Aahana Swrup
‘The Love Hypothesis’ is a romantic comedy film where a fake relationship paves the way for something real and honest. Olive Smith is a PhD student at Stanford University with an inconvenient crush on her friend, Jeremy Langley. This soon becomes a problem when the latter tries to ask out Anh Pham, the protagonist’s best friend. Thus, in an attempt to convince Anh to go out with the dreamy guy, Olive decides she needs to create the illusion of a perfect love life of her own.
In a turn of events, Olive somehow ends up in an arrangement with Dr. Adam Carlsen, the young biology professor who is known across the campus as Dr. Evil. The professor has reasons of his own to want to project the appearance of a long-term relationship among his peers. As a result, the two agree to a month of fake dating, hoping the experiment will yield positive results. Nonetheless, neither was prepared for an unexpected variable of real chemistry leading to real feelings in this fake relationship. SPOILERS AHEAD.
The Love Hypothesis Plot Synopsis
On the day of her enrollment interview at Stanford University, Olive found herself spiraling in a lab bathroom under the weight of her nerves and expired contact lenses. Fatefully, a professor walked in on her and delivered a brisk, no-nonsense, but surprisingly motivating response before taking his leave. The unusual encounter inadvertently ended up helping the Stanford aspirant with her public speaking issues, resulting in her acing the interview. Once Olive begins her doctoral student journey, her introverted tendencies initially set her up for a quiet, unsociable time. Fortunately, she meets Anh Pham, a fellow biology student, who takes her under her wing. Thus, three years of college pass and their friendship continues to strengthen. However, Anh’s loyalty to her friend remains so strong that she ends up sabotaging the possibility of a great romance for herself because of it.
Jeremy Langley, a charming student from their class, asks Anh out on a date. Yet, despite reciprocating his feelings, she ends up turning him down because of Olive’s existing crush on him. Once the latter realizes what has happened, she tries to encourage her friend to go out with Jeremy. In an attempt to convince the other that she is over her schoolgirl crush, she makes up a lie about dating someone else. Unconvinced, Anh shows up at her lab the following Saturday night, presumably to catch her friend out in her lie. This sends Olive scrambling for cover, compelling her to kiss the first person she meets out in the hallways. This stranger just so turns out to be Adam Carlsen, the most feared biology professor on campus. Initially, the faculty member is disturbed by the turn of events, which forces the student to explain her unusual situation. The next day, the professor summons Olive to his office and makes a proposition.
As it turns out, the head of his department, Dr. Fastuca, is wary about renewing Adam’s grant for the upcoming cycle. This is because he deems the professor to be a flight risk who will leave Stanford for a better offer at Harvard. One of the factors reinforcing this belief is the lack of connections keeping Adam in California. Naturally, a serious girlfriend would be an ideal proof to the contrary. Since the university has no rules against adult doctoral students dating professors who aren’t attached to their studies, the two can pretend to date without any trouble. If both Anh and Fastuca buy their fake relationship, they can kill two birds with one stone. As such, the duo decides to proceed with their plan. Off-the-bat, their newfound relationship remains the talk of the town across the campus. Olive’s friends, including her roommate Malcolm, who is on her apparent boyfriend’s research team, are entirely taken aback by this development.
At first, Anh remains dubious of this relationship and invites Adam to hangouts to test the pair. Simultaneously, Olive receives an opportunity to present her research to Dr. Tom Benton, a Harvard University professor. Over the course of the following month, the pretend couple continues to spend more and more time together, inevitably growing closer. Eventually, by the end of the month, Tom invites Olive to give a presentation at a prominent conference. Anh makes the decision to finally hook up with Jeremy at the same event, essentially kicking her friend out of their shared hotel room. Thus, the latter ends up bunking with Adam. With the knowledge that their arrangement is coming to an end, the pair goes out on one last date, which ends with them falling into the same hotel bed together. Yet, the next morning brings a basket of complications that wrecks the promise of a happily ever after for the pair.
The Love Hypothesis Ending: Do Olive and Adam End Up Together?
Olive and Adam set off on their fake-dating ploy, intending to keep the charade up for only a month. That would give them enough time to convince Anh that her friend has a bustling love life while simultaneously meeting the deadline for the renewal of the professor’s grant. Over the course of this month, the two engage in their fair share of couple activities. Yet, they always remain aware of the artificiality of their arrangement. That all changes on the night of the SPD conference. After pretending to be in love for a month, Olive has truly fallen for the other scientist. She has glimpsed past his cold, aloof exterior, realizing that he can actually be compassionate and endearing. Therefore, when she approaches Adam in their hotel room, she does so with the intention of seducing him.
Initially, Adam is doubtful because he believes Olive still has feelings for Jeremy, who had been the impetus for their arrangement in a way. Still, an assurance from her that he is the only one for her sets off a chain reaction, and the two end up sleeping together. The next morning, Adam has to leave early for another work engagement. Still, there’s little scope for a misunderstanding to develop about his exit. That is, until Adam runs into Tom in the hotel lobby. Apparently, the latter is planning on offering the doctoral student a spot on his research team at Harvard University. In conveying this message to the other professor, Tom plants the idea in his head that Olive would need to prioritize her career over a relationship she would be leaving behind in California.
Internalizing this idea, Adam decides it’s best for them to part ways with the end of their arrangement. Meanwhile, Tom shows up at Olive’s door minutes later to share the news with her. However, he also makes it clear that he expects her to sleep with him if she wants to secure her spot and make sure that he doesn’t steal her work. In the aftermath, the student finds herself in a vulnerable position, while her now ex-boyfriend continues avoiding her in an attempt to save himself from potential heartbreak. Yet, all this does is force Olive to follow his lead and distance herself from him. Nevertheless, she can’t hide from her best friend, Anh, who instantly recognizes her distressed state. Thus, she ends up spilling the truth about the pretend relationship and Tom’s harassment.
Once Olive has taken care of the latter situation, Anh decides to corner Adam for a conversation. Regardless of what her friend says, she is sure that the professor well and truly fell in love with her during their time together. Therefore, she talks to him, and that is how he learns about Tom’s misconduct and abuse of power. Naturally, this compels him to confront the other professor in the middle of his class. The altercation inevitably ends up livestreamed on social media and reaches Olive. Thus, the two find themselves face-to-face outside the classroom for a climactic confrontation. While Olive seems intent on insisting that their experiment in love was a failure because she fell in love with him while he clearly did not, Adam rebuffs her theory. In the end, as their mutual confessions of love arrive, they decide to give their romance another chance, this time for real. Two years later, the couple is still at Stanford, where Olive now also works as a professor. Much like her boyfriend, she has also become a feared name across campus, nicknamed Dr. Smite, for her rigorous classes.
Does Olive Get the Grant For Her Research?
Olive’s research remains the center of her narrative throughout the story. She sends her research to Tom Benton even before falling into the fake dating scheme with Adam. The doctoral student is researching pancreatic cancer, specifically investigating non-invasive detection tools based on blood markers. The reason the research is so important to her is that at the age of 15, Olive lost her mother to the same terminal disease. She knows that the existing tools in place aren’t 100% reliable since they don’t work on 5% of the population. Moreover, they are so expensive that financial disparities can become an issue that leads to life-and-death decisions. For the same reason, she is passionate about discovering new channels for the disease to be detected so that patients can seek out life-saving treatment before it’s too late.
After Tom corners Olive, he threatens to steal this research from under her. It isn’t unheard of for mentors to steal their students’ work. In fact, the same thing had happened to Adam during his time as a doctoral student. Olive has already shared all of her research and protocols with him. Therefore, if she doesn’t find a lab to back her research in the coming cycle, Tom can easily steal it from under her. Despite the hopelessness of the situation, Olive refuses to give up. Although she contemplates approaching Adam with it, she’s discouraged from doing so by his own distant demeanor. Instead, she looks for help elsewhere, from a professor who would understand her unique plight.
Dr. Juliet Aslan knows all about being a woman in a male-dominated academia and the issues that come with it. Still, Olive doesn’t share the details of her situation with the professor. Yet, she confesses how she has turned down a sure and certain offer to join Tom’s lab due to a certainty that it would be a toxic work environment for her. Aslan reads between the lines and remains impressed by the young student’s ability not to succumb under pressure and harassment from a senior Harvard faculty member. Therefore, she agrees to give Olive an opportunity to present her research to her. In the end, Aslan agrees to allow her a spot at her own lab, allowing the student to salvage her life’s work.
What Happens to Dr. Benton?
Dr. Tom Benton eventually shows his true colors. At first, he seems friendly, helpful, and truly interested in Olive’s work. However, he soon reveals that he had ulterior motives all this time. By stringing the student along, he effectively prevents her from seeking a spot for her research in other professors’ labs. Moreover, he positions himself in a way that allows him access to her work. Therefore, once he threatens to take the opportunity away if Olive refuses to have sex with him, he has effectively trapped her. If the student decides to pursue disciplinary action against him, it would be her word against his. The battle to prove her innocence and his actions would be long and arduous. Moreover, it would become a shadow that will follow Olive throughout her academic career.
The reality of these truths allows Tom to grow confident enough to remain brazen in his sexual harassment of the student. Nonetheless, Olive refuses to put up with his abuse. She pulls her research from his lab and finds a new home for it on her own merit. By aligning herself with Aslan, she ensures that her work, which Tom was planning on holding hostage, is safe. Initially, it seems like that is the end of the battle for the doctoral student. She doesn’t seem eager to pursue a legal and social battle against the Harvard professor. Nonetheless, once Adam discovers the truth of what has transpired, he confronts Tom and lets him know that he will not allow his career to continue thriving any longer. Thus, it’s likely that Adam uses his own authority and reputation to back Olive’s claim and get Tom fired from Harvard.
Read More: Minerva Academy Ending Explained: What Happened to Francesco?
You must be logged in to post a comment.