In the third episode, Beth is faced with her first loss in a chess match. Probably the biggest contrast from pervious episodes that I noticed was how frequent Beth talked in this episode vs earlier episodes. Her speech is passionate and upbeat and confident whereas I felt like in episodes 1 and 2 most of her lines were one or two word answers. I felt like her newfound confidence came with her skills at chess improving. She was now recognized all over the country and had one countless titles. But all good things come to an end and Beth loses her first match, leaving her speechless and extremely upset at herself. This episode showed viewers the importance of having a growth mindset. When you’re really good at something and everyone around you is telling you the same, it can take over your mind and make you feel like you can’t survive the losses. Moreover, when you have a fixed mindset, it can make you feel inferior in other areas and that you aren’t able to succeed at new things. You can see this in Beth’s confidence when it comes to men. While her demeanor during chess games is confident, it seems that her romantic feelings are a weak point.

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.

In this episode, Beth wins the tournament in Cincinnati and goes on to win even more tournaments. In the show, Beth learns how to dress stylishly and is able to do so as a result of her winnings. I think it’s interesting how transformations of the underdog is such a huge recurring theme in many movies and shows. For example, one of the pinnacle moments of the Princess Diaries or Hairspray is the main character’s transformation. That being said, I think the actual importance of the transformation is its effect on the main character’s confidence. For Beth, Mia, and Tracey, their transformations gave them a sense of confidence that they never felt before. And for all three characters, they also experienced a falling action in the third act that complicated this confidence that they originally felt. I think this is reflective of real life. When we find ourselves feeling especially confident, we normally have to then face situations that make us question ourselves. I think that’s why we like stories that have these elements. They remind us that these moments are normal, and that we have what we need to get through our challenges.

This episode really showcased Beth’s abilities as she quickly shot up through the ranks. From regional matches, all the way to the tournament in Las Vegas it initially appears as though Beth is unstoppable. She wins all of her games, many of them with a laughable amount of ease. She also develops a much stronger relationship with Townes in this episode. In a particular moment, it teeters on becoming something more romantic but is interrupted and then quickly devolves back into being focused on the business at hand: chess.

While everything up until this point has been easy sailing, the latter half of the episode really showcased that Beth is still vulnerable, both romantically and in chess. There are three main events that slowly revealed that she wasn’t the perfect chess player. 1) Admitting she is afraid of Borgov 2) Benny catching a mistake 3) Losing the game to Benny. Each one progressively reveals more, like ripping a bandaid off.

This episode played a really important role in helping to humanize Beth. It showed more of her personal/romantic life, while also showing that she still has much to learn in chess despite most of her games up until now being a piece of cake.

This episode of the Queen’s Gambit was really good, but I felt really bad for Beth. Throughout the episode, Alma is seen signing Beth up for countless tournaments, causing her to skip school. Beth probably believed this was Alma’s way of showing her love and encouraging her passion, but in reality, it showed Alma’s greediness and lack of responsibility. The only reason Alma showed interest in Beth’s passions was because of the profit and she was unable to set boundaries and be a proper mother to Beth. Additionally, Beth’s scene with Townes was incredibly uncomfortable. Beth was still a child and Townes was a college student. The fact that he would put her in such a situation was really gross to me. The best part of the episode was probably meeting Benny. Many of my friends told me that they love his character and I am very excited to see more of him. I will say the ending was very surprising since Beth lost for the first time. But losses are just as important as wins. I wonder how Beth will develop from this.

Despite not being able to make it to the previous Friday Film for episode 2, I still was able to enjoy this episode without too much confusion. One thing I really enjoyed about the episode was seeing Beth more grown and independent.  Specifically, the way she carried herself through the chess tournaments demonstrated the confidence she felt in those settings. Comparing this back to her presentation while she stayed in the orphanage, her growth was very clear. Additionally, I thought it was interesting watching the relationship between Beth and Alma. While at some moments it seems very sweet and like a mother-daughter bond, it’s difficult to determine how genuine the relationship is considering that Alma serves primarily as a “manager” for Beth. Regardless, however, it’s nice to see Beth trust and lean on Alma for support, which is something she didn’t have back at the orphanage. 

This episode we saw that Beth is upset by her lost in US Open. Despite having lost multiple chess tournament before, this particular one is a significant lost for Beth because she had been trying to beat Benny. Beth’s mother points out that her loss is because she was too obsessed to win the game, and neglected the strategy to her opponent. This lead to major Beth’s character change, which is prominent in the next episode.

I thought this week’s episode was a little strange in terms of plot, although it was still entertaining. At first I was convinced that Beth’s adoptive mother was trying to use Beth’s talents to her own benefit, although I believe later it is made apparent that she just wants to become closer to her daughter by becoming more involved in her chess life and doing “girly things” with her, which I was relieved by. I like how Beth is presented as a bit overconfident at times, as she easily beats most opponents she goes up against; it makes it that when an opponent sees through her, like Benny Watts, she becomes that much more flustered. I believe this is a useful device in setting up a future loss for her, which will surely bother her a seemingly disproportionate amount. There was a strange scene that confused me in which Townes invited Beth to come back to his room to take photos for a journal. At first I thought Beth agreed out of naivety or the writers didn’t realize how cautious a female would be in that situation. I finally concluded that Beth may have been interested in him and exploring her sexuality, despite the fact that Townes is much older than her, because she seemed disappointed when she returned later and nothing happened. There was another scene which bothered me in which Beth was invited to a party by some of the popular girls at her school. The scene falls back on the trope of the special, loner, out-of-place protagonist, presenting the popular girls as undesirable because what they enjoy is “common.” Despite this, I suppose the scene does get the message of Beth’s unique interests across.

In all, like the other episodes, I feel this is an entertaining show that sometimes falls back on overused plot devices.

This was the episode where I felt like things were starting to pick up speed. Once Beth starts participating in more and more tournaments it at first seems like she can’t be stopped. I thought it was interesting how people in her life treated her differently once she started gaining more fame, such as the students in school and the chess players around her who at first weren’t taking her very seriously at all. It felt a little forced, and the show did a good job of creating that uncomfortable feeling, I think. We see Beth’s relationship with her mother develop a bit more but it isn’t super great? On the one hand, Beth is enjoying herself more, but it doesn’t feel like any real parenting is going on which felt kind of foreboding. I kind of related to the end of the episode where Beth experiences her first big loss, and how sometimes things can go smoothly but suddenly end in a bad way. I think it’s interesting to see how Beth deals with that in the next episodes.

The name of this third episode is really interesting. In chess, doubled pawns happen when two pawns occupy the same file. Essentially, these two pawns have a harder time trying to make a smart move because their relative positions to each other pose a severe weakness. Throughout this episode, I was keen to see the development of the relationship between Beth and her mother. As Beth’s career becomes more prolific, Beth and her mom start to live a better life. It’s interesting because they’re both using each other: Beth is using her mom to have a steady home life and her mom is using Beth to make money off her prodigal skills.  It’s clear that the relationship between the two is based on mutual benefits and not based on mutual love for each other. I’m eager to see how this relationship plays out in the future: is it a self-destructive bond or one that deepens over their mutual loneliness?

In this third episode of Queen’s Gambit, we see Beth lose in the US Open against a national champion. She is clearly upset after winning so much and having some much confidence. However, she was incredibly hard on herself, especially since she studied possible moves and outcomes her opponent could have. But, this episode truly showed how difficult chess can be and how strategy can play an essential part in winning or having a somewhat equal game. In my own chess games (since starting to play chess again), I have found taking time and looking multiple moves ahead (like Beth) is valuable when playing chess.

Tonight was my first night watching “The Queen’s Gambit,” and I thought the show was very interesting. I loved watching Beth compete in the local and regional chess tournaments—it was really hype when she won! I thought it was cool that she was able to make a lot of money doing what she loves and that she was generous enough to give her stepmom 15% instead of 10%. The scene when Beth’s stepmom makes excuses for Beth to miss school to compete was funny to me because when I had friends in the chess club in high school, they had to miss school frequently to compete in tournaments also. One thing that stuck with me this episode was when Beth was finally able to buy a chess board with the money she won in competitions; it’s definitely a satisfying feeling to reap the fruits of your hard work. Another thing that stuck with me was how fake the girls in the “Apple Pi Club” were. In my opinion, Beth is definitely better off without them. I’m also excited to see where Beth’s first loss takes her in future episodes. I hope she uses it as a chance to improve as a chess player rather than dwell too much on it and lose her self-confidence.

Beth was an unbeatable chess player until the end of episode 3. When Beth realized that she was not invincible anymore, her confidence was broken. There was a noticeable shift away from recognizing chess as a beautiful, safe space into a war zone. From an outsider’s perspective, this was inevitable. No one is truly the best at anything; there is always someone better than you. Beth recognized this, but she was mentally unprepared to find strong opponent around her. She was already looking abroad, assuming she was one of the best. And she is! But to be the best means being ready to lose, and Beth was not. For that reason, I wonder how Beth will cope with loss. While I hope she will deal with it in a healthy manner, but based on her drug addiction and newfound enjoyment of alcohol, I do not think she will handle this well. Her calm, collected mental state can only go down from here.

In the third episode of The Queen’s Gambit, Beth goes through a radical transformation over the course of the episode. The episode begins with Beth feeling confident and in control when she plays chess, often viewing chess as beautiful rather than a competitive sport. In spite of this relaxed, confident perspective, Beth is quickly thrown out of her comfort zone by the end of the episode. The realization that there’s a more skilled player, one who quickly disassembled her idea of invulnerability, threw her into a nervous frenzy of self-criticism and doubt. Seeing this transformation was interesting, and its core elements were incredibly relatable in terms of a seemingly unshakable self-confidence founded on a consistently impeccable performance that’s eventually toppled by the realization that there’s someone else who’s performance is well-above your own. I’m interested to see how Beth deals with this humbling experience in future episodes.

When watching Queen’s Gambit Episode 3, I noticed something within the episode that I appreciated. When Beth started to become truly recognized as a master chess player, she did not lose her devotion to the game nor her firm grasp of the tasks at hand. I think this is emblematic of how college students need to make sure they act and think, even after gaining acceptance to a top-tier school, such as Cornell. I know that when I first got to Cornell, I questioned if I needed to work hard or do anything, as I thought I was an accomplished student that deserved my place here and could relax. It was only when the work really started to kick up that my senioritis finally fazed out and I rolled up my sleeves and studied. Therefore, I learned the lesson that just because you are among the best in the world does not mean that you can party like the richest in the world. Thus, I am glad that Beth was able to tune out the noise, at least thus far, and focus on the game the way I wish I did with my schoolwork here from the very beginning.

Although this episode was relatively shorter than previous episodes, this one was probably the most intense and informative. We get to see a defeated Beth, someone who was initially very overconfident. When Benny tells Beth that she got lucky with Beltik, Beth is in extreme denial and gets furious when he doesn’t elaborate because he’s late. Her frustration is interesting because it shows how entitled she’s become; she wants everything as she says. We also learn more about the relationship between Alma and Beth. In the previous episode, we were all confused if Alma would actually try to be a mother to Beth or if she was only pretending for Beth’s money. But I think it’s not an either or situation. Alma is greedy and I do think Beth’s money played a role in her deciding to be a mother to Beth, but I also think in some ways Alma is trying to be a mother to Beth. When Beth loses, Alma tries to calm her down and have her come to terms with reality not like an agent, but like a mother. And we do see a small mother-daughter interaction too. As Beth and Alma head back towards home (in the car after their ‘fight’) Beth doesn’t apologize for being rude, but she holds Alma’a hand and I think this was symbolic because Beth does more with her actions than her words.

In the 4th episode of “The Queen’s Gambit,” we finally see some plot and conflict starting to happen. Beth’s talents in chess got her so far, and she kept on having a winning streak and grew to be a celebrity. She was overconfident and said she didn’t find any flaws in her moves. When she finally faced an obstacle, Benny Watts telling her that Harry Beltik could have won but didn’t, her confidence shattered and she felt devastated. I already thought it was too good to be true, and saw that this was inevitable. Firstly, she never received formal training and obviously didn’t learn everything there is to know about chess just from her time at the orphanage with Mr. Shaibel, and she was only so young and also attributed some of her success to the tranquilizers. Now, rather than seeing herself as undefeatable, Beth seems more human now and has been forced to see she isn’t the best and she still has a lot to learn about chess. It also made the storyline and her success more realistic, since Harry could have won but just made a mistake. Beth wasn’t that talented or undefeatable as she previously thought and previously portrayed.

Also, I liked the cinematography in this episode, especially when Benny Watts approaches Beth at the US open. He was in the frame while he saw Beth and started talking to her, but she wasn’t in the frame and was at table but several paces away. The camera follows Benny as he walks toward Beth, and at first, I was confused, but I think it may have emphasized the fact that Benny walked to Beth and not the other way around, showing that Beth was maybe trying to show she wasn’t afraid of him or was indifferent to his status as the US champion, and that she could beat him. That conversation quickly changed that view, and it was Benny walking away from Beth, leaving her in distress.

In this episode, we saw Beth finally have her first tournament loss. This loss, in which Beth is distracted by her desire to win, tells us a lot about how Beth’s relationship with chess is changing; previously, she played chess because she loved it, but now there is an immense pressure to win. Her interview with Life magazine makes it clear that some of that pressure comes from within, when she shows how hard she is on herself by saying that there is no one to blame but herself for making mistakes in chess. However, some of the pressure may also come from outside forces; her mother’s efforts to effectively turn Beth’s chess skills into a business have undoubtedly made it so that Beth feels that she must win at all costs.

The third episode of The Queen’s Gambit contained much background information about Beth even when it was comparatively shorter than the previous ones. As a group, we noted that when Beth was interviewed by the Life reporter, the reporter did not write down the true story about Beth. Back in the time period of this show most of society did not expect a young girl to be a chess champion and would not accept the fact that she was taught chess by a janitor. We also noted that Beth takes chess much more seriously in this episode since it is the first time that she has officially lost a match in a competition. Beth hardly ever loses and when she does, she begins to overthink and undermine herself in the game. Due to the loss in her game, she grows a stronger bond with her mother. Meaning that she appreciates the company and encouragement that her mother continually gives her throughout the chess competitions. Overall, this episode provided much context into Beth’s character and her growth throughout the years.

Beth Harmon loses the US Open. While she’s lost chess games before, this one is harder for her to digest, especially because she badly wanted to beat Benny Watts for the title. Beth’s mother points out that the reason Beth didn’t see Benny’s winning strategy was because she was too focused on winning, which shows how perceptive Beth’s mom can be. I also think that it’s an important point, because sometimes being overly competitive and focusing only on the end goal makes it easy to miss out on the journey. This is a major milestone in Beth’s character development too, since she is humbled by the loss and is learning to not let her competitiveness affect her focus.