A couple months ago, I had the pleasure of screening a Netflix series you may have heard of called The Queen’s Gambit. It was a great experience to see this series. I enjoyed it so much, in fact, that I believe it is one of the best series I have ever seen.
It stars Anya Taylor-Joy as Elizabeth (Beth), a chess grandmaster. It traces her early orphan childhood, tells us how she came into the game and leads us through her young adult life up to and including her rise to the top of the chess world. All the while, Beth battles her own inner demons and struggles with chemical dependencies of various sorts. The story takes place from the 1950’s up through the 60’s and it is a masterful coming-of-age drama.
Taylor-Joy is fantastic in the lead and there are other great supporting cast members such as Bill Camp as Mr. Shaibel, the custodian at Girls Home who teaches Beth the fundamentals of the game, and Thomas Brodie-Sangster as a challenging competitor, mentor and friend to Beth.
There are many exciting sequences that turn the game of chess into a riveting, action-packed spectacle. The period detail, as well, brings a lot of enjoyment to the viewing experience.
At the core of the series is Beth’s battle with drug and alcohol dependence. Early in her orphanage days, she is given a daily regimen of drugs to help her sleep and lull her into a controllable state. This sets the stage for a personal struggle with chemicals that will overtake her life. Substances, for Beth, become a crutch, a way in which she can get into a state of focus in which she is better able to analyze the chessboard and all its potential moves and strategies. I’m sure many people can relate to this predicament. Whether it is someone who drinks a bit of alcohol to become more “social”, someone who does a line of coke to stay up and do more work, or an individual who must smoke a joint to enhance life, there are no doubt countless viewers who can relate to the idea of a “mother’s little helper” to get them through their dying day. The real triumph of The Queen’s Gambit is in it’s depiction of a young woman who is able to forsake these crutches in the heat of the moment and find a way to plumb her own inner resources to find success. This is the inspiring aspect of the series and offers a glimmer of hope for anyone who has had trouble facing up to bare-naked reality.
There are moments of pure joy and kinetic excitement, musical montages that are so compelling that they push the series beyond the ordinary in to the realm of cultural phenomenon. I especially liked the sequence in a later episode set to Mason Williams’ “Classical Gas”.
The Queen’s Gambit is the Beatles of mini-series in that it combines artistic clout with popularity. The Beatles were arguably both the best band musically and artistically, and also the most popular band of their time, a rare combination. The Queen’s Gambit, in its millions of views, influence, success, and creative power are similar to the Beatles in its reach, intelligence and artistry. I’ll say it again: it is one of the greatest series ever made and it is the best thing on Netflix right now.