28 ENTERTAINMENT
“Queen’s Gambit” thrills audiences with view into the world of competitive chess BY ABBY GODSEN assistant editor
I am all for a sweet love story, but shows that deal with dark, complex themes are my all time favorite. “The Queen’s Gambit,” a Netflix Limited Series, perfectly portrays oftentimes difficult to discuss topics in a palatable way following the life of the orphaned chess prodigy Elizabeth (Beth) Harmon. Throughout this series she struggles with loss, addiction and battling with her mind only finding solace in the chess chessboard. Strong character development is one of the most important parts of a show. Throughout the show we watch Beth grow up toiling with inner anger and her own brilliant psyche. With every succeeding episode we are told more and more about her dark past with her parents and the orphanage giving greater complexity and insight into Beth’s character. Through Beth’s struggle with addiction we are able to see the cost of being the best. She is brilliant at chess but what is the cost of being the top of your game? For her it was addiction and struggling to reconcile with her own traumatic past. She is constantly looking for something to control since she did not have a stable childhood. This pent up anger and pain is what pushes her to want to become the number one chess player in the world. Beth constantly feels the need to prove to herself and everyone else stemming from a traumatic childhood. The theme of “the mad genius” is also featured through-
out influencing many of the decisions Beth makes trying to figure out if she is just going insane. Her intense struggle with mental health makes her more human and allows the audience to sympathize with her situation when many make look down upon her. The casting of the show could not have been more perfect. Marielle Heller perfectly embodies her character as Beth’s foster mother Alma Wheatly. I absolutely loved her character and the way she played made me forget she was not a real person. Anya Taylor-Joy was also an excel-
lent casting. Her striking features make her stand out from the rest of the cast making it known she is different, in the best possible way. Chess to many is not all that thrilling to watch because of the nature of the game, but the use of close up angles during play makes it incredibly intriguing and emotional. Even if someone may not understand what is happening on the board you can see how emotionally invested these players are. For these people it is not just a game but their livelihood. The use of lighting also plays a part throughout
the show. The music used creates ever increasing levels of dissonance making the scenes where Beth is playing chess or going into a downward spiral that much more compelling. One aspect that is more subtle but adds just as much depth is the interplay between the time period and social cultural themes. Beth acts as though she is equal to all the male chess players even when most underestimate her abilities without even a second thought. In a male dominated game, she absolutely crushes gender norms by overcoming all expectations of being a girl who plays chess. This develops throughout the show as we see her grow into an adult. Most of the time she doesn’t even acknowledge that her gender may give her a disadvantage. The complex dynamic characters and themes make this show a must watch. This is based off of a novel by Walter Trevis called “The Queen’s Gambit” so this is not an original series. I am usually someone who likes the book better than the movie, but. in this case, I thought the show was excellent. This show is meant for mature audiences so if you are not up for intense, dark themes, mature language, and violence I would not recommend watching it. However, if you are like me and love the dark and foreboding, this will be something you may really enjoy. All in all I thought everything about this show was great: the casting, music, costuming, and script making it an exceptional portrayal of the dark side of humanity.
