Samiksha Jaiswal (Editor)

The Queen’s Gambit (TV Mini Series)

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Country
  
United States

Language
  
English


Director
  
Scott Frank
Movie poster of The Queen's Gambit starring Anya Taylor-Joy as Beth Harmon, with a fierce look while her hands are on her chin, with short blonde hair, and wearing a black and white blouse.

Genre
  
Period drama

Country
  
United States

Runtime
  
46–67 minutes (7 episodes)

Release Date
  
October 23, 2020

Production companies
  
Flitcraft Ltd, Wonderful Films

Aspect Ratio
  
1.78 : 1

Sound Mix
  
Stereo

Composer
  
Carlos Rafael Rivera

Writer
  
Scott Frank

Filming Location
  
Cambridge, Ontario, Canada

Similar
  
The Queen's Gambit (novel), Godless (TV series), Birdland (TV series)

Unless you have been living under a rock, you have definitely heard of The Queen’s Gambit. First streamed on Netflix on the 23rd of October this year, it quickly caught the attention of the masses, and has gone on to become one of the most viewed miniseries on the platform. 

Contents

Based on the Walter Tevis’ 1983 novel, the created for Netflix miniseries is currently riding the wave of success. However, does it live up to the hype? Let’s find out.





Plot

Anya Taylor-Joy with a serious face during a chess tournament and surrounded by other players, with short blonde hair, and wearing a black dress in a movie scene from The Queen'S Gambit (2020).

The Queen’s Gambit follows the rise of chess prodigy Beth Harmon, an orphan, to becoming the world’s greatest chess player as she simultaneously battles substance addiction and emotional upheaval. 

The series begins in Lexington, where we see Beth lose her mother in a car crash at just nine years of age. Before being adopted by Anna Wheatley and her husband a few years later, she has a stint at an orphanage where she encounters an appetite for both chess and tranquilizers. The mini series tracks her genius at chess on rise, along with her increasing dependency on drugs, as Beth struggles between the two.

Review

Anya Taylor-Joy looking at Jacob Fortune-Lloyd while holding a camera. Anya wearing a black dress while Jacob wearing white long sleeves in a movie scene from The Queen'S Gambit (2020).

There is a lot to love: the show is instantly gripping, and holds your attention throughout. The roots for Beth Harmon’s addictions are incredibly well fleshed out. We see her introduced to tranquilizers at the orphanage and being sucked into addiction when adopted by an alcoholic mother. 

Anya Taylor-Joy stars as Beth and is easily one of the biggest draws for the show, with her stellar performance. Yet, we find The Queen’s Gambit meandering down a path that feels a lot like wish fulfillment, rather than being realistic. Her rise to fame is almost fairytale-like. Be it her addiction or the sexist climate of the 1960s, neither seem to be in the picture. Where The Queen’s Gambit falls short is exactly here – its romanticized and pretty much smooth sailing rags-to-riches narrative.



Facts

On the left, movie poster of The Queen's Gambit starring Anya Taylor-Joy with a fierce look while her hands are on her chin, with short blonde hair, and wearing a black and white blouse. On the right, is the book The Queen's Gambit written by Walter Tevis, with a lady wearing a red dress, a white cat, and a chessboard.

•   The Queen’s Gambit is being credited with reviving public interest in chess.
•   Google searches for “how to play chess” reached its peak after almost ten years after release of Queen’s Gambit.
•   The show has received praise from the chess community for the accuracy of its portrayal.
•   The Netflix miniseries has helped the original novel to the New York Bestseller’s List after thirty-seven years of its actual release!

Episodes

Isla Johnston as Young Beth Harmon looking at Bill Camp as Mr. Shaibel playing chess. Isla wearing a gray dress over white long sleeves while Bill wearing a gray jacket in a movie scene from The Queen'S Gambit (2020).

Openings: Elizabeth Harmon is taken to an orphanage where she gets addicted to both chess and tranquilizers – the episode ends with her overdosing on medication after suffering from withdrawal after the state bans the use of tranquilizers on children.
Exchanges: Adopted as a teenager by Alma and Aliston Wheatley, Beth falls prey to tranquilizers again when the latter leaves them: Alma discovers Beth’s prowess for chess and realizes it can benefit them financially as well.
Doubled Pawns: Beth rises through the ranks of professional chess, gaining national recognition, while paying her mother agent commission. When Benny Watts notes a mistake in her technique, she suffers her first professional loss the next day.
Middle Game: Amidst her growing dependence on alcohol and drugs, Beth competes against international players, and loses to a Soviet child prodigy – her mother passes away.
Fork: Beth returns home and reconnects with Harry Beitik – this soon ends because he realizes she will always prioritize chess. In 1967, after she bests Benny Watts to become the US Champion, he realizes she needs a role model and takes her for training in NYC.
Adjournment: Benny helps Beth get sober for the Paris International. However, when Cleo invites her for drinks, she relapses and loses the finale the next day. With resurgence of her adoptive father and Beitik, she experiences incredible emotional upheaval as she spirals furthers.
End Game: Beth comes to terms with her past after a tragic event; she goes on to attend the Moscow invitational where she beats Borgov. She reconciles with her closed ones and decides that she won’t be used anymore.

References

The Queen’s Gambit (TV Mini Series) Wikidata
(Text) CC BY-SA