The last two episodes of The Queen’s Gambit were probably the most eventful and fast-moving episodes of the entire season. We witness Beth at her worst and at her best. Her worst is after she loses against Borgov, for the second time, and returns home to be by herself. Beth indulges in consuming alcohol and drugs as a coping mechanism, but it only seems to make things worse. Beth cuts herself off from society and tries to deal with her problems by herself. It isn’t until her childhood friend makes a visit that she finally pulls herself together. We then see Beth at her best, when she is playing chess against the Germans. It is the first time that she is not relying on drugs to keep a calm and collected manner during her competing. Beth is finally able to beat Borgov with nothing but her natural chess skills. I believe that theses episodes were the most important because we are able to see the capacity at which Beth can evolve in little time. These episodes showed that with the proper motivation and support system, Beth is capable of achieving anything. This also goes in-hand with Cornell students as well. With a good support system, I believe that we are capable of excelling.

I loved the finale of Queen’s gambit. It was very cathartic to see the main character become the world champion after working so hard with all of her peers and training so hard. I find the story to be extremely inspiring although had as she had to go through so many tragedies in her life such as the loss of her mom and her birth parents.

In the final two episodes of The Queen’s Gambit Beth faces both all of her worst demons and meets all of the angels present in her life. In the penultimate episode, she prepares with Benny for the competition in Paris, but while there she has a few too many drinks with Cleo. This results in her being late and unprepared in her match against Borgov the next morning. This defeat sends Beth into a downward spiral, which she had already been on the brink of the past few episodes. Eventually, after a few of her friends trying to reach out, and walking away from a local tournament, Beth gets an unexpected surprise: Jolene shows up at her house. Jolene is exactly what Beth needed. Beth has been consumed by her new life, and Jolene is the perfect reminder of her youth before all of this started.

Jolene’s impact extends much further into the final episode. Although she brings sour news that Mr. Shaibel has died, going back to the orphanage and seeing that he had been keeping news clippings of her winnings showed Beth that she actually had a lot of people who cared about her and her achievements. This push, with the help of Jolene, is exactly what Beth needed to get back on her feet and prepare for the competition in Russia. In the final tournament, after several days of play, she runs into Townes who really helped give her the support and confidence going into her last match against Borgov. She also receives a call that morning from Benny, Henry, and others that are all in New York trying to help her. This show of support from all of her friends is exactly what Beth needed in order to win her match against Borgov. She felt supported, realized that she did need the help, and wasn’t reliant on the pills in order to win, thus completing many of the major themes present throughout the series.

I was sad but also very interested in what would happen on the last episode of Queen’s Gambit as it seems that Beth has not really made any big character development in the previous two episodes that I have seen. As expected, Beth seems to fall in the same trap of some characters successfully being able to distract her from her chess competitions (in this case, alcohol). However, I am really glad to see that by the last episode, Beth is able to finally realize her chess playing skills and capabilities without the use of tranquilizers as she was still able to successfully visualize the game and successfully win. I think making the park scene in the end was really fitting in that it gave me, personally, the impression that it is so important to remember your roots because it is through your roots and the struggles you have overcome that shape the person you are today.

This was the finale for Queen’s Gambit, a Netflix original I’d heard a lot about before seeing being aired at Rose House. I’d heard of this series before, namely because of its principal actor; Anya Taylor-Joy, an Argentinian actor, was recommended to me as someone to look out for after she spoke out about topics related to the politics of Latin-American background.

As someone of Latin-American descent myself, I was interested to hear what Anya Taylor-Joy had addressed, because she herself was of a British background while also being Argentinian. Multiethnic identity is heavily politicized in many circles, particularly when it comes to Latin America, because of the mixed nature of many of the populations. Taylor-Joy used her platform as the star of Queen’s Gambit to provide some background on how, and why, many of these populations can identify both as British and Argentinian. I really appreciated that, because of the amount of people she was able to reach with her words. For this reason, I wanted to give her show a watch, and understand a bit of how she came to have such an incredible platform.

These episodes were very climactic in seeing how Beth came far in her career and her life. The tournament in Russia showcased her skills as a chess player and how Beth overcame some of her personal struggles with the support of her friends. It was great to see how her friends from the previous episodes came together to help her, especially at the last match. It also felt like a strong ending because of how Beth revisited her past and found closure–for example, Jolene and Beth visited the orphanage where Beth first learned how to play chess, and Beth realized she was able to reach out to her friends and they were happy to offer advice and try to help her succeed. Overall it felt like a good close to the series as well as being an uplifting ending.

These final episodes of the series were quite honestly what I needed for the week leading up to to the Wellness Days. I was feeling rather burnt out and exhausted, but getting the chance to take the time to relax and enjoy these final episodes gave me just the refresher I needed to get through the week.

These final episodes had gripping visuals and story, with a feel-good-coming-together ending to it all. This viewing made me feel more positive for the remainder of the day, and the final episode reminded me of the friends and peers I have to support me just as Beth had her own friends and peers to support her. This final connection to the story was an excellent reminder that not only do I have people I can rely on when I’m facing difficult challenges, but that I’m never truly alone in my struggles.

The sixth of episode of The Queen’s Gambit was interesting to say the very least. Beth’s addiction keeps getting worse as the show continues and it looks like she has no intention to get help. I also really dislike Mr. Wheatley. The man adopted her, said she can live in the house, and then wants it back?? The audacity. I think Beth settled the problem nicely, but I wish she could have defended herself better.

The seventh episode was spectacular. We get to see a glimpse of Beth’s past and see how her past is feeding her addiction. Beth is able to break free from her demons and quit her addiction. We also see her going back to the orphanage, which is a touching tribute to the beginning of the season. I really liked that Beth was able to reconnect with Jolene. It’s what I wanted to see when Beth got adopted. I hope we get to see more of Jolene and Beth in the future (if Netflix continues the series). In Moscow, she finally defeats Borgov (which is huge for America). However, I really liked how Borgov treated Beth. Both players were orphans who struggled with addiction. When Beth defeated Borgov, he was happy that she was able to be her best and leave all her demons behind. This was a great series, and I highly recommend it to everyone!

I really enjoyed watching this whole series (although I missed ep 4) and I can definitely see the hype around it when it first came out. I enjoyed watching the character development of all the characters, especially Beth, Jolene, and Harry Beltik.

Last time, I noticed how Beth was way more dependent on substance abuse to get her through life. It finally took a toll on her in episode 6 when she completely passes out in her living room, and it was painful to watch her try to hide it when going to a chess tournament, and for people around her to be concerned for her. I’m so glad when she finally quit and flushed those pills down the toilet and avoided drinking, except when she met Cleo again in Paris, and she nearly missed a match.

I liked how Beth, even as a genius chess player, still wanted to love and still wanted to look “girly” and cared about stylish clothing. In the series, it seemed like others would judge her for caring about her appearance, saying that if she cares about her appearance, she’s not that good of a player. I think that mindset still persists a bit today, especially in male-dominated fields and industries, and I’m glad Beth didn’t play into that stereotype.

I also loved Jolene’s inclusion in the 7th episode, and I love how now she seems to be Beth’s rock, and that she kept following Beth’s chess career even after Beth left Methuen. I also love how with Jolene, Beth seemed to open up more, and she let all her built up emotions out with Jolene there to comfort her, and when Benny and Harry help her at the end, she tears up with happy tears because she has her friends back. I’m glad the series ended the way it did and that Beth now has support.