I’ve waited quite a few days to write the review of this show. When I watched it initially, I was completely taken back by the way it had been directed, the characters and the simplicity of the show. For me, the show brilliantly plays with the binaries of greatness and madness, making Beth Harmon shift between the two erratically, struggling to find a balance. But I wondered if that illusion would tear and I would read some negative review or comments and change my opinion. Might I reference the disaster of Emily in Paris?
But now, weeks later, I feel the same way about the show. And I feel like the world also seems to be on my side. So, let’s talk about the beauty in the show The Queen’s Gambit.
A simple drama
Have you ever realised how hard it is to watch television these days without watching any excessive gore, extremely dramatic twists and endless violence and hysteria? No wonder everyone is re-watching The Office and Friends endlessly. The amount of ruthlessness we now witness, under the garb of being real-life, has us all breathing into a paper bag, terrified of the world we have created. So when I started watching The Queen’s Gambit and young, naive Beth Harmon walked into the dimly lit basement and tried to converse with the orphanage’s building custodian, Mr Shaibel, I was scared. I don’t usually read any summary or watch any trailers before starting a show either so I was sure that at some point Mr Shaibel would try to kill Beth. In fact, at various points in the show, I found myself expecting the horror of realities come in. Her to get kidnapped, tortured, killed. But what I found instead was a heart-warming supportive community and a bildungsroman without any jump scares.
Mr Shaibel
When Beth returns to the orphanage years later to attend Mr Shaibel’s funeral, she finds that he had been collecting each newspaper article she was ever mentioned in. He had been following her journey closely, hoping for nothing in return but only to see her grow. He was one of my favourite characters on the show because he simply had no motives. He taught a young girl to play chess because she wanted to learn. He gave her something constructive to fixate on after the trauma she suffered. He helped her grow her skill and watched her flourish. When Beth moves away and asks him for $5, he sends it promptly, no questions asked. For me, that friendship was understated and beautiful. He gave Beth chess that truly gave her the life she was destined to lead.
Finding the right balance
The show finds a sort of subtle way of communication where no narrative is fixated upon. Even chess is just as important in the show as Beth’s journey, her mother’s battle with addiction- both adopted and real, Townes, Benny and Beltik’s desire to see her grow without the pain and addictions, Jolene’s ability to build her own life despite racial prejudice, Borgov’s respect for the game and the people in Russia who sit Harmon down at the end, to play chess with her, their dedication and passion. The show is not just about chess. It is about the place of passion in our lives. It is about finding what makes us happy and fighting the rest of society to preserve its innocence. In one scene, Beth tells a young child, once you master this, once you win, once you become a child prodigy, what will you do for the rest of your life? She points out the nature of society that turns everything into an evil you spend the rest of your life competing against.
Chess becomes both Beth’s saviour and doom. She is pushed into doing better and better and she feels like the drugs and alcohol are the real reason for her success. The show is about Harmon’s realisation that her success is because of her. And so is her failure.
Greatness and madness
I’ve been thinking quite a lot about these two themes- how they are linked to each other like binaries more than contrasting ideas. And for some reason, I thought about Andy Warhol’s painting Gold Marilyn Monroe, painted in 1962 after her death.
Warhol paints Monroe after her death, with a golden border, as the object of great affection. He showcases Marilyn the way people saw her. Without any imperfections, an image of greatness, a person against whom all others were measured. Warhol uses these bright colours to actually point to a darker side. A side where Monroe was no longer allowed to be human, ultimately causing her to fall. The commodification of Monroe caused the death of her selfhood, she became the image other’s projected onto her rather than herself. Warhol points out this commodification and loss of selfhood with bright and cheerful imagery.
Coming back to the show, The Queen’s Gambit also reveals this dark side. It uses the gold border, showing Harmon winning, exceling, buying her own house, being revered by other players. But it also shows the hidden, darker side. It reveals what happens you lose self-hood and become your obsession. It showcases that fine line between obsession and passion. It also comments on societies presence in this commodification of self-worth. On how one is constantly pushed to be the best, to achieve, but they are not taught balance. They are not taught that even after you become the World Champion at the age of 16, you still have to live. One’s achievements are a part of one’s life and not the other way round… if you get me?
Based on a book
I knew after just one episode that this show has to be based on a book. There is a nuance in the way it is developed, as if someone has really thought of the story. Not just the main plotline but what narrative they want to convey. What binaries they want to bring out, question and over-turn. The simplicity and the nuance is derived from the book but is also then carried forward by the actors and the directors.
Simply put, watch this show. It’s interesting and different and definitely not mindless and yeah okay, I didn’t learn any chess but that is really not the point.
