At the end of episode 4, following Alma’s death, Beth orders a Gibson drink on the flight. This was the same drink that Alma routinely ordered throughout this series. While it was a very subtle detail, I think it foreshadows and symbolizes alot. Not only is Beth emotionally affected by the passing of Alma, she seems to want to keep her spirit alive. It also shows us watching Beth continuing on with destructive behavior, especially since Almas drinking habits largely contributed to the decline of her health and passing. It makes me wonder how in future episodes we will see Beth cope with this loss and whether she finds a healthy way to deal with the loss.

It was refreshing to see Beth come out of her shell more in this episode. It was also relatable to see her try to balance her life because she was struggling with her social life while still trying to be at the top of her game when it comes to chess. The scene humanized Beth and made her more relatable to me because I got to see her anxiety going into the game. I really appreciate how the producers give us a first-hand account of her thoughts while she is actually playing chess. Also, I’m hoping that Beth can experience some more positive things because she seems to be surrounded by tragedies and missed opportunities.

During this episode Beth has evolved into not only a more advanced chess player, but into a woman. Not because she is older than she was at the beginning of the series, but because she is conquering bigger and more challenging battles. During this episode, Beth meets someone that is considered unbeatable: Borgov. Borgov is known to be a chess champion that is undefeated, therefore serves as a obstacle that Beth has yet to overcome. Beth seems to gain confidence from the amount of people that she is able to defeat and as a result experiences more character development. Because Borgov is someone that she has not beaten at the game of chess, to her, he serves as a barrier between her and the next stage of life. This reminds me of final exams because they are the last obstacle that a student has to overcome before successfully completing a semester and moving on with life.

This episode really caught me off guard with how the plot developed. After her loss in Las Vegas, the story skips forward in time to show Beth’s growing frustration with her life and her chess skills. Paired with this frustration and struggle with her current skill level we see Beth rely more on substances, going to parties to drink and smoke and distract herself from her problems. With her ever-growing focus on being the best possible chess player she can, Beth takes up learning Russian to have the upper hand on future tournaments against Russian players. This episode really highlighted the cracks in Beth’s seemingly perfect prodigy image, as her stress and turbulent emotions get the better of her in her chess matches this episode. While in previous matches she would silently be poised and demolish her opponents, in this episode she paces around, doubts herself, and gets very visibly frustrated. It was a good visual cue into how her character and skills are stagnating at this point in the series. However, the real stand-out point in this episode was Beth’s mother’s death towards the end. I’m curious to see how this large change in her life, and the loss of one of the only people she’s really connected with, will affect her character going forward.

I really enjoyed watching the Queens Gambit episode 4. This is a show that I normally would never graduate to on Netflix. I tend to watch a lot of telenovelas or older shows so this was a fresh choice for me. Beth began to learn Russian in this episode which I thought was very cool. Beth is very talented but she gets frustrated. She needs to continue learning and new techniques. It mirrored some of her earlier matches where she lost her cool. This episode and show feels inherently feminist. Ashley made a great point that she went from housewife and almost a decoration to showing her bad girl side. I feel proud of Beth for standing up to these intimidating men and trying to beat these men in a male-dominated field. I feel this in my own life as a lot of my hobbies and my major are in a male-dominated sector. I do however have absolutely no chess skills or desire to play chess at this point in my life.

In this episode,  Beth not only loses a game but loses her mother as well. I was very shocked when Beth found Alma this episode. At this point in the story, their relationship had evolved so much, and I was excited for Alma to continue supporting Beth as she climbed the ranks. I think the shock of Alma’s death was even more hard-hitting because the car crash that killed Beth’s birth mother is the opening of the series. Although this is a real person’s life story, I couldn’t help but be reminded of Harry Potter and Sirius Black’s death in the series. From the beginning of the Harry Potter series, we know the circumstances of Harry’s parents’ deaths. However, when we meet Sirius, we have hope that Harry can finally be happy. I think this is what made both Sirius and Alma’s deaths so hard hitting. I think through this episode I realized that tragedies are always strong when there was added hope in the beginning.

The primary focus of this episode was “Russian.” The episode opens with Beth attending a college class to learn to speak Russian. Most of the episode also revolves around Beth preparing to play against Borgov, the Russian champion (and the only player who she’s afraid of). Also, in the middle of the episode, Beth plays Georgi, a (very) young Russian boy. After playing for several hours, they decide to continue the game the following day.

They briefly chat about American drive-in movies, which really helps to humanize Georgi since he is so young. This is also important in showing that the Russians have a human side, and aren’t complete robots like Borgov has been described up until this point. The next day, although Beth did end up winning, she also admits that he is the best player she has ever played, continuing the theme that the Russians are her biggest threat.

Beth does finally play Borgov but is forced to resign to him finally showing the audience what Beth had been afraid of the whole time: Borgov is better.

I think the most important thing to gather from this is not that Beth was right, and Borgov could beat her, but seeing the different sides of your opponent. Up until this episode the Russians had more or less been described as being extraordinary and a threat to Beth if she plays them, but this episode really helped to show that there are other sides to her opponent. Using a young kid also helped bring out these other sides, in particular empathy, so as not to continue to frame the Russians as the ultimate threat, but show they are also human and do make mistakes.

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.

After watching the first episode of The Queen’s Gambit some weeks before this event, it was very interesting to pick up the show at a point where the plot had already been established and developed. This episode was action-filled and entertaining overall. There was an unexpected plot twist at the end dealing with Alma’s passing (Beth’s adoptive mother). Some important life lessons were offered by showing how Beth deals with loss and the idea that not everyone copes with death in the same way. At the end of the session, our breakout room had very insightful discussions about one specific scene of the show where Beth plays a chess match with a younger player. I personally disliked this scene the first time I watched the show because it showed Beth’s immature and dishonest behavior. However, after the group discussion, I was able to comprehend the reasoning behind her attitude, which was the fact that she was no longer the only child prodigy. For this reason, she let her younger and immature side take over by playing tactics that she never used before to distract the younger player. This point of the show could then be contrasted with how Beth deals with Alma’s death at the end of the episode and is basically forced to grow up. This Rose Scholars event reminded me of how entertaining and how perceptive it is to rewatch shows and movies, given that you are able to pay much more attention to detail and engage in deeper reflections about the plot.

As this was my first time joining this event, I was really looking forward to finally watch Queen’s Gambit as many of my friends last semester raved about how good this miniseries is. Although I did not personally get the chance to watch the first three episodes, one of my close friends was kind enough to fill in the details for those three episodes. While watching the episode, I could not help but be amazed by Beth’s chess playing skills and the intense atmosphere the miniseries was able to exemplify during the tournaments. In this particular episode, I could sense that Vasily Borgov and Beth show their lack of self-confidence in their skills. For Vasily Borgov, the fact that he is trying to find Beth’s weakness to distract her so that he could win the competition reflects how he feels the need to use these low tactics in order to win Beth (as he does not think his skills are enough). As for Beth, I think her belief of how she needs to take tranquilizers in order to win is a placebo effect and reflects how she also lacks confidence in being able to win a match through her skills rather than relying on the drug.

In this episode we see Beth becoming more comfortable in her explorations of her self, including going to a party and having relations with a man for the first time. At the same time, it seems that she is spiraling into a terrible substance dependency, as she is seen drinking multiple times throughout the beginning of the episode.

I liked how this episode deepens the relationship between Beth and her mother, although it was almost cheapened by the ending. Admittedly the death of Mrs. Wheatley surprised me because I thought there was little build-up, but I do recall the earlier episodes mentioning her frequently failing health. Still, I did like seeing a genuine mother-daughter relationship on screen, as short as it was.

Beth’s match with Georgi was interesting; I am not sure how I feel about Beth using underhanded intimidation tactics to win the match against a young opponent, although she may have been trying to make a point about the mental fortitude alongside strategy and intelligence that is necessary to succeed in competitive chess. The compliment she gave him at the end I thought was sweet.

The match also provided contrast to Beth’s later loss against the Russian, whom she described as entirely predictable and bureaucratic, almost inhuman.

Episode 4 of the Queen’s Gambit was a rollercoaster of emotions. The episode begins by further highlighting Alma’s shortcomings as a mother. It is definitely important to allow your children to have some freedom and flexibility, but Alma did not set a single boundary and allowed Beth, who is a minor, to party with college students. Not only that, Alma saw how much Beth drank and was still clueless about Beth’s growing addiction to drugs and alcohol. It was really sad to see. Not only that, but when Beth goes to a tournament in New Mexico, Alma spends the entirety of the tournament with her lover. She constantly missed Beth’s competitions and showed very little support. The interesting part of the episode was when Beth competed against the child prodigy. It was also really cool to see Beth finally meet Borgov, who she was afraid of. I expected her to lose, which she did, but I think this loss was important for her in the long run. What made it worse was that after losing, Beth finds Alma dead. This was somewhat expected since Alma drank a lot, but I did not expect it to happen so soon. Although I am very critical of Alma, she did seem to love Beth and Beth loved her. It was so sad to see Beth lose another person. The emotions and sadness she must have felt are inconceivable. Near the end of the episode, I got really angry though because of how indifferent and cruel the father was. He not only abandoned them but didn’t even respect Alma enough to give her a proper burial. And so, Beth who was still very young was forced to take upon so much responsibility. I feel really bad for her and I hope she finds happiness.

I’m not sure if this was just me but this episode seemed to be all over the place in terms of plot, or just that a lot of stuff happened? I think my favorite part was where Beth plays against Georgi because it almost felt like a throwback to the start of the series, where Georgi is in the place Beth once was. I thought her question to him “What will you do after becoming champion?” was interesting because it almost felt like it was directed at herself rather than Georgi. Her loss against Borgov and Alma dying right after was a lot to process, and I felt really bad for Beth and how numb she seemed at the end of the episode. I’m curious as to who’ll end up in her social sphere now that Beth is, for the moment, pretty alone.

In this fourth episode of The Queen’s Gambit, Beth continues to thrive in the world of chess. Thanks to her Russian classes, she was able to understand Borgov’s conversation in the elevator, in which he discusses he weaknesses and her strategy. Although she loses to him soon after, I have a feeling she will play him again eventually. Additionally, I wonder how Beth will adjust in future episodes now that she will be attending competitions alone, as her mother just passed.

This week’s episode of the Queen’s Gambit saw Beth facing new challenges, such as her growing substance abuse problem, further chess related stress, and the loss of her adoptive mother. It’ll be interesting to see how all of these struggles interact with one another in the following episode, as it certainly seems as though the latter two struggles will only worsen the former. But aside from the challenges Beth continues to face, I’ve continued to enjoy the sound design of the show. I’ve found the punctuated echoes from the chess pieces really add to the overall mood of the chess-related scenes, further emphasizing the stress Beth is feeling in those moments.

Episode 4 of The Queen’s Gambit was eventful to say the least (spoilers ahead). I felt that Beth and her mom were settling into the chess world in a way that had not been depicted earlier. Beth seemed comfortable at the meets rather than nervous as she had been in prior tournaments. However more interestingly, it was interesting to see how Beth’s mother acted very sporadic through the episode. She was far more lively than we have seen before and, although she was not vested in watching Beth play chess much before, was really not interested in this episode. Near the end, Beth’s mother dies and Beth asks a doctor for the pills from her childhood. The doctor informs her that she can purchase them over the counter at any pharmacy in Mexico and Beth does not hesitate. This is a recurring theme in the series as Beth chooses to cope with death through substance abuse. Well I do not support her choice here, I think it could lead to an increase in her chess ability because in previous episodes the pills have helped her visualize the boards and play well.

This episode continues to follow along Beth’s journey and I was particularly interested in how the episode opened. With Beth in class and finding new people to talk to it is allowing her to come out of her shell a little bit. I was surprised at how open Beth was with her Mother about where she had been and what she was doing, and the way her mother seemed to respond almost nonchalantly. This serves to give more background as to the way she was used to being dealt with and how other people probably wanted her to come out of her shell also. Then, thinking about how she has problems trying to relax and we see it took a solid amount of effort to open up to the man and try to become intimate. This episode served to lead us further through her story while still adding on details about her background that help clue us in on her various actions.

This episode of The Queen’s Gambit saw a lot of interesting new challenges for Beth that threaten her mental health and her chess-playing ability.  The episode follows her as she travels to Mexico for a chess competition and faces talented new players and a lot of emotional turmoil.  It was interesting to see Beth at this age in her life starting to think about her future and consider if there is a life outside of chess.  Multiple times, her mother tells her to relax and she is told by other people that chess is her whole life, such as when she hears the Russian players talking in the elevator about her.  It was interesting to see how these statements really get to her and she begins to question this too, such as when she asks the young player she goes against what he will do with his life after he plans to become World Champion at age 16.  This struck me as a really important moment where Beth begins to become more aware of her situation.  It also shows how she is questioning her own ability and strategy, which ends up being to her detriment.  Another thing that I found really moving about this episode was the ending, where Beth gets hit with another traumatic, emotional event that takes a really rough toll on her mental health.  Watching this episode was both really interesting but also quite sad, though I definitely will keep watching!

After watching episode 4 of the Queen’s Gambit, I notice that chess is really becoming less and less of a physical game and more of a psychological, strategical game. The way Beth and Georgi play chess is really interesting because while Georgi is completely focused on the game, Beth walks away and it really throws off his game because while Georgi is focusing on strict strategy and trying to figure out what Beth is doing, Beth is a type of player that plays in the moment rather than plan ahead to deter the opponent’s strategy. Overall, the episode was quite interesting however saddening as Beth seemingly attempts to cope with the loss of Alma by obtaining tranquilizers at the end of the episode.

It is saddening when a person you love passes away, but it is even more heartbreaking when you had just realized how much you love them. For the past few episodes, Alma, or Ms. Wheatley, has been a person of a somewhat elusive personality. We weren’t quite sure if she loves Beth or if she purely wants a share of her monetary prizes. Alma often asks Beth for favors and she seems to be not that understanding of Beth’s professional pursuits.  The relationship between Beth and Alma has also been opaque, although it seems to be going in a positive direction. However, Episode 4 presents a more “childish” side of Alma, who gets thrilled for adventures (especially Paris), pleads for trips to popular attractions, and is shy to confess about her crush. I was glad to see Alma enjoying her trip at Mexico and having fun with Manuel, and I was pleased to witness Alma’s (first? and last) piano performance in front of a crowd. I could see Alma living a better life and enjoying her every moment. For Beth, this Mexico journey further tightens her bond with Alma. They share romantic secrets and become more like friends. Unfortunately, it is at this moment that Alma passes away very suddenly. Her death seems too sudden to be true — Alma did say that she feels uncomfortable, possibly due to a virus, but her passing still catches me off guard. In addition, Beth’s handling of this situation is way less emotional than what I would’ve expected. She remains completely calm and only asks for a tranquilizer. I’d probably attribute that to her growing up in an orphanage, but I am still curious about the impact this event has on her. Anyways, I am very sad to see Alma go, especially when it’s less than half way through the episode.

Beth is someone driven by her emotions; when life messes with her, she shows it. Anger, frustration, sadness, joy, and confidence radiate from her being. Throughout the episode, Beth is discovering what it is like to be a 17 year old. She begins to relax and experience life after Alma points out she is an intuitive player – she cannot learn anymore than she knows spending more hours studying chess. I found this interesting; as we see throughout her matches, Beth’s playing style is rooted in her emotions. What Alma calls “intuition” is more likely Beth’s desire to be in control and have the advantage over her opponent. This may come from the stressful uncertainty which plagued her childhood. Beth was at the whims of the people around her and grew up with little agency. So, when she found chess, she found an outlet for exerting her own influence and doing what she wanted to do. Beth clearly wants to win on her terms. In her match with a young Russian chess prodigy, her journey from calm to frustration to confidence are evident in how she carries her: sitting up straight, hunched down with her hands in her hair, and standing with a domineering presence. But, in light of Alma’s death, Beth is being thrust into adult responsibilities she is unprepared for. With almost no support system to lift her back up, Beth chooses to do what she knows when she cannot regain control: drink and take drugs. Without mental clarity, I think Beth will succumb to the stresses of the real world – it will definitely not play out like chess on a chess board. She cannot study up on what to do; she can only deal with issues as they come. Yet, that means dealing with uncertainty and returning to a life that has caused her a lot of pain. I only hope that this next episode Beth does not spiral out of control.

In the face of the tragedy she experiences in this episode, we see that Beth is beginning to rely more and more heavily on her addiction to tranquilizers. In some ways, I found this response a little surprising, as Alma’s death was (at least in part) a result of her lifelong addiction to drugs and alcohol. At the same time, it has been clear throughout the show that Beth has very few ways to escape her depressing reality. Now, with her only friend and adoptive mother gone, it makes sense that old addictions would grow even more severe. Hopefully, Beth will be able to find a way out before she ends up with the same fate as Alma.

Episode 4 of the Queen’s Gambit took a sharp turn as the story turned grim. Beth has graduated high school and has started drinking and partying. However, Beth and Alma’s relationship remains unclear. At times Alma is more maternal to Beth than managerial like when is visibly concerned when Beth is out partying with kids from her Russian class. But when Beth tells Alma she’s with a boy, Alma is pretty much fine with it and is glad Beth is seeing things other than chess. Moreover, when Alma gifts Beth a watch as a graduation present, their interaction is a normal one for mother-daughter, but the second Beth brings up Paris, the glint in Alma’s eyes changes and her mind immediately turns to money. Even though Alma might be with Beth with selfish intentions, Beth genuinely considers Alma her mother. When Alma dies, not so unexpectedly, Beth is crying on the plane trip back to Kentucky; she didn’t cry at all when her birth mother died and she was sent to an orphanage. Alma was definitely anchoring Beth from complete self sabotage as she was always there for Beth, but now with no one to hold her back from herself, Beth is completely vulnerable to her inner demons. We see that as she is back on the pills and is recklessly drinking. The episode began with Mr. Schaibel telling a young Beth that she has a lot of anger in her and I thought it was pretty cool how the episode ended with Beth even angrier and proving Mr. Schaibel’s words that she might destroy herself true. It will be interesting to see how far Beth will go with her self destructive tendencies.

The fourth episode of the Queen’s Gambit portrayed Beth and Alma going to Mexico City to play some of the best international chess players. One of the chess players was much younger than she was and she found it difficult to play against him. However, she managed to beat him, and now Beth realizes how others who were older than she was felt when they had to play against a younger Beth. In addition, Beth takes the passing of her mother negatively and starts to drink and take pills again. The audience can see here how strong her bond was with her mother and how much Beth appreciated that her mother went with her for chess tournaments. In the previous episodes, the bond was not too strong and over time it continued to grow between both of them. Overall, this fourth episode demonstrated to the audience how strong her bond was with her mother, and how she is becoming more confident while playing chess. I am looking forward to episode five!

In Episode 4 of Queen’s Gambit, Beth’s adoptive mother dies suddenly. From a plot point of view, I’m not sure why this was a necessary event. Beth has already faced a lot of trauma, especially since her real mother killed herself. My theory is that the author did this in order to show, in future episodes, how Beth’s emotional state affects her chess ability. The death of Beth’s adoptive mother also reminds the audience how cold and uncaring Mr. Wheatley is towards his family, which is an important development because he hadn’t been mentioned in the show for a while. Overall, I thought it was depressing that Beth’s only parental figure and even friend was killed off so early, and so abruptly, when Beth had just begun to be happy again.