Not really speaking of football movies ... sports films with a certain theme: Basketball - Space Jam (1996) Football - Necessary Roughness (1991) Baseball - Major League (1989) Golf - Caddyshack (1980) Hockey - Slap Shot (1977)
I beleive that Anya Taylor-Joy actually had some say in how she portrayed Beth through her clothes. She's had a bunch of interviews where she gushes over the role
@@johnd3421 well she specifically said that she was invited to the project for the movie before there was even a script and that she had some creative control on Beth's portrayal during the whole process, i.e. Anya made the choice that Beth had to be a red-head to stand out visually from others. Double checking on the interview I watched, she doesn't explicitly mention picking clothes, but from the sound of it she had a lot of control on Beth's appearance.
The costuming on this show was top notch. It was historically accurate and FILLED with symbolism. Like the scene at the very end where she is literally dressed as a white queen. Or the many (many) checkered patterns she wears throughout the series. It such a brilliant attention to detail, I love it!
@@meganchambers9402 Those outfit designs all seem soooo intentional and I LOVE IT! Even that green dress is the exact same shade of pale green as the pills. It had to be meticulously picked out by someone who’s very sensitive to colours lol
episode 3 when she gets home from the pledge party, she takes pills and alcohol. next scene is her dressed in white laying on her bed with darkness in the shape of a queen coming over her.
Yeeesss the clothes were so good, and I kept thinking about how the episodes where they go to different countries like Mexico and Paris and Russia were so much more interesting, exciting, realistic, and beautiful than Emily in Paris could ever be
yes! beth is my new fashion icon, and i love how she was shown wearing the same clothes sometimes too make it more realistic rathee than having a new outfit everyday.
There were so many people who I thought could do bad things, like when she went into that basement and she already encountered the "strange" concierge I was like no no no don't go in there omg. But nothing happened and he turned out to be a sweetheart. Same with the adoptive mother and so many others (the Russians), like she already had a bad start at life and later got the whole pills and drinking stuff so I'm happy they didn't make it overly dramatic just to make her look pathetic, she is (along with the others) such a great character
same thought here! the fact that the adoptive mother wanted to her to go to the tournament when she found out that the winner gets money had me worried
I also really like how they develop the relationship between her and the adoptive mother it wasn’t like they instantly clicked but throughout time bonded
it reminded me of my mom & I...... We're blood related, BUT we never clicked when I was young and I was mostly away from my parents as my grandparents took me in most of the time to raise me. (P.S because they loved me a LOT and my mom & dad had jobs so). I got around later to her and we're best buddies till date
@@laszlobandi6456 she didn’t know she even knew anything about chess, and like most ppl at that time didn’t expect a young girl to be any good at it. Plus she was clearly stressed about money with good reason since she is an addict and her only source of income was away for an unknown amount of time. She is never meant to be a perfect role model, she definitely has a bad influence on beth with her addiction, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t grow to love her.
I really thought she's gonna exploit beth's money or something. I was always expecting for the worse to happen while watching this show but then they always proved me wrong. This series is amazing!
@@sammysrambles No, she was a child who finally had something of her own and somewhere where she belonged. She got excited and forgot. It is totally understandable and normal. She bitterly regretted it later.
As a Russian person, I am so happy with how Russians are portrayed in a positive light in this show, especially at the end. Not something you see very often in American media :)
That makes me happy that it makes you happy. A lot of Americans make Russians feel bad. I personally would love to visit Russia someday :) cheers friend
Yea that was unfortunately a Cold War thing. As an millennial American, In the media I watch these days (Marvel, Star Wars, DC, video games, etc ..), I don’t think thats the case anymore.
Beths relationship with her mom was was one of the things that stood out to me. First it seemed like the mom actually adopted her for selfish reasons, like she wanted a companion but didnt consider thar she is an actual child with needs and that has to be cared for. In the beggining she just sees Beth as someone to do chores and to take care of her when shes sick and only thinks of her needs when its pointed out, like her clothes. Then when Beth starts making money with chess she becomes a manager, their relationship is very professional, they stand each other because Beth need a guardian and the mom needs money. And its just after a while, slowly, that they become close, the mom teaches her to have fun, lighten up, enjoy the pleasures and luxury money can buy, and Beth is thankfull for her being by her side, watching her matches and supporting her passion for chess. Until Beth is able to call her mom. I really liked this relationship in the show.
It makes sense because the mom is definitely not a super friendly person, although she isn’t mean, at the beginning she is just wallowing in her misery with a cold husband and no friends. It’s like she forgot how to relate or be close to others, so it would be strange for them to become close fast as both of them have quite standoffish personalities, but they show they care about each other through little things and with time become close.
I love how when Beth goes to her first tournament, her mum definitely does see the money first. But their transactional relationship turns into a loving one naturally over time.
One thing that really summarize the core theme of the show is when Benny asked her if she knew why russian chess players were so good at the game, and I don't remember the exact same words, but they go something along like "because they don't play alone or they play in gruop" (something like that). And you can see this before the final match, Borgov is discussing the game with the other two mens, Beth is alone preparing for the game and then she recieves a call from Benny and the others guys who were studying the game. I really liked this part.
also, I love at the end, when she's walking through the park in Moscow among the chess players, her outfit makes her look like a white queen chess piece.
I absolutely broke down crying when she found the photo of her and Mr. Shaibel. Seeing all the stuff he kept about her and how much he cared about her was just heartbreaking. what gets me the most in movies and shows is when a seemingly unfriendly character starts showing affection in their own way, just,,, T-T I was so upset that Beth never went to visit him or pay him back.
That killed me too because I also had a lot of adults that supported me through my childhood when I had no one else. Teachers that paid for lunches or field trips or instrument fees in orchestra. And I know he wasn't a teacher in that sense but he did teach her the game so I really related to her loss.
Best part about the writing of the show is that they treated her like they would a man. They didn't overly sexualize her, they showed her with love interests but it never took away focus from the main plot, they made her intelligence the focal point, and they showed her having positive experiences with other women which is something that _never happens_ in most “feminist” shows
Notice how, even though sex happens in the story, it doesn't actually have sex scenes. You see before and after and that's it. And even the one time you do see Beth having sex on screen, she is clothed and it's so passionatless and boring that you're left questioning if sex is even happening.
I haven’t felt as sad recently as I did when you found her picture with Mr Shaibel. The fact he never got credit until his death and how Beth had kind of taken him for granted, kills me.
I think it was more they both were cold ppl who didnt know how to feel emotion or connections. in the first interview she does say he taught her she mentions him several times.
Conspiracy theory: Cleo is a KGB agent. She is hanging around major chess players for some reason, and the year she meets Benny he lost to Borgov. Then she builds trustful relationships with Beth right after they meet: she complements her and flirts with her right in front of their ‘boyfriends’. Then she comes to her before the final in Paris and manipulates Beth to drink. What’s even worse, Cleo builds a negative image of Benny to make Beth stop training before Moscow. But main point is that Cleo was the only person on Earth who knew that Beth loved Townes! And in Moscow we realize that Soviet Embassy knew that as well. Another argument that Cleo’s actions and Townes’ coming to Moscow are related is that these two were not in the book.
Holy sh*t this makes so much sense! Also consider her name (or how she calls herself, anyway): Cleo as in Cleopatra! The woman who swayed both Caesar and Marcus Antonius, at some point the most powerful Roman men who both got their asses kicked in the end, in some way or another💀
That scene where young beth put a handful of pills in her mouth really gives me the feels like someone is punching my gut. I think the child actress who portrayed young Beth deserves recognition.
You know, one of my favourite things in this show was in the end, when she beat the Russian grand masters, how they were so happy for her. The old guy was clearly enjoying himself, but when Borgov got up and hugged her I was crying, but it was just so lovely and honestly, so realistically human for folks who do something obsessively because they genuinely enjoy it, and enjoy being challenged. They were so proud of this young woman who they had witnessed falling apart, and who they knew came from a tough childhood. It was dope. I also lost it laughing in the first episode when she was caught with the bottle of tranquilizers, after having downed fistfuls, and she drops it and falls. I don't know. There was some underrated comedy in this show, for sure. Blink and you'll miss it juxtapositions. This show actually made me put my phone away and pay attention. Which is a sign of excellence.
also I love the generosity the Russian people showed to her in treating her with such admiration even though she was beating their heroes. You could tell that for them it was more about love of the game and respect for her genius than any kind of blind patriotism. The same could not at all be said for the American side (esp the officials), who showed zero respect for the game and were obsessed with trying to force her into a political narrative. That's why I find the end scene so symbolic. She rejects the cue cards they're giving her, gets out of the car, and makes her own way, back to a man in the street who plays out of pure love for the game the same way that Mr Shaibel did in the beginning. She keeps her authenticity and you can tell she relates to the Russians because of their shared love for the game. It's a pretty narrative touch.
I feel like I was the only one genuinely horrified and shocked when she steals the pills in the first episode. For some reason it didn't strike me as funny as it does for many others. It's an incredibly beautiful and impactful scene that really gets a lot of emotion out of the audience.
@@gigirauchut1882 I think it may be perceived as funny because its so tragic. Beth stole the pills which the orphanage conditioned them to take whilst being caught by the headmaster who runs this orphanage and most likely set everything in place for this to happen. To top it all off she is so generally shook by it whilst all the rest of the kids are watching. At the same time Beth dramatically falls from the chair, hits her head quite hard on the floor and the jar of pills slip from her hands and gets shattered into pieces. It is a truly sad scene if you think about it but at least for me and the way it is compiled and is almost over exagerated, i guess it carries a sense of satire/hypocrisy. All of this, at least for me, made it really easy for me to laugh at it (maybe like a sort of a protection mechanism) instead of taking it serious.
fun fact: when she gets to Russia and they mention a female champion Nona Gaprindashvili, she's actually a real person. she is a female chess champion (yes still alive, 79 years old) and also a world champion I believe. first woman to earn the title of a Grandmaster. she represented USSR in championships, however she was from the country of Georgia 🇬🇪 (which was part of USSR at the time). my country. I was so excited when they mentioned her.
What I really liked is how Benny explains how the Russians work together to come up with strategies and to help win tournaments versus Americans feel they need to stand alone and compete with each other. Beth sees this when she goes into the hotel seeing the 3 russians working together. Then it pays off at the end when her team comes and helps her over the phone.
I loved that, and that everybody in her life contributed to her victory. Her chess friends helped her with the game state, her friend from the orphanage gave her the money for the flight, etc
My favorite thing about this show is that none of the characters who could have easily been made villains were allowed to be complicated people with a complex impression on Beth
@@riggamorrischan he was unlikable but he wasn't a villain whose sole purpose was to take down Beth. You could argue that he had wanted to get divorced for a long time and adopting Beth was his misguided way of trying to alleviate his guilt. But hin being unlikable and a bad person doesn't make him a villain in the story, just another shitty situation Beth has to deal with. Which I really enjoyed because that's closer to reality and easier to connect with
@@boredshrimp9425 maybe he saw the beauty in her talent, as he was also attracted to the game. There are things within us that can transcend sexual attraction, some virtues greater than than our desires
IM GAY (lesbian but whatever) AND I AM SO MAD MAN, I DIDNT EVEN REGISTER THE CLEO/BETH POSSIBILITY ONY MY FIRST WATCH (I just hoped beth was somehow wlw, thinking it was futile)
I like how none of the characters were bastards, except Mr. Wheatley. Even the Apple Pi girl and Methuen headmistress were helpful in Beth's journey. And I like how Harry and Benny still cared for her even after technically being dumped, none of that love drama. The twins are so likeable. Gah such a great show really.
Harry left of his own volition if I remeber correctly and her and Benny kinda left things open, or do I rember wrong? I wouldmt say either of them got dumped but Benny did have a reason to be upset, she avoided him and ran. But agree, absolutely love how they all came together at the end to help. A little cheesy, a little on the nose but still great.
I was like I guess I’ll watch an episode of this crap on a Saturday. 8 hours later and I haven’t put on pants and I’m sobbing about a chess match in Russia.
Not gonna lie, i am a chess player myself and usually chess movies are boring or potrayed badly, i have seen so many ppl recommending this series and thought perhaps i should give it a try, expecting a very bad episode. But NOOOO, i started the series at 10pm and i didn't expect that i would spend the whole night to finish the series, crying at 5am over mr shaibel's death, with 4 classes in the morning from 8am.🙂🙂🙂
If you like crazy chess media, Pawn Sacrifice is a really cool movie about Bobby Fischer v the Soviet Union. Its also really twisted cause Bobby went actually crazy.
Luckily the chess matches actually happened, the show just diverges from them after 10/15 moves, but having former world champion Kasparov as advisor helped them making the moves actually logical and in line with the metagame present in the sixties.
I used to play chess a LOT when I was little, I could not play for a while due to reasons, and I started to play again for collage championship, but I left it when people cheated to win against me during my 1st year of collage.... Its such a dick move and honestly my appeals didnt count.
Anya Taylor-Joy's performance as Beth was simply outstanding. All of the cast did a remarkable job. My favorite moment of the series was the phone call in the hotel at the Russian tournament. It's like Beth realized at that moment, that she had gained the family that she'd never really had before, and she wasn't alone. Excellent review.
please that ending made me bawl my eyes out. I was so scared it will be one of those sad endings with her completely failing at the last moment, embarrassing herself and being alone, regretting her life choices, etc. Yet they made her successful, but growing from her mistakes. The ending was absolutely perfect.
When that first old man in the park happily said “Liza Harmon” and greeted her with the brightest smile, I wanted to cry. The pure joy and wholesomeness of that moment might be my favorite in the entire show. My goodness, the ending melted my heart.
Soundtrack was great! A lot of little moments where single notes would play to match a character looking up or making a movement. A lot of care to detail
@@riggamorrischan I just thought he had a friendly gay guy sharing his bed with him ... but somehow didn't get that this was implying he was gay himself.
@@riggamorrischan Having been a young man at one point in my life, it is not unusual for young male friends to share a single room to save money, often without letting the hotel/motel management know about it. A single bed does not mean they shared the bed, so this does not make a man gay. If they were sharing a room, where would a straight man change into his swimsuit, in the hallway? I haven't read the book, but in the movie, there isn't anything that says Townes is gay to me. In fact, the way he looks at her says something quite different, perhaps just bad acting. Is it more specifically called out in the book?
Finished watching it today. It’s awesome. As for the Russian boy. I think the dialogue about the drive-in helps her realize that the boy’s life wasn’t that easy and carefree. And as a Russian I loved how they portrayed Russian people. Especially in the last scene.
I was talking to my fiancée about the portrayal, it just showed Russians during the Cold War as they were, just good hearted folks living in a different country. No mustache twirling villains, just normal folks. The conversations that she has with Luchenko and Borgov in the final episode get me every time, I've watched this show like 6 times already.
One interpretation of the kid's "drive in" question is that he is from the USSR. At the time people in the USSR were fascinated by American culture because they never got to experience these simple pleasures like dive in movie theaters. So Beth realized how harsh life is for the Russian boy.
@gfox2 638 I didn't see anything on it, I was bored one night flipping through Netflix and as a chess player I thought "Fine, I GUESS I will check it out." So glad that happened lol
someone said that Jolene was a pawn in the beginning of the story that came at the very final of the story (the game itself) and made the most important move (giving Beth the money so she can travel to Russia) that make her as a pawn exchange to a queen piece
Spoiler comment: I cried when I realized that she saw Shaibov was her real father figure who had been following her career and that she had never visited him and would never be able to express it to him. Tell your mentors how much they mean to you before its too late.
I really liked how the series avoided falling into obvious clichés with the characters: The janitor wasn't some sexual predator (like it seemed to play out at the start) The adoption mother wasn't using her for the money. The russian champion wasn't a asshole to her Beth wasn't some sort of feminist rebel showing men that "women are just better at everything"
Huh...to me that made it feel a little too fairytale. Maybe it's because in my line of work I see a lot of people who get mistreated, used, manipulated, and abused. Shows where people are mostly good feel disconnected to me.
7:30 Yay! Someone else said it! Thomas Brodie-Sangster is pushing 30 but he’s still looks like a teen and the wispy mustache makes him look even younger. Like a kid growing out the few facial hairs he has in a futile attempt to not get carded. Tom Holland also has that problem.
dude, the director told him to grow as much facial hair he could for the role. My mans really showed up with six months of hair growth, and looked like this.
Tom Holland can pull off facial hair. Thomas Sangster cannot. At least, not the moustache he has here and in RNDA. MAYBE a Kenneth Branaugh Hamlet stache. But not this.
@@CryptP I know from my work doing business at the business factory that both Tom Holland and Thomas Brodie Sangster will be playing teenagers for many years and will pass better than the 30 year olds playing teenagers in CW shows.
i thought it was really beautiful that she doesn't really cry at all throughout the show even though she's been through so much, but when she goes back to the orphanage and sees the janitor has been watching her she just breaks down, i cried so much. so well done that show.
My chess club in high school was crazy. There would be games where half the class would gather round and every time someone made a good move it was like someone just finished a diss at a rap battle. It got to the point where are principal asked the chess club to be quieter. You'd think it would've been the quietest club, but it was the loudest
Really love the details that is put into this show. Like how when we first meet Towns he is wearing a ring on his right ring finger. After abit of research it is actually where gay couples wear their wedding rings.
Oh wow that's very interesting. Never gave it much thought - Orthodox Christians wear their matrimonial band on their right hand, so that's what I grew up seeing. Never thought it had a different meaning in the States.
Bah I'm so late to this show, but I just watched it last night! Was with friends so had to keep in SO much emotion during episodes 5-7 (and especially the scene you refer to.) God... I felt like sobbing.
I wish the had kept the book version of Beth reaching out to Jolene. Would have made their long-time bond more genuine and avoided the tokenism of Jolene swooping in for the save. And yes the choice of Beth to want, and to start getting healthy.
@@artboymoy she hits bottom and realizes that the only person in the world that can help dig her out is Jolene. This book and the others will make you a reader, they are only about 300 pages and can be read in a weekend.
i really liked how they portrayed it in the book but i think “tokenism” is the wring word - it makes perfect sense for jolene to try and find beth after mr shaibel dies, and not at all like tokenizing someone. but i do think beth reaching out to jolene instead of the other way round wouldve been lovely
Bojack. Dont disrespect bojack. Love death and robots is amazing, too. Black mirror is really good. And i like better call saul. Its in descending order from my favorite to still pretty great
i dont know if its netflix made or just netflix stamped to be available no matter the account owners vpn settings by getting exclusive streaming rights, but im glad that netflix stamps some real good shows sometimes
@@christhis9597 I will agree with those where relevant (Netflix didn't create Black Mirror or Better Call Saul), and I meant no disrespect to Bojack, and I do enjoy Love Death + Robots a lot. I didn't say this was the best thing Netflix made, just that it was my favorite.
I read a theory that Cleo, the French model we meet at Benny’s, is actually a Russian spy. The way she meets the other players and comes into their lives is very circumstantial, and she redirects questions that are specific about herself. Secondly, she convinced Beth to come out and drink with her the night before her match with Borgov when there had been plenty of previous rumors amongst the Russians that she was “a drunk.” Lastly, Beth only ever told Cleo (that we’re shown) that she had feelings for Townes and Townes magically appears in Russia, saying his visa was expedited for an unknown reason. Potentially the Russians were hoping Townes would distract Beth for the final tournament. I thought this was an interesting prospect.
This is weird but I watch that series because of her eyes. Her eyes captivated me into the story some kind of hypnotic way. It made me fall into her story and drown in her big bright beautiful eyes.....GRIM.
@@kaorumugen991 and fantastic wigs! I completely thought it was her real hair. How did they have the budget for it compared to other blockbuster movies with shitty ass wigs is beyond me.
I was reminded of something watching the previews for this. Its portrayal looks like a sports anime. In sports anime, bystanders are always screaming out loud what is going on, there are internal monologues about the events, and it's so hype all the time that it keeps you coming back for more. Live action chess anime.
Yes! It shares traits with most sports anime. Where you kinda know what will happen but the characters and the atmosphere make everything worth watching. And there are arcs where the protagonist fails and overcomes a block etc. It's so good
There is a similar Anime called Hikaru No Go, which is about a child who becomes possessed by an old Go Master and through that gets into the world of pro Go. It's a game similar to chess, so the vibes are real ^^
That's what I thought as well. Another thing I love about sports anime is that they're better about engrossing you in the world of the sport. How to play, what it's like for various people who are trying to learn the sport, not just their victories but also their losses, and how they continue to keep learning and improve. American sports movies I feel like tend to be more about the drama outside of a main character's sport than of his or her actual love of the sport itself. The Queen's Gambit like any good sports anime, in my opinion, did a very good job of balancing both. You wanted to know about Beth's own personal character growth that was outside of chess but her love of chess made you also fall in love with chess and want to learn it as much as she did. You see her skills grow more in a step by step way instead of a single improvement montage.
if you want an actual live action chess anime, Trash Taste had a tournament arc with chess and it's the most anime thing I have ever seen. The hero turning into a villain, the underdog protagonist and the super hyped up announcers.
I don't know if this is actually a thing thought out or not, but the moment the twins stayed side to side to Beth in the Mexico's hotel I could only think in the twins chess pieces on each side of the queen. And then I overanalysed a little more and on the chess friends phone call, there were exactly 6 men there that came into her life in doubles (the 2 men on the top chain that se played and had sex with; the twins, and the other 2 that came together out of "nowhere") just like the double chess pieces that helps the Queen, and the one physically besides her is the only one she ever had romantic feelings for, like the King. And, as the most powerful piece in the board, the Queen wins it all in the end with the help of the other pieces. (About the pawns... I don't know XD maybe, I never counted though, but maybe are all the people that helped her get to the point she is in the end)
Do you think the seven episodes also signify something? Also that the night before the match in Paris queen Cleo(of Egypt) comes and gets queen Elisabeth drunk. OMG.
@@Ankit-zu2kp yeah. She's dressed reminiscent of a pawn in the first episode and like a Queen in the last. It takes six moves to turn a pawn into a Queen, over 7 squares: 2, (3), 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. Pawns can progress a lot in the beginning but ultimately will never reach the other side intact without the protection and tactical help of the other pieces. Getting a pawn to become a Queen is a big power move, and usually involves so much risk that you don't even try. In the final episode - the seventh episode, or the seventh square, she actually pulls off a pawn to Queen conversion in her game against Borgov, which is where the game really starts to turn for her. So on multiple layers the structure and costume design of the series mirror the game itself. It's pretty neat.
I loved how when Beth talked to Mr. Wheatley and the lawyer about the house camera would change the angle - looking up at Beth to show her power when she called him out and looking down on him to show just how much of a useless coward he was. The moment the camera started panning I was like YESSSS
My favourite part was where the added “brain power” reached with drugs and alcohol was trumped by the power of more brains in the form of people who care about you and want you to win... that really got to me
When I saw the board that he had of all her newspaper clippings i SOBBED! How I wish they interacted before he passed away. For a moment I thought he would adopt her
This was the first show I’ve seen in a long time that follows the rule of “show, don’t tell”. The first example I noticed was when Beth and Norma went to the big tourny and Beth was wearing one of the expensive dresses she saw on a mannequin and the shoes all the popular girls were wearing at school from a few episodes back. I thought that was brilliant. I binged this show today and I’m about to start it over again. I can’t wait to find more little details I didn’t notice the first time!
I love how almost every supporting character returns to Beth’s life and represents some time of development or growth. Of course there’s Harry, Benny, and Townes who all play an instrumental role in shaping her life. Jolene returns in the moment of her greatest need. Smaller characters like Margaret Niel show that Beth has outgrown her high school peers. Also, her return to certain locations allows for the audience to have direct comparisons. The Beth who first entered the Henry Clay High School for the Kentucky Open is very different from the Beth after her loss in Paris. Other locations that do this include the corner store, Ben Snyder’s, and most importantly, Methuen and the basement in the final episode. The way the show weaves these components together to paint the story of Beth’s life and growth is what makes this show so special.
My cousins and I were taught how play chess (officially) as children by an old man who moves around town teaching kids play chess. He was our own Mister Shaibel. He passed years ago. RIP, master.
Something that I always thought was cool was when she was playing speed chess with Benny. I think she kept playing to learn his moves, and to understand where his flaws are in his play rather than just a pride thing
its interesting, in the show mrs. Wheatley says the line about flirting with alcohol for years and it now being time consummate the relationship. I haven't read the book but im interested to see if thats something she picks up from her or if they'd just swapped the line out for the show.
One thing I noticed about this show was Beth’s costumes. At the start of the show Beth is dressed as a pawn and as the show goes on she starts to move up the board to end up as a queen. Also the colour green was used whenever Beth was hungover.
Me and my roommate found it while trying to find something to watch, neither of us into chess, and next thing we knew it was 4:30 am and we had watched the whole thing
I came across this show and I thought "I'll watch an episode, see what it's like" then proceeded to binge the whole thing, because it was that bloody good. And some of Beth's dresses, gorgeous.
My favourite scene was with the last match against Borgov, when he does a move that they hadn't expected. And she slowly looks up to the ceiling, to play the way she did as a child. OHHHHHH that gave me chills omg
You know, Alma died...I cried. When Beth found the newspaper and articles and photo I had a breakdown too 😭😭😭 Then when she sits down to play with the old man at the end...I lost it. Cried so much, but love it. One of the best series I’ve watched in a while.
I think Beth finding the newspapers of Shaibel's in the basement is super important because it confirms that he was the only father figure who never abandoned her.
i love the fact that Nona Gafrindashvili was name-dropped in this show, mainly coz shes a Georgian chess icon and I've looked up to her throughout my life
Georgian women are clear with chess. "We bring a chessboard into our married life as a gift". Thank you, women of Georgia, for your contribution to world chess and your contribution to women getting into this game, you are by far the best! We Serbian women look up on you!
I loved that character of the older former world champion Russia, with the wild white hair. This guy is a former number 1, with decades of history in chess. He's played famous games against the giants of chess, who's names grace the front of the books Beth has grown up reading.... and he tells her "I may have just played the best chess player of my life." How awesome is that!
This show was phenomenal in so many different ways. I watched the first episode just to shake things up (was binge watching Haunting of Bly Manner) and I was hooked. The directing of it, the script and the acting was on a whole different level. The way they went through complex themes without over explaining or making stupid tropes of everything. This is top tier directing and writing because you never felt as if you were treated as a stupid audience member spoon fed terrible monologue back stories for the sake of plot direction and everything was so organically fleshed out. I felt myself continuously guessing what would happen and it kept being wrong just for the sheer fact that it was so outside of the box and dynamic. I cannot explain how much of a complete joy this series was and as you said it was amazing to see in the end her come through based on her own merits not glorifying the alcohol and drugs. I thought it was also beautiful the way it showed her seemingly burning all her bridges and feeling as if she was completely alone falling victim to all her fears when in all actuality she wasn't. I do wish they showed her reaching out for help but I can overlook it as the series was just tremendously well done. All in all this way just a huge breath of fresh air coming from Netflix.
Love seeing attention being brought to this excellent show. One of my favorite aspects of it was that pretty much every character was a mixture of positive and negative qualities. It did a really good job of exploring how people all have different personal struggles, and that even deeply flawed individuals have something important to bring to the table.
My boyfriend and I have been binge-watching this for the past week and it's amazing! Also, as someone who's seen a loved one struggle through addiction, it was refreshing to see a show that portrays addiction in a very sympathetic light. Beth's breakdown isn't romanticized, it's stark and ugly, but because we've gotten to know her so well and because we know how many people love and care for her, we can't help but feel sympathy for her. It really makes you root for her journey to sobriety.
This was the best show I have seen this year, hands down. Such a solid story, engaging, with excellent acting, and beautiful cinematography. When a movie or show can make you interested in the benign... that is something special.
That last scene hits SO HARD. It was such a beautiful ending that answered a self reflected version of the question she asked the boy in Mexico. Great video! Awesome that you added comparisons with the book as well. Keep it up!
So excited to see this notification!! I just finished this show today!! Perfect timing. I liked it a lot. I was sad when Mr Sheibolt wasn’t included in her life after the orphanage. Her wearing Mrs Weatleys robe was epic!! Thank you thank you for covering this! As always you rocked it I’m not crying, you’re crying
How did I not know her crush was gay👁👄👁 like maybe I was blinded by their chemistry 💀💀💀 like I kinda like that he’s gay but RIP her feelings. Dam it makes so much sense
The scene of Beth visiting the basement of her old orphanage breaks me so bad, even when people are just talking about it. You can feel her regret that she never followed up with him while you can also tell simultaneously that he still was so proud of her no matter what. It became a one sided relationship, even if Beth didn’t do it on purpose, and it was like it finally came to a head for her all she’d done wrong. One of the best scenes of TV I’ve seen in a long time
I rarely get emotionally involved in shows, but this got to me. I’ve never seen chess portrayed so elegantly and like an extension of someone. This is one of the best series I’ve seen in my life. “I don’t know where all the money goes” scene reminded me of an ex-friend of my sister’s who was always complaining about having no money yet always had some for cigarettes. Anya Taylor-Joy deserves a world of credit!
The visuals in this show are phenomenal - what stuck out to me was that the minute she stepped into the Wheatley's house, all the colours were so much brighter, especially in contrast to the orphanage.
i haven't watched the show myself, but that final scene with her in that winter outfit makes her literally look like the queen piece. i think that's brilliant.
this show was so addicting!! my favorite since Anne with an E. unfortunately, i still have exams so i had to stop at ep 4. can't wait to get back to it after
I love how the antagonist of the show is herself. Would’ve been so easy to make her opponents into villains and into a story about her overcoming sexism. They didn’t, and I’m really glad they didn’t.
![BLACK BAG - Official Trailer [HD] - Only in Theaters March 14](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Du0Xp8WX_7I/mqdefault.jpg)
My tranquility needs to be refurbished
I like your videos 👍⭐
Not really speaking of football movies ... sports films with a certain theme:
Basketball - Space Jam (1996)
Football - Necessary Roughness (1991)
Baseball - Major League (1989)
Golf - Caddyshack (1980)
Hockey - Slap Shot (1977)
I'll need this line everyday at work.
Me, as I smoke my medical cannabis 😂
Me on the daily
My favourite part in the whole show:
Beth: "Beth Harmon"
Random opponent: "...shit."
My fav was, Benny: "They want us to beat communism for Jesus.:
7:23 for those who where searching
As someone that has played Magic the Gathering tournaments, that is an utter mood lol.
Benny: "What the hell did you do with the poor 3rd guy?"
Beth: "Which poor guy?~"
My favourite is
Margaret: Excuse you Harmon
Beth: F you Margaret
Beth Harmon's costume designers deserve a raise. She looks so classy
I beleive that Anya Taylor-Joy actually had some say in how she portrayed Beth through her clothes. She's had a bunch of interviews where she gushes over the role
@@jertlemiah wait really? That is actually amazing
@@johnd3421 well she specifically said that she was invited to the project for the movie before there was even a script and that she had some creative control on Beth's portrayal during the whole process, i.e. Anya made the choice that Beth had to be a red-head to stand out visually from others. Double checking on the interview I watched, she doesn't explicitly mention picking clothes, but from the sound of it she had a lot of control on Beth's appearance.
The costuming on this show was top notch. It was historically accurate and FILLED with symbolism. Like the scene at the very end where she is literally dressed as a white queen. Or the many (many) checkered patterns she wears throughout the series. It such a brilliant attention to detail, I love it!
Right? I also LOVED the set design. Especially in her house.
I love how she dressed in the colors of the pill when she lost in Paris and dressed as the queen chess piece right at the end of the show
oh my GOD i hadn't noticed at all, that's brilliant!
@@meganchambers9402 Those outfit designs all seem soooo intentional and I LOVE IT! Even that green dress is the exact same shade of pale green as the pills. It had to be meticulously picked out by someone who’s very sensitive to colours lol
I watched a video last week that analyzed the importance of her outfits in the show !! It was so good the intention of it all
episode 3 when she gets home from the pledge party, she takes pills and alcohol. next scene is her dressed in white laying on her bed with darkness in the shape of a queen coming over her.
Ah damn I did t finish yet
The way they served better looks than Emily In Paris.
Yeeesss the clothes were so good, and I kept thinking about how the episodes where they go to different countries like Mexico and Paris and Russia were so much more interesting, exciting, realistic, and beautiful than Emily in Paris could ever be
yes! beth is my new fashion icon, and i love how she was shown wearing the same clothes sometimes too make it more realistic rathee than having a new outfit everyday.
@@becci7288 not to mention her switching from dresses and skirts to trousers as soon as the fashion trends begun to change.
Ong exactly what I said to my bf when we watched as well!!!!! Big time !!!! I’d wear everything Beth wears in this show
yeah the fashion in this was soooo much better than the fashion in the show about fashion
I was so scared that her adoptive mother would exploit her.... Luckily that didnt happen
There were so many people who I thought could do bad things, like when she went into that basement and she already encountered the "strange" concierge I was like no no no don't go in there omg. But nothing happened and he turned out to be a sweetheart. Same with the adoptive mother and so many others (the Russians), like she already had a bad start at life and later got the whole pills and drinking stuff so I'm happy they didn't make it overly dramatic just to make her look pathetic, she is (along with the others) such a great character
@@donghyucksmom2413 exactly I thought 'oh god they're about to ruin this girl for drama's sake'
Same!! The way her eyes lit up when Beth came home with the money, I got really nervous!
SAME!!!!
same thought here! the fact that the adoptive mother wanted to her to go to the tournament when she found out that the winner gets money had me worried
I also really like how they develop the relationship between her and the adoptive mother it wasn’t like they instantly clicked but throughout time bonded
it reminded me of my mom & I...... We're blood related, BUT we never clicked when I was young and I was mostly away from my parents as my grandparents took me in most of the time to raise me. (P.S because they loved me a LOT and my mom & dad had jobs so). I got around later to her and we're best buddies till date
@@SasukeUchiha723 That's sweet, I never got to spend time with my gran grans.
except she never gave her money for a turney, imagine she fails at first and never can try again
@@laszlobandi6456 she didn’t know she even knew anything about chess, and like most ppl at that time didn’t expect a young girl to be any good at it. Plus she was clearly stressed about money with good reason since she is an addict and her only source of income was away for an unknown amount of time. She is never meant to be a perfect role model, she definitely has a bad influence on beth with her addiction, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t grow to love her.
I really thought she's gonna exploit beth's money or something. I was always expecting for the worse to happen while watching this show but then they always proved me wrong. This series is amazing!
"My tranquility needs to be refurbished," is replacing "BRB, I'm not high enough for this shit," in my vocabulary.
It's perfect
Same shit different substance lol
It does have a more sophisticated ring to it...
@@ScottEDawg and a great way to be appropriate in public w/o sounding like an ass.
I was so mad Beth didn’t send the $10 she promised back to Mr. Shibel.
Me too honestly
I don't think he would have cared, he just wanted to support her.
@@shell2835 true, but it's a judge of character
@@sammysrambles No, she was a child who finally had something of her own and somewhere where she belonged. She got excited and forgot. It is totally understandable and normal. She bitterly regretted it later.
@@lolsous yeah I agree, I feel like that extra element of her not returning the money creates a layer of guilt that adds to the story
As a Russian person, I am so happy with how Russians are portrayed in a positive light in this show, especially at the end. Not something you see very often in American media :)
Not russian but a slav, I too was happy with that kinda rep rather that the usual cliche
Also a slav here also very happy 💜
yessss
That makes me happy that it makes you happy. A lot of Americans make Russians feel bad. I personally would love to visit Russia someday :) cheers friend
Yea that was unfortunately a Cold War thing. As an millennial American, In the media I watch these days (Marvel, Star Wars, DC, video games, etc ..), I don’t think thats the case anymore.
Beths relationship with her mom was was one of the things that stood out to me. First it seemed like the mom actually adopted her for selfish reasons, like she wanted a companion but didnt consider thar she is an actual child with needs and that has to be cared for. In the beggining she just sees Beth as someone to do chores and to take care of her when shes sick and only thinks of her needs when its pointed out, like her clothes. Then when Beth starts making money with chess she becomes a manager, their relationship is very professional, they stand each other because Beth need a guardian and the mom needs money. And its just after a while, slowly, that they become close, the mom teaches her to have fun, lighten up, enjoy the pleasures and luxury money can buy, and Beth is thankfull for her being by her side, watching her matches and supporting her passion for chess. Until Beth is able to call her mom. I really liked this relationship in the show.
It makes sense because the mom is definitely not a super friendly person, although she isn’t mean, at the beginning she is just wallowing in her misery with a cold husband and no friends. It’s like she forgot how to relate or be close to others, so it would be strange for them to become close fast as both of them have quite standoffish personalities, but they show they care about each other through little things and with time become close.
i thought she was gonna take advantage of beth once she learned that beth can win money in tournaments but good thing that wasn't the case
@@buffycatnip I was glad that she didn't used her for selfish needs, at first I was like " omg she's gonna exploit her "
I love how when Beth goes to her first tournament, her mum definitely does see the money first. But their transactional relationship turns into a loving one naturally over time.
One thing that really summarize the core theme of the show is when Benny asked her if she knew why russian chess players were so good at the game, and I don't remember the exact same words, but they go something along like "because they don't play alone or they play in gruop" (something like that). And you can see this before the final match, Borgov is discussing the game with the other two mens, Beth is alone preparing for the game and then she recieves a call from Benny and the others guys who were studying the game. I really liked this part.
Yesss I was looking through the comments for this!!
iiiiii did in fact tear up and grin at that part, it was so beautiful
Yes, that was amazing
When they called I started bawling my eyes out it’s just something about having people like that around you that made me feel so happy
My heart is forever warmed up for that scene
I guess the real queen’s gambit are the friends we make along the way.
Perfect!
Ha!
Obviously the queen has knights for a reason
*insert friends theme*
Is that phrase from the book? cause that is deep as hell!
also, I love at the end, when she's walking through the park in Moscow among the chess players, her outfit makes her look like a white queen chess piece.
YES i fucking loved that
@Kayla C. I think it’s because it reminded her of William Shaibel
Damn, I didn't pick up Beth eyeing the cigarettes when her mom was complaining about having no money! Great pickup lol.
It feels like one of those amazing shows where every rewatch shows you something you missed before!
I absolutely broke down crying when she found the photo of her and Mr. Shaibel. Seeing all the stuff he kept about her and how much he cared about her was just heartbreaking. what gets me the most in movies and shows is when a seemingly unfriendly character starts showing affection in their own way, just,,, T-T I was so upset that Beth never went to visit him or pay him back.
I get why she didn’t. He was a wonderful part of a terrible section of her life that she probably didn’t want to revisit yet.
@@beefbrisket8905 yeah i didn’t think of that, it makes sense
Someone squirted onion juice in my eyes during that scene.
i still cry just thinking about it. so good!
That killed me too because I also had a lot of adults that supported me through my childhood when I had no one else. Teachers that paid for lunches or field trips or instrument fees in orchestra. And I know he wasn't a teacher in that sense but he did teach her the game so I really related to her loss.
Best part about the writing of the show is that they treated her like they would a man. They didn't overly sexualize her, they showed her with love interests but it never took away focus from the main plot, they made her intelligence the focal point, and they showed her having positive experiences with other women which is something that _never happens_ in most “feminist” shows
she never went "whamen da best", but her actions literally portrayed that women can indeed be the best. if only feminist writers could take notice.
Yeah, the scene after the interview actually subtlely called that out iirc
@@Qubicle. That's most likely because the book was written in a time where radical feminists didn't have that big of a voice/influence.
@@ericthered2963 WHAT???
Notice how, even though sex happens in the story, it doesn't actually have sex scenes. You see before and after and that's it. And even the one time you do see Beth having sex on screen, she is clothed and it's so passionatless and boring that you're left questioning if sex is even happening.
I haven’t felt as sad recently as I did when you found her picture with Mr Shaibel. The fact he never got credit until his death and how Beth had kind of taken him for granted, kills me.
I swear I ugly cried so hard when that happened, I'm not even kidding I haven't cry so hard in years
@@bluequeen8022 my eyes just sweated profusely and I don't know why
But she used to mention him at every possible chance to the media though. I don't think he got no credit nor she took him for granted
I'm sad she didn't send him the 10 dollars
I think it was more they both were cold ppl who didnt know how to feel emotion or connections. in the first interview she does say he taught her she mentions him several times.
Conspiracy theory: Cleo is a KGB agent. She is hanging around major chess players for some reason, and the year she meets Benny he lost to Borgov. Then she builds trustful relationships with Beth right after they meet: she complements her and flirts with her right in front of their ‘boyfriends’.
Then she comes to her before the final in Paris and manipulates Beth to drink. What’s even worse, Cleo builds a negative image of Benny to make Beth stop training before Moscow.
But main point is that Cleo was the only person on Earth who knew that Beth loved Townes! And in Moscow we realize that Soviet Embassy knew that as well.
Another argument that Cleo’s actions and Townes’ coming to Moscow are related is that these two were not in the book.
Omg I love this theory. I loved Cleo's aesthetic as well. Can't wait to go somewhere fancy and order pastis to drink.
I like it too.. i
This makes so much sense omg I knew Cleo had bad intentions
Which is also why Townes was invited by Russia to cover the final tournament--Beth told Cleo about her attraction to him.
Holy sh*t this makes so much sense! Also consider her name (or how she calls herself, anyway): Cleo as in Cleopatra! The woman who swayed both Caesar and Marcus Antonius, at some point the most powerful Roman men who both got their asses kicked in the end, in some way or another💀
That scene where young beth put a handful of pills in her mouth really gives me the feels like someone is punching my gut.
I think the child actress who portrayed young Beth deserves recognition.
Me at that age would wince at the thought of swallowing one single pill 😂 and there she is pumping full fists of them
@@phosphenevision same 🤣. At that age back then I literally cried swallowing an paracetamol
@@phosphenevision not only that, but she's straight chewing them shits, just mashing them in there
I’m surprised she didn’t die from the overdose ._.
You know, one of my favourite things in this show was in the end, when she beat the Russian grand masters, how they were so happy for her. The old guy was clearly enjoying himself, but when Borgov got up and hugged her I was crying, but it was just so lovely and honestly, so realistically human for folks who do something obsessively because they genuinely enjoy it, and enjoy being challenged. They were so proud of this young woman who they had witnessed falling apart, and who they knew came from a tough childhood. It was dope.
I also lost it laughing in the first episode when she was caught with the bottle of tranquilizers, after having downed fistfuls, and she drops it and falls. I don't know. There was some underrated comedy in this show, for sure. Blink and you'll miss it juxtapositions. This show actually made me put my phone away and pay attention. Which is a sign of excellence.
💀@ put your phone away
also I love the generosity the Russian people showed to her in treating her with such admiration even though she was beating their heroes. You could tell that for them it was more about love of the game and respect for her genius than any kind of blind patriotism. The same could not at all be said for the American side (esp the officials), who showed zero respect for the game and were obsessed with trying to force her into a political narrative. That's why I find the end scene so symbolic. She rejects the cue cards they're giving her, gets out of the car, and makes her own way, back to a man in the street who plays out of pure love for the game the same way that Mr Shaibel did in the beginning. She keeps her authenticity and you can tell she relates to the Russians because of their shared love for the game. It's a pretty narrative touch.
We all knew she was gunna get caught taking the pills but it’s the adults faults for getting them hooked on tranquilizers in the first place
I feel like I was the only one genuinely horrified and shocked when she steals the pills in the first episode. For some reason it didn't strike me as funny as it does for many others. It's an incredibly beautiful and impactful scene that really gets a lot of emotion out of the audience.
@@gigirauchut1882 I think it may be perceived as funny because its so tragic. Beth stole the pills which the orphanage conditioned them to take whilst being caught by the headmaster who runs this orphanage and most likely set everything in place for this to happen. To top it all off she is so generally shook by it whilst all the rest of the kids are watching. At the same time Beth dramatically falls from the chair, hits her head quite hard on the floor and the jar of pills slip from her hands and gets shattered into pieces.
It is a truly sad scene if you think about it but at least for me and the way it is compiled and is almost over exagerated, i guess it carries a sense of satire/hypocrisy. All of this, at least for me, made it really easy for me to laugh at it (maybe like a sort of a protection mechanism) instead of taking it serious.
fun fact: when she gets to Russia and they mention a female champion Nona Gaprindashvili, she's actually a real person. she is a female chess champion (yes still alive, 79 years old) and also a world champion I believe. first woman to earn the title of a Grandmaster. she represented USSR in championships, however she was from the country of Georgia 🇬🇪 (which was part of USSR at the time). my country. I was so excited when they mentioned her.
yooo thanks mate
But they got it wrong; she played male masters also and beat them reguraly.
That is such a cool fact, thanks for sharing!!
@@kjmm5761 not at this point, I think
Kargiaa. Me tsudi vlap'arak'ob kartulad lol. Vitsi tsot'aodeni
What I really liked is how Benny explains how the Russians work together to come up with strategies and to help win tournaments versus Americans feel they need to stand alone and compete with each other. Beth sees this when she goes into the hotel seeing the 3 russians working together. Then it pays off at the end when her team comes and helps her over the phone.
I thought it a tad Hollywood but didn't ruin the enjoyment.
I loved that, and that everybody in her life contributed to her victory. Her chess friends helped her with the game state, her friend from the orphanage gave her the money for the flight, etc
My favorite thing about this show is that none of the characters who could have easily been made villains were allowed to be complicated people with a complex impression on Beth
besides Mr. Wheatley, who was meant to be a shitty unlikeable character
@@riggamorrischan he was unlikable but he wasn't a villain whose sole purpose was to take down Beth. You could argue that he had wanted to get divorced for a long time and adopting Beth was his misguided way of trying to alleviate his guilt. But hin being unlikable and a bad person doesn't make him a villain in the story, just another shitty situation Beth has to deal with. Which I really enjoyed because that's closer to reality and easier to connect with
poor borgov, such a gentleman but he seemed so melancholic
Comment sums up everything
HOW DID I NOT NOTICE THAT TOWNES AND ROGER'S ROOM ONLY HAD ONE BED
RIGHT, AT THEN END I DIDN'T REALISE WHY HE WAS APOLOGIZING
But it really felt like he was attracted to her ? Maybe he's bi ?
@@boredshrimp9425 maybe he saw the beauty in her talent, as he was also attracted to the game.
There are things within us that can transcend sexual attraction, some virtues greater than than our desires
@@mr.dalerobinson This right here, is my sexuality
IM GAY (lesbian but whatever) AND I AM SO MAD MAN, I DIDNT EVEN REGISTER THE CLEO/BETH POSSIBILITY ONY MY FIRST WATCH (I just hoped beth was somehow wlw, thinking it was futile)
Me watching the series: oh, they're roommates
Me seeing this video: OH MY GOD THEY WERE ROOMMATES
I'm laughing at this comment way too much 😂😂
Holy shit. This got me. Also had the same reaction
I like how none of the characters were bastards, except Mr. Wheatley. Even the Apple Pi girl and Methuen headmistress were helpful in Beth's journey. And I like how Harry and Benny still cared for her even after technically being dumped, none of that love drama. The twins are so likeable. Gah such a great show really.
The Twins are so great. After first being disbelieving, they become some of her first cheerleaders
WAIT THEY ARE TWINS ?!!!!
I THOUGHT THEY WERE BOYFRIEND YO
@@yozha92 they look exactly the same...
@@animekitty4218 dude idk, i dont pay attention to them that much
Harry left of his own volition if I remeber correctly and her and Benny kinda left things open, or do I rember wrong? I wouldmt say either of them got dumped but Benny did have a reason to be upset, she avoided him and ran. But agree, absolutely love how they all came together at the end to help. A little cheesy, a little on the nose but still great.
I was like I guess I’ll watch an episode of this crap on a Saturday. 8 hours later and I haven’t put on pants and I’m sobbing about a chess match in Russia.
Hahaha same thing happened to me over three days..only because I knew I'd hate to finish it. I cried in Russia as she is shown true comradeship ?
Same on a Saturday xDDDD
Not gonna lie, i am a chess player myself and usually chess movies are boring or potrayed badly, i have seen so many ppl recommending this series and thought perhaps i should give it a try, expecting a very bad episode. But NOOOO, i started the series at 10pm and i didn't expect that i would spend the whole night to finish the series, crying at 5am over mr shaibel's death, with 4 classes in the morning from 8am.🙂🙂🙂
same
Same! Binged in one night.
I had no clue of chess when I got into this show and I still don’t but it’s still such an empowering, jaw dropping, spectacular show
If you like crazy chess media, Pawn Sacrifice is a really cool movie about Bobby Fischer v the Soviet Union. Its also really twisted cause Bobby went actually crazy.
I really enjoyed Searching for Bobby Fischer (1993) and I was a kid when I watched that, I remember it being suspenseful.
Luckily the chess matches actually happened, the show just diverges from them after 10/15 moves, but having former world champion Kasparov as advisor helped them making the moves actually logical and in line with the metagame present in the sixties.
I used to play chess a LOT when I was little, I could not play for a while due to reasons, and I started to play again for collage championship, but I left it when people cheated to win against me during my 1st year of collage.... Its such a dick move and honestly my appeals didnt count.
@@SasukeUchiha723 I’m really sorry to hear that
Anya Taylor-Joy's performance as Beth was simply outstanding. All of the cast did a remarkable job. My favorite moment of the series was the phone call in the hotel at the Russian tournament. It's like Beth realized at that moment, that she had gained the family that she'd never really had before, and she wasn't alone. Excellent review.
i bawled my eyes out-- made me miss my friends so bad.
yeah I love how the last episode is basicaly "the real chess game is the friend you meet along the way". the ending is so satisfaying
please that ending made me bawl my eyes out. I was so scared it will be one of those sad endings with her completely failing at the last moment, embarrassing herself and being alone, regretting her life choices, etc. Yet they made her successful, but growing from her mistakes. The ending was absolutely perfect.
When that first old man in the park happily said “Liza Harmon” and greeted her with the brightest smile, I wanted to cry. The pure joy and wholesomeness of that moment might be my favorite in the entire show. My goodness, the ending melted my heart.
That's the actor who played Dudley Dursley, isn't it?! Great to see he could establish a career in other roles!
He's been a regular on Netflix this year!
Yes! He was also in "The Devil All the Time" which was intense and weird, but he's still kickin'!
Omg thank you, I was trying to place his face!!
@@giraffe7604 and also in netflix's orignal movie "the old guard"! he definitely played the annoying spoiled villain in the movie really well haha
An he was in one of the ballad of buster Scruggs vignettes
The soundtrack gives me chills, especially the ones when the green pills sink in and she sees the chess board on the ceiling
Soundtrack was great! A lot of little moments where single notes would play to match a character looking up or making a movement. A lot of care to detail
@@AmandaTheJedi Exactly! I noticed that too, truly breathtaking show in every way
yess!
Grandmasters look up to visualise chess lines. So it's a realistic detail.
Rivera better start clearing some shelf space for that Emmy
Feeling a bit stupid for completely missing that Townes was gay...
I know right! I completely missed it and now that's its been pointed out it was so obvious!
I missed it too.
I knew right away when that guy walked into their hotel room and he changed into his swimsuit ...and the fact there was only one bed lol
@@riggamorrischan I just thought he had a friendly gay guy sharing his bed with him ... but somehow didn't get that this was implying he was gay himself.
@@riggamorrischan Having been a young man at one point in my life, it is not unusual for young male friends to share a single room to save money, often without letting the hotel/motel management know about it. A single bed does not mean they shared the bed, so this does not make a man gay. If they were sharing a room, where would a straight man change into his swimsuit, in the hallway? I haven't read the book, but in the movie, there isn't anything that says Townes is gay to me. In fact, the way he looks at her says something quite different, perhaps just bad acting. Is it more specifically called out in the book?
I also love small details like how the russian kid idolizes Borgov and copies the way he touches all the pieces before a match
I was so happy when Jolene got put back into the story after being absent for most of the show, she was such a good character.
One of my favorite things about queens gambit is that she friendzoned 2 guys and they still cared so much about her.
Not clinging on to somebody after having sex? Yeah, that's not friendzone.
@@Ankit-zu2kp well, whatever you wanna call. she rejected 2 guys and they still wanted to be her friends. thats something we rarely see
@@sumchick345 Actually, they left her. And if you're talking about the ending, I think it was for something bigger than them.
@@Ankit-zu2kp they didnt leave her. she pushed them away. she was a bad friend and they still wanted to check up on her, even before the end.
@@sumchick345 How did she push Beltik away? She was surprised he was leaving and didn't want him to go.
Finished watching it today. It’s awesome.
As for the Russian boy. I think the dialogue about the drive-in helps her realize that the boy’s life wasn’t that easy and carefree.
And as a Russian I loved how they portrayed Russian people. Especially in the last scene.
I was talking to my fiancée about the portrayal, it just showed Russians during the Cold War as they were, just good hearted folks living in a different country. No mustache twirling villains, just normal folks. The conversations that she has with Luchenko and Borgov in the final episode get me every time, I've watched this show like 6 times already.
Did the white haired russian grandmaster have a real russian accent?
@Victoria Pavlova Thank you for the answer. The russian grandmaster sounded kinda like he had a german accent to me. Interesting choice.
Luchenko was so sweet and made me cry
One interpretation of the kid's "drive in" question is that he is from the USSR. At the time people in the USSR were fascinated by American culture because they never got to experience these simple pleasures like dive in movie theaters. So Beth realized how harsh life is for the Russian boy.
This is not something I’ve seen advertised and now I must see it.
It’s gotten HUGE. Stranger Things season one big.
Hey man 🖐🏽
@Miroslav Vujnović i literally got and advertisement inside a game for this, like it was a dialogue about this show
@gfox2 638 I didn't see anything on it, I was bored one night flipping through Netflix and as a chess player I thought "Fine, I GUESS I will check it out." So glad that happened lol
YES! Watch this mini-series!
someone said that Jolene was a pawn in the beginning of the story that came at the very final of the story (the game itself) and made the most important move (giving Beth the money so she can travel to Russia) that make her as a pawn exchange to a queen piece
🤯
wow. bruh that's brilliant
Anya-Taylor Joy deserves more recognition as an actress, considering her roles in Split, Glass and The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance.
Also the witch I think she was really young in that movie and the entire movie was in the strange middle English language
and Emma !!
Her best work is The VVitch
TF2Fan101 Split! Omg! I knew I saw here in something, but I could not place her. Thanks so much.
I loved her in Thoroughbreds and Emma as well
I watched it all in one sitting. I kept saying to myself I’d stop after this episode but never did.
Honestly same
same lol
Yessss
Same
same
Spoiler comment:
I cried when I realized that she saw Shaibov was her real father figure who had been following her career and that she had never visited him and would never be able to express it to him. Tell your mentors how much they mean to you before its too late.
hehe..... I do, and I do let them know how much they ment.....
Why must you make me cry this way?
That scene completely broke me.
Who’s Shaibov
@@naurrrre think they meant Shaibel the janitor
I really liked how the series avoided falling into obvious clichés with the characters:
The janitor wasn't some sexual predator (like it seemed to play out at the start)
The adoption mother wasn't using her for the money.
The russian champion wasn't a asshole to her
Beth wasn't some sort of feminist rebel showing men that "women are just better at everything"
Huh...to me that made it feel a little too fairytale. Maybe it's because in my line of work I see a lot of people who get mistreated, used, manipulated, and abused. Shows where people are mostly good feel disconnected to me.
“[Marijuana]... after knocking back tranquilizers all her life, must’ve felt like a particularly strong breeze.” Im losing it this is so funny
7:30 Yay! Someone else said it! Thomas Brodie-Sangster is pushing 30 but he’s still looks like a teen and the wispy mustache makes him look even younger. Like a kid growing out the few facial hairs he has in a futile attempt to not get carded.
Tom Holland also has that problem.
dude, the director told him to grow as much facial hair he could for the role. My mans really showed up with six months of hair growth, and looked like this.
Tom Holland can pull off facial hair. Thomas Sangster cannot. At least, not the moustache he has here and in RNDA. MAYBE a Kenneth Branaugh Hamlet stache. But not this.
Plus it really doesn't help when he's known for playing real young roles
In this show he feels like two kids in a trenchcoat
@@CryptP I know from my work doing business at the business factory that both Tom Holland and Thomas Brodie Sangster will be playing teenagers for many years and will pass better than the 30 year olds playing teenagers in CW shows.
@@CryptP you put the man's look into words, omg.
i thought it was really beautiful that she doesn't really cry at all throughout the show even though she's been through so much, but when she goes back to the orphanage and sees the janitor has been watching her she just breaks down, i cried so much. so well done that show.
My chess club in high school was crazy. There would be games where half the class would gather round and every time someone made a good move it was like someone just finished a diss at a rap battle. It got to the point where are principal asked the chess club to be quieter. You'd think it would've been the quietest club, but it was the loudest
sound amazing
Really love the details that is put into this show. Like how when we first meet Towns he is wearing a ring on his right ring finger. After abit of research it is actually where gay couples wear their wedding rings.
Oooh! Great find! 🙌
Oh wow that's very interesting. Never gave it much thought - Orthodox Christians wear their matrimonial band on their right hand, so that's what I grew up seeing. Never thought it had a different meaning in the States.
@@dovmindah806 This is also similar in many states in India as well.
aww
HES GAY???
edit omg that rly was the partner. well, ig a girl that pretty wud make any man, gay or not falter haha
That scene when Beth discovers all the newspaper clippings (and her letter) at the orphanage... So many tears, just *so many tears*
Bah I'm so late to this show, but I just watched it last night! Was with friends so had to keep in SO much emotion during episodes 5-7 (and especially the scene you refer to.) God... I felt like sobbing.
I wish the had kept the book version of Beth reaching out to Jolene. Would have made their long-time bond more genuine and avoided the tokenism of Jolene swooping in for the save. And yes the choice of Beth to want, and to start getting healthy.
How did they portray that in the book when Beth reached out? Did she know where Jolene was and did they keep in touch?
@@artboymoy Beth had to call the orphanage to get Jolene's phone number and Derdorf reluctantly gave it to Beth.
@@jaymcnaughton8368 In the book why did she think of reaching out to Jolene? Lazy and not much of a reader. Thanks!
@@artboymoy she hits bottom and realizes that the only person in the world that can help dig her out is Jolene. This book and the others will make you a reader, they are only about 300 pages and can be read in a weekend.
i really liked how they portrayed it in the book but i think “tokenism” is the wring word - it makes perfect sense for jolene to try and find beth after mr shaibel dies, and not at all like tokenizing someone. but i do think beth reaching out to jolene instead of the other way round wouldve been lovely
I'll just put it out there, this might be my favorite show Netflix has ever made.
Bojack. Dont disrespect bojack.
Love death and robots is amazing, too.
Black mirror is really good.
And i like better call saul.
Its in descending order from my favorite to still pretty great
i dont know if its netflix made or just netflix stamped to be available no matter the account owners vpn settings by getting exclusive streaming rights, but im glad that netflix stamps some real good shows sometimes
@@christhis9597 I will agree with those where relevant (Netflix didn't create Black Mirror or Better Call Saul), and I meant no disrespect to Bojack, and I do enjoy Love Death + Robots a lot. I didn't say this was the best thing Netflix made, just that it was my favorite.
Stranger things
Ratched
And the queens gambit
Are by far the best shows they’ve ever done.
I think her seeing mr sheibel’s cuttings for her really turned her around. Made her realise that she’s not alone. She does have people supporting her.
I read a theory that Cleo, the French model we meet at Benny’s, is actually a Russian spy. The way she meets the other players and comes into their lives is very circumstantial, and she redirects questions that are specific about herself. Secondly, she convinced Beth to come out and drink with her the night before her match with Borgov when there had been plenty of previous rumors amongst the Russians that she was “a drunk.” Lastly, Beth only ever told Cleo (that we’re shown) that she had feelings for Townes and Townes magically appears in Russia, saying his visa was expedited for an unknown reason. Potentially the Russians were hoping Townes would distract Beth for the final tournament. I thought this was an interesting prospect.
This is weird but I watch that series because of her eyes. Her eyes captivated me into the story some kind of hypnotic way. It made me fall into her story and drown in her big bright beautiful eyes.....GRIM.
Exactly!!
Yo her eyes are so beautiful man
so big an you could just get lost in them
Well... that + makeup + costumes + lighting + color, etc. There were so many stunning shots throughout the show.
@@kaorumugen991 and fantastic wigs! I completely thought it was her real hair. How did they have the budget for it compared to other blockbuster movies with shitty ass wigs is beyond me.
@@audreynothepburn7663 Yeah, counted that under "makeup + costumes", but absolutely the wigs.
I was reminded of something watching the previews for this.
Its portrayal looks like a sports anime. In sports anime, bystanders are always screaming out loud what is going on, there are internal monologues about the events, and it's so hype all the time that it keeps you coming back for more. Live action chess anime.
It reminded me so much how March comes in like a lion!
Yes! It shares traits with most sports anime. Where you kinda know what will happen but the characters and the atmosphere make everything worth watching. And there are arcs where the protagonist fails and overcomes a block etc. It's so good
There is a similar Anime called Hikaru No Go, which is about a child who becomes possessed by an old Go Master and through that gets into the world of pro Go. It's a game similar to chess, so the vibes are real ^^
That's what I thought as well. Another thing I love about sports anime is that they're better about engrossing you in the world of the sport. How to play, what it's like for various people who are trying to learn the sport, not just their victories but also their losses, and how they continue to keep learning and improve. American sports movies I feel like tend to be more about the drama outside of a main character's sport than of his or her actual love of the sport itself. The Queen's Gambit like any good sports anime, in my opinion, did a very good job of balancing both. You wanted to know about Beth's own personal character growth that was outside of chess but her love of chess made you also fall in love with chess and want to learn it as much as she did. You see her skills grow more in a step by step way instead of a single improvement montage.
if you want an actual live action chess anime, Trash Taste had a tournament arc with chess and it's the most anime thing I have ever seen. The hero turning into a villain, the underdog protagonist and the super hyped up announcers.
I don't know if this is actually a thing thought out or not, but the moment the twins stayed side to side to Beth in the Mexico's hotel I could only think in the twins chess pieces on each side of the queen. And then I overanalysed a little more and on the chess friends phone call, there were exactly 6 men there that came into her life in doubles (the 2 men on the top chain that se played and had sex with; the twins, and the other 2 that came together out of "nowhere") just like the double chess pieces that helps the Queen, and the one physically besides her is the only one she ever had romantic feelings for, like the King. And, as the most powerful piece in the board, the Queen wins it all in the end with the help of the other pieces. (About the pawns... I don't know XD maybe, I never counted though, but maybe are all the people that helped her get to the point she is in the end)
Didnt even notice that! Good find!
Do you think the seven episodes also signify something? Also that the night before the match in Paris queen Cleo(of Egypt) comes and gets queen Elisabeth drunk. OMG.
Damn, if really it was that, that's an awesome attention to detail !
@@Ankit-zu2kp yeah. She's dressed reminiscent of a pawn in the first episode and like a Queen in the last. It takes six moves to turn a pawn into a Queen, over 7 squares: 2, (3), 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. Pawns can progress a lot in the beginning but ultimately will never reach the other side intact without the protection and tactical help of the other pieces. Getting a pawn to become a Queen is a big power move, and usually involves so much risk that you don't even try. In the final episode - the seventh episode, or the seventh square, she actually pulls off a pawn to Queen conversion in her game against Borgov, which is where the game really starts to turn for her. So on multiple layers the structure and costume design of the series mirror the game itself. It's pretty neat.
@@user-ed7et3pb4o Omg! That was amazing!
I loved how when Beth talked to Mr. Wheatley and the lawyer about the house camera would change the angle - looking up at Beth to show her power when she called him out and looking down on him to show just how much of a useless coward he was. The moment the camera started panning I was like YESSSS
My favourite part was where the added “brain power” reached with drugs and alcohol was trumped by the power of more brains in the form of people who care about you and want you to win... that really got to me
This. This so underrated. If only people knew
When I saw the board that he had of all her newspaper clippings i SOBBED! How I wish they interacted before he passed away. For a moment I thought he would adopt her
Same, and tbh they probably purposefully alluded to that, only to bring us back to reality Vs our hopes/expectations
Almost cried like a baby when she returned to the basement. 🥺
Can we all recognize how talented that child actor is?
IK!! Why isn’t she getting any credit at all??
This was the first show I’ve seen in a long time that follows the rule of “show, don’t tell”. The first example I noticed was when Beth and Norma went to the big tourny and Beth was wearing one of the expensive dresses she saw on a mannequin and the shoes all the popular girls were wearing at school from a few episodes back. I thought that was brilliant. I binged this show today and I’m about to start it over again. I can’t wait to find more little details I didn’t notice the first time!
I think that the way of telling the story really suits the game itself :)
I love how almost every supporting character returns to Beth’s life and represents some time of development or growth. Of course there’s Harry, Benny, and Townes who all play an instrumental role in shaping her life. Jolene returns in the moment of her greatest need. Smaller characters like Margaret Niel show that Beth has outgrown her high school peers. Also, her return to certain locations allows for the audience to have direct comparisons. The Beth who first entered the Henry Clay High School for the Kentucky Open is very different from the Beth after her loss in Paris. Other locations that do this include the corner store, Ben Snyder’s, and most importantly, Methuen and the basement in the final episode. The way the show weaves these components together to paint the story of Beth’s life and growth is what makes this show so special.
My cousins and I were taught how play chess (officially) as children by an old man who moves around town teaching kids play chess. He was our own Mister Shaibel. He passed years ago. RIP, master.
It's a good show, but hear me out....
Imagine a show, where instead of chess, they played Connect Four.
The queen's connect
And instead of chess queens it's drag queens.
@@audiochicky Now we're talking!
And instead of Booze and Tranquilizers it's Crystal Meth and enemas!
this sketch is just begging to be made
Something that I always thought was cool was when she was playing speed chess with Benny. I think she kept playing to learn his moves, and to understand where his flaws are in his play rather than just a pride thing
SAME
its interesting, in the show mrs. Wheatley says the line about flirting with alcohol for years and it now being time consummate the relationship. I haven't read the book but im interested to see if thats something she picks up from her or if they'd just swapped the line out for the show.
@Victoria Pavlova oh thank you, I can imagine it is, the book is definitely on my never-ending to read list lol
@@paigel9534 'Never Ending Reading List' ... I feel called out
I cried so hard when it showed Townes and how he was helping her and then Benny, Harry and the others on the phone, it was so good.
One thing I noticed about this show was Beth’s costumes. At the start of the show Beth is dressed as a pawn and as the show goes on she starts to move up the board to end up as a queen. Also the colour green was used whenever Beth was hungover.
Thanks for pointing that ouy! I've been scrolling through comments for details like this! :)
Me and my roommate found it while trying to find something to watch, neither of us into chess, and next thing we knew it was 4:30 am and we had watched the whole thing
I came across this show and I thought "I'll watch an episode, see what it's like" then proceeded to binge the whole thing, because it was that bloody good. And some of Beth's dresses, gorgeous.
Same! I was hooked like ten minutes in, totally unexpected!
My favourite scene was with the last match against Borgov, when he does a move that they hadn't expected. And she slowly looks up to the ceiling, to play the way she did as a child. OHHHHHH that gave me chills omg
15:30 I think the scene where he admits that he doesn't like chess like he used to and wants to move on with his life was pretty powerful/relatable.
Beth knew that Bennie didn't love her. Their relationship isn't romantic love, it's mutual love of chess.
You know, Alma died...I cried. When Beth found the newspaper and articles and photo I had a breakdown too 😭😭😭
Then when she sits down to play with the old man at the end...I lost it. Cried so much, but love it. One of the best series I’ve watched in a while.
I gotta admit when that one old guy told her she was the best player he'd ever faced I started to tear up. That scene hit different ngl. 🥺
I think Beth finding the newspapers of Shaibel's in the basement is super important because it confirms that he was the only father figure who never abandoned her.
yeahh
i love the fact that Nona Gafrindashvili was name-dropped in this show, mainly coz shes a Georgian chess icon and I've looked up to her throughout my life
Georgian women are clear with chess. "We bring a chessboard into our married life as a gift". Thank you, women of Georgia, for your contribution to world chess and your contribution to women getting into this game, you are by far the best! We Serbian women look up on you!
I loved that character of the older former world champion Russia, with the wild white hair. This guy is a former number 1, with decades of history in chess. He's played famous games against the giants of chess, who's names grace the front of the books Beth has grown up reading.... and he tells her "I may have just played the best chess player of my life." How awesome is that!
This show was phenomenal in so many different ways. I watched the first episode just to shake things up (was binge watching Haunting of Bly Manner) and I was hooked. The directing of it, the script and the acting was on a whole different level. The way they went through complex themes without over explaining or making stupid tropes of everything. This is top tier directing and writing because you never felt as if you were treated as a stupid audience member spoon fed terrible monologue back stories for the sake of plot direction and everything was so organically fleshed out. I felt myself continuously guessing what would happen and it kept being wrong just for the sheer fact that it was so outside of the box and dynamic. I cannot explain how much of a complete joy this series was and as you said it was amazing to see in the end her come through based on her own merits not glorifying the alcohol and drugs. I thought it was also beautiful the way it showed her seemingly burning all her bridges and feeling as if she was completely alone falling victim to all her fears when in all actuality she wasn't. I do wish they showed her reaching out for help but I can overlook it as the series was just tremendously well done. All in all this way just a huge breath of fresh air coming from Netflix.
Love seeing attention being brought to this excellent show. One of my favorite aspects of it was that pretty much every character was a mixture of positive and negative qualities. It did a really good job of exploring how people all have different personal struggles, and that even deeply flawed individuals have something important to bring to the table.
Came for Thomas Brodie Sangster’s return to acting, stayed for literally EVERYTHING
This show felt like a live action Anime. And no one can change my mind.
I mean, Beth has those anime-like eyes…. And amazing fashion too
My boyfriend and I have been binge-watching this for the past week and it's amazing! Also, as someone who's seen a loved one struggle through addiction, it was refreshing to see a show that portrays addiction in a very sympathetic light. Beth's breakdown isn't romanticized, it's stark and ugly, but because we've gotten to know her so well and because we know how many people love and care for her, we can't help but feel sympathy for her. It really makes you root for her journey to sobriety.
Yes, I feel like addiction is a difficult thing to get right without romantizing but still being sympathetic. I think they really nailed it!
This was the best show I have seen this year, hands down. Such a solid story, engaging, with excellent acting, and beautiful cinematography. When a movie or show can make you interested in the benign... that is something special.
That last scene hits SO HARD. It was such a beautiful ending that answered a self reflected version of the question she asked the boy in Mexico.
Great video! Awesome that you added comparisons with the book as well. Keep it up!
So excited to see this notification!! I just finished this show today!! Perfect timing. I liked it a lot. I was sad when Mr Sheibolt wasn’t included in her life after the orphanage. Her wearing Mrs Weatleys robe was epic!!
Thank you thank you for covering this! As always you rocked it
I’m not crying, you’re crying
How did I not know her crush was gay👁👄👁 like maybe I was blinded by their chemistry 💀💀💀 like I kinda like that he’s gay but RIP her feelings. Dam it makes so much sense
The scene of Beth visiting the basement of her old orphanage breaks me so bad, even when people are just talking about it. You can feel her regret that she never followed up with him while you can also tell simultaneously that he still was so proud of her no matter what. It became a one sided relationship, even if Beth didn’t do it on purpose, and it was like it finally came to a head for her all she’d done wrong. One of the best scenes of TV I’ve seen in a long time
I rarely get emotionally involved in shows, but this got to me. I’ve never seen chess portrayed so elegantly and like an extension of someone. This is one of the best series I’ve seen in my life.
“I don’t know where all the money goes” scene reminded me of an ex-friend of my sister’s who was always complaining about having no money yet always had some for cigarettes.
Anya Taylor-Joy deserves a world of credit!
The visuals in this show are phenomenal - what stuck out to me was that the minute she stepped into the Wheatley's house, all the colours were so much brighter, especially in contrast to the orphanage.
i haven't watched the show myself, but that final scene with her in that winter outfit makes her literally look like the queen piece. i think that's brilliant.
The way i legit teared up at the last episode when everyone was on the phone helping her!!
I honestly didn't even notice that the journalist was gay. That thought didn't even enter my mind. That makes so much sense now.
I also loved how when Harry left, he placed the pill bottles on the table like a final move in their verbal (chess) match
YESSSS I LOVED THIS SHOW! I WATCHED THE WHOLE SERIES IN ONE DAY!
Saaame I wish there could be more seasons made but I don’t think it’s possible since there’s only one book
this show was so addicting!! my favorite since Anne with an E. unfortunately, i still have exams so i had to stop at ep 4. can't wait to get back to it after
as a woman in recovery i loved this show so much. it hit deep too many times. its perfection
I love how the antagonist of the show is herself. Would’ve been so easy to make her opponents into villains and into a story about her overcoming sexism. They didn’t, and I’m really glad they didn’t.