Fit for a Queen?

The 7-part mini-series The Queen's Gambit went up on Netflix over nine months ago. It took me a while to get around to watching this story of fictional phenom Beth Harmon, struggling against sexism and addiction on her way to glory on the 1960s chess circuit. But oh, was I aware of it. So very aware of it.

For what felt like most of that nine months, any time I opened Netflix, I'd get the same auto-running clip of two smug twins informing the protagonist (and me) that "we have a clock sharing system" if you don't have your own clock. I swear, I could recite this chunk of the show verbatim. But did the rest of the show appeal to me enough to undermine the numbness beaten into my brain by that recurring 60-second clip?

Well, yes, The Queen's Gambit is enjoyable overall. But also, it might be more "well made" than "good." In terms of narrative, it's rather slight. The story (based on a novel by Walter Tevis) seems to have gone through the line at the cliché buffet -- without even totally filling its plate. Orphan rising above her circumstances, brilliant diamond-in-the-rough polished by one caring mentor, self-destructive genius with an addiction and an attitude problem, expected three-act story structure. It's all here, and doesn't quite feel like a full meal.

However, clichés are often used because they can still be effective, and that's fairly true here. Many of those tropes I mentioned don't usually feature a female protagonist. And doing so against a backdrop of chess -- an oddly macho milieu for how few of society's "masculine" trappings it seems to require -- really amplifies the gender themes at play.

Beth is the focal character -- literally (I believe) in every scene of every episode -- but she's not the only interesting one. Here is where The Queen's Gambit shines, giving us a raft of interesting supporting players that weave in and out (and sometimes back in) over the course of seven episodes. They're all well-cast too, with interesting looking actors giving often "a little bit odd" performances that stick in the mind in a positive way.

Star Anna Taylor-Joy is excellent, as she of course must be for this story to work at all. Her performance as Beth is sometimes brash (while still sympathetic), sometimes pent up (while still showing us what boils beneath the surface), but always engaging. Virtually every interaction she has with a supporting character is great, but highlights include Marielle Heller as Beth's adoptive mother, Thomas Brodie-Sangster as a young chess wizard who's part Bobby Fischer and part cowboy, Bill Camp as the stern school custodian who first teaches Beth the game, and Moses Ingram as the rebellious friend Beth makes in the orphanage.

And, like I said, it's all very well made. The 1960s environment is lovingly rendered in every frame, with outrageous wallpapers, perfect clothing, and wild period props. A story that inherently calls for little of what most people would call "action" is often still very tense; the mini-series must feature at least 20 montages of playing chess over the course of its 7 episodes, and writer-director Scott Frank manages to make each of them different and compelling.

Yes, you'll know the destination from a long way off. (Indeed, a flashback in the final episode seems to think it's "revealing" information that you've known since the first episode or two.) Yet the "scenery" along the drive is quite beautiful, making the journey worthwhile. I'd give The Queen's Gambit a B+.