The Queens Gambit

I recently rewatched the Queen's Gambit and thought it would make an interesting blog topic. Whenever I re-experience something ( be it television, books, or music), it's never as good as the first time. This was surprisingly not the case with The Queen's gambit. 

The show follows chess player Beth Harmon who struggles with substance abuse and her ascent of the male-dominated (chess) field. She had an unconventional childhood wherein (due to a series of unfortunate events) she finds herself at an orphanage. In the orphanage, she makes a few friends- the most notable being Mr.Shaibel. He is the janitor at the orphanage. By happenstance, Harmon runs into him one day leaning over a chessboard. She has never seen one before and finds her interest piqued. 

We see that she has a natural talent for the game, picking up the movement of all the pieces after observing for only a few minutes! While all this happens, more is revealed about the orphanage. We learn that the children receive tranquilizing drugs to "calm"  them. Harmon soon finds herself addicted to the drugs saving them and taking multiple at once. During the high, Harmon can visualize a chessboard on the ceiling and plays out hundreds of thousands of possible scenarios and openings in seconds. 

Later on, as she grows older, we see her play at competitions and her dependence on alcohol, drugs, and other stimulants increasing, stemming from the belief that her brilliance and mastery at the game comes from external substances. 

 I am the last person to find chess interesting but it's a brilliant watch. Harmon is an undeniably flawed character, but watching her push through any obstacles and coming out on top at the end is truly inspirational. The cast also did an incredible job, all the characters felt 3-dimensional and like real people. 

Do give it a watch!