Based on the novel by Walter Tevis, THE QUEEN’S GAMBIT (Netflix) is a series about a young woman who becomes a chess champion during the Cold War era. I found it a surprisingly delightful watch, particularly the way the game of chess is portrayed.

The story begins with a very young Elizabeth Harmon orphaned in an auto accident and sent to an orphanage, where she is fed Jesus and tranquilizers in a home that is caring but unloving. After discovering the surly janitor playing chess by himself in his basement office, she decides she wants to try it, and she’s a prodigy. Finally adopted as a teenager, she ends up in an unhappy home that is breaking up, though she bonds with her new mom as she enters and begins winning chess tournaments.

This takes her on a path to the top, where she must confront her demons–her mother’s death and mental illness, her difficulty forming relationships, and her addictions that she believes are the source of her talent–before confronting the Soviet master Borgov in a game that will decide who can call themselves the world champion of chess.

This is feel-good stuff that goes at its own pace, punctuated by thrilling wins that arrive in cathartic fashion after numerous setbacks. With her exotic beauty, Anya Taylor-Joy is riveting as the adult Beth Harmon. The depiction of the 60s is stylish and engaging. The chess games are tense and accurate, and I loved the numerous debates over strategy and approach. One might think sexism would be an overriding part of the show, but it isn’t, and it was great to see the great men who played chess applaud Beth because they recognized and respected her talent. Beth’s biggest obstacle is instead her past, which makes her an interesting and insular personality, admirable for the way she doesn’t give a crap what anybody thinks, though somewhat aloof and at times hard to root for. To win, she’ll have to confront that past to win without chemical help and truly connect with people.

I had a few complaints, though they’re somewhat minor. The resolution and addiction stuff took a bit long near the end, though it was necessary. My biggest complaint is I wish the chess games were shown a little more clearly so we could “play along,” but there’s enough to respect the game in what is a straight-up drama, not a sports drama. Apparently, the chess master Kasparov played a role in the show as a consultant, and it showed.

Overall, I loved it and I’m happy to recommend this one.

Based on the Philip Roth novel, HBO’s six-part miniseries THE PLOT AGAINST AMERICA answers the stalwart American proverb, “It [fascism] can’t happen here” with a heartbreaking, “What if it did?”, ultimately showing that yes, it can.

Produced by Ed Burns and David Simon of THE WIRE fame, the series focuses on a Jewish family living in Newark, New Jersey in 1940. It’s at this point that history takes a sudden turn from our own. Charles Lindbergh, an American aviation hero famous for making the first solo trans-Atlantic flight in his plane THE SPIRIT OF ST. LOUIS, announces he will run for president on the Republican ticket, challenging FDR by promising to keep America out of the war ravaging Europe. Unfortunately for the Levin family, Lindbergh has a worrisome record of antisemitism, and his proposed cabinet includes prominent antisemites like Henry Ford. Even more unfortunate for the Levins, Lindbergh wins.

Herman Levin watches in horror as America slowly slides toward fascism but stubbornly refuses to leave, believing “this is still America” and that his place is here. His wife Bess faces the change with growing terror and her response is more practical: They should move to Canada. Their son Sandy is a fan of Lindbergh’s and refuses to believe anything bad will happen, and their son Philip is too young to understand what’s happening and regards his parents’ anger and despair with constant anxiety. Meanwhile, Bess’s sister Evelyn (Winona Ryder) starts a relationship with Rabbi Bengesdorf (John Turturro), who works with the Lindbergh Administration to assure Jews the new president isn’t antisemitic, only to aid in developing its antisemitic policies like introducing Jews with “city culture” to the “real America” by enticing their children to visit and then outright deporting them to the heartland.

The result is real and emotionally powerful, providing a glimpse into what it must have been like for Jews in Germany during Hitler’s ascent to power and answering the question, “Why didn’t they all just leave?” But it’s happening here, which makes it even more heartbreaking. And it’s made even more real by showing the banality of evil, how evil is accomplished by average people after they brush their teeth and walk their dog and play ball with their kids. And the virus of evil, how evil spreads when evildoers feel they have permission from a higher power, whether it’s God or the President of the United States. For the Levin family, it’s not about facing jackboot-wearing stormtroopers, no, this is an American fascism, and it doesn’t come overnight and wearing black uniforms. They have to face growing fear, constant uncertainty, and final terror when it’s too late, like the proverbial frog being boiled one degree at a time.

The result is very powerful speculative fiction that rings true with resonant and grounded human drama, while thematically exploring strident issues such as: Why are people most strident at rejecting tyranny okay with it if their side are the tyrants? Should fascism ever be appeased? What can a single person do in the face of authoritarianism? What is each individual’s responsibility to resist? And can a slow slide to fascism be stopped before it entrenches?

Naturally, viewers will see big parallels to Trump’s authoritarianism and modern-day America, providing a view of the past that looks very much like today while providing an entirely believable and lived-in 1940s with its own identity. Not surprising as it comes from the makers of THE WIRE, this is incredibly powerful drama and one of the best things I’ve seen on a screen. Highly recommended.