If you have been on Netflix or the internet for any period of time over the past few weeks, you have probably heard of The Queen’s Gambit. It’s been on Netflix’s Top 10 Most Watched in the US List practically every time I open my account, and people around me just keep buzzing about it. If you still haven’t bought into the hype, let me tell you: IT’S AMAZING!
The Queen’s Gambit is a fictional seven episode mini series following the story of Elizabeth (Beth) Harmon. Beth is an orphan and in her time at the orphanage, an old janitor teaches her how to play chess, starting her on her way to be one of the greatest chess players. Set in the 1950s and 1960s, we follow Beth from age nine, through her very first chess tournament, all the way through the World Championships.
- The Characters!
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Every character we meet in this story is complex and unique, with their own backstories and motivations. And while there are many supporting roles in this show—including the men Beth competes against turned from opponent to ally, both Beth’s birth mother and adoptive one, and the best friends Beth makes at the orphanage—they all pale in comparison to Beth herself. Beth is such an interesting character, and Anya Taylor Joy gives this role her all. She makes decisions that make you want to scream at your TV, but at no point in the story was I ever not rooting for her. Beth deals with pill problems from a young age, the kind of trauma that comes with the death of a parent and the immense pressure that comes with being uniquely talented. Try as she might to form relationships with the people in her life, Beth is fiercely independent, almost to a fault. Her brain works in a way that the average person could never even imagine, always working through the moves, the intricacies, and the strategies that allow her to be so amazing at chess. And while Beth is a gifted player, she’s not invincible, a fact that made me even more invested in her journey as a character and a player.
- The Chess!
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Which brings us to the next thing that hooked me on this show: the chess. I have always been someone who loves to play chess, but even if you have never played a game in your life, you would want to after watching this show. Although, after watching this show, I feel like what I have been playing all these years was not really chess, but some children’s version of the game. The matches in this show are unbelievable. The players can predict their opponents moves and work about five steps ahead. Many times we see Beth play multiple games simultaneously, and even without her full attention, she can still win easily. If you’re thinking that watching people play chess sounds incredibly boring to you, let me assure you, it’s not. The cinematography and editing techniques used in these scenes add to the tension and understanding of the game.
- The Setting!
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This story is also entirely grounded in its setting and I love that. Beth lives in Kentucky in the 50s and 60s and the show never loses the feeling of its time. The costume designs are great. One of the easiest ways to see the passage of time is the evolution of Beth’s bob as it moves from a straight, short banged, 50s hairdo to a more 60s/70s look. Every dress that Beth wore felt like it told a story. You really feel the time period, though, through the way Beth is treated. In the entire series, Beth meets one other female competitor. One! Everyone else she plays is a man and while the blatant sexism is never overdone, it does do a really great job of being just another factor that leaves Beth feeling so isolated. This also makes Beth’s character that much easier to root for.
And while the show wasn’t perfect—I genuinely had no clue how old any of the characters were at least 50% of the time—I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a new show to binge. It’s less than seven hours and I assure you that time will feel like nothing. One minute you’ll be on episode one and the next you’ll be sitting here like me, contemplating whether you should watch the show again or go buy a chess set.