'The Queen’s Gambit' Review

The first episode of The Queen’s Gambit is one of the best introductions to a series I’ve ever seen. We meet Beth Harmon, who lives in the Methuen Home for Girls. Seemingly just a normal child at first, she excels when she begins to play chess with the janitor who teaches her everything he knows. She also learns from her friend Jolene, who becomes like an older sister to her. Beth begins to play matches in her head, on the ceiling where she visualises the pieces moving, while she simultaneously becomes more dependent on the tranquilisers the girls are given. This culminates in a beautiful final scene where she overdoses after breaking into the medicine cabinet with a crescendo of Finale/Hallelujah raging over the soundtrack as we cut to black.

To be honest, I would have watched an entire show just about the kid Beth and Jolene in the orphanage, as their relationship was very compelling, and this first episode gave me goosebumps. 

 

This series has stunning visuals and set design; you truly feel like you’ve been transported back to 1950s/1960s America. The music, costumes, and staging bring a picturesque atmosphere that you can’t tear your eyes away from. I also loved the soundtrack, which brings about the beating, swinging sounds of the time.

 

The entire cast bring their A-game, but Anya Taylor-Joy is unbelievably good in her role. There are so many layers to Beth’s story, and she portrays it perfectly. We see her faced with multiple struggles in her life, such as being a female chess player, being a female in general during that time period. Her struggles as an orphan, her addiction demons. Beth Harmon is a character who is complex, increasingly haunted by the ghosts of her past, not defined by one singular trait or motivation, and her interactions with the world and society around her bring the show to life. 

I did feel at times that the show was very, very slow. It’s definitely atmospheric and a slow burner in an intentional way, but at times I felt my attention drifting. At moments like this, I found myself missing the story and excitement from the first episode where my expectations were set up. However, this excitement and sense of purpose definitely returns towards the end of the season. And the visuals are normally enough to keep you engaged, even when you’re just watching another long chess montage.

 

Although I was surprised that despite having no interest in chess myself, I still got caught up in the politics and the competitiveness. The tension is truly played to a fine tune, and during the chess matches that I knew, as a viewer, were important to the story, I was on the edge of my seat. I also think that the series created a rich world with grounded, believable characters, none of whom could be put into a box. I was especially interested in Beth’s stepmother, whose story I was convinced was going to be one of exploiting Beth to a nasty degree and perhaps abandoning her or betraying her but took a very different turn, and she ended up being one of the most likeable characters in the series.

 

I would love to see more of Beth’s story, but it definitely worked well as a limited series, and I know I will be rewatching it soon.