It can seem like there is so much content coming at us all the time that it’s impossible to find the good stuff unless we hear about it from our friends. Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, those networks that won’t give up…it’s a lot, y’all!
Movies, television shows, the new Taylor Swift album – it’s tough to keep up in this day and age.
If you’ve heard your friends and Twitter people raving about a little show called The Queen’s Gambit, though, here are 16 reasons you should definitely listen.
16. The casting is perfection.
Image Credit: Netflix
Anya Taylor-Joy might be a new face to you, but you’ll never forget the way she brings lead character Beth Harmon to life.
15. Go back and watch The Witch, and fall in love from the beginning.
Image Credit: Universal Pictures
She was excellent in her very first role in The Witch, and the way she connected with the audience through almost no dialogue is proof she’s got talent to share.
She’s also set to star as a young Furiosa in the prequel to Mad Max: Fury Road, so look out for that.
14. She brought her own flair to the part.
Image Credit: Netflix
Specifically, the way Beth moved her chess pieces.
“I wanted her to have a very distinctive way of moving the pieces that was still, whilst very quick and ruthless, undeniably feminine. Beth doesn’t have to choose.”
13. And the rest of the cast is just as good.
Image Credit: Netflix
The rest of the cast – Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Harry Melling, and Jacob Fortune-Lloyd all nail perfectly-timed performances.
12. You’re going to be seeing more of Moses Ingram.
Image Credit: Netflix
Moses Ingram has never landed a major role before that of Jolene, but I have no doubt we’ll be seeing her again.
11. It’s got good source material.
Image Credit: Amazon
The show is based on a 1983 novel of the same name by Walter Tevis.
Hollywood has come sniffing around before now – Heath Ledger was set to direct a movie version at the time of his death in 2008.
10. It makes chess interesting.
Image Credit: Netflix
Which is no small feat, but the way the show is filmed and acted leaves you wanting more of the firsthand action.
9. They’ve been working on it for a long time.
Image Credit: Netflix
The series was created and written by Scott Frank and Allan Scott, who have been working to adapt the book for several years.
8. The chess was choreographed.
Image Credit: Netflix
Chess consultants Garry Kasparov and Bruce Pandolfini made sure they were totally authentic. They’re a Russian chess grandmaster anda renowned American chess teacher, respectively.
7. The show has a single director.
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Scott Frank, who spent so much time with the source material, directs all seven episodes of The Queen’s Gambit, which lends a single-narrative feel to the series.
6. All of the games were actually played.
Image Credit: Netflix
The actors played all of the fast-paced speed chess matches, which makes them feel all the more real.
5. The costumes and set design should win awards.
Image Credit: Netflix
Every set that set decorator Ingeborg Heinemann constructed has a perfect tone that allows main character Beth to somehow both blend in and stand out.
4. But it’s not just about chess.
Image Credit: Netflix
The series tackles big issues like addiction, grief, trauma, the family you choose, and how hard it can be to be a woman in field normally dominated by men.
3. But seriously, the costumes.
Image Credit: Netflix
Costume designer Gabriele Binder brings to live some amazing period costumes, and you’ll find Easter eggs like Beth’s checkerboard patterns all throughout the series.
2. It’s totally bingeable.
Image Credit: Netflix
You won’t be able to stop watching from episode to the next. Like, it won’t even enter your mind.
1. The cinematography is also on point.
Image Credit: Netflix
The wide shots and close shots bring together the other amazing components – the acting, writing, directing, set and costume design – in a way that makes you unable to look away.
It’s so good, y’all; give it a shot!
What show would you foist on your friends if you knew they were listening? Tell us in the comments!
