Checking in with The Queen's Gambit (2020)

I know very little about chess. That said, my interest was spurred upon recently viewing a very well done YouTube documentary-style video by Fredrik Knudsen (AKA Down The Rabbit Hole) on Deep Blue, the IBM chess computer that famously beat Garry Kasparov. This led me to watch the 2020 Netflix mini-series The Queen’s Gambit, starring Anya Taylor-Joy as fictional chess wiz Beth Harmon. I haven’t read the novel upon which the series is based, so this analysis is purely based on the Netflix show on its own terms. The limited series is largely set in the ‘50s and ‘60s, making it also a period drama - and a very well-done one at that, with the set design, props, costumes, music, and the like all meshing to create a believable past for Beth to, well, play chess in. While the concept of a chess drama may sound dry on paper, the gambit is made more exciting by Beth’s dependence on tranquilizers and later alcohol to perform at a high level in chess and later seemingly to function at all. It’s in these struggles, as well as those of personal relationships and navigating the “chess world” that the main tension of the series resides. Whether Beth will win or not is secondary, as she’s depicted as being so good at chess, only the best of the best pose any real threat - and she only gets better as the series progresses.

Image ©Netflix Source: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10048342/

I had heard very positive things about the series in the time since its release, and I was pleased to see that by and large the hype was justified. The lush, beautiful cinematography immediately stands out and the show is just a pleasure to look at overall. After Beth moves to the suburbs, there’s a lot of soft focus and soft color palettes, which contrast nicely with the cutthroat world of competitive chess. Additionally, most of the venues she plays in early on are warm, woodsy, and inviting. When Beth goes to the Moscow Invitational, these are replaced almost exclusively with cool tones and hard edges, reinforcing the cold bureaucracy of the whole affair. And actually Beth is shown in multiple instances to be the polar opposite of the Russians she plays in temperament and approach. While she’s hot-tempered, quick, and plays “intuitive chess,” her opponents in these instances are calculated, methodical, and show no emotion whatsoever. Same with the orphanage where Beth resides after the death of her mother in a car crash. These touches are sprinkled all throughout the series, and really serve to better characterize the world and its inhabitants. Other characters of note include the janitor who teaches Beth the game, William Shaibel (Bill Camp), whose outwardly stern demeanor clearly hides a deep respect and fondness for Beth that is later confirmed; Alma Wheatley (Marielle Heller), Beth’s adoptive mother-turned-manager who is fighting demons of her own; and Benny Watts (Thomas Brodie-Sangster), the slick New Yorker and US Champion who we first meet in Las Vegas and is the first real challenge that Beth faces.

One of the most notable moments thematically is later on in the series after Beth spends a night with Benny Watts. In an interesting twist, Beth is dismayed when Benny goes immediately to talking about Beth’s upcoming match after the fact, showing her desire to meaningfully engage with the world outside of chess and perhaps not be so obsessive or single-minded about it. This comes after the dissolution of Beth’s first major romantic partnership with Kentucky State Champion Harry Beltik due to Beltik’s realization that his love of chess does not equal hers, and that it will always be a central focus in a way that it just isn’t for him. This is an interesting moment of character growth that unfortunately due to the series’ limited runtime we don’t get to see expanded upon, but it does give enough to add further weight and dimension to Beth’s character. This notion of the cost associated with “natural talents” and the dedication required to do anything at a very high level is alluded to at multiple points throughout the series, be it social isolation, drug dependency, or the like.

There’s also an interesting if somewhat sad dynamic at play in the home of Beth’s adoptive parents, The Wheatleys. Their biological daughter died before they adopted Beth, and the situation that she is brought into seems a tad strained. Allston Wheatley, the father, is despondent, distant, and frequently is away from the home, traveling on business. Alma Wheatley is a pianist among many other things, who Beth later describes as being “stuck” after she berates Allston for never really listening to her play and more-or-less dismissing her (and Beth to a lesser degree) completely. Alma’s incessant drinking and reliance on tranquilizers also tells a story that unfortunately her relationship and general life satisfaction isn’t all she wants it to be, and Allston later reveals that he suggested they adopt Beth as a means of ameliorating the situation, though it seems to have only increased the tension between them.

Though there are a lot of things the show does exceptionally well, as others have noted, it isn’t perfect. Beth’s overwhelming chess prowess, while a defining characteristic, is somewhat deflating in a purely narrative sense, and the literal visualizations of the chess pieces on the ceiling, while done well, come off as a bit silly in the face of how straight-forward it plays the rest of the story, and could be at worst seen as cartoonish portrayal of drug abuse. Personally I didn’t find either to be major hindrances to the show, though obviously your mileage may vary. While the inclusion of the licensed music fit the era, the original score didn’t really serve to evoke the period though it’s certainly done well. And there are a number of other criticisms that are well worth reading about, from the revisionist history aspects to how little a role Jolene got to play being the only major Black character. These are all valid and should be considered in any critical appraisal of the work as a whole. It’s not flawless by any stretch, yet it excels at what it does right. It won 11 Emmy awards, after all, the sheer merit of which as with all awards is debatable yet clearly laudable. As it is only a limited series of seven episodes, none of these issues have time to linger or fester long enough to detract from the sheer momentum and excitement of the series.

The series’ brevity is a double-edged sword, however, as a number of the previously mentioned aspects seem to have yet ample room for exploration. The Queen’s Gambit definitely leaves you wanting more, which speaks to how compelling the series is from a thematic and character perspective. Yet more of something isn’t always better, and one can easily see how a series like this could burn-out if left going for too long or if the powers-at-be ran out of ideas, creative energy, or money (perhaps all three). Maybe in a perfect world The Queen’s Gambit is largely the same but with an additional 5 episodes dealing with some deeper character stuff with more of the side characters or more tournaments or something. In either case, what we did get stands as an example of a series rising beyond its medium and standing out as a hugely compelling work.