The Surprisingly Thrilling Game of Chess

When browsing through the thousands of options available on Netflix, it seems unlikely that at first glance you’d be immediately enthralled by a show about the game of chess. Far from most people’s favorite game, The Queen’s Gambit could’ve run the risk of falling into the assorted pile of Netflix originals that just never gained any traction. But with an excellent lead, rich storytelling, fantastic costume design, and an overall amazing feat of character study, The Queen’s Gambit was able to beat the odds.

Set in the late 1960’s, our protagonist, Beth Harmon (Anya Taylor-Joy), is a newly orphaned eight-year old girl, sent to a girl’s home following her mother’s suicide, a car accident that Beth had also been in. In the orphanage, Beth is introduced to two of the most important things in her life: chess, and tranquilizers. With the help of the sullen janitor (Bill Camp) residing in the basement of the home, Beth cultivates her love and skill in chess. At night, with the assistance of the tranquilizers they’re mandated to take, she plays in her head, on the ceiling. She’s a natural talent, beating men twice her age after only just learning the game. After being adopted by the unhappy Wheatleys, Beth is able to enter her first competition, catapulted into local fame for winning the entire thing. Throughout the duration of the show, we watch Beth develop as not only a chess prodigy, but as a young woman. Strange and troubled, Beth finds herself navigating the male-dominated world of chess with pure confidence, working her way up to the world championship against the long-reigning Soviet champion (Marcin Dorociński).

With so little faults, it’s difficult to single out the aspects of The Queen’s Gambit that make it so special. There’s not an actor in the cast that didn’t carry their weight, no matter how small their part, especially in the case of Beth’s adopted mother (Marielle Heller) and her part-time lover, part-time opponent, Benny Watts (Thomas Brodie-Sangster). The sets and costume design are hard to tear your eyes away from, with Beth always appearing in something excellent and interesting, a believable fashion aficionado in the set time period. The writers Allan Scott and Scott Frank’s ability to make a chess game carry the same intensity as an Olympic sport is similarly awe-inspiring, but what really ties it all together is the captivating performance of Beth Harmon by Anya Taylor-Joy. Joy has a tendency to capture the attention of audiences regardless with her odd and expressive facial structure, but her subtlety and grace as Beth Harmon are what really carry the heart of the show. The Queen’s Gambit is ultimately a character study, exploring the depths of Beth’s experience that will feel heartbreaking and relatable despite the extreme circumstances of her life. With Joy, who plays the character so naturally, it almost feels like we’re intruding on Beth’s life rather than a welcome watcher. Beth’s odd mannerisms and peculiar gracefulness feel less like a forced attempt at a misunderstood genius and more like the behaviors of a real woman who has always felt abandoned and unwanted by those around her.

The Queen’s Gambit, despite its many achievements in design and casting and directing is not without faults. Possibly the most glaring is the treatment of the character, Jolene (Moses Ingram), one of the only non-white characters in the show. While Ingram manages to portray the depth that she deserved to be written into, Jolene is unfortunately subject to being only a prop in Beth’s story, only used to help develop and cure Beth’s struggles in the story. When already adding so little diversity into a story, it’s always disappointing to see a character treated so two-dimensionally in comparison to other supporting characters, with so little of her experiences unexplored when so much could’ve been done. Some scenes also fall into the uncomfortable trap of romanticizing Beth’s addictions to drugs and alcohol, with her lounging prettily around the house after a long night of drinking, her appearance barely touched despite it. These scenes feel particularly jarring in comparison to other scenes with Beth, who is typically treated with an amount of depth and consideration unfamiliar with a lot of female characters.

Beyond its pitfalls, The Queen’s Gambit remains worthy of the high praise it’s been given from audiences and critics alike. To have so many different types of people banded around a show focused on such a niche and often ancient feeling game is an achievement on its own. Don’t let the premise fool you into thinking this show is boring, as that’s one thing it’s definitely not. And if you can’t get behind that aspect, at least watch it to see Anya Taylor-Joy deliver one of her most dynamic performances yet.

★★★★★