“The Queen’s Gambit” Miniseries Review
I needed to take a little while to fully process my feelings and know my thoughts on The Queen’s Gambit (I finished it in 2 days), and without a single shred of doubt, it is the best thing Netflix has put out this entire year along with season 1 of I Am Not Okay With This and season 2 of The Umbrella Academy.
The sole reason I was excited for this at first was because of Anya Taylor-Joy. And while she did magnificent (as she usually does), I loved everything about this show. I was surprised at how completely invested I was, and how quickly, for that matter. The plot was intriguing and the characters were likable, given their unique personalities and great chemistry between the stars. And boy was this show emotionally satisfying. I was so absorbed that, by the final episode, the amount of times that the emotion really hit hard was so much more than I expected, if it was during a heartbreaking scene or a cheer-worthy moment.
Despite playing chess, I did not think I would be interested in a show focused on the game. But every game, every second the clock was ticking, had me so on edge, and that suspense is yet another thing that’s nailed to absolute perfection. Even with the seemingly mundane subject, the show is engaging. Both the game itself and the events revolving around the lead character keep you wondering how each scene will play out and what will happen to the protagonist.”
And finally, speaking of that main character, I couldn’t just talk about this wonderful show without going back to the reason I watched this show in the first place: the astounding Anya Taylor-Joy. As I said previously, she’s done magnificent in any film she’s been a part of because of how much she clearly dedicates to her roles, from Split to Glass to Thoroughbreds to The New Mutants to The VVitch, but I honestly think her role as Beth Harmon in The Queen’s Gambit is her best performance yet. Her flaws, her struggles, her humor, her heart, and the downright incredible character development from episodes 1 to 7, Taylor-Joy gives such a great performance portraying all these traits in Beth Harmon and gives her so much life while the character is taken on a rollercoaster ride of ups and downs through each riveting episode.
This is by no means a fast paced show; It is a very slow burn, yet I still couldn’t take my eyes off the screen with every episode I put on. And I wasn’t the only one who adored this show. It’s been getting endless praise since first premiering, such as a pretty rare 100% score on the Rotten Tomatoes website and glowing reviews like one by The Harvard Crimon’s Emi P. Cummings, saying, “Adapted from Walter Tevis’ 1983 bildungsroman of the same name, the show is not a treacly melodrama; instead, it is a reinvigorated variation of a sports narrative, the sport being chess and the athlete being fictional chess prodigy Beth Harmon (embodied by the exceptional Anya Taylor-Joy). Taylor-Joy is supported by a stellar cast whose refined performances and superb chemistry present a convincing look into the 1960s chess scene. Despite being centered around an occasionally dull game, “The Queen’s Gambit” is unfailingly thrilling, endearing, smart, and — somehow — a bit sexy.”
The Queen’s Gambit is such a fantastic, emotional, exciting, intense, cheer-worthy mini-series drama that is some of the best you’ll find in anything new TV-related. For those who have Netflix, it was released on Oct. 23 and is currently streaming, so I urge any subscribers to check out this show! It’s definitely one not to be missed.
