Vincent Van Gogh used to drink yellow paint. Countless musicians joined the 27 Club. Beth Harmon, chess player extraordinaire, popped pills. Netflix’s new limited series The Queen’s Gambit, released at the end of October, highlights genius in all its imperfections. A series entirely devoted to chess, arguably the least watchable game out there, has found a wide audience through its underdog story of orphan Beth Harmon battling drug addiction as she climbs ranks in the chess world. To say I’m obsessed with this show is an understatement. Despite starting after noon, I watched the entire series in a day and then rewatched it only a week later. There’s something so captivating about the idea of mastery, and The Queen’s Gambit perfectly accomplishes this.
Lured in by a clip of Beth (Anya Taylor-Joy) as an adult, it then switches to a young Beth (Isla Johnston). The first few episodes revolve around her as a child, where she was, as described by my friend, “weird.” I would go with the term melodramatic, but this can turn off weaker viewers who don’t stick around long enough for the plot to suck you in. Halfway through the series, you reach what I deem the point of no return, where the balance of drama, relationships and gorgeous sets capture you until the end.
If you’ve ever watched a game of chess, you know that by maybe the fourth move, the board is boring unless you understand the game well enough to predict what comes next. So, how does a series with over 350 games designed for it successfully pull it off? Director Scott Frank relies instead on the feelings of a match, creating glamour for an old game like chess by showing the intense emotion on each opponent’s face and in the surrounding crowds. Even though these are real games, many of the shots instead highlight faces or hands as pieces are moved. This is how he ensures a show revolving around chess can appeal to anyone, regardless of their interest levels in the game itself.
Set in the Cold War era, 60s fashion is reimagined in a color palette to match a chessboard and to match each character’s distinct behaviors. These gorgeous outfits and well-designed sets of similar colors further draw your attention around Beth until, as a friend’s tweet two days after the series dropped reads, “i’m literally obsessed with beth harmon.” Despite lacking in some social skills and spiraling into addiction, the world seems to revolve around her as characters flow in and out of her life. These strong connections include her childhood friend and fellow orphan Jolene (Moses Ingram) and fellow chess icon Benny Watts (Thomas Brodie-Sangster), who may be recognizable to fellow Maze Runner fans, albeit in a very different role this time. This web of relationships woven around Beth prove to be invaluable to her as she approaches some of the biggest chess games in her life, reaching a level of mastery anyone would find awe-worthy.
Success, in its most fundamental form, is often viewed in American society as mastery. To be at the top of your field will inevitably bring riches and fame, and, as Beth goes from being unable to afford a chess board to being swamped with autograph requests, The Queen’s Gambit feeds into our cultural obsession with genius. However, it doesn’t let you forget the downsides of such pressure. The queen of self-sabotage through her actions in relationships and alone, Beth is addled with the bad side of genius, too. There were times when I hated Beth, and moments later wished I was her. Anya Taylor-Joy captures you so strongly you feel as if you too are a part of the drama and she’s sabotaging her relationship with you. One of the most compelling watches of 2020, if you enjoy underdog tales of genius spun by a beautiful cast and set and don’t mind a little melodrama, give this show a try.
Photo courtesy of Netflix.
