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The Queen's Gambit 

My Review

The Queen's Gambit is a Netflix original limited series. With over 62 million people who have watched it within it's first 28 days on the streaming service, it does not surprise me at all with how brilliant I feel the show is. This show is based on a novel - The Queen's Gambit- written by Walter Tevis. And is now The New York Times' best seller decades after it's original release in 1983.

In my opinion, this is one of the best, if not, the best Netflix show I've ever watched. The story telling, cinematography, casting etc is all so perfect. Anya Taylor-Joy plays the main character of the show, Beth Harmon. She is one of my favourite actresses from this performance alone. Her acting on the show is incredible, especially when the character is very introverted and doesn't talk much, and very rarely shows her emotions. I imagine as an actor/ actress it's very hard to act really well when the character they're playing doesn't really have much to work on. Even in the novel, which I have also read, shows how shy Beth is and how little she speaks. But Anya Tylor-Joy creates a brilliant performance and really portrays the character well.  Beth Harmon is such a unique character. A girl who loves to play chess, which is mainly seen as a boy's game, especially in the fifties and sixties. And Anya's unique style as an actress really is the perfect role for this show. The other casting characters like Thomas Brodie-Sangster, who plays Benny Watts, and Marielle Heller, playing Mrs. Weatley, and many others, also show a great performance in the show.

The cinematography and editing in the show is one of the best I've seen in a series. I've watched many shows and films and you can really tell the production of a film and TV show. I feel most shows, because they generally have a smaller budget compared to big Hollywood films, are filmed in a more basic way which is less cinematic and rarely any good CGI or great sets. I feel nowadays more and more shows, particularly on streaming services, are being filmed in a more professional way as they seem to be getting more and more popular. It used to be films that had the best story telling and more popular in viewings, and television always came second. Now it's television that seems to get more recognition and shows have really upped their game.  So many shows nowadays are original in storytelling, whereas I feel films are just recycling the same ideas and stories over and over again. This show is a perfect example of this. With the mesmerizing cinematography, interesting editing, great quality CGI and glamorous sets, it really tells the story in such a high end way. Since the show is about chess, many people who don't play the game will assume it's boring. But you don't need to understand the game in order to watch the show. In fact, the scenes where they play chess is actually the most exciting and interesting scenes of the show. The camera shots very rarely show the board and pieces and more the facial expressions of the players. Giving you a clear understanding of who's losing, who's winning, and the intensity of the game in that moment. This is also down to, again, the incredible performances from the actors and the music, by Carlos Rafael Rivera, that fits so well with each scene. It's so impressive that a game of chess, which many people find boring and slow, is filmed in such an engaging and cool way. 

The themes in the show, and how it's presented to the viewer, really shows such a compelling and clever way of story telling. It involves themes such as alcohol and drug addiction, loneliness, feminism during the fifties and sixties and obsession. These themes have been in so many stories, but the way the story is told really gives us a clear insight to the character, Beth Harmon, in such a unique and original way. I love how we get to see Beth grow up from a child in an orphan home, to a grown adult trying to accomplish her dreams while battling her inner demons. It feels like, as the viewer, we're experiencing her whole life journey with her. Causing us to get so involved with her and feel for her. Walter Tevis really is a brilliant story teller in both the novel, and when it was brought to life on screen by director, Scott Frank. With Beth's addiction with drugs and alcohol, Tevis actually based it on his own experience with drug addiction as a teenager. He really puts into detail on what it's like to be addicted to a substance and how much it destructs your life. Although Beth is based on the writer, he wanted the character to be a women to acknowledge smart females. I love that about this story. We don't really get to see main characters as women in stories. And when they are they're normally just a stupid funny character in a comedy film, or someone who's obsessed with love and relationships. This unique character being an intelligent women in the fifties and sixties era is very refreshing to see. Especially when women in those days weren't really acknowledged as smart. Which is why Beth Harmon is one of my favourite main characters in a story. She does whatever she wants in her own way. She loves chess and doesn't see it as a men's game at all. She gets confused when people talk about how peculiar it is for a girl to be a chess player competing in tournaments and doesn't understand why her gender is brought up all the time and why it's so important. It's stunning to see how feminine and sexy she is when playing the game as well. Elegantly lifting up and moving the chess pieces while being surrounded by big, broad men. 

I also love how introverted Beth is. Many people are extroverts, introverts or even both. But no matter what you are, a lot of people can relate to Beth when it comes to wanting to be alone in your own personal space sometimes. I, myself, love going out with friends and socialising with people. But I do also love to just not have to communicate with people sometimes and prefer night ins to night outs the majority of the time. And just be with myself in my own space doing my own thing, without anyone being able to bother me. A lot of people probably feel the same way and that's what makes Beth so relatable to viewers.. Beth is, of course, a brilliant chess player but she isn't just automatically the best. She has to work her way up like everyone does. She has to win games, she loses games, she makes mistakes and learns from them, she has the desire to accomplish her goals and even feels like giving up. This is also very relatable to people who have things they want to accomplish in life, no matter how big or small, and know what it feels like to be at the bottom or even be at the top and hit rock bottom. The Queen's Gambit explores this beautifully.

I feel there's no real villain in the show. Borgov, played by. Marcin Dorocinski, could arguably be the villain. But I think he's just another player who is, of course, the best in the world a chess. And the only reason why he may be seen as a villain is to just develop the plot, making it more intense and interesting. The real villain, I believe, is Beth herself. She has inner demons and is a character who is always too harsh on herself. She doesn't have confidence in herself and doesn't even have confidence in the way she looks. And she's also involved in drug and alcohol addiction. 

This limited series really is an incredible show with impressive aspects from start to finish. Anyone who's seen it will agree with me that the main plot isn't actually about chess and you don't need to have any knowledge on it whatsoever. Yes, chess is in it, but the main focus is about Beth Harmon and how she deals with life and her problems while trying to accomplish her goals. If you have been struggling with what to watch recently you should look no further and definitely watch this.