Tonight I got the opportunity to watch the first episode of “The Queen’s Gambit” with the other Rose Scholars.  Despite all the hype surrounding this show, I somehow have never watched it, so I was very excited about this event.  Going into this, I knew little about the show’s plot other than the general premise.  Upon watching, I was surprised about the intense themes that it dealt with, in addition to how well done it was in terms of storyline and general cinematography.  While I was not expecting the entire first episode to be a flashback to her childhood, it did not seem forced but instead was really illuminating in understanding her character.  It was also crazy to see that an orphanage was getting children addicted to pills, and just to see the general bad environment that she was forced into.  In terms of plot, while there were some clichés with the “gifted child is taught by reluctant teacher” trope, I really enjoyed seeing her character development.  I also loved how the episode was put together, from the music, to the alternating shots between action and flashback, to the visualization of chess pieces on the ceiling.  This all came together to make it a really immersive and interesting first episode, and now I will definitely watch more!