Queen's Gambit / Episode 1 / Openings (2020) :
''No grandmaster is normal. They only differ in the extent of their madness.'' - Viktor Korchnoi
Beth Harmon is an orphan living at a Catholic boarding school. I'm not sure who wrote the initial episode but they got everything right, from the crosses on the walls, to fish on Friday, to burning her hand on the hot water radiator (I did that a million times), to the shadows on the floors and ceilings. Just perfect!
There, at the age of 8, she's introduced to chess and they got that right, too. From the openings (I never thought I'd hear "Najdorf" in a movie), to the notations, to the different board sizes, to lying in bed at night, staring at the ceiling, replaying games in her head as she flicks her fingers. It's all there. It's all perfect!
Add the personal depth of the Beth character (and her addiction to pills) and I could not be more pleased with Episode 1.
Perfect!
10/10
Current Rotten Tomatoes Score : 100% - BOTH critics and audience.