This episode, like the last two, did a really great job of highlighting Beth’s growth as a character. We continue to see Beth grow in terms of her chess skill, while simultaneously distance herself more from her peers. The scene where the “Apple Pi Club” girls who initially bullied her invite her to a mini party highlights this growing disconnect from “normal teen activities”. They invite her due to her rising fame but don’t actually want to talk to her about chess, only appearing to care about her interests to capitalize off her newfound fame. Beth however quickly realizes how little in common she has with these girls and sneaks out while stealing a bottle of gin from the house. This continued the theme of how Beths evergrowing focus on chess is coupled with reliance on substances. The time continuity in this episode was a little confusing, as I was unsure if Beth was still a highschooler when she went to her Las Vegas match. The main focus of this episode however that really led to new developments in Beth’s character was her losing her match with Benny Watts. Beth had previously been portrayed as very confident in her abilities and reliant on the same habits in order to improve, and having that security in her confidence shaken by a loss is an interesting path for her character to take.