By: Devynn Brown
On October 23, 2020, Netflix released the show The Queen’s Gambit. It quickly became in the top ten most watched shows on Netflix and had a huge fandom.
The Netflix Original follows Beth Harmon on journey from being a young orphan girl to a top notch world wide known chess player. The show follows themes related to building new relationships, struggles in addiction, and having the drive and courage to keep going through tough times.
The Queen’s Gambit was originally a book written by Walter Tevis’s 1983 novel. The coming of age period drama struck the interests of many and eventually Scott Frank along with Allen Scott wrote and directed the one season and seven episode show on Netflix.
The show is one of a kind, as it is set in the 1960s and focused on a strong minded female protagonist that plays chess. In the 1960s most women were at their husbands every beck and call and served as housewives raising the children.
Chess like many other sports back then were male dominated. By having a woman rise to the top that wasn’t married was revolutionary for that time. Also, just because Harmon played chess with men didn’t mean she gave up her femininity. She explored makeup, styling hair, and fashion trends.
Beth Harmon is exceptionally intelligent as she is able to play out chess scenarios in her head by visualizing it upside down on a ceiling. She is also assertive and blunt and does not let anybody run over her. She has a drive to be the world’s very best chess player.
However, from a young age she gets addicted to tranquilizers and relies on them to help her think. She eventually adapts to drinking and smoking as she sees her adoption mother do it. Addiction can take over one’s life as seen by Harmon spiraling in the later episodes.
On the other hand, the show isn’t all depressing but shows how in the darkest of times you can rely on friends. Jolene, Harmon’s friend from the orphanage, comes to visit her in adult life and helps her get back on track.
The show is really great for anyone interested in chess or how life was in the 1960s.