Who is she? Over the course of the term, these lectures will explore

a vast yet infinitesimal universe.

My esteemed Miss Maric.

My thoughts drifted your way more than once this summer.

Do forgive me for the distress I caused at our last meeting.

I hoped I would be able to apologize in person.

But as I understand it,

something has drawn you to Heidelberg.

If you find yourself bored,

please write and share with me why you chose to leave.

Fraulein.

A letter's come.

You really should find a man to carry all those books for you.

Thank you, Frau Fricke.

Hmm.

Now, if these molecules move with a velocity

of over 400 meters per second,

then, using these results, we can determine

that they travel no more

than 1/100 of a hairsbreadth.

Esteemed sir,

I must offer an apology.

Your instructions were clear.

I was to wait to write to you until bored,

but I'm never that.

I was compelled to ignore those instructions

after a lecture from Professor Lenard,

exploring the kinetic theory of heat and gases.

Just as we always hoped to hear from Weber.

Oh.

You simply won't believe

what this lecture revealed.

What I want to know, sir, is why?

Why what?

Why, say,

heat flows and temperatures are connected?

Or-or different gases exert different pressures?

If we were to explore kinetic theory...

Now, this is not an exploration. It is a lecture.

Pick up your pencil...

Physics is dynamic!

You see knowledge as a baton to be passed,

but scientific pursuit isn't a race.

This should be an adventure!

Herr Einstein, enough!

Never, in all my years of teaching,

have I seen such disrespect. It will not be tolerated.

Am I clear?

There's no reason to take this personally.

It's the basis of thermodynamics I'm questioning.

Not you, Herr Weber.

You will address me as Herr Professor, you impudent twit!

My apologies, Herr Professor,

but I don't understand... The laws of thermodynamics

are observable and provable.

There is nothing to question.

Don't you find it fascinating that even though

these tiny molecules of gas

move at a near incomprehensible speed,

that they travel hardly any distance at all.

Not even a hairsbreadth.

These radical thoughts are a disease.

Who has infected you? Hmm?

Is it Boltzmann? Mach?

Lenard, actually.

Miss Maric wrote to me about one of his lectures and I...

Again with this woman. Did I not warn you that she was dangerous?

Miss Maric has done nothing but demonstrate

her deep intelligence to you, and yet

you treat her with disdain.

I... what offense has she ever given you?

You are a very clever boy, Einstein.

Very clever.

But you have one fault.

You will never let yourself be told anything.

Best of luck.

That is clearly all I have left to offer you.

Is he angry with me?

Angry? Of course not.

Albert's probably not even...

Well, not even what?

Oh, you know how he gets.

Ah, you mean distracted?

Yes.

He's just consumed by whatever's right in front of him.

Mmm. It can be very charming.

But also very frustrating.

If it makes you feel better, I haven't had a letter

since he's been back in Zurich. Not even a postcard.

I just miss him, I suppose.

I know.

I bet he'd like some tea.

Studying all those hours. Don't you?

My brother

has no idea how very lucky he is.

May I see this one, please?

Of course, Fraulein.

Thank you.

Herr Professor.

If you'll permit me, my name is...

Mileva Maric.

One doesn't lose track

of the sole woman in the room.

Yes. Well,

I've been trying to understand equipartition theorem

and if it applies to the case of diatomic gases.

How do I distribute the energy?

As a matter of fact, it does indeed apply,

and you use the theorem in exactly the same way as before.

Uh, so then,

you divide the energy equally,

giving the rotational and vibrational modes

the same amount as the translational ones?

You have an impressive command of this material.

With whom else have you studied?

On equipartition theorum? Only you, sir.

Though I did some reading while studying

at Polytechnic in Zurich.

I found the instruction on thermodynamics there...

lacking.

So you are here,

auditing my lectures for...

your enjoyment?

No, sir. I mean, yes.

I've enjoyed them very much, but...

I've written an essay on kinetic theory.

I was hoping you might make time to read it.

And if you find it worthy,

that you might write to the administration on my behalf?

I've petitioned to be allowed to take the entrance exam.

I admire your spirit, Fraulein,

but the Swiss are much more liberal than the Germans.

Heidelberg does not, nor will not

confer degrees on women.

You should return to Zurich and earn your diploma.

After that,

I might be willing to consider you

for a research position, hmm?

Thank you, but, sir...

Please.

I can't go back there.

Why ever not?

Emile.

I-If you want to spend time together in the library,

I could help you study.

Perhaps I'll take you up on that.

Well, then, I'll see you tomorrow.

Might we have ourselves a beau?

Three letters from the same young man.

Congratulations.

Did it all go just as you'd planned it?

Well, she said yes, which is all that matters.

But, uh, we weren't able to do much celebrating.

Doesn't sound like the Wintelers.

No, but Anna puts Marie's feelings above her own, so...

I don't understand.

Listen, Albert.

I know that you're tired of hearing this from me,

and believe me, I'm twice as tired of saying it.

For the love of my soon-to-be marriage,

will you please,

please make your intentions clear to that poor girl?

I don't know what to say to her.

Well you can't simply keep silent.

Send her a letter, a thank you for the gifts that she sends.

I didn't ask her for any of those things.

Can you really be this thickheaded?

Look, she's a wonderful person, but I'm...

Albert?

Hey!

Watch where you're going, hey!

Miss Maric!

I didn't come back for you.

If I could have earned my degree in Heidelberg,

I'd be there still.

Stop.

I am only here for my degree.

I have so much catching up...

papers, exams.

Please.

You're a distraction.

I won't distract you.

I'll help you.

We'll catch up.

Together.

And what of Marie?

There is only you.

Mileva...

I cannot get lost with you.

We can discuss physics,

geometry, but we cannot get lost.

Promise me.

Promise me.

I promise.

You look just like a little doll.

Stop.

Your body's so soft,

your face is so stern,

just like a little porcelain doll.

I think that's what I'm gonna call you.

My little Dollie.

You think I look funny?

No. Why would you...?

This is not a joke to me.

Hey, I wasn't...

You were.

Hear me, Albert. If this is just...

shaking the sheets for you, then you must let me be.

Oh, Mileva.

Can't you see?

I'm head over heels in love with your mind.

Albert, you coming?

Go away.

Wait, what time is it?

What is time? That is the real question.

Albert, be serious, we're late for class.

What does it matter? I told you,

I'll help you catch up. Besides,

attendance isn't required, only that we pass the exams.

It may not be required, but it's certainly expected

and I cannot fall below expectations.

Hey,

such expectations are for small minds.

For men like Weber, who are slaves to convention.

Men without creativity or vision.

I am not a man.

Thank God for that.

It's months before exams.

What's one more morning?

Shall I brew more?

It's still warm and it's been a while.

Well, the law of cooling is a decaying exponential,

but you need a measurement on the liquid

to get the heat transfer coefficient.

Don't worry about the measurement for now.

We'll find a new way to think about it.

All right, so

forget the tea entirely.

What if we thought of molecules like people?

Yes!

Moving at impossible speeds,

bumping in to one another.

And the amount

of pressure people feel can be understood

by how frequently these bumps happen.

More people...

more pressure. No, not necessarily.

How big is the room?

Say they're crammed into a crowded hallway.

Jostling and bumping, late for class.

High pressure, yes?

Mileva?

Are you all right?

I am.

Now let's place them in a grand ballroom.

The same people,

no more, no less.

Only now, ten times the size.

Enough to dance freely around the room.

More volume...

Fewer collisions...

Lower pressure.

Let's write a paper together.

On what? This isn't a new thought,

just a new way of seeing it.

What if this is the way to prove

the existence of molecules?

Doesn't it sound like fun, Dollie?

You and me writing a paper

that could change the world.

The probability of chaos.

Not the title I would choose, but...

we can discuss it.

I tried to tell you,

Einstein's like all the other Jews...

obnoxious and self-aggrandizing.

Oh, apologies, Hermann.

You've always been an exception.

Oh, why, thank you.

I made every effort to act as a mentor

to that young man.

Fail him if you must.

I am no longer concerned for his future.

I'll draft a letter of reprimand.

The mean kinetic energy is always the same,

whether its atoms are chemically bound or not.

Hence, equal increments of mean kinetic energy

correspond to equal increments of temperature.

And the specific heat is...

Something wrong?

Not a single thing.

Isn't it a miracle, Dollie?

So many of us, millions and millions.

How ever did we find each other?

We are a mere month from your final exams.

Your performance will determine your future.

Every single one of you has the ability to succeed.

Have you seen Albert? But do you have the will, the commitment?

Good morning, dear Dollie.

Good morning.

I had the most wonderful dream last night.

We were dancing along the string

of my violin.

And I woke up with this thought.

What if the properties of different gases

are just like the different timbres

of musical instruments?

All accounted for by their different molecular makeup.

That's thrilling.

Isn't it, though?

Back in the blink of an eye.

Make us some tea, Dollie.

Liar! Dollie, what...what...

Do not call me that!

"My dearest Albert,

I hope you're still enjoying the teapot."

You promised me!

But you haven't supported my studies.

You haven't helped me catch up.

You've siphoned my time,

my thoughts, my energy,

all for your own gain.

How could you be so careless with my heart?!

But I... I have... Stop!

Let me explain, please.

You only cared about yourself.

You haven't even tried to understand me.

How hard I must work. No.

How tireless I must be.

How strong and cold

to have the slimmest hope

of being taken seriously.

To be given an ounce of the respect

you receive instantly by virtue of your manhood!

Mileva, please...

No! I knew...

I knew this would happen.

What an idiot I am!

We've got mere weeks until the exams.

Mileva...

I'm crazy.

No.

You've made me crazy!

No.

Mileva, please... Do not...

speak to me ever again.

Wait.

If a curved surface is developed

on any other surface whatever,

the degree of curvature in each point

remains unchanged.

This "Theorema Egregium" from Gauss

has had a significant impact on cartography...

Miss Maric.

Are you all right?

Is there anything that I can do for you?

Not at all.

Good day.

My dear Frau Winteler.

It is with a heavy heart I write

and ask you to share my thoughts and feelings

with your dearest, Marie.

She deserves more attention than I have to give.

My studies consume all my time and thought.

And I fear I have already caused the dear child

too much pain.

Please make sure she understands.

I hope she, and you all, can forgive me.

I need your notes. Geometry, the last two terms.

I was wondering when you would pull your head out

from between the gimp's thighs.

Do not speak of her that way.

Of course.

My apologies.

I'll get them now.

You were right.

I was careless.

It really has been over with Marie for some time,

but... I just...

I didn't want to hurt her,

so I... didn't say anything at all.

But it's done now.

I've made it clear. And...

as unfair as I was to her, I've been

ten times more so to you. I was...

I've been horrid and selfish

and you're right to want nothing more to do with me.

Those are Marcel's notes.

The last two terms.

I copied them for you.

They're yours to keep.

I hope...

they will undo some of the damage that I have done.

And...

if you would like my help,

then I would love nothing more than to give it.

I ask for nothing in return.

Sit down.

It has been a pleasure having

all you gentlemen in class.

I wish you the best.

You may begin.

I know I said

I wouldn't ask you for anything.

And what I'm about to say may sound like I am, so...

This is just an offer.

Be my partner.

In life, in love,

in endless scientific pursuit.

Let's build a beautiful bohemian existence together.

I don't know what that means.

You do.

We had it.

It was... it was perfect.

But it can't stay that way.

You and I, alone, together, we fit,

like pencils in the box.

But out in the world, it's nothing but endless...

possibilities for us to crash into things. Irreversibly.

People are not molecules, Mileva.

Please... when I'm not with you,

I feel as if I'm not whole.

Let's remain students as long as we live.

Alone. Together.

Herr Einstein.

Congratulations. Sir?

The results will be posted shortly,

but you passed your exams.

By the skin of your teeth, of course.

Good day.

Dollie.

Miza!

Hello, Papa.

So wonderful to see you.

I've missed you, too. Did you?

Your mother and I were beginning to worry you'd never come home.

In all your letters, you never explained

what has kept you these months.

I'm so sorry, Papa.

I failed you.

Your exams?

You'll go back.

You'll try again.

Was this why you stayed away?

No.

I...

I don't know how to... Mileva Maric,

come here this instant.

I'm so sorry, Papa.

I'm so sorry.