I've gotten a lot of comments about the diversity point I made. In my opinion, for a show created in 2020, there should be more inclusion of POC. Cleo was apparently not in the original book, but they added her in. Townes wasn't gay in the book either, apparently. These are all things they rewrote for the script, so it would also be possible to add POC without changing the essence of the story. Even making Jolene a stronger character who shows up earlier rather than just as a "token Black best friend/savior" would be an improvement. Also, the best method for writing diverse characters without "tokenizing" them for brownie points is actually hiring POC writers! I received some comments saying that a 1960s period piece doesn't need diversity, even though the 1960s was the height of the Civil Rights Movement. Even referencing these political events would've been more ideal than pretending they didn't exist, because in reality - these events were REALLY significant and it's actually unrealistic to NOT reference them. It's like having a "period piece" set in 2016 where none of the characters mention the election. In addition, mainstream media has compromised historical accuracy numerous times. Do we really believe that women were wearing 21st century makeup and bathing regularly in the 16th century? Half the costumes used in period dramas are not even historically accurate. Why do we choose to draw the line at diversity when it comes to historical accuracy in movies/tv? But even as I say that, POC have existed for as long as White people have existed. There have even been Africans and Asians in Europe for centuries via trade. All these people have storylines that could easily intersect with a White narrative if the writers tried harder. For example, Harlots is a great show that incorporates a ton of diverse, believable characters and takes place in 18th century England. I loved The Queen's Gambit regardless. I don't think interrogating the media we consume or questioning how we can bring more representation into a story is controversial or cause for uproar 💛
I completely agree with all of your points. I think some people don't like to acknowledge representation (or lack thereof) in modern media, because it involves them having to try and rid themselves of their own biases as well. Your opinion is very valid and as a POC myself, I appreciate you using your platform to talk about these issues (despite the push-back you may receive). As a theatre student with an interest in costume design, these topics really interest me! Keep it up
Her teen years took place in the 50s and 60s in the suburbs of Lexington Kentucky. As much as I would love there to be black folks in that area during that time period, they weren't. When these suburbs were built, they also actively excluded black people. To put black kids randomly into her school and neighborhood would be disingenuous and allow people to ignore the injustice that happened during the time. Let's not pretend. If you looked closely, the show included black people into he series to help mark the time period. The most important one I remember is the young black man riding his bicycle on a college campus. Its may seem inconsequential to you, but it was a major indicator of the shift in racial climate. Just because it is 2020, does not mean anyone can rewrite history and sugarcoat it. No matter how well-meaning you are. Also they took the "black savior" trope. And flipped it, they didn't play into it. They went out of their way and put it into her lines to communicate to the audience that they were not playing into the trope. They truly made her Beth's family. Hence the monologue about Jolene not being Beth's guardian. You're well-meaning, but you're missing the mark.
@@shalaywashington6326 You say this point about historical accuracy regarding the segregation but how many movies have there been about Black people doing this time period that center the Black story around a white savior or white perspective, even making up characters just to do so?
I love that you pointed out how they didn’t make Beth’s character fall down the “she’s not like other girls” trope. In an interview, Anya Taylor-Joy said she made it a point for Beth to be purposely feminine and stylish to kill the stereotype that a girl has to be either smart or fashionable. She can be both. And that’s what Anya wanted for Beth’s character.
My only concern with this is that the trope of a conflict between intelligence and beauty is always resolved with the woman being both anyway. Not once have I seen a story in which someone other than the villain still believes that the girl must choose by the end. For once I would like a female character flawed in the audience's eye due to genuinely being unintelligent or unfashionable (or both!) and still be likeable.
@@frenchbreadstupidity7054 I don’t agree! Think for example in the big bang theory - you got Amy (intelligent and unfashionable) and Penny (less intelligent but fashionable), and they are both likeable!
@@frenchbreadstupidity7054 I think it's definitely rare (because of Hollywood beauty standards) to show a female character that is flawed in looks. But if you haven't seen Mad Men, the female characters are quite complex in that show! Peggy Olsen is probably not conventionally beautiful but is very smart and Betty Draper is not """intelligent,""" but is conventionally beautiful. Both these characters are likable and unlikable.
@Miro Reverby On the red hair, Anya actually said in an interview that even though her character had brown hair in the book, she knew immediately that wanted Beth to have red hair to represent how she would always stick out like a sore thumb, that she didn't fit in with the others around her no matter how hard she tried. While I do agree with your main point about Hollywood beauty standards, red hair was a creative choice to symbolize an element of Beth's character.
I love the subtle irony of when the “ popular girl “ says she will never be caught dead in Ben Snyder’s, and there she is, shopping for her kids in Ben Snyder’s
I can understand why the boys in the show keep coming back to her despite how cold she is. They idolize and romanticize her, it does not matter how shitty of a person she was to them. She was the most talented player of the game they were obsessed with. I understand your frustration with Jolene not being in other episodes because she was a very likeable character, however it makes sense for her to be absent. She was at the orphanage and the two of them were living separate lives. Only reason she came into town was because Shaible died and she was trying to get in contact with Beth. I think she gave her the money because of their past relationship, they were like sisters growing up, there is a level of trust in that.
I also feel like Jolene’s absence was necessary to the narrative, if she showed up earlier I suspect Beth probably wouldn’t have gone off to the deep end the way she did
@@burntblueberrywaffles idk i almost feel like if they had grown up together more, jolene would have gone of the deep end just like beth did. jolene disapproved of beth's addiction but only benny was firm enough to actually prevent beth from abusing substances. additionally jolene was also in a risky place and even enabled beth a little bit. in fact i consider her to be very lucky to have been able to pull herself out of her situation.
@@ashleyrocke4144 Not to mention Jolene was the one who tipped her off to the tranquilizers in the first place. You can see some elements of her guilt coming through as early as their time in the orphanage. I think that’s another thing to consider. Jolene was older and looked out for Beth while they were at the orphanage. They were family, and in that sense Jolene was the older sister. She felt some sense of needing to take care of Beth and set her on the right path. You can sense her disappointment and a tinge of guilt when they meet as adults and she realizes that Beth is still abusing the pills. Overall I do agree that the lack of diversity stands out and while there are historical reasons for why a show set in mid-21st century Kentucky would be heavily segregated, they addressed the issue with a lot of subtlety. I think the show would have benefited from giving more screen time to tackling those realities head-on instead of making it a subtext. I mean they say the reason Beth was adopted and Jolene wasn’t was because of racism, Alma makes some racially charged off-hand comments, but they don’t really do anything with those points other than throw them out there. I would have liked to see them flesh out those points instead of touching on them lightly and then leaving them in the dust.
I think Jolene giving money to Beth makes so much sense. She was always reading about Beth, she was following every match of her, even though they werent talking. She said, as a kid she used her ice cream money to buy chess magazines with Beth on the cover. She loved Beth, she saw her as her family. Jolene knew the importance of that Moscow match, and she believed in her
And as she said, she wasn’t - guardian angel that came to save her. She was helping in the way a family help each other, trusting Beth would do the same if SHE ever got in trouble.
@@burntblueberrywaffles exactly. Kind of bothered me that she included that clip but not the dialogue that directly followed it (where Jolene laughs and states that she is NOT her guardian angel).
@@chaoticfreshman_draws Bruh, just because she's black and strong doesn't mean it follows that trope at all. If anything Jolene lives the stereotypical "white housewife" in a sense. She marries a white man and wants to lead a normal white suburban life even though she knows other blacks may judge her for doing so. She also mentions how she isn't anyone's gaursian angel, she's just helping as a fellow family member.
@Rosamund Powell Becase she was her one and only friend in the orphanage which defined her entire childhood. She had nobody else. Is that really that hard to understand? Plus, she was somebody she looked up to. To think that your friend who was once on the same path in life as you-from an underage, is now a star gives you a little bit of hope, doesn't it?
i also love how you can tell she has these muses whose fashion she tries to emulate, like the highschool girls, then the pants that look very audrey hepburn, then she's watching that venus music video on tv and does her makeup like the singer. it all makes sense too since she's a teenager and in her early 20s in the show which is when everyone would be experimenting with fashion and style anyways
If you know anything about chess, it's also fitting that she progresses from a white "pawn" in the first scene with young Beth (where we see her standing in front of the car crash) where she's wearing white shoes and socks and a washed out denim dress to the final scene as the white "queen"! It really represents her growth both personally and as a chess player, from the weakest, most restricted piece to the strongest, freest piece.
@@lea8532 great point!!! i liked that they chose a “pawn-like” outfit for her before the orphanage too! there were so many wonderful and symbolic choices made in the costuming for this show - it added so much more complexity to the original story!
The costume designer, Gabriele Binder really outdid herself with the outfits in the show. Yeah, Beth served looks but the other characters did too.. take a look at Benny's outfits for instance, he dressed like a pirate for tournaments but in the scenes where he was in NYC with (and without) Beth, his outfits served. This show did something I wished more shows did... the outfits made sense.
I think it’s realistic how all the guys revolved around her. She is beautiful, talented and mysterious, what is there not to be attracted to? And men put up with a lot than you’d expect from an attractive girl. Also she is the IT girl in the chess community and is very impressive at what she does, which may be tempting them to stick around to see her journey.
@@sagefantaisie yeah I also agreed. I feel she really overlooked a lot of the series and also oversimplified what happened in the show-- everything had a sequence to it and a reasoning behind it. Same thing with how she says it was a rags to riches cliche with someone distancing themselves from where they came from. it was quite the opposite. the orphan life and traumatic childhood she had with her mother was something she couldn't escape from the ENTIRE series lol.. she was literally taking the same drugs she was given in the orphanage.
@@day2Dawn did you even listen to what she said in the video? She specifically said it WASNT the rags to riches trope, with Beth returning to shop a Ben Snyder or whatever as an example
She's also the one chance they got at beating the Russians. Before her was Benny, but it seems by the time Beth got on the scene, he's already long given up on that. You could say it's patriotism, they personally know her, or just for revenge somehow cos they couldn't do it themselves.
i LOVE it. I'm quite picky with TV shown. the last show I've liked as much as The Queens Gambit was MadMen. I love the glamour and casual drinking/smoking of the 60s for some reason.
I think it's less about how they are drawn to her and more about how they are her plot armour. This show is a lot about interpersonal conflict but her friendships are suddenly infallible when the plot demands it. And I'm not the type of person to demand that side characters should have arcs and fully developed lives, but they are revealed to have very little existence outside her if they are free to drop everything to accomodate whatever is happening to her this hour of this day.
As a person of color, the diversity in the show didn't bother me because of the time zone and how her friend came back during the most important time in her life because beth is a different person around her as if she doesn't want mess up in front of her
I personally value when tv shows are realistic towards real life instead of just having token diversity. I feel like jolene has always been some sort of older sister to Beth and they have always been there for each other even if that wasn’t portrayed in the show. At the end of the day by being historically accurate the show seemed much more realistic and meaningful.
I loved how they portrait Mexico, Mexican architecture, parks and Mexican characters, I point this out because you're talking about lack of diversity, but as a Mexican viewer, this representation was very beautiful and respectful. I think it's the first time I see my country portrayed that beautiful in American or foreign cinematography.
As a Mexican I agree! I was pleasantly surprised by the set design and appreciation to the architecture, also how it was an important competition to the story line and not just “tacos and tequila partyyyy” thats always seen in movies
@@AndreaGonzalez-vm8bs im having insane deja vu reading your comment. i swear i've seen it before but ive never watched this video. the mind is weird...
As a Russian viewer, I really liked the representation of the USSR in the show, this is probably the most positive representation in a foreign cinematography that I have seen. In the show, they have great respect for the Soviet school of chess and the Soviet people are shown as the most loving this game in the world, which is very relatable, since we admire and love our chess players since childhood. Moscow, speech, people, food - it was all nice to see it not in a stereotyped way, but the series also did not cover our dark history and added such moments as the KGB. Overall, I really liked this aspect of the show. Also wanted to thank you for the video! I really couldn’t wait to see it, so i was tried to watch the show as fast as I could ❤️
I’m Russian too. For me, the Soviet admiration of chess corresponded with what Beth told to the Life’s interviewer about her addiction to chess. She told that chess is a only world she could have control of. Well, Borgov and other Soviet players did not have control over their personal lives and were followed by kgb agents. So I do not feel that USSR is positively pictured in the series. It’s realistic anyway
Exactly! It's probably the most accurate USSR representation I've ever seen in foreign films/tv series. I really appreciate that they casted mostly native Russian speakers, it was soo wholesome
I think they gravitated to her the way people gravitate to talent or beauty. It makes sense. It's not the "I'm here for you." Type of friendship. It's more of like "wow, you're a genius." Type.
Agree. I've read things like that in a lot of geniuses' biographies. Many of these "geniuses" tend to be socially awkward or even abrasive, but people around them admire their talents and couldn't help but root for them.
this is true. i get told even now by colleagues from uni , family and friends that i can be a piece of shit, socially, but know that if they need to know anything and better explained than google (literally anything, including translation), they can just ask me . i don't really do "much" for my loved ones, socially. no work so i can't spot people all the time as much as i'd love to (but i do treat people when i have money), don't drive or even know how, so if someone wants to hang out with me , they know they have to eventually drive me home because public transport doesn't run late. yet , despite this all, my friends are always there to help me out and when i ask them why , because again, i'm not that social nor hold social "currency", they say that the knitting, weaving, spinning yarn on a spindle, the novels /history/stuff that i write and the fact that everyone says i'm a living wikipidea , they are happy to not just have me around, but help me. i'm equally as happy to have these people in my life, and even more grateful. this all very much confuses me because even i don't like myself much. not trying to toot my horn or anything.....my life has been nothing but a self hate pity party, but i never have seen a character in a book or on screen that i could relate to 100% of the time .
@@solarprogeny6736 I think that's part of the point though. Like how she didn't contact Mr Shaival after she got catapulted into fame. Chess just took over her life and it was only after she spiralled and Shaival died that she realised she needed people like Jolene.
i feel like the absence of jolene in most of the series is actually accurate? because jolene was in the orphanage till 18 years old and by that time beth was already a really great chess player so she always was on some championships in different cities and countries etc we literally haven't seen at her house till her mother died
i always thought Jolene was a few years older than Beth, maybe 2 or 3, so she probably left the orphanage a little after Beth got adopted /if she stayed until she was 18, idk what were the customs in the USA in the 60s/. So she did her college thingie and all but still, your point stands.
She worked so that she could pay for her college. So a few months/years passed in the timeline of the story until she reached out to Beth, and they were probably already in their early 20s.
I don't think so.... She gave her money because as she said "Beth was all she had when they were kids...and they're like family".... Plus, Jolene knows Beth will win
I i disagree about the comment of her friends “randomly” giving her support. I think they understand that she is a prodigy. They also come together to fight against the Russians in chess which is by far the most competitive form of competition. If your are obsessed with chess the way it is expressed in the series as well as in real life, I think I that these events that you find random or doesn’t really make logical sense, i view them quite natural and real.
The final episode especially. It's been stressed on multiple occasions in the series that the Russians play as a team, and they were shown going through the games together, while Beth was all alone... Benny stressed it to her that she needed someone on her team to be with her in Russia, too. So it wasn't that surprising to me that they pooled everyone together, although I kept going "phone bill?!".
@@saturated3821 I think beating Russians was more important to them, than the phone bill :D You can find the money later, but it's unlikely to have another shot at beating Russians at their home game
The way she looks like a chess queen at the end and won her title by playing the queen’s gambit in the tournament was mind blowing! But yes her clothes looks like chess patterns. In the series, she says to the journalist how safe she feels in a 64 square board and that chess can also be beautiful not just competitive.
Someone should give you a prize for biggest spoiler on this comment section, I mean, you were able to tell ALL the finale episode in a few lines. You go, spoiler girls.
I loved the repeated clothes! There's always a touch of extra magic when you can really imagine yourself in a character's closet and daydream how they want to dress for the day.
I absolutely adore this show, I love how they didn’t stick with the the stereotypes that all smart women have to dress “geeky” and conservative i also love the fact that Beth doesn’t end up with a love interest and that she’s focusing on her self and her sobriety
This show was so good in developing character trough wardrobe because it got to take it's time! It wasn't just orphan girl one day, circle-skirt high school teenager the next. It got to take some baby steps, to let Beth slowly find her style. Note how the first dress she buys for her winning money is still a pinafore style, but a more grown version than the one's she's been stuck with, and her short bob gets to grow and become more of an adult haircut trough the decade.
It was also realistic in the sense that you assume only rich people adopted orphans. At first you might think that when we walks into her room being like "this is all for me?" but then later realize the family is struggling with money.
I understand what you meant 😂 For me Beth’s clothes make me hungry in every scene and my girlfriend said Benny’s clothes also delicious especially the scene when Beth stay in New York with him and he was doing a breakfast
Is anybody gonna mention the fact that Beth kept her mom's iconic pastel pink and blue (quilt) coat after she died??? She literally hugged the coat, laying in bed in a moment of frustration and later she WEARS IT in FRONT of the mom's husband when he came over with a lawer at her house to discuss to whom the property belongs. SHE INTENTIONALLY DID IT TO TEASE THE HUSBAND for his aloofness for the mom's death. I found that brilliant.
I think it was in ep 6 that a reporter asked Beth her response to being accused of being too glamorous to be taken as a serious chess player, and she responds "I think it's much easier playing chess without the burden of an Adam's apple." Like Beth knows that a comment like that is amusing to the men in the room but is clear enough to let them know she doesn't care about the accusations. Beth knows she's glamorous, and to top it off she's a woman, which makes her an easy target for reporters and for people to look down on her. I love how she hates how papers emphasize that she's a woman more over anything else, but doesn't reject that she's a woman in order to be taken more seriously. I love how her style progresses and I could literally imagine young girls of her time looking at her photos, reading about how accomplished and brilliant she is, and seeing this stylish icon and have that stick with them for the rest of their lives.
Are you going to do a "Every single outfit Anya Taylor Joy wears in The Queen's Gambit"? Please, i was hoping for you to do it 👑💕 ◼◻◼◻I love your channel ◻◼◻◼
I must say, your level of analysis and depth regarding fashion and costume analysis is absolutely remarkable. I did pick up on certain clues while watching the show (the permanently muted, often black-and-white reminiscent of chess colour story and palette, the transition throughout the years, the pant wearing, the striking visual difference between her and 'the other girls' etc) but I would've NEVER picked up on the green dress resembling the pills thing, not even the final look where she resembles a white queen chess piece - it's amazing how you manage to pick certain subtleties that might have went unnoticed for most. You're such a delight to watch, such an entertaining and informative YT channel. Truly a gem. Thank you so much, Mina.
She is so succinct, knowledgeable, and articulate.. I love the way she intertwines fashion and culture. It is really amazing. Hw she compares the green pills and the dress was brilliant!!
3:19 Cmon, you took the “you’re my guardian angel” clip completely out of context. Jolene then claps back as to why she isn’t just some “guardian angel” and they were once friends that only had each other in their childhoods. I agree Jolene should have had much more of a presence in the show but I thought that following scene was her character standing up for herself against that POC-saving-grace trope and it was 100% her decision to give Beth the money because of the genuine connection they shared in the past.
I mean Jolene might have rejected the POC-savior trope but throughout the show she is portrayed as just that. We see her in the beginning when she saves Beth at the orphanage. Then we see her at the end when she saves Beth again from her alcoholism. That’s it. That’s all we see of Jolene. So yeah, her main role was to be the savior and not much more. Otherwise she would’ve played a bigger part
@@victoriag863 (SPOILER WARNING:) That's because Jolene is a minor character in the life of Beth Harmon in the same way that Benny Watts, Henry Beltik, and even the janitor are. These characters also helped out in significant ways that got her far in her chess career monetary and skill-wise. Imo, Jolene's relationship with Harmon sticks out because she's the only 'big' POC character in the whole show. In reality, Harmon meets plenty of characters that "save" her, and the show doesn't shine a spotlight on those character's lives, but rather her relationship with them. This is basically the whole narrative: it's all about Beth Harmon. (The only exception I can think of is Beth's adopted Mom but that's because she spends every waking moment with her - but again we don't even know about her illness until later). Circumstances matter too; the orphanage episodes were built up to showcase Beth's neurotic introversion/logical genius, dealing with trauma and living at an orphanage. All she cared about was chess and those pills. Jolene's personality is much more outgoing and rebellious, and she influences Harmon in that way. If not for her I doubt she would even have any friends lmao.
I kinda feel like that almost made it worse? It was a little maddening to see them so obviously call out and criticize this trope but then just fall right into it.
In the documentary to the series they said that this green dress shows that she is losing structure. Because the fabric is just not right for the cut of the dress. It is too flowy and soft so it just feels... off, in a way.
HOW?! The second his face was on the screen the first time I was like oh no, how do I unsee him as Dudley... but actually it didn't take long once the character actually did something, because he was so different, but man he's got such a distinctive face every time I see him anywhere I'm like DUDLEY WTF
@@saturated3821 yeah me too, i saw a dark side shot and was like "HE´S FROM HARRY POTTER", but his role in this is probably going to be equally memorable to me now
Loved Jolene and unfortunately the book did her much dirtier. Early in the novel, Jolene sexually assaults Beth and their friendship carries on as it does in the film (don’t get me started on how the only Black character is immediately vilified with this arc). That may illustrate as to why she pays Beth’s way to Russia - some sort of guilt. Overall I’m happy that Beth was free from sexual abuse in the film adaptation. When watching period films, I’m often bracing myself for some sort of assault (especially young women in male dominated circles) and I’m happy the movie was free from this.
I'm pretty sure that in the novel, Jolene doesn't pay for her trip. Beth always had the money top pay for her own trip - just - the problem was paying for Benny to travel with her as her second.
I almost feel like a couple more episodes inbetween to re-establish beth's relationship with benny, jolene, and harry and to apologize would've really filled out this show well.
Agreed. I feel this happens a lot in shows where the main character never takes accountability for their actions and the other characters just follow along.
Well she made up with jolene when they were together, she did apologize to Townes, didn’t expect an apology for Benny cuz they are almost on the same level of insanity (plus he didn’t apologize to her either when she clearly had something for him, could’ve rejected her and still being friends but nah, I just think he was indecisive at the time but still should’ve apologized to Beth.) the one that really deserved the apology was Harry, even if he knew they wouldn’t end up together he still has was worried for her and kept coming back even if she pushed him away
@@kuddlecat yeah i agree about Benny, she wants to be alone so what's the problem? He's a good guy but he did her dirty like that. yes she fell down a hole but she didn't blame him tho. I agree about Harry too, but i guess harry's just too nice to care about how she yelled at him last they met hahaha
It makes more sense in the novel. Townes doesn't appear to pick on Beth's attraction for him. Maybe he just sees her as a kid (there is no Roger), and their paths don't cross again after Las Vegas. She wasn't mad at him although she was disappointed that nothing happened in his room. Harry moves out (some time after he stops coming to her room at night) because it seems he can't handle the fact that she has become such a stronger player than him. Their paths don't cross again after that, and he doesn't keep a worried eye on her during her downhill slide. He certainly isn't in Benny's apartment during the Moscow tournament. There's no reason he should be, since there's nothing to suggest that Benny and he are friends, even if Benny is aware of who Harry is. As for Jolene, she is nasty to Beth after her failed..."approach"...and Beth calls her "n***er" in response, which seems to impress Jolene -not I suspect because of the word she uses but because she sees that Beth isn't going to put up with her sh*t. She also gives Beth some sports tips which make life easier for her and when Beth has her period during the first tournament, she knows what to do because Jolene told her - in the novel Annette Packer isn't present in the ladies room (I like the way they made a bit more of her in the series). Jolene's work to help Beth out of her alcoholic pit has a lot more to it in the novel, and it's Beth who contacts Jolene, not the other way round.
I'd like to point out something I found rather interesting. We see a flashback to when Beth's mother, Alice was embroidering Beth's name on her dress, she tells her something along the lines of, "so that you don't ever lose your identity." (i don't think she says the word identity though). when she gets to the orphanage, the head mistress burns the dress. thought that was quite interesting.
I don't think it's because she lost her identity there, I think it's because she gained a new identity in the orphanage, you could say that she discovered (or acknowledged) parts of her that she didn't know existed- such as geniusness, addiction, trauma, relationship struggles, power struggles, creativity (especially seen in her fashion sense). Maybe you noticed she didn't talk at all in the cutscenes where her mother appeared... she didn't have a voice in her childhood until she was alone on her own, most likely because of the troubled relationship of her parents and abandonment. It's very frequent that your own family has an image about you- how you should be and act (when her mother said that Beth shouldn't trust men, or her step mom's beliefs that women shouldn't work, just expect money from her husband) but Beth was too young to understand that she can make her own beliefs and not listen to everybody.
I actually really enjoyed how all of the characters kind of revolved around Beth. I think narratively, this was the goal the writers were trying to achieve, to make it like it was from Beth’s pov. Beth’s character is referred to as somewhat as a self-destructive genius, which they did phenomenally. She viewed her chess self and her achievements disconnected from her self and personal relationships. In my opinion, this was a great way to write this type of show.
Yes and I feel it showcases that from an outsiders perspective, people would assume she has everything, looks, smarts, money, boys. But even with all of that, Beth still struggled even though she appeared to have a "perfect life." No one was out to get her except her own addictions and bad coping mechanisms.
She was like the SUN. What you didn't get is that all of them had something in common and that is their love for chess! She was the best of them and was challenging the best player in the world. If you play any sport you would understand that if someone you played against was able to get that far even if you hate him you'll come to like him when you see him reaching the goal. It's basically like if you are really smart in class even if you are rude, you'll still see people coming to ask you questions and such. Talent brings people.
Also the fact that she was a girl that was still pretty and very feminine while also being super smart. What not to like about her other than her demons but honestly that’s easily forgivable if you are willing to help her overcome them
They are bound by much more than love of chess - its shared obsession with chess; shared insight into compulsive and obsessive behaviours which link to addiction. Note how many players straighten all their pieces before they can bring themselves to advance that first king's pawn!
@@kuddlecat yes I loved that they kept her very feminine, doing things like trying to copy a makeup look, shopping a lot, and caring about her looks a lot but at the same time how this aspect wasn’t focused on very much... like no other character commented on it which is great
The problem with the representation is that it wouldn’t have made sense. As many people explained, the world of chess was white and male dominated. Some people argue there were other way to include poc, but I feel like they would all have harmed the narrative. Some people say: well Beth is a woman, if they can create a fictional woman who can be in the chess world, why not poc? But like, that’s the point. Beth is particular because she is a woman. If there were already women and poc in the chess world, there wouldn’t be anything special about Beth’s story. Some people say: Jolene should have been more prominently featured. I agree that Jolene was a dope character, and I wish we got to see more of her, I would watch an entire series about her tbh. BUT the queens gambit isn’t about Jolene. It’s about Beth’s journey. And I feel that Jolene’s absence was necessary for that journey. If she showed up earlier and gave Beth the support she needed, I think Beth wouldn’t have gone off the deep end like she did. Or maybe she would have pushed her away like her other friends, but regardless, the outcome would have been very different, so it would completely change the story. Same thing with people saying the civil rights movement was important in those years and should have been included. That’s not true, because clearly that’s not what the series’s about. Beth doesn’t have anything to do with the civil right movement, and shoehorning that theme into the show would just make it seems forced. I don’t think we should expect every single piece of media from a time period to address every issue said time period had. Because obviously it’s impossible to explore all of those theme in a one-season show without botching a lot of them. Finally, some people say she should have interacted with characters outside of the chess world for POC representation. But here’s the thing though: aside from the people she met at the orphanage or in school, Beth only ever interact with people she met through chess. Which reinforces how central the game is to her life. If she was shown hanging out with people outside of that world, I think it would have harmed the narrative, implying she was reaching out to people, which wasn’t the case. That’s a major point of her story line. The whole “I don’t mind being alone” thing. Of course representation is important, but there’s a difference between representing groups of people in an accurate way and just forcing diversity for the sake of being woke. Instead of criticizing every show, we should ask ourselves wether or not they’re erasing a part of the population or if they are, in fact, accurately representing it. That’s why you’d absolutely expect diversity in a show set in modern day New York, but the lack of black people will not be surprising in a show set in Japan.
i agree with everything except the part about the civil rights movement. the civil rights movement was extremely important in this time period and even affected the way other countries saw us. however i feel like civil rights were addressed to a certain degree. Jolene laments about not being adopted because she was black. later she talks about how she was hired at the lawfirm to be the token black. jolene takes charge of her racial identity more than people recognize
@@ashleyrocke4144 Jolene I think was definitely an excellent example of the politics and culture during the civil rights movements. I absolutely adore her
The book actually solves the plot hole of the friends. Harry and Townes leave after their first scenes and only Benny and Jolene care for her in the end. Also Book Beth is in love with Jolene!
@@gremlita omg queen you noticed me! yess also Beth actually is the one that calls Jolene first and doesn't get just get money from her. Jolene is Beth's only romantic connection
this makes so much more sense! WOW I'm so disappointed now. It really felt like someone really forced to make them part of the storyline at some point. I'm not sure how much she needed Harry for character development reasons?
Your main character should have traits good enough to warrant gravitation, else it’s bad writing. Like having the protagonist getting the girl because he’s the main character in spite of a lack of chemistry. I’m not sure being a prodigy necessarily means people will flock to you, especially if you have poor social skills
I disagree with Beth’s friends “randomly” supporting her. In my eyes, the writers strategically placed the reappearance of the characters. Benny does his own thing, he isn’t trailing behind Beth. He just knew how important the Moscow competition was and probably felt the event was more important than an argument between themselves. Friends fight and forgive. As for Harry, he seems like a helpless romantic. He is overly enamored by Beth which is what constantly brings him back to her. He leaves, comes back, leaves, and comes back because of his lingering feelings. Kind of like trying to get over an ex. The only character that I felt somewhat randomly returned was Jolene. However, giving her money didn’t seem random to me. She had been following Beth through the magazines, been her only friend at the orphanage, and been supportive. I feel she recognized the importance of the Moscow chess match and just wanted to help out, as a good friend would. Besides, I feel Beth would do the same for Jolene if the roles were reversed. Also, there is a time when Beth is at her worst and she is smoking and drinking alone at home constantly and there’s no one there. Even Harry leaves her at her worst. Similarly to real life, we sometimes don’t have anyone to help us to confront our demons. However, her friends ultimately reconcile with her to help her for her biggest chess match because they believe in her and understand how grand scaled this match is. I don’t feel the characters return conveniently for Beth and when they do, there is usually a reason (such as helping her win the Moscow match, infatuation and etc). I feel the writers did a good job presenting the secondary characters having their individual lives. P.s. anyone reading this, I am NOT saying my interpretation is the best, as the show can be interpreted in multiple ways. Technically, no one is right or wrong. I really loved this video and opened my eyes to the role of clothing in films, which is often overlooked.
I think the people who gravitate to her are the ones that are either fascinated by her or have seen her weaknesses. The chess players were all interested in her because of her skill and determination and then got to know her. Jolene knew about her drug addiction. Most people, like in school, didn’t like her.
One detail that I noticed is that she was wearing a headscarf with feather motive and Benny wears a hat with a little feather on the side. Don’t know what symbolism that is, but to me it shows that they are definitely soulmates perhaps not romantically but they are very alike, the whole winner attitude, ambition, free spirit etc
She’s basically the historical equivalent of a modern day gamer girl that’s both beautiful and brilliant. At the end she’s representing the entire continental US against the soviets, it makes perfect sense that the men (whose entire lives revolve around the game that she’s the best in the world at) gravitate towards her and support her. Her win is in a way, their win.
I am in LOVE with how Mina always makes an effort to dress in a similar fashion to the content of her videos - also CONGRATS on 100k you got there so fast eyyy!!!
I loved the style in this one... like this was more fashion centric then Emily in Paris. Also yeah I was kinda upset about the diversity but it did begin during Jim Crow era so there's that.
I'm very confused about the "diversity problem" personally, considering that, yeah, it's happening at a time where black people are segregated, and there were no black people at these high-stakes, rich people events, because the world did not give them these opportunities back then (and arguably still doesn't). If anything it's being faithful to reality and that's more efficient in terms of racial justice than just pasting in black and asian actors to meet a quota, despite it being anachronistic.
@@solarprogeny6736 they could've addressed that without making Jolene basically a token. Any time POC are seen they're usually the supporting best friend and that's it. I heard in the books she was in love with Jolene and that would've made it so much better.
@@mooominpapa yeah that would've been really good tension/internal struggle, considering the homophobia, and segregation/racism at the time (would've made her character seem more complex and not one dimensional)
@@mooominpapa I read the book. Jolene sexually assaulted Beth when they were kids. Because of that, I believe her love for Jolene was misconstrued- adolescents often equate sex with love, or family with love, and that’s exactly what Beth did. I would say the book was ambiguous as to whether or not Beth truly loved Jolene in a romantic way at the end.
Almost every single shot had some chess board motif, not just her clothes. Wallpapers, windows, fences, railings, floor tiles, shelves! It’s astounding.
Just some perspective on the things you didn’t get (my opinion): 1) I feel like part of the reasons the guys get together is for the chess. It’s chess, an opportunity for an American woman to show the Russians who have historically dominated the sport who’s boss. I having been in that environment know how intense the culture and commitment is to the game, so it definitely impacts the guys’ willingness to join. 2) in the book, Beth is actually the one to hit up Jolene she is a lot more recurring vs appearing randomly in the show :)
Her fashion progression filled a void that I did not comprehend was present in screenplays. The final scene outfit was the happy ending and you nailed the head on that analysis for it! The show with help of this video have sparked a potential passion for fashion design (and screenwriting) 100%.
I still don't know if the french friend was trying to sleep with her, or sabotage her chess match. The show was wonderfully done. I was so glued onto the story that I didn't realize the fashion until your video.
I think she’s a honey pot planted by the KGB. Just think about it: She conveniently has a job that allows her to be practically anywhere at any time without notice. And she just happens to be in Paris the day of the competition. Her story about meeting Benny and the other boys is shady, especially when she never learned how to play chess in the 2+ years that she’s known them. Not to mention that Benny lost his own competition against Borgov in the same year that he met Cleo (meaning that she’s possibly a spy that has infiltrated the American chess circle.) She was seen in Beth’s bed, which is a classic honeypot move. “Honeypots” during the Cold War were basically spies who pretended to be in homosexual relationships with prominent figures, which was a big no no because people were homophobic as fuck back then. What would the chess federation say if they found out that Beth was a lesbian?? Homegirl would gotten cancelled even if she’s the best chess player out there.
@@damnbabygirl8926 omg I never thought it that way. That make more sense. Cause I really mad with Cleo, yea it is Beth fault she turn out unprepared for the game but Cleo definitely play a part in distracting her
@@damnbabygirl8926 I knew she seems fishy, but as soon as she comes in with that french accent i knew she’s the one in the bed, i kept hoping its Jolene, but yeah Cleo isn’t good for Beth, regardless whether she is a spy or not
can we just talk about how pretty both the cover of the book, the show plus this video itself are ? the cover of the book gives me almost junji ito's portraits of humans vibes, its so prettyyy ! also both the show's color palette and mina's look are fuckin cheffs kiss my guy
Beth's chess friends rally around her because they are in awe of her chess abilities and worship her for that. As orphans Jolene and Beth have a special relationship that is way deeper than a normal friendship, that's why Jolene came to Beth's aid without hesitation. Your understanding of Beth's White Queen outfit at the end and her adoration by the chess men of Soviet Russia was spot on.
I disagree with the surrounding of characters around Beth. I looked at metaphor and symbolism in this and my interpretation sees it as a ensemble of chess pieces. Towards the end, especially that scene where they talk to her on her final match, Beth is the Queen, Townes is the King, Benny & Harry are Bishop, the other on the call (forgot their names) are pawns or rooks and we could see her mother and Jolene as such as well (maybe lost early in the game). I don't know much about chess, so this is as far as my interpretation goes, but some pieces must be a bit selfish in the way they move while others are their for support and defense, no? Anyways I also wanted to take the time and say I look forward to your analysis since I too also adore critiquing movies and shows by their visuals and fashion. I loved your analysis on the pill and pale green dress, I was trying for the longest time to decipher it and didn't event think of that. I loved the styling of the chess pieces as well! The use of colour has been another that I pointed out such as black and white being obvious, but also beige and off whites. I've been trying to further understand her use of certain colours such as yellow and green especially in Mexico City, but have nothing yet. Again, always look forward to you stuff! Keep is up! @cupcakeandtea
@Nadine Olivier This is a really interesting concept. Perhaps then we could see Jolene re-emerge at the end as the pawn that has crossed the board and become a queen herself?
@@HeartPlant I dont know quite what her role would be on the board. My personal interpretation was she was a piece or pawn somewhat unused for the later part of the game, but came in towards the end to make a important move to help the queen (block or attack). I still like your interpretation too!
as a chess player myself i would agree with beth being the queen, townes the king, benny and harry the bishops, the twin brothers (i also forgot the names) as possibly knights. benny and harry were powerful themselves while also protecting beth and the twins were not as competitive since they quit competing a lot earlier so they were less selfish and more defensive (as we see in mexico) jolene and alma would be rooks i would say since both kept their distance a little bit (alma did not adopt beth until later and jolene only came into their lives later) additionally the rooks are the most powerful pieces after the queen so their roles are pretty important. unfortunately i would say shaibel would be a pawn since shaibel made the first "move" in show if you look at the show timeline as a game. it sounds bad when you call shaibel a pawn but pawns are important since, as you can see in the show, opening in a strong way is really important.
I'm surprised you didn't mention the gorgeous velvet green blouse Beth wore to her match with Luchenko. It was absolutely stunning in combination with her red hair.
Chess is till date, a mostly white dominated sport so imagine how white it was in the 60s. I don't think there's a diversity problem, it's just historically accurate.
Yeah and the show kind of sticks to Western countries. Many people have always played chess in India but of course you wouldn't expect to see that in a show set mainly in 1960s usa. So I agree, its not a diversity problem
However, Beth is a wholly fictionalized character for this show. There haven't been any world chess champions that are women, so for a show set in 2020, there IS a diversity problem. Yes, historically accurate whiteness. But if they can invent Beth, why not invent some others to make the cast diverse?
@@brookb5890 bruh because the only fictionalized characters is beth, her arc is meant to be about her winning the championship so thats quite the arc to make into fiction. Its meant to be the world around her still being the way it normally is so the impact of her impressive and inspiring storyline doesnt become completely realistic but does make for satisfying storytelling (besides, its probably a fantasy about what would happen if a woman was breaking barriers about that time) . Beths story is fiction but the historical context isnt. Im pretty sure that was an active decision. And yes, at the time there was segregation so they´d change the surroundings to what beth is likely picking up. also i dont really see the point of "just inventing some poc characters". I think that is quite insensitive because youre just reducing what are meant to be fully fleshed out, multidimensional characters with their own storyline, to props to fill some sort of diversity quota. I do think they couldve focused more on jolene though.
@@sagefantaisie right exactly! the show is definitely not perfect and im not excusing the lack of diversity. im not knocking anyone for disliking it for that reason. but i still enjoyed it because it had good story and it was just fun to watch, and very empowering to see a woman doing something like this (granted it was still a white woman). its ok to still enjoy something and acknowledge its problems, no one is sinning for not criticizing or watching this show.
Why must everything be Woke? Don't Netflix give you enough of that already? They already made Townes character gay. He was straight in the novel. Other than that, the series follows the events in the book almost exactly, including the dialogue and almost all the other characters. Scott Frank made this series mostly true to the source material and in Tevis's novel, it was 1960's America. The diversity is an accurate representation of the times back then. Get over it.
@@puppa8619 omg same ... That woman knew that beth was an alcoholic and still pressured her to go drink by literally showing up to her hotel... Insufferable Bitch
My family and I have a theory that cleo was a plant placed by the Russians or another opponent to distract her from her focus on chess so she therefore cannot win against them. I don’t know if this is true or not but I believe that this was common at the time.
Actually Beth was alone a lot, the ones that gravitated to her was just here and there but the movie showed her with them because it be boring otherwise. About your Jolene question, I responded to someone else that had similar question, my reply: I think she got over addictions a lot by letting people that cared and loved her back into her life and the fact that those people reached out to her. Don't under estimate the power of a good conscience, Jolene mentioned how jealous she was about being jealous that she got adopted, they were best buds growing up at the orphanage and I think she lent her the money because of her conscience and her love of her like a sister.( also I think she had faith for good reasons that she would pay her back and she might need a favor sometime.) That was closest thing each other had to each other, that is they were like sisters, family. Another thing that helped her was her first love that turned out being gay came to Russia and helped her mental health with the renewing their friendship albeit platonic. Also the friendship of the ones in the State's helping her with that phone call. Then the moment during the tournament she saw the game on the ceiling but this time with out the drugs was the topper that she did not need the drugs Also loved Jolene's lines like when she said she was going to be a radical and "f-ck um if they can't take a joke". Thanks enjoyed your perspective..
@@jelkafabianova2801 Yes, to be more specific I'd say love / crush. I looked up the characters name, it was D.L. Townes. She met him at her first tournament on the week she started her period for the first time too, come to think of it, all amplifying the emotional consequences. The more I think about this movie it's hard to find fault, this was a well done mini series imho.
@@jelkafabianova2801 The funny thing is, Beth was just so awesome and gorgeous, she even had a gay man questioning his sexuality. When she meets Townes again in Las Vegas in Ep.3, they go back to his room. Beth is obviously hoping for some happy fun time, but his boyfriend walks in and she gets a very sad reality check, but, for a moment, Townes is tempted by her, as she poses by the bed with the chess board, he reaches out and strokes her hair and face. He mentions this to her in episode 7, where they reconcile in her Hotel the night before her match with Borgov, he tells her, "I was a little...confused. You really are something".
Yes i agree. I noticed she was alone a lot too, in the house, in hotel rooms, but she spend her time studying, decorating the house, falling down a hole (lol) but just like Anya mentioned in an interview that sometimes the most lonely we feel is because we can't see there's people around that care for us, she had people that cared for her. I think it shows that we can be alone and not feel lonely, we can enjoy solitude, its no big deal.
I never caught the color scheme of the green dress matching the pills! Or the end with her emulating a Queen chess piece. There were so many details that completely went over my head - this was such a cool analysis, thank you so much for making it :)
Ohhh I was hoping that you would do an analysis on it! I think the makeup change to a psychedelic/graphic 60's mod makeup where she completely loses herself and her mind and becomes someone else, is also really interesting. It's like she transformed into a doll/puppet. I loved the little details and especially the last scene/her white queen outfit
Did anyone notice that through her Russia games she was wearing predominantly black and dark greens at the beginning with the exception to the black and white dress of her first game? Including the most beautiful deep green velvet when she plays her hero. Then after her call with the boys in NY she wears a pale grey dress that we haven’t previously seen. Then after winning is all in white. As Mina said in the video, she has reached her final form of queen but I think the intermediary grey dress shows that the transformation really begins before she wins but when she has the support of her friends and has confidence.
I love this channel but I wish you were more.....broad minded? I've noticed when you tend to summarize the show/ piece of media you tend to only think about it from a specific perspective and judge characters or situations in a very single-minded way. This also shows in the way you edit in certain scenes to fit your bias.
Agreed. She thinks that she's woke and open minded but the fact that she lumps Jolene in the "black best friend/savior" trope just shows that she did not pay attention to the character of the black girl and immediately saw what she was used to seeing instead of what was actually presented. And in the pinned comment she says she wishes the civil rights movement and the overall climate of that time was addressed, but it literally was addressed several times. The fact that she sees Beth as obnoxious is weird to me and the fact that she showed CLEO while talking about "healthy female relationships" is purely insane. It is not about open mindedness anymore and it is instead about being able to consume a media to begin with.
@@stefanmakara373 yep I completely agree! From the videos i get the feeling that she actually hasn't even watched it at all because then a lot of her criticism simply wouldn't exist as the show clearly addressed each of them in the plot as a whole. Especially with Cleo being a good female friendship..PLEASE. As a black woman, I also would find it weird if in a show about someone who is so singlemindedly focused on chess to the point of destruction it suddenly started discussing the civil rights movement....simply wouldn't make sense plot wise at all. I love fashion and creators who discuss it but i hate shoddy research.
I agree completely, I guess if she watched it all in one night it's fine if you missed a few plot points but if, while watching the show she paid way more attention to the fashion, maybe she should stop giving such a strong opinion on the plot. I, and by reading the comments, almost all people disagree with every plot opinion she had lmao. I am getting really tired of her weird wokeness in most vids tbh, there seems to be always something to critique.
Could you do an analysis looking at the costumes in Pose FX? Would be curious to hear the symbolism and 1980s/ early 90s accuracy also and any references to Ballroom culture.
I just wanted to say that second wave feminism was about so so SO much more than optics! It represented a complete shift from focusing on women's disempowerment on just ability to vote to interrogating how social institutions (e.g. heterosexual relationships, the family, workplace) inherently subordinated women. It was also responsible for the instigation of legalising abortion and contraception and SO much else. Sorry I don't want this to sound condescending at all - gender studies were a huge part of my politics degree so I'm get super enthusiastic about anything to do w this period hahaha. I just found ur channel a couple of days ago and your vids are so informative and interesting!! (and ur fashion is incredible hahah)
I don’t think she meant to reduce the movement, I took as she just mentioned there was a lot of optic symbolism involved. Great comment for adding some more perspective though :)
I loved Anya Taylor-Joy's acting choices. She brought Beth to life with this spiky, brittle brilliance. I read her as autistic coded in a surprisingly believable way. And while everyone around her gave her a bit too much forgiveness, Taylor-Joy was so magnetic that I could believe that nobody exactly liked her, but that they were fascinated by her (and that in the end when they all came together, it was because her win would be an American win and she was their best bet). I got frustrated with the fact that she had *room-filling* chemistry with Chloe-- and it ended up going nowhere. Her disinterest during sex with men before their first meeting compounded that situation. I get that a 60s woman who woke up to find another woman in her bed would feel some kind of way about it, but I wish the show had addressed what happened, not swept it under the carpet and never mentioned it again. The diversity problem was real too. I read too many old white boomer reviewers saying how they were so relieved to watch something that "didn't have a PC agenda", and you know you're doing something wrong when you make that audience comfortable.
From the very first time I read Beths story some 2 years ago I felt a great connection and kinship with her. After recently being diagnosed with autism, I was perusing the Netflix catalog and I saw this book had recently come out as a tv show and wanted to re-examine my relationship with the character. After being brought to life on screen by Anya Taylor-Joy I actually connected with Beth even more. I could see so many aspects of myself in her. Sometimes not nice aspects. I also have short red hair so.... anyone know where I could buy some 1960s clothing and a chess manual. Lol. I also thought Beths sudden waking up and leaving so abruptly after hooking up with Cleo was not so much about feeling uncomfortable that she was with a woman but rather that the partner she choose was manipulative and knew how much the tournament meant to Beth but still guilted her in to partying, drinking, and staying up late the night before. They did have a fair amount of chemistry but it almost felt like Cleo’s motivation was not so much that she liked Beth but rather that she was mad that Benny was so infatuated with Beth and wanted to screw her over (literally). I also felt that Cleo was an annoying stereotype of a typical French woman with her being a model, smoking, implied sexual promiscuity, and her “I’m not like other girls” outlook. This may have been an intentional literary tactic but I didn’t really vibe with it. I however found the way most of the Russians were written, especially Borgov, to be phenomenally well done. Many other shows and movies miss the mark when going for a similar type of character type and the Russians were not vilified but rather admired in this show, whilst still alluding to some aspects of the influence of the KGB. In the book Beth and Jolene are romantically involved but unfortunately that relationship is also problematic in some ways. I never understood the authors need to put molest in the storyline. Their relationship otherwise made so much sense. Also yes more diversity was needed. I do think Beth needed to be white tho as the whole “only female in chess” would have been overshadowed if another such component was added to the character. If they did wish to call out class structure at the time and make it more “ historically accurate” they could have made more of a point to show Jim Crow laws, more poc, not just black, and how they were treated, what jobs they held, how that would have been more of a factor in Beth and Jolene’s relationship.
I think actually think the lack of diversity and how everyone keeps circling Beth makes sense. Queen's Gambit is Beth's story told from Beth's perspective. Beth was isolated for a significant portion of her childhood and finds it extremely difficult to socialize and relate to others - her age peers and those older/younger. She's suspicious of others and since she doesn't care for others much aside from their immediate benefit to her (ex. her relationship with Alma at the start, her childhood friendship with Jolene, her relationship with Harry), she assumes others react the same. It's subtly insinuated that when Jolene bitterly tells Beth when she's adopted that she's going to stay at the orphanage till she ages out because she's too old and too Black that Jolene cuts all ties with her (no letters, no phone calls) because she's petty and not going to go anywhere in life because what's life really going to be like for a penniless Black orphan girl? Jolene is completely put out of Beth's mind so we never see or hear of her again. BUT the turning point is in the last episode. While Beth's life is spiraling out of control and it seems like everyone is constantly abandoning her or letting her down (her mother, her father, Mr. Wheatley, Harry, Benny, etc) Jolene pops up to tell her Mr. Shaibel's died. THIS is the point where the narrative starts to open up and really drive home what a narrow worldview and self-centred perspective Beth, and us as the audience have had up until this point. Jolene isn't some random sidekick showing up again for just a feel good deus ex machina moment, we find out Jolene has been living a full like and a damn successful one too. Jolene's gone to college and well on her way to realizing her fantastic dreams of becoming a lawyer and fighting for civil rights. She's been living in the real world where the odds are even more stacked against her than Beth but she's fighting just as hard and thriving and also to leave behind her addiction. Beth isn't the only one working/playing in a man's world, Jolene was hired as a token diversity hire in an all white all male firm as a paralegal. But Jolene knows the racist and sexist rules and is currently playing by them so she can get to where she wants to and have all the more power to smash down those barriers for herself and others. But because Jolene - and all the other characters we've met so far - seek friendship and want to understand others, they've followed along with their friend Beth and her successes in the newspaper and magazines. This is when Beth realizes chess isn't everything and that part of her relationship problems - platonic and romantic - is because she self sabotages them and drops them before they can drop her. Just because Beth abandons others doesn't mean that they abandoned her in the exact same way. Just because she's doesn't care much for her chess acquaintances (as a viewer you can clearly tell she doesn't really consider them friends, just a few familiar faces who oddly keep popping up even when they're not at her caliber anymore) doesn't mean they don't think of the odd chess prodigy girl who's rocketing up through the competitions and ranking as a weird friend they're cheering for. Mr. Shaibel never forgot the angry awkward prodigy he decided to play and teach chess to at the orphanage. Overall, this is a longwinded comment to say that yes, Queen's Gambit isn't the most diverse of shows but it makes sense as it's a story through Beth's selfish and very narrow perspective. Beth didn't pay attention or care for the civil rights movement because it isn't chess and didn't affect chess or her life - therefore we as the audience do not see any of those things. Beth hangs out in pretty much homogenously white circles and areas so aside from the orphanage, we only briefly glimpse Black individuals as waiters or the odd uni student peripherally as Beth would in her worldview.
Opinion alert: I think the show is accurate of human connection in those days . I didn’t even question the “loyalty” of her “friends” because I didn’t think it was 100% about her. The meaning of their help went deeper then just helping her win at chess. They connected on a deeper level because of the chess playing and their mutual goals as well as, they are vicariously living they her. Not everything is about the main character in my opinion. :) love you and your reviews please never stop 💕
Really enjoyed the video, there's just one part I disagree with. You were talking about how it doesn't make sense that everyone in Beth's life revolve around her even though she doesn't put a whole lot of effort into maintaining her relationships. People like Beth have a natural gift in attracting others, despite their gaucheness and apparent emotional detachment. By this I don't just mean their talent, but their inner drive. Like Beltik said, "I realize I just don't love chess that much; I don't have what you have." (Recited this from memory so not verbatim, but the gist is there.) Beth possesses an extremely rare and precious quality, an unmatchable passion for what she does and a strong drive that keeps her going no matter the obstacles. In the end, it's this quality that draws people to her. Selfishness is the other side of concentrated passion. There are millions of hyper-self-centered people out there but very few have what Beth got and to me it outweighs all her flaws.
I think the reason people keep coming to her is because she had kind of an addicting personality and it shows with every person she meets they feel like naturally attracted to her somehow and believe me I've met people who are just full of shit but keep attracting people it's really impressive and frustrating
I missed one interesting outfit in this video, the counter-culture fashion look she wore when she fell back into her addictions, the one with the crazy eyeliner and mustard turtleneck and black coat.
I love what you said about her clothing style resembling a chess board, especially since her very first garnment was a dress with her name on it and her mother saying "So you will always remember who you are", as if she does the chess-like clothing to remind herself she's (the queen of) chess. Also, we see what you do wearing "the pills" as eye-shadow!!!
This video left me screaming internally for the accuracies you point out about the relationship between culture and fashion. So many fashion historians neglect this, misunderstand it, or purposefully appeal to recontextualizations even if they are not true. It's such a relief to see content on the subject that shows care towards the understanding that a shift in the zeitgeist can be extreme and radical but also not immediate.
I watched this series on a whim and was absolutely glued to it. Binged it in three days. I love this video. I love fashion history and I love how you picked up on all the symbolism in the outfits. Great video!
In the books, Beth isn't so cold-hearted as she is portrayed. She actually did form some friendships.. So it would make sense when others rally around her on her journey to Moscow - unlike in the show, where it made no sense that all these people who Beth has scorned and been rude to in the past all of a sudden want to help her. Benny and Beth actually form a friendship over the span of their careers, and bond over the fact that they can't relate to people romantically or socially. They do have a romantic dynamic, but agree they are too messed up to actually be with each other. I didn't like how the show threw them together, and Beth left him with no explanation. Also, in the book, Jolene doesn't seek Beth out. In fact, Beth seeks Jolene out as she's spiraling with her addiction because she feels she's the only person who would understand as she has seen her addiction developing in its early stages. Other than those plot holes, the show was phenomenal and the costume design was genius! I loved your analysis
the show didn't just throw them together. a sexual dynamic was established. i think beth is a little bit arrogant about how alluring she is so she was expecting that she would be able to reach benny easily but when benny made it hard for her, she experienced what other people feel with her. beth did not leave benny with no explanation. she just lost the biggest match of her life and she was feeling stupid because she had allowed herself to lose sight of the goal. benny was her teacher and she definitely felt like she disappointed him. understandably, she would not want to face him right after losing, especially when it was her own fault. i still think the way jolene showed up was not really flawed since jolene was visiting about shaibel and it would've been just awkward if she had shown up anywhere else or if beth had suddenly decided to go see jolene with no explanation.
Around the 5:30 mark when Mina talks about the character rewearing costumes, to make them seem more realistic, is something else I felt was missing from Emily in Paris.
OMG YAYY FINALLY A VIDEO ON HER FASHION, I watched the show last week on saturday and fell in love but at that time there wasn't many articles about the show and I found none about her fashion which stood out to me. I also fell in love with her character and found the wardrobe fascinating and interesting! Thank you for this!!!!
This was super good! I loved queen's gambit (despite the flaws you mentioned that I agree with) and seeing you break down the show has increased my appreciation for it! I hope the costume designers see your video and feel validated that someone noticed their hard work
beth is the best in her field, confident, and very pretty. i think it's totally realistic that they gravitate towards her. it's pretty common for people to be attracted towards successful people, especially those that carry themselves with a ton of confidence + have the beauty. to a bunch of chess players they probably hella admire and idolize her, and want her to succeed (also no american has won what she had a shot at in ages, so that's likely part of why they feel strongly enough to help her)
I've gotten a lot of comments about the diversity point I made. In my opinion, for a show created in 2020, there should be more inclusion of POC.
Cleo was apparently not in the original book, but they added her in. Townes wasn't gay in the book either, apparently. These are all things they rewrote for the script, so it would also be possible to add POC without changing the essence of the story. Even making Jolene a stronger character who shows up earlier rather than just as a "token Black best friend/savior" would be an improvement. Also, the best method for writing diverse characters without "tokenizing" them for brownie points is actually hiring POC writers!
I received some comments saying that a 1960s period piece doesn't need diversity, even though the 1960s was the height of the Civil Rights Movement. Even referencing these political events would've been more ideal than pretending they didn't exist, because in reality - these events were REALLY significant and it's actually unrealistic to NOT reference them. It's like having a "period piece" set in 2016 where none of the characters mention the election.
In addition, mainstream media has compromised historical accuracy numerous times. Do we really believe that women were wearing 21st century makeup and bathing regularly in the 16th century? Half the costumes used in period dramas are not even historically accurate. Why do we choose to draw the line at diversity when it comes to historical accuracy in movies/tv?
But even as I say that, POC have existed for as long as White people have existed. There have even been Africans and Asians in Europe for centuries via trade. All these people have storylines that could easily intersect with a White narrative if the writers tried harder. For example, Harlots is a great show that incorporates a ton of diverse, believable characters and takes place in 18th century England.
I loved The Queen's Gambit regardless. I don't think interrogating the media we consume or questioning how we can bring more representation into a story is controversial or cause for uproar 💛
I completely agree with all of your points. I think some people don't like to acknowledge representation (or lack thereof) in modern media, because it involves them having to try and rid themselves of their own biases as well. Your opinion is very valid and as a POC myself, I appreciate you using your platform to talk about these issues (despite the push-back you may receive). As a theatre student with an interest in costume design, these topics really interest me! Keep it up
Her teen years took place in the 50s and 60s in the suburbs of Lexington Kentucky. As much as I would love there to be black folks in that area during that time period, they weren't. When these suburbs were built, they also actively excluded black people. To put black kids randomly into her school and neighborhood would be disingenuous and allow people to ignore the injustice that happened during the time. Let's not pretend. If you looked closely, the show included black people into he series to help mark the time period. The most important one I remember is the young black man riding his bicycle on a college campus. Its may seem inconsequential to you, but it was a major indicator of the shift in racial climate. Just because it is 2020, does not mean anyone can rewrite history and sugarcoat it. No matter how well-meaning you are.
Also they took the "black savior" trope. And flipped it, they didn't play into it. They went out of their way and put it into her lines to communicate to the audience that they were not playing into the trope. They truly made her Beth's family. Hence the monologue about Jolene not being Beth's guardian.
You're well-meaning, but you're missing the mark.
@@shalaywashington6326 *thank you*
@@shalaywashington6326 perfectly made
@@shalaywashington6326 You say this point about historical accuracy regarding the segregation but how many movies have there been about Black people doing this time period that center the Black story around a white savior or white perspective, even making up characters just to do so?
I love that you pointed out how they didn’t make Beth’s character fall down the “she’s not like other girls” trope. In an interview, Anya Taylor-Joy said she made it a point for Beth to be purposely feminine and stylish to kill the stereotype that a girl has to be either smart or fashionable. She can be both. And that’s what Anya wanted for Beth’s character.
My only concern with this is that the trope of a conflict between intelligence and beauty is always resolved with the woman being both anyway. Not once have I seen a story in which someone other than the villain still believes that the girl must choose by the end. For once I would like a female character flawed in the audience's eye due to genuinely being unintelligent or unfashionable (or both!) and still be likeable.
@@frenchbreadstupidity7054 I don’t agree! Think for example in the big bang theory - you got Amy (intelligent and unfashionable) and Penny (less intelligent but fashionable), and they are both likeable!
@@frenchbreadstupidity7054 I think it's definitely rare (because of Hollywood beauty standards) to show a female character that is flawed in looks. But if you haven't seen Mad Men, the female characters are quite complex in that show! Peggy Olsen is probably not conventionally beautiful but is very smart and Betty Draper is not """intelligent,""" but is conventionally beautiful. Both these characters are likable and unlikable.
@Miro Reverby On the red hair, Anya actually said in an interview that even though her character had brown hair in the book, she knew immediately that wanted Beth to have red hair to represent how she would always stick out like a sore thumb, that she didn't fit in with the others around her no matter how hard she tried. While I do agree with your main point about Hollywood beauty standards, red hair was a creative choice to symbolize an element of Beth's character.
yES
Don't tell anyone, but the fashion was even better than the chess.
I agree strongly with this statement.
HAHHA I love whoever runs your account
Literally just got your app an hour ago and then saw this! Yesss
No it wasn't.
Literal *CHESS* said this. 10/10
I love the subtle irony of when the “ popular girl “ says she will never be caught dead in Ben Snyder’s, and there she is, shopping for her kids in Ben Snyder’s
i peeped that! basically showing how she never progressed past that even though she initially thought higher of herself
@@moonchild708 💯
Wait what is Ben Snyder’s tho?
@@jessiemayfield6749 it was a shop with out-dated fashion i guess?
@@Fatima-rs6bv prob like Costco
I can understand why the boys in the show keep coming back to her despite how cold she is. They idolize and romanticize her, it does not matter how shitty of a person she was to them. She was the most talented player of the game they were obsessed with. I understand your frustration with Jolene not being in other episodes because she was a very likeable character, however it makes sense for her to be absent. She was at the orphanage and the two of them were living separate lives. Only reason she came into town was because Shaible died and she was trying to get in contact with Beth. I think she gave her the money because of their past relationship, they were like sisters growing up, there is a level of trust in that.
I also feel like Jolene’s absence was necessary to the narrative, if she showed up earlier I suspect Beth probably wouldn’t have gone off to the deep end the way she did
@@burntblueberrywaffles idk i almost feel like if they had grown up together more, jolene would have gone of the deep end just like beth did. jolene disapproved of beth's addiction but only benny was firm enough to actually prevent beth from abusing substances. additionally jolene was also in a risky place and even enabled beth a little bit. in fact i consider her to be very lucky to have been able to pull herself out of her situation.
yes.
this. omg this, and she also tells Beth she isn't anyone's guardian angel, she's just helping her family
@@ashleyrocke4144 Not to mention Jolene was the one who tipped her off to the tranquilizers in the first place. You can see some elements of her guilt coming through as early as their time in the orphanage. I think that’s another thing to consider. Jolene was older and looked out for Beth while they were at the orphanage. They were family, and in that sense Jolene was the older sister. She felt some sense of needing to take care of Beth and set her on the right path. You can sense her disappointment and a tinge of guilt when they meet as adults and she realizes that Beth is still abusing the pills.
Overall I do agree that the lack of diversity stands out and while there are historical reasons for why a show set in mid-21st century Kentucky would be heavily segregated, they addressed the issue with a lot of subtlety. I think the show would have benefited from giving more screen time to tackling those realities head-on instead of making it a subtext. I mean they say the reason Beth was adopted and Jolene wasn’t was because of racism, Alma makes some racially charged off-hand comments, but they don’t really do anything with those points other than throw them out there. I would have liked to see them flesh out those points instead of touching on them lightly and then leaving them in the dust.
I think Jolene giving money to Beth makes so much sense. She was always reading about Beth, she was following every match of her, even though they werent talking. She said, as a kid she used her ice cream money to buy chess magazines with Beth on the cover. She loved Beth, she saw her as her family. Jolene knew the importance of that Moscow match, and she believed in her
And as she said, she wasn’t - guardian angel that came to save her. She was helping in the way a family help each other, trusting Beth would do the same if SHE ever got in trouble.
@@burntblueberrywaffles exactly. Kind of bothered me that she included that clip but not the dialogue that directly followed it (where Jolene laughs and states that she is NOT her guardian angel).
Not trying to be rude but I think watching the strong black woman trope on the take might help you understand why that was problematic
@@chaoticfreshman_draws Bruh, just because she's black and strong doesn't mean it follows that trope at all. If anything Jolene lives the stereotypical "white housewife" in a sense. She marries a white man and wants to lead a normal white suburban life even though she knows other blacks may judge her for doing so. She also mentions how she isn't anyone's gaursian angel, she's just helping as a fellow family member.
@Rosamund Powell Becase she was her one and only friend in the orphanage which defined her entire childhood. She had nobody else. Is that really that hard to understand? Plus, she was somebody she looked up to. To think that your friend who was once on the same path in life as you-from an underage, is now a star gives you a little bit of hope, doesn't it?
I feel like Anya Taylor-Joy’s red wig was the real main character of this show
Totally!;
was it a wig or her own hair dyed? it looks so natural
@@carly8555 wig
@@carly8555 i only noticed in the last episode where she played against borgov. if u look at her scalp you can see lace
wait what....that was a wig????
i also love how you can tell she has these muses whose fashion she tries to emulate, like the highschool girls, then the pants that look very audrey hepburn, then she's watching that venus music video on tv and does her makeup like the singer. it all makes sense too since she's a teenager and in her early 20s in the show which is when everyone would be experimenting with fashion and style anyways
It was very relatable, yeah.
I love the one scene when she's doing her hair and she has a reference picture of Natalie Wood that she tore out of a magazine
How can you be in your early twenties and be a teenager?? Teens are from 13-19 so....
But great point nonetheless!
@@moon.937 they literally wrote the word “and.”
And.
The show spans several years.
@@moon.937 the show progressed over time so in part of it she was a teenager and other in her twenties
still served better looks than Emily in Paris
Emily in Paris set a very low bar to cross
@@stabajo True 👀
Agreed 100%
Periodt
Beth Harmon served hunty!!! Every look gave me lifeeee!!
If you know anything about chess, it's also fitting that she progresses from a white "pawn" in the first scene with young Beth (where we see her standing in front of the car crash) where she's wearing white shoes and socks and a washed out denim dress to the final scene as the white "queen"! It really represents her growth both personally and as a chess player, from the weakest, most restricted piece to the strongest, freest piece.
Wow . This gave me chills
Wait, wouldn’t she be a pawn in the orphanage since she’s one of many, they all look identical, and that’s when she begins her chess journey?
@@lea8532 great point!!! i liked that they chose a “pawn-like” outfit for her before the orphanage too! there were so many wonderful and symbolic choices made in the costuming for this show - it added so much more complexity to the original story!
Wow
The costume designer, Gabriele Binder really outdid herself with the outfits in the show. Yeah, Beth served looks but the other characters did too.. take a look at Benny's outfits for instance, he dressed like a pirate for tournaments but in the scenes where he was in NYC with (and without) Beth, his outfits served. This show did something I wished more shows did... the outfits made sense.
"a pirate for tournaments" 😭😭
I came here to talk about this too, totally agree!! :)
I think it’s realistic how all the guys revolved around her. She is beautiful, talented and mysterious, what is there not to be attracted to? And men put up with a lot than you’d expect from an attractive girl. Also she is the IT girl in the chess community and is very impressive at what she does, which may be tempting them to stick around to see her journey.
Agreed.
I agree with this. Most of the guys were attracted to her physically and mentally. I honestly can’t blame them either.
@@sagefantaisie yeah I also agreed. I feel she really overlooked a lot of the series and also oversimplified what happened in the show-- everything had a sequence to it and a reasoning behind it. Same thing with how she says it was a rags to riches cliche with someone distancing themselves from where they came from. it was quite the opposite. the orphan life and traumatic childhood she had with her mother was something she couldn't escape from the ENTIRE series lol.. she was literally taking the same drugs she was given in the orphanage.
@@day2Dawn did you even listen to what she said in the video? She specifically said it WASNT the rags to riches trope, with Beth returning to shop a Ben Snyder or whatever as an example
She's also the one chance they got at beating the Russians. Before her was Benny, but it seems by the time Beth got on the scene, he's already long given up on that. You could say it's patriotism, they personally know her, or just for revenge somehow cos they couldn't do it themselves.
everyone i've spoken to has said the same thing: once they started they couldn't stop, they binged it in one day. such a brilliant show
i LOVE it. I'm quite picky with TV shown. the last show I've liked as much as The Queens Gambit was MadMen. I love the glamour and casual drinking/smoking of the 60s for some reason.
Fr! I only started it because I really like Anya's acting but I ended up falling in love with the show itself
True! I did that today didn't even notice I was already watching the ending :'>
I stopped watching it after a few episodes. No tension at all. She just wins or loses with little consequence.
I binged it in two but only because I started it late and had to work the next day lmao
Beth is an enigma, a genius and an absolute beauty. I can believe that people gravitate around her.
Was thinking the same, totally agree!
she has tons of charisma too
big agree!! people are drawn to things that amaze them and beth is certainly incredible
I think it's less about how they are drawn to her and more about how they are her plot armour. This show is a lot about interpersonal conflict but her friendships are suddenly infallible when the plot demands it. And I'm not the type of person to demand that side characters should have arcs and fully developed lives, but they are revealed to have very little existence outside her if they are free to drop everything to accomodate whatever is happening to her this hour of this day.
Also lol 'enigma, genius and beautiful' are the things that gets a girl bullied and isolated, not worshipped.
As a person of color, the diversity in the show didn't bother me because of the time zone and how her friend came back during the most important time in her life because beth is a different person around her as if she doesn't want mess up in front of her
if anything jolene was widely respected by beth
I personally value when tv shows are realistic towards real life instead of just having token diversity. I feel like jolene has always been some sort of older sister to Beth and they have always been there for each other even if that wasn’t portrayed in the show. At the end of the day by being historically accurate the show seemed much more realistic and meaningful.
@@hazelmatheson3830 wow someone with taste, finally
agreed. if they did have more poc, you would be able to tell that it would be for political correctness, not paying authenticity to story
@@hazelmatheson3830 you explained it perfectly
I loved how they portrait Mexico, Mexican architecture, parks and Mexican characters, I point this out because you're talking about lack of diversity, but as a Mexican viewer, this representation was very beautiful and respectful. I think it's the first time I see my country portrayed that beautiful in American or foreign cinematography.
People will often be blind to a diversity that they do not expect or need.
@@stefanmakara373 Good point. You often see what you look for.
As a Mexican I agree! I was pleasantly surprised by the set design and appreciation to the architecture, also how it was an important competition to the story line and not just “tacos and tequila partyyyy” thats always seen in movies
@@AndreaGonzalez-vm8bs frl and the whole “orange filter” LIKE BITCH NO 😭
@@AndreaGonzalez-vm8bs im having insane deja vu reading your comment. i swear i've seen it before but ive never watched this video. the mind is weird...
As a Russian viewer, I really liked the representation of the USSR in the show, this is probably the most positive representation in a foreign cinematography that I have seen. In the show, they have great respect for the Soviet school of chess and the Soviet people are shown as the most loving this game in the world, which is very relatable, since we admire and love our chess players since childhood. Moscow, speech, people, food - it was all nice to see it not in a stereotyped way, but the series also did not cover our dark history and added such moments as the KGB. Overall, I really liked this aspect of the show.
Also wanted to thank you for the video! I really couldn’t wait to see it, so i was tried to watch the show as fast as I could ❤️
I’m Russian too. For me, the Soviet admiration of chess corresponded with what Beth told to the Life’s interviewer about her addiction to chess. She told that chess is a only world she could have control of. Well, Borgov and other Soviet players did not have control over their personal lives and were followed by kgb agents. So I do not feel that USSR is positively pictured in the series. It’s realistic anyway
Exactly! It's probably the most accurate USSR representation I've ever seen in foreign films/tv series. I really appreciate that they casted mostly native Russian speakers, it was soo wholesome
@@MargieMedina This scene was introduced by Kasparov as a series consultant.
@@alicebalik3619 Borgov was played by a polish actor Marcin Dorociński, how did he do in terms of speaking russian?
@@Mar..i Well his accent was quite obvious, but his Russian overall was really impressive
I think they gravitated to her the way people gravitate to talent or beauty. It makes sense. It's not the "I'm here for you." Type of friendship. It's more of like "wow, you're a genius." Type.
Agree. I gravitated towards her too bc she was gorgeous and a genius, don’t really care if she gets hungover and vomits everywhere
Agree. I've read things like that in a lot of geniuses' biographies. Many of these "geniuses" tend to be socially awkward or even abrasive, but people around them admire their talents and couldn't help but root for them.
this is true. i get told even now by colleagues from uni , family and friends that i can be a piece of shit, socially, but know that if they need to know anything and better explained than google (literally anything, including translation), they can just ask me . i don't really do "much" for my loved ones, socially. no work so i can't spot people all the time as much as i'd love to (but i do treat people when i have money), don't drive or even know how, so if someone wants to hang out with me , they know they have to eventually drive me home because public transport doesn't run late.
yet , despite this all, my friends are always there to help me out and when i ask them why , because again, i'm not that social nor hold social "currency", they say that the knitting, weaving, spinning yarn on a spindle, the novels /history/stuff that i write and the fact that everyone says i'm a living wikipidea , they are happy to not just have me around, but help me. i'm equally as happy to have these people in my life, and even more grateful.
this all very much confuses me because even i don't like myself much.
not trying to toot my horn or anything.....my life has been nothing but a self hate pity party, but i never have seen a character in a book or on screen that i could relate to 100% of the time .
I really loved Jolene’s character and I was so sad she wasn’t given more time.
they could’ve done so much more with her!! beth didn’t have any girl friends. the fact she was older really made me wish she was a big sister.
Fr she was my favourite and i was so upset
IKR
ikr, i was like, girl it's been YEARS why didn't you seek out Jolene?
@@solarprogeny6736 I think that's part of the point though. Like how she didn't contact Mr Shaival after she got catapulted into fame. Chess just took over her life and it was only after she spiralled and Shaival died that she realised she needed people like Jolene.
i feel like the absence of jolene in most of the series is actually accurate? because jolene was in the orphanage till 18 years old and by that time beth was already a really great chess player so she always was on some championships in different cities and countries etc we literally haven't seen at her house till her mother died
i always thought Jolene was a few years older than Beth, maybe 2 or 3, so she probably left the orphanage a little after Beth got adopted /if she stayed until she was 18, idk what were the customs in the USA in the 60s/. So she did her college thingie and all but still, your point stands.
She worked so that she could pay for her college. So a few months/years passed in the timeline of the story until she reached out to Beth, and they were probably already in their early 20s.
I believe that Jolene felt guilty about teaching Beth to save her meds for bedtime. That's why she her the money to go to Russia.
oh shit that totally makes sense
I don't think so.... She gave her money because as she said "Beth was all she had when they were kids...and they're like family".... Plus, Jolene knows Beth will win
Wow, that is interesting !!
Exactly!
I i disagree about the comment of her friends “randomly” giving her support. I think they understand that she is a prodigy. They also come together to fight against the Russians in chess which is by far the most competitive form of competition. If your are obsessed with chess the way it is expressed in the series as well as in real life, I think I that these events that you find random or doesn’t really make logical sense, i view them quite natural and real.
The final episode especially. It's been stressed on multiple occasions in the series that the Russians play as a team, and they were shown going through the games together, while Beth was all alone... Benny stressed it to her that she needed someone on her team to be with her in Russia, too. So it wasn't that surprising to me that they pooled everyone together, although I kept going "phone bill?!".
@@saturated3821 team work it's came from Kasparov to oppose Fischer style "one person world" and merge with best soviet practices
@@saturated3821 I’m pretty sure they adressed the phone bill too with Benny going along the lines of “ guys this is going to cost me a fortune “
@@saturated3821 I think beating Russians was more important to them, than the phone bill :D You can find the money later, but it's unlikely to have another shot at beating Russians at their home game
i agree, also i think they understand that her addiction has caused her to act out of term a lot of the time
The way she looks like a chess queen at the end and won her title by playing the queen’s gambit in the tournament was mind blowing! But yes her clothes looks like chess patterns. In the series, she says to the journalist how safe she feels in a 64 square board and that chess can also be beautiful not just competitive.
Someone should give you a prize for biggest spoiler on this comment section, I mean, you were able to tell ALL the finale episode in a few lines. You go, spoiler girls.
Thanks for the spoiler...
Jeeeeeesus no need to watch now
I don't think there's much spoiled here.
@@DLee-jd4yw What are you talking about, this comment gave away the very last episode.
I loved the repeated clothes! There's always a touch of extra magic when you can really imagine yourself in a character's closet and daydream how they want to dress for the day.
I absolutely adore this show, I love how they didn’t stick with the the stereotypes that all smart women have to dress “geeky” and conservative i also love the fact that Beth doesn’t end up with a love interest and that she’s focusing on her self and her sobriety
me too!
"she's super condescending to dudley dursley"
THAT SENT ME
He's never gonna live this down, i only remembered him the longest as that character i feel bad 😭
WAIT he was the actor for dudley dursley???? no wonder he looked so familiar 😂 i kept telling myself that he looked like a skinny dudley
wait no wonder he looked familiar
He has changed
I was so confused for a sec mad then I remembered that he was Harry’s brother in Harry Potter😂
This show was so good in developing character trough wardrobe because it got to take it's time! It wasn't just orphan girl one day, circle-skirt high school teenager the next. It got to take some baby steps, to let Beth slowly find her style. Note how the first dress she buys for her winning money is still a pinafore style, but a more grown version than the one's she's been stuck with, and her short bob gets to grow and become more of an adult haircut trough the decade.
It was also realistic in the sense that you assume only rich people adopted orphans. At first you might think that when we walks into her room being like "this is all for me?" but then later realize the family is struggling with money.
The clothes in this show were DELICIOUS and the plot riveting. Go watch it!
Delicious? Are you hungry?
I understand what you meant 😂
For me Beth’s clothes make me hungry in every scene and my girlfriend said Benny’s clothes also delicious especially the scene when Beth stay in New York with him and he was doing a breakfast
WHY DID I CACKLE OUT LOUD WHEN SHE SAID "she wears a lot of geometric square patterns which makes her look,, like a chess board" SHSUHXUXUX PLEASEEE-
IKRRR
what do you think goes into costume design my guy, most decisions like that in costumes ARE NOT accidental.
@@squidneythesquid2487 i know, i know. i just found the sentence funny the way she said it and even funnier without context
Is anybody gonna mention the fact that Beth kept her mom's iconic pastel pink and blue (quilt) coat after she died??? She literally hugged the coat, laying in bed in a moment of frustration and later she WEARS IT in FRONT of the mom's husband when he came over with a lawer at her house to discuss to whom the property belongs. SHE INTENTIONALLY DID IT TO TEASE THE HUSBAND for his aloofness for the mom's death. I found that brilliant.
Oooooh I noticed and she also wore her mums heals with the coat. I missed her mum being there for her😢
I think it was in ep 6 that a reporter asked Beth her response to being accused of being too glamorous to be taken as a serious chess player, and she responds "I think it's much easier playing chess without the burden of an Adam's apple."
Like Beth knows that a comment like that is amusing to the men in the room but is clear enough to let them know she doesn't care about the accusations. Beth knows she's glamorous, and to top it off she's a woman, which makes her an easy target for reporters and for people to look down on her.
I love how she hates how papers emphasize that she's a woman more over anything else, but doesn't reject that she's a woman in order to be taken more seriously. I love how her style progresses and I could literally imagine young girls of her time looking at her photos, reading about how accomplished and brilliant she is, and seeing this stylish icon and have that stick with them for the rest of their lives.
IVE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS ONE~! TURN IT UP
Are you going to do a "Every single outfit Anya Taylor Joy wears in The Queen's Gambit"? Please, i was hoping for you to do it 👑💕
◼◻◼◻I love your channel ◻◼◻◼
Please collab
Slow songs are for skinny h0es🗣
Yeeesss me too, btw love ur videos ♡♡
@@colibri2836 she doesn’t do tv shows but only movies
I must say, your level of analysis and depth regarding fashion and costume analysis is absolutely remarkable. I did pick up on certain clues while watching the show (the permanently muted, often black-and-white reminiscent of chess colour story and palette, the transition throughout the years, the pant wearing, the striking visual difference between her and 'the other girls' etc) but I would've NEVER picked up on the green dress resembling the pills thing, not even the final look where she resembles a white queen chess piece - it's amazing how you manage to pick certain subtleties that might have went unnoticed for most.
You're such a delight to watch, such an entertaining and informative YT channel. Truly a gem. Thank you so much, Mina.
Couldn’t have said it better myself!
Exactly
She is so succinct, knowledgeable, and articulate.. I love the way she intertwines fashion and culture. It is really amazing. Hw she compares the green pills and the dress was brilliant!!
💯
3:19 Cmon, you took the “you’re my guardian angel” clip completely out of context. Jolene then claps back as to why she isn’t just some “guardian angel” and they were once friends that only had each other in their childhoods. I agree Jolene should have had much more of a presence in the show but I thought that following scene was her character standing up for herself against that POC-saving-grace trope and it was 100% her decision to give Beth the money because of the genuine connection they shared in the past.
THANK YOU! That was such dishonest editing.
I mean Jolene might have rejected the POC-savior trope but throughout the show she is portrayed as just that. We see her in the beginning when she saves Beth at the orphanage. Then we see her at the end when she saves Beth again from her alcoholism. That’s it. That’s all we see of Jolene. So yeah, her main role was to be the savior and not much more. Otherwise she would’ve played a bigger part
@@victoriag863 (SPOILER WARNING:)
That's because Jolene is a minor character in the life of Beth Harmon in the same way that Benny Watts, Henry Beltik, and even the janitor are. These characters also helped out in significant ways that got her far in her chess career monetary and skill-wise.
Imo, Jolene's relationship with Harmon sticks out because she's the only 'big' POC character in the whole show. In reality, Harmon meets plenty of characters that "save" her, and the show doesn't shine a spotlight on those character's lives, but rather her relationship with them. This is basically the whole narrative: it's all about Beth Harmon. (The only exception I can think of is Beth's adopted Mom but that's because she spends every waking moment with her - but again we don't even know about her illness until later).
Circumstances matter too; the orphanage episodes were built up to showcase Beth's neurotic introversion/logical genius, dealing with trauma and living at an orphanage.
All she cared about was chess and those pills. Jolene's personality is much more outgoing and rebellious, and she influences Harmon in that way. If not for her I doubt she would even have any friends lmao.
It felt to me that they added that scene to avoid any backlash from tokenizing Jolene and it didn't make up for how the show actually portrayed her.
I kinda feel like that almost made it worse? It was a little maddening to see them so obviously call out and criticize this trope but then just fall right into it.
I didn’t know her green dress when she lost to borgov was similar to that of her pills it totally flew over my head!!
In the documentary to the series they said that this green dress shows that she is losing structure. Because the fabric is just not right for the cut of the dress. It is too flowy and soft so it just feels... off, in a way.
WHY DIDN'T I CLOCK THAT HARRY IS DUDLEY DURSLEY
He’s been in a lot of Netflix shows lately! Check out The Old Guard film! It’s another great Netflix movie he stars in as a villain
@@PS-fk5zv He’s also great in the movie The Devil All The Time!
OMD I DIDNT AS WELL UNTIL YOU FUYS POINTED IT OUT! The whole show I was like, I recognise his eyes, but whyxD
HOW?! The second his face was on the screen the first time I was like oh no, how do I unsee him as Dudley... but actually it didn't take long once the character actually did something, because he was so different, but man he's got such a distinctive face every time I see him anywhere I'm like DUDLEY WTF
@@saturated3821 yeah me too, i saw a dark side shot and was like "HE´S FROM HARRY POTTER", but his role in this is probably going to be equally memorable to me now
Loved Jolene and unfortunately the book did her much dirtier. Early in the novel, Jolene sexually assaults Beth and their friendship carries on as it does in the film (don’t get me started on how the only Black character is immediately vilified with this arc). That may illustrate as to why she pays Beth’s way to Russia - some sort of guilt. Overall I’m happy that Beth was free from sexual abuse in the film adaptation. When watching period films, I’m often bracing myself for some sort of assault (especially young women in male dominated circles) and I’m happy the movie was free from this.
PS. I’m a new subscriber and your work is incredible. I’ve been binging!
I'm pretty sure that in the novel, Jolene doesn't pay for her trip. Beth always had the money top pay for her own trip - just - the problem was paying for Benny to travel with her as her second.
Yep definitely would not have needed to see some rapey shit in there
Dude I was scared when she got adopted
@@Holdit66 thanks for clearing that up! I haven’t gotten that far yet
I almost feel like a couple more episodes inbetween to re-establish beth's relationship with benny, jolene, and harry and to apologize would've really filled out this show well.
Agreed. I feel this happens a lot in shows where the main character never takes accountability for their actions and the other characters just follow along.
Well she made up with jolene when they were together, she did apologize to Townes, didn’t expect an apology for Benny cuz they are almost on the same level of insanity (plus he didn’t apologize to her either when she clearly had something for him, could’ve rejected her and still being friends but nah, I just think he was indecisive at the time but still should’ve apologized to Beth.) the one that really deserved the apology was Harry, even if he knew they wouldn’t end up together he still has was worried for her and kept coming back even if she pushed him away
@@kuddlecat yeah i agree about Benny, she wants to be alone so what's the problem? He's a good guy but he did her dirty like that. yes she fell down a hole but she didn't blame him tho. I agree about Harry too, but i guess harry's just too nice to care about how she yelled at him last they met hahaha
@@chippyxchappa tbh I’m a Harry 😭
It makes more sense in the novel. Townes doesn't appear to pick on Beth's attraction for him. Maybe he just sees her as a kid (there is no Roger), and their paths don't cross again after Las Vegas. She wasn't mad at him although she was disappointed that nothing happened in his room.
Harry moves out (some time after he stops coming to her room at night) because it seems he can't handle the fact that she has become such a stronger player than him. Their paths don't cross again after that, and he doesn't keep a worried eye on her during her downhill slide. He certainly isn't in Benny's apartment during the Moscow tournament. There's no reason he should be, since there's nothing to suggest that Benny and he are friends, even if Benny is aware of who Harry is.
As for Jolene, she is nasty to Beth after her failed..."approach"...and Beth calls her "n***er" in response, which seems to impress Jolene -not I suspect because of the word she uses but because she sees that Beth isn't going to put up with her sh*t. She also gives Beth some sports tips which make life easier for her and when Beth has her period during the first tournament, she knows what to do because Jolene told her - in the novel Annette Packer isn't present in the ladies room (I like the way they made a bit more of her in the series). Jolene's work to help Beth out of her alcoholic pit has a lot more to it in the novel, and it's Beth who contacts Jolene, not the other way round.
I'd like to point out something I found rather interesting. We see a flashback to when Beth's mother, Alice was embroidering Beth's name on her dress, she tells her something along the lines of, "so that you don't ever lose your identity." (i don't think she says the word identity though). when she gets to the orphanage, the head mistress burns the dress.
thought that was quite interesting.
I don't think it's because she lost her identity there, I think it's because she gained a new identity in the orphanage, you could say that she discovered (or acknowledged) parts of her that she didn't know existed- such as geniusness, addiction, trauma, relationship struggles, power struggles, creativity (especially seen in her fashion sense). Maybe you noticed she didn't talk at all in the cutscenes where her mother appeared... she didn't have a voice in her childhood until she was alone on her own, most likely because of the troubled relationship of her parents and abandonment. It's very frequent that your own family has an image about you- how you should be and act (when her mother said that Beth shouldn't trust men, or her step mom's beliefs that women shouldn't work, just expect money from her husband) but Beth was too young to understand that she can make her own beliefs and not listen to everybody.
I actually really enjoyed how all of the characters kind of revolved around Beth. I think narratively, this was the goal the writers were trying to achieve, to make it like it was from Beth’s pov. Beth’s character is referred to as somewhat as a self-destructive genius, which they did phenomenally. She viewed her chess self and her achievements disconnected from her self and personal relationships. In my opinion, this was a great way to write this type of show.
Yes and I feel it showcases that from an outsiders perspective, people would assume she has everything, looks, smarts, money, boys. But even with all of that, Beth still struggled even though she appeared to have a "perfect life." No one was out to get her except her own addictions and bad coping mechanisms.
Also i think the evolution of her undergarments that she wore throughout the years was a nice touch
She was like the SUN. What you didn't get is that all of them had something in common and that is their love for chess! She was the best of them and was challenging the best player in the world. If you play any sport you would understand that if someone you played against was able to get that far even if you hate him you'll come to like him when you see him reaching the goal. It's basically like if you are really smart in class even if you are rude, you'll still see people coming to ask you questions and such. Talent brings people.
Also the fact that she was a girl that was still pretty and very feminine while also being super smart. What not to like about her other than her demons but honestly that’s easily forgivable if you are willing to help her overcome them
Men always gravitate towards intelligent, gorgeous women, doesn’t matter if they’re rude or not.
They are bound by much more than love of chess - its shared obsession with chess; shared insight into compulsive and obsessive behaviours which link to addiction. Note how many players straighten all their pieces before they can bring themselves to advance that first king's pawn!
@@kuddlecat yes I loved that they kept her very feminine, doing things like trying to copy a makeup look, shopping a lot, and caring about her looks a lot but at the same time how this aspect wasn’t focused on very much... like no other character commented on it which is great
@@leo-vr4yr well Townes did comment about her change of looks 👀🤭
I had convinced myself I don't need to buy any more vintage 60s clothes for a while, but now a pink plaid coat is glaringly missing...
The problem with the representation is that it wouldn’t have made sense. As many people explained, the world of chess was white and male dominated. Some people argue there were other way to include poc, but I feel like they would all have harmed the narrative.
Some people say: well Beth is a woman, if they can create a fictional woman who can be in the chess world, why not poc? But like, that’s the point. Beth is particular because she is a woman. If there were already women and poc in the chess world, there wouldn’t be anything special about Beth’s story.
Some people say: Jolene should have been more prominently featured. I agree that Jolene was a dope character, and I wish we got to see more of her, I would watch an entire series about her tbh. BUT the queens gambit isn’t about Jolene. It’s about Beth’s journey. And I feel that Jolene’s absence was necessary for that journey. If she showed up earlier and gave Beth the support she needed, I think Beth wouldn’t have gone off the deep end like she did. Or maybe she would have pushed her away like her other friends, but regardless, the outcome would have been very different, so it would completely change the story.
Same thing with people saying the civil rights movement was important in those years and should have been included. That’s not true, because clearly that’s not what the series’s about. Beth doesn’t have anything to do with the civil right movement, and shoehorning that theme into the show would just make it seems forced. I don’t think we should expect every single piece of media from a time period to address every issue said time period had. Because obviously it’s impossible to explore all of those theme in a one-season show without botching a lot of them.
Finally, some people say she should have interacted with characters outside of the chess world for POC representation. But here’s the thing though: aside from the people she met at the orphanage or in school, Beth only ever interact with people she met through chess. Which reinforces how central the game is to her life. If she was shown hanging out with people outside of that world, I think it would have harmed the narrative, implying she was reaching out to people, which wasn’t the case. That’s a major point of her story line. The whole “I don’t mind being alone” thing.
Of course representation is important, but there’s a difference between representing groups of people in an accurate way and just forcing diversity for the sake of being woke. Instead of criticizing every show, we should ask ourselves wether or not they’re erasing a part of the population or if they are, in fact, accurately representing it. That’s why you’d absolutely expect diversity in a show set in modern day New York, but the lack of black people will not be surprising in a show set in Japan.
i agree with everything except the part about the civil rights movement. the civil rights movement was extremely important in this time period and even affected the way other countries saw us. however i feel like civil rights were addressed to a certain degree. Jolene laments about not being adopted because she was black. later she talks about how she was hired at the lawfirm to be the token black. jolene takes charge of her racial identity more than people recognize
@@ashleyrocke4144 Jolene I think was definitely an excellent example of the politics and culture during the civil rights movements. I absolutely adore her
This is perfect
Couldn't agree more
@@ashleyrocke4144 Jolene also talks about becoming a radical
I love how she called Harry Melling’s character Dudley Dursley.
i called him that way until like episode 6 or smth
The book actually solves the plot hole of the friends. Harry and Townes leave after their first scenes and only Benny and Jolene care for her in the end. Also Book Beth is in love with Jolene!
omg i wish they put that in the show!!
omg! wish they kept all that in the show 😭
@@gremlita omg queen you noticed me! yess also Beth actually is the one that calls Jolene first and doesn't get just get money from her. Jolene is Beth's only romantic connection
@@daniellavizcay8245 WTF. beth x jolene would've been so iconic... i'm mad about this now 😫
this makes so much more sense! WOW I'm so disappointed now. It really felt like someone really forced to make them part of the storyline at some point. I'm not sure how much she needed Harry for character development reasons?
Jolene may not have much screen time but every time she was shown in the series and every time she spoke her character was just stuck in my mind
I love how you get into the history of fashion throughout this vid, got me wanting to buy a book and know more 😭
omg i love ur channel
hi!! love your channel :)
“all of the characters gravitated towards beth” she’s… the main character
edit: watch the batman in theatres march 4th 2022
That’s what I thought too lmao. Like of course the characters gravitate to her- she’s the whole point of the show lmao
Also, she’s essentially the only girl playing. Geeky chess players of course would be drawn to her IMO.
@@petermagyar348 exactly!
Right? Lmao of course it’s going to be from her perspective
Your main character should have traits good enough to warrant gravitation, else it’s bad writing. Like having the protagonist getting the girl because he’s the main character in spite of a lack of chemistry. I’m not sure being a prodigy necessarily means people will flock to you, especially if you have poor social skills
I disagree with Beth’s friends “randomly” supporting her. In my eyes, the writers strategically placed the reappearance of the characters. Benny does his own thing, he isn’t trailing behind Beth. He just knew how important the Moscow competition was and probably felt the event was more important than an argument between themselves. Friends fight and forgive. As for Harry, he seems like a helpless romantic. He is overly enamored by Beth which is what constantly brings him back to her. He leaves, comes back, leaves, and comes back because of his lingering feelings. Kind of like trying to get over an ex. The only character that I felt somewhat randomly returned was Jolene. However, giving her money didn’t seem random to me. She had been following Beth through the magazines, been her only friend at the orphanage, and been supportive. I feel she recognized the importance of the Moscow chess match and just wanted to help out, as a good friend would. Besides, I feel Beth would do the same for Jolene if the roles were reversed. Also, there is a time when Beth is at her worst and she is smoking and drinking alone at home constantly and there’s no one there. Even Harry leaves her at her worst. Similarly to real life, we sometimes don’t have anyone to help us to confront our demons. However, her friends ultimately reconcile with her to help her for her biggest chess match because they believe in her and understand how grand scaled this match is. I don’t feel the characters return conveniently for Beth and when they do, there is usually a reason (such as helping her win the Moscow match, infatuation and etc). I feel the writers did a good job presenting the secondary characters having their individual lives. P.s. anyone reading this, I am NOT saying my interpretation is the best, as the show can be interpreted in multiple ways. Technically, no one is right or wrong. I really loved this video and opened my eyes to the role of clothing in films, which is often overlooked.
I think the people who gravitate to her are the ones that are either fascinated by her or have seen her weaknesses. The chess players were all interested in her because of her skill and determination and then got to know her. Jolene knew about her drug addiction. Most people, like in school, didn’t like her.
One detail that I noticed is that she was wearing a headscarf with feather motive and Benny wears a hat with a little feather on the side. Don’t know what symbolism that is, but to me it shows that they are definitely soulmates perhaps not romantically but they are very alike, the whole winner attitude, ambition, free spirit etc
I missed that, you have a point.
YES!!!!
omg yall betta collab
ur such an icon
I like how you guys support each other 🥺
Do a review of the show's looks please!!! So many of them were iconic
IM SO HAPPY THEY LIKE EACH OTHER
She’s basically the historical equivalent of a modern day gamer girl that’s both beautiful and brilliant. At the end she’s representing the entire continental US against the soviets, it makes perfect sense that the men (whose entire lives revolve around the game that she’s the best in the world at) gravitate towards her and support her. Her win is in a way, their win.
2:46 how does that not make any sense?!? He’s in love with herrr
I am in LOVE with how Mina always makes an effort to dress in a similar fashion to the content of her videos - also CONGRATS on 100k you got there so fast eyyy!!!
I loved the style in this one... like this was more fashion centric then Emily in Paris. Also yeah I was kinda upset about the diversity but it did begin during Jim Crow era so there's that.
That’s a good point actually
I'm very confused about the "diversity problem" personally, considering that, yeah, it's happening at a time where black people are segregated, and there were no black people at these high-stakes, rich people events, because the world did not give them these opportunities back then (and arguably still doesn't). If anything it's being faithful to reality and that's more efficient in terms of racial justice than just pasting in black and asian actors to meet a quota, despite it being anachronistic.
@@solarprogeny6736 they could've addressed that without making Jolene basically a token. Any time POC are seen they're usually the supporting best friend and that's it. I heard in the books she was in love with Jolene and that would've made it so much better.
@@mooominpapa yeah that would've been really good tension/internal struggle, considering the homophobia, and segregation/racism at the time (would've made her character seem more complex and not one dimensional)
@@mooominpapa I read the book. Jolene sexually assaulted Beth when they were kids. Because of that, I believe her love for Jolene was misconstrued- adolescents often equate sex with love, or family with love, and that’s exactly what Beth did. I would say the book was ambiguous as to whether or not Beth truly loved Jolene in a romantic way at the end.
Almost every single shot had some chess board motif, not just her clothes. Wallpapers, windows, fences, railings, floor tiles, shelves! It’s astounding.
Just some perspective on the things you didn’t get (my opinion):
1) I feel like part of the reasons the guys get together is for the chess. It’s chess, an opportunity for an American woman to show the Russians who have historically dominated the sport who’s boss. I having been in that environment know how intense the culture and commitment is to the game, so it definitely impacts the guys’ willingness to join.
2) in the book, Beth is actually the one to hit up Jolene she is a lot more recurring vs appearing randomly in the show
:)
Her fashion progression filled a void that I did not comprehend was present in screenplays. The final scene outfit was the happy ending and you nailed the head on that analysis for it! The show with help of this video have sparked a potential passion for fashion design (and screenwriting) 100%.
I still don't know if the french friend was trying to sleep with her, or sabotage her chess match. The show was wonderfully done. I was so glued onto the story that I didn't realize the fashion until your video.
Or just being impulsive and selfish
I think she’s a honey pot planted by the KGB. Just think about it:
She conveniently has a job that allows her to be practically anywhere at any time without notice. And she just happens to be in Paris the day of the competition.
Her story about meeting Benny and the other boys is shady, especially when she never learned how to play chess in the 2+ years that she’s known them. Not to mention that Benny lost his own competition against Borgov in the same year that he met Cleo (meaning that she’s possibly a spy that has infiltrated the American chess circle.)
She was seen in Beth’s bed, which is a classic honeypot move. “Honeypots” during the Cold War were basically spies who pretended to be in homosexual relationships with prominent figures, which was a big no no because people were homophobic as fuck back then. What would the chess federation say if they found out that Beth was a lesbian?? Homegirl would gotten cancelled even if she’s the best chess player out there.
@@damnbabygirl8926 omg I never thought it that way. That make more sense. Cause I really mad with Cleo, yea it is Beth fault she turn out unprepared for the game but Cleo definitely play a part in distracting her
@@damnbabygirl8926 I knew she seems fishy, but as soon as she comes in with that french accent i knew she’s the one in the bed, i kept hoping its Jolene, but yeah Cleo isn’t good for Beth, regardless whether she is a spy or not
@@damnbabygirl8926
How come cleo didnt expose her?
can we just talk about how pretty both the cover of the book, the show plus this video itself are ? the cover of the book gives me almost junji ito's portraits of humans vibes, its so prettyyy ! also both the show's color palette and mina's look are fuckin cheffs kiss my guy
Beth's chess friends rally around her because they are in awe of her chess abilities and worship her for that. As orphans Jolene and Beth have a special relationship that is way deeper than a normal friendship, that's why Jolene came to Beth's aid without hesitation. Your understanding of Beth's White Queen outfit at the end and her adoration by the chess men of Soviet Russia was spot on.
I disagree with the surrounding of characters around Beth. I looked at metaphor and symbolism in this and my interpretation sees it as a ensemble of chess pieces. Towards the end, especially that scene where they talk to her on her final match, Beth is the Queen, Townes is the King, Benny & Harry are Bishop, the other on the call (forgot their names) are pawns or rooks and we could see her mother and Jolene as such as well (maybe lost early in the game). I don't know much about chess, so this is as far as my interpretation goes, but some pieces must be a bit selfish in the way they move while others are their for support and defense, no?
Anyways I also wanted to take the time and say I look forward to your analysis since I too also adore critiquing movies and shows by their visuals and fashion. I loved your analysis on the pill and pale green dress, I was trying for the longest time to decipher it and didn't event think of that. I loved the styling of the chess pieces as well! The use of colour has been another that I pointed out such as black and white being obvious, but also beige and off whites. I've been trying to further understand her use of certain colours such as yellow and green especially in Mexico City, but have nothing yet. Again, always look forward to you stuff! Keep is up! @cupcakeandtea
@Nadine Olivier This is a really interesting concept. Perhaps then we could see Jolene re-emerge at the end as the pawn that has crossed the board and become a queen herself?
@@HeartPlant I dont know quite what her role would be on the board. My personal interpretation was she was a piece or pawn somewhat unused for the later part of the game, but came in towards the end to make a important move to help the queen (block or attack). I still like your interpretation too!
as a chess player myself i would agree with beth being the queen, townes the king, benny and harry the bishops, the twin brothers (i also forgot the names) as possibly knights. benny and harry were powerful themselves while also protecting beth and the twins were not as competitive since they quit competing a lot earlier so they were less selfish and more defensive (as we see in mexico)
jolene and alma would be rooks i would say since both kept their distance a little bit (alma did not adopt beth until later and jolene only came into their lives later) additionally the rooks are the most powerful pieces after the queen so their roles are pretty important.
unfortunately i would say shaibel would be a pawn since shaibel made the first "move" in show if you look at the show timeline as a game. it sounds bad when you call shaibel a pawn but pawns are important since, as you can see in the show, opening in a strong way is really important.
Ah intriguing, I can see how this would layer onto the story :)
I think benny is %100 king
I'm surprised you didn't mention the gorgeous velvet green blouse Beth wore to her match with Luchenko. It was absolutely stunning in combination with her red hair.
“That’s so velvety and pretty ” was the first thing that came to my mind when I first saw that dress
Chess is till date, a mostly white dominated sport so imagine how white it was in the 60s. I don't think there's a diversity problem, it's just historically accurate.
Yeah and the show kind of sticks to Western countries. Many people have always played chess in India but of course you wouldn't expect to see that in a show set mainly in 1960s usa. So I agree, its not a diversity problem
However, Beth is a wholly fictionalized character for this show. There haven't been any world chess champions that are women, so for a show set in 2020, there IS a diversity problem. Yes, historically accurate whiteness. But if they can invent Beth, why not invent some others to make the cast diverse?
@@brookb5890 bruh because the only fictionalized characters is beth, her arc is meant to be about her winning the championship so thats quite the arc to make into fiction. Its meant to be the world around her still being the way it normally is so the impact of her impressive and inspiring storyline doesnt become completely realistic but does make for satisfying storytelling (besides, its probably a fantasy about what would happen if a woman was breaking barriers about that time) . Beths story is fiction but the historical context isnt. Im pretty sure that was an active decision. And yes, at the time there was segregation so they´d change the surroundings to what beth is likely picking up. also i dont really see the point of "just inventing some poc characters". I think that is quite insensitive because youre just reducing what are meant to be fully fleshed out, multidimensional characters with their own storyline, to props to fill some sort of diversity quota. I do think they couldve focused more on jolene though.
@@sagefantaisie right exactly! the show is definitely not perfect and im not excusing the lack of diversity. im not knocking anyone for disliking it for that reason. but i still enjoyed it because it had good story and it was just fun to watch, and very empowering to see a woman doing something like this (granted it was still a white woman). its ok to still enjoy something and acknowledge its problems, no one is sinning for not criticizing or watching this show.
Why must everything be Woke? Don't Netflix give you enough of that already? They already made Townes character gay. He was straight in the novel. Other than that, the series follows the events in the book almost exactly, including the dialogue and almost all the other characters. Scott Frank made this series mostly true to the source material and in Tevis's novel, it was 1960's America. The diversity is an accurate representation of the times back then. Get over it.
"positive female relationships"
*shows cleo*
i hate cleooo
@@puppa8619 omg same ... That woman knew that beth was an alcoholic and still pressured her to go drink by literally showing up to her hotel... Insufferable Bitch
@@strugglingcollegestudent And needlessly insulting women!
Yes Cleo was so awful! Literally a toxic person.
My family and I have a theory that cleo was a plant placed by the Russians or another opponent to distract her from her focus on chess so she therefore cannot win against them. I don’t know if this is true or not but I believe that this was common at the time.
Actually Beth was alone a lot, the ones that gravitated to her was just here and there but the movie showed her with them because it be boring otherwise. About your Jolene question, I responded to someone else that had similar question, my reply: I think she got over addictions a lot by letting people that cared and loved her back into her life and the fact that those people reached out to her. Don't under estimate the power of a good conscience, Jolene mentioned how jealous she was about being jealous that she got adopted, they were best buds growing up at the orphanage and I think she lent her the money because of her conscience and her love of her like a sister.( also I think she had faith for good reasons that she would pay her back and she might need a favor sometime.) That was closest thing each other had to each other, that is they were like sisters, family. Another thing that helped her was her first love that turned out being gay came to Russia and helped her mental health with the renewing their friendship albeit platonic. Also the friendship of the ones in the State's helping her with that phone call. Then the moment during the tournament she saw the game on the ceiling but this time with out the drugs was the topper that she did not need the drugs Also loved Jolene's lines like when she said she was going to be a radical and "f-ck um if they can't take a joke". Thanks enjoyed your perspective..
Thank you so much. You put it perfectly!
wait, was her 1st love gay? i think i missed that
@@jelkafabianova2801 Yes, to be more specific I'd say love / crush. I looked up the characters name, it was D.L. Townes. She met him at her first tournament on the week she started her period for the first time too, come to think of it, all amplifying the emotional consequences. The more I think about this movie it's hard to find fault, this was a well done mini series imho.
@@jelkafabianova2801 The funny thing is, Beth was just so awesome and gorgeous, she even had a gay man questioning his sexuality. When she meets Townes again in Las Vegas in Ep.3, they go back to his room. Beth is obviously hoping for some happy fun time, but his boyfriend walks in and she gets a very sad reality check, but, for a moment, Townes is tempted by her, as she poses by the bed with the chess board, he reaches out and strokes her hair and face. He mentions this to her in episode 7, where they reconcile in her Hotel the night before her match with Borgov, he tells her, "I was a little...confused. You really are something".
Yes i agree. I noticed she was alone a lot too, in the house, in hotel rooms, but she spend her time studying, decorating the house, falling down a hole (lol) but just like Anya mentioned in an interview that sometimes the most lonely we feel is because we can't see there's people around that care for us, she had people that cared for her. I think it shows that we can be alone and not feel lonely, we can enjoy solitude, its no big deal.
I never caught the color scheme of the green dress matching the pills! Or the end with her emulating a Queen chess piece. There were so many details that completely went over my head - this was such a cool analysis, thank you so much for making it :)
I LOVED that with her monetary gains you see her fashion evolve. It was super cool and realistic
you calling him dudley dursley completely deadpanned was peak comedy
i laughed out loud
I am literally still stuck on it
Bruh, I clicked instantly, I had no idea how much I wanted this!
Ohhh I was hoping that you would do an analysis on it! I think the makeup change to a psychedelic/graphic 60's mod makeup where she completely loses herself and her mind and becomes someone else, is also really interesting. It's like she transformed into a doll/puppet. I loved the little details and especially the last scene/her white queen outfit
Did anyone notice that through her Russia games she was wearing predominantly black and dark greens at the beginning with the exception to the black and white dress of her first game? Including the most beautiful deep green velvet when she plays her hero. Then after her call with the boys in NY she wears a pale grey dress that we haven’t previously seen. Then after winning is all in white. As Mina said in the video, she has reached her final form of queen but I think the intermediary grey dress shows that the transformation really begins before she wins but when she has the support of her friends and has confidence.
I love this channel but I wish you were more.....broad minded? I've noticed when you tend to summarize the show/ piece of media you tend to only think about it from a specific perspective and judge characters or situations in a very single-minded way. This also shows in the way you edit in certain scenes to fit your bias.
Agreed. She thinks that she's woke and open minded but the fact that she lumps Jolene in the "black best friend/savior" trope just shows that she did not pay attention to the character of the black girl and immediately saw what she was used to seeing instead of what was actually presented. And in the pinned comment she says she wishes the civil rights movement and the overall climate of that time was addressed, but it literally was addressed several times.
The fact that she sees Beth as obnoxious is weird to me and the fact that she showed CLEO while talking about "healthy female relationships" is purely insane. It is not about open mindedness anymore and it is instead about being able to consume a media to begin with.
@@stefanmakara373 yep I completely agree! From the videos i get the feeling that she actually hasn't even watched it at all because then a lot of her criticism simply wouldn't exist as the show clearly addressed each of them in the plot as a whole. Especially with Cleo being a good female friendship..PLEASE. As a black woman, I also would find it weird if in a show about someone who is so singlemindedly focused on chess to the point of destruction it suddenly started discussing the civil rights movement....simply wouldn't make sense plot wise at all. I love fashion and creators who discuss it but i hate shoddy research.
I agree completely, I guess if she watched it all in one night it's fine if you missed a few plot points but if, while watching the show she paid way more attention to the fashion, maybe she should stop giving such a strong opinion on the plot. I, and by reading the comments, almost all people disagree with every plot opinion she had lmao. I am getting really tired of her weird wokeness in most vids tbh, there seems to be always something to critique.
Could you do an analysis looking at the costumes in Pose FX? Would be curious to hear the symbolism and 1980s/ early 90s accuracy also and any references to Ballroom culture.
I would also love that, may I say I would like a particular video on just elecktra
Yesssss
I just wanted to say that second wave feminism was about so so SO much more than optics! It represented a complete shift from focusing on women's disempowerment on just ability to vote to interrogating how social institutions (e.g. heterosexual relationships, the family, workplace) inherently subordinated women. It was also responsible for the instigation of legalising abortion and contraception and SO much else. Sorry I don't want this to sound condescending at all - gender studies were a huge part of my politics degree so I'm get super enthusiastic about anything to do w this period hahaha. I just found ur channel a couple of days ago and your vids are so informative and interesting!! (and ur fashion is incredible hahah)
I don’t think she meant to reduce the movement, I took as she just mentioned there was a lot of optic symbolism involved. Great comment for adding some more perspective though :)
I loved Anya Taylor-Joy's acting choices. She brought Beth to life with this spiky, brittle brilliance. I read her as autistic coded in a surprisingly believable way. And while everyone around her gave her a bit too much forgiveness, Taylor-Joy was so magnetic that I could believe that nobody exactly liked her, but that they were fascinated by her (and that in the end when they all came together, it was because her win would be an American win and she was their best bet).
I got frustrated with the fact that she had *room-filling* chemistry with Chloe-- and it ended up going nowhere. Her disinterest during sex with men before their first meeting compounded that situation. I get that a 60s woman who woke up to find another woman in her bed would feel some kind of way about it, but I wish the show had addressed what happened, not swept it under the carpet and never mentioned it again.
The diversity problem was real too. I read too many old white boomer reviewers saying how they were so relieved to watch something that "didn't have a PC agenda", and you know you're doing something wrong when you make that audience comfortable.
From the very first time I read Beths story some 2 years ago I felt a great connection and kinship with her. After recently being diagnosed with autism, I was perusing the Netflix catalog and I saw this book had recently come out as a tv show and wanted to re-examine my relationship with the character. After being brought to life on screen by Anya Taylor-Joy I actually connected with Beth even more. I could see so many aspects of myself in her. Sometimes not nice aspects. I also have short red hair so.... anyone know where I could buy some 1960s clothing and a chess manual. Lol.
I also thought Beths sudden waking up and leaving so abruptly after hooking up with Cleo was not so much about feeling uncomfortable that she was with a woman but rather that the partner she choose was manipulative and knew how much the tournament meant to Beth but still guilted her in to partying, drinking, and staying up late the night before. They did have a fair amount of chemistry but it almost felt like Cleo’s motivation was not so much that she liked Beth but rather that she was mad that Benny was so infatuated with Beth and wanted to screw her over (literally). I also felt that Cleo was an annoying stereotype of a typical French woman with her being a model, smoking, implied sexual promiscuity, and her “I’m not like other girls” outlook. This may have been an intentional literary tactic but I didn’t really vibe with it. I however found the way most of the Russians were written, especially Borgov, to be phenomenally well done. Many other shows and movies miss the mark when going for a similar type of character type and the Russians were not vilified but rather admired in this show, whilst still alluding to some aspects of the influence of the KGB. In the book Beth and Jolene are romantically involved but unfortunately that relationship is also problematic in some ways. I never understood the authors need to put molest in the storyline. Their relationship otherwise made so much sense.
Also yes more diversity was needed. I do think Beth needed to be white tho as the whole “only female in chess” would have been overshadowed if another such component was added to the character. If they did wish to call out class structure at the time and make it more “ historically accurate” they could have made more of a point to show Jim Crow laws, more poc, not just black, and how they were treated, what jobs they held, how that would have been more of a factor in Beth and Jolene’s relationship.
I think actually think the lack of diversity and how everyone keeps circling Beth makes sense. Queen's Gambit is Beth's story told from Beth's perspective. Beth was isolated for a significant portion of her childhood and finds it extremely difficult to socialize and relate to others - her age peers and those older/younger. She's suspicious of others and since she doesn't care for others much aside from their immediate benefit to her (ex. her relationship with Alma at the start, her childhood friendship with Jolene, her relationship with Harry), she assumes others react the same. It's subtly insinuated that when Jolene bitterly tells Beth when she's adopted that she's going to stay at the orphanage till she ages out because she's too old and too Black that Jolene cuts all ties with her (no letters, no phone calls) because she's petty and not going to go anywhere in life because what's life really going to be like for a penniless Black orphan girl? Jolene is completely put out of Beth's mind so we never see or hear of her again.
BUT the turning point is in the last episode. While Beth's life is spiraling out of control and it seems like everyone is constantly abandoning her or letting her down (her mother, her father, Mr. Wheatley, Harry, Benny, etc) Jolene pops up to tell her Mr. Shaibel's died. THIS is the point where the narrative starts to open up and really drive home what a narrow worldview and self-centred perspective Beth, and us as the audience have had up until this point. Jolene isn't some random sidekick showing up again for just a feel good deus ex machina moment, we find out Jolene has been living a full like and a damn successful one too. Jolene's gone to college and well on her way to realizing her fantastic dreams of becoming a lawyer and fighting for civil rights. She's been living in the real world where the odds are even more stacked against her than Beth but she's fighting just as hard and thriving and also to leave behind her addiction. Beth isn't the only one working/playing in a man's world, Jolene was hired as a token diversity hire in an all white all male firm as a paralegal. But Jolene knows the racist and sexist rules and is currently playing by them so she can get to where she wants to and have all the more power to smash down those barriers for herself and others. But because Jolene - and all the other characters we've met so far - seek friendship and want to understand others, they've followed along with their friend Beth and her successes in the newspaper and magazines. This is when Beth realizes chess isn't everything and that part of her relationship problems - platonic and romantic - is because she self sabotages them and drops them before they can drop her. Just because Beth abandons others doesn't mean that they abandoned her in the exact same way. Just because she's doesn't care much for her chess acquaintances (as a viewer you can clearly tell she doesn't really consider them friends, just a few familiar faces who oddly keep popping up even when they're not at her caliber anymore) doesn't mean they don't think of the odd chess prodigy girl who's rocketing up through the competitions and ranking as a weird friend they're cheering for. Mr. Shaibel never forgot the angry awkward prodigy he decided to play and teach chess to at the orphanage.
Overall, this is a longwinded comment to say that yes, Queen's Gambit isn't the most diverse of shows but it makes sense as it's a story through Beth's selfish and very narrow perspective. Beth didn't pay attention or care for the civil rights movement because it isn't chess and didn't affect chess or her life - therefore we as the audience do not see any of those things. Beth hangs out in pretty much homogenously white circles and areas so aside from the orphanage, we only briefly glimpse Black individuals as waiters or the odd uni student peripherally as Beth would in her worldview.
Opinion alert:
I think the show is accurate of human connection in those days . I didn’t even question the “loyalty” of her “friends” because I didn’t think it was 100% about her. The meaning of their help went deeper then just helping her win at chess. They connected on a deeper level because of the chess playing and their mutual goals as well as, they are vicariously living they her. Not everything is about the main character in my opinion. :) love you and your reviews please never stop 💕
Really enjoyed the video, there's just one part I disagree with. You were talking about how it doesn't make sense that everyone in Beth's life revolve around her even though she doesn't put a whole lot of effort into maintaining her relationships. People like Beth have a natural gift in attracting others, despite their gaucheness and apparent emotional detachment. By this I don't just mean their talent, but their inner drive. Like Beltik said, "I realize I just don't love chess that much; I don't have what you have." (Recited this from memory so not verbatim, but the gist is there.) Beth possesses an extremely rare and precious quality, an unmatchable passion for what she does and a strong drive that keeps her going no matter the obstacles. In the end, it's this quality that draws people to her. Selfishness is the other side of concentrated passion. There are millions of hyper-self-centered people out there but very few have what Beth got and to me it outweighs all her flaws.
I think the reason people keep coming to her is because she had kind of an addicting personality and it shows with every person she meets they feel like naturally attracted to her somehow and believe me I've met people who are just full of shit but keep attracting people it's really impressive and frustrating
She was the perfect actress for this role!
the "pill-dress" thing is a big epiphany for me..
Your profile pic goes well with that
because of that line in the review I watched the show
I missed one interesting outfit in this video, the counter-culture fashion look she wore when she fell back into her addictions, the one with the crazy eyeliner and mustard turtleneck and black coat.
I really liked that one.
I love what you said about her clothing style resembling a chess board, especially since her very first garnment was a dress with her name on it and her mother saying "So you will always remember who you are", as if she does the chess-like clothing to remind herself she's (the queen of) chess. Also, we see what you do wearing "the pills" as eye-shadow!!!
This video left me screaming internally for the accuracies you point out about the relationship between culture and fashion. So many fashion historians neglect this, misunderstand it, or purposefully appeal to recontextualizations even if they are not true. It's such a relief to see content on the subject that shows care towards the understanding that a shift in the zeitgeist can be extreme and radical but also not immediate.
I have been obsessed with this book for five years and obsessed with this channel for five days so this was a moment of heavenly grace for me
my new fav youtube channel
I watched this series on a whim and was absolutely glued to it. Binged it in three days. I love this video. I love fashion history and I love how you picked up on all the symbolism in the outfits. Great video!
In the books, Beth isn't so cold-hearted as she is portrayed. She actually did form some friendships.. So it would make sense when others rally around her on her journey to Moscow - unlike in the show, where it made no sense that all these people who Beth has scorned and been rude to in the past all of a sudden want to help her. Benny and Beth actually form a friendship over the span of their careers, and bond over the fact that they can't relate to people romantically or socially. They do have a romantic dynamic, but agree they are too messed up to actually be with each other. I didn't like how the show threw them together, and Beth left him with no explanation. Also, in the book, Jolene doesn't seek Beth out. In fact, Beth seeks Jolene out as she's spiraling with her addiction because she feels she's the only person who would understand as she has seen her addiction developing in its early stages.
Other than those plot holes, the show was phenomenal and the costume design was genius! I loved your analysis
the show didn't just throw them together. a sexual dynamic was established. i think beth is a little bit arrogant about how alluring she is so she was expecting that she would be able to reach benny easily but when benny made it hard for her, she experienced what other people feel with her.
beth did not leave benny with no explanation. she just lost the biggest match of her life and she was feeling stupid because she had allowed herself to lose sight of the goal. benny was her teacher and she definitely felt like she disappointed him. understandably, she would not want to face him right after losing, especially when it was her own fault.
i still think the way jolene showed up was not really flawed since jolene was visiting about shaibel and it would've been just awkward if she had shown up anywhere else or if beth had suddenly decided to go see jolene with no explanation.
Around the 5:30 mark when Mina talks about the character rewearing costumes, to make them seem more realistic, is something else I felt was missing from Emily in Paris.
OMG YAYY FINALLY A VIDEO ON HER FASHION, I watched the show last week on saturday and fell in love but at that time there wasn't many articles about the show and I found none about her fashion which stood out to me. I also fell in love with her character and found the wardrobe fascinating and interesting! Thank you for this!!!!
the cinematography in the show is top-notch. The fashion helped amplify it so much too
“She’s super condescending to Dudley Dursley”
I love this woman 😂😂😂😂
I’m so glad someone else caught the dress at her match in Paris with Bolgov it’s was driving me nuts cause I felt like I was reaching.
red is your color!!!!!
you've made me so interested in woman's fashion history ive been experimenting with older trends and styles as a male
This was super good! I loved queen's gambit (despite the flaws you mentioned that I agree with) and seeing you break down the show has increased my appreciation for it! I hope the costume designers see your video and feel validated that someone noticed their hard work
beth is the best in her field, confident, and very pretty. i think it's totally realistic that they gravitate towards her. it's pretty common for people to be attracted towards successful people, especially those that carry themselves with a ton of confidence + have the beauty.
to a bunch of chess players they probably hella admire and idolize her, and want her to succeed (also no american has won what she had a shot at in ages, so that's likely part of why they feel strongly enough to help her)