S01.E06: Adjournment

[dubbel zout]

After training with Benny in New York, Beth heads to Paris for her rematch with Borgov. But a wild night sends her into a self-destructive spiral.

[Michichick]

Was Cleo deliberately trying to sabotage Beth?

[dubbel zout]

55 minutes ago, Michichick said:

Was Cleo deliberately trying to sabotage Beth?

I'm not sure, but Beth has always had a hard time saying no to booze. She's pretty good at self-sabotage.

[meira.hand]

10 hours ago, Michichick said:

Was Cleo deliberately trying to sabotage Beth?

At first I thought so but than realized I have been seeing too many thrillers and crime shows. For the same reason I was wondering before if they were going for physical abuse at the orphanage or sexual abuse by the adoptive father. However, at this point it is clear this is not the direction  these series is going.

[WatchrTina]

On 10/25/2020 at 5:55 AM, meira.hand said:

 

On 10/24/2020 at 7:12 PM, Michichick said:

Was Cleo deliberately trying to sabotage Beth?

At first I thought so but than realized I have been seeing too many thrillers and crime shows. 

Ditto!  I keep finding myself with a clenched stomach as I anticipate some nefarious plot against Beth -- especially since Beth waking up in the bathtub was the opening scene of the very first episode -- so we've been waiting all this time to learn what led to that situation.   I was sure that Cleo was a plant by the Russians designed to throw Beth off her game by getting her drunk the night before the match.  I even suspected they were going to slip her drugged drink.  But, nope, it was all just Beth making bad choices.

Similarly, I was sure that Beth's adoptive father would be back to try to take the house, but in the end that conflict was a big nothing-burger.  He had to be bought off and Beth was able to do it. Drama over. <Yawn.>

I'm delighted to see Beth's childhood friend from the orphanage turn up.  This could be interesting.  Hopefully she kicks Beth in the pants to get back on a healthy trajectory.  But how many times are we going to see that scenario play out?  How many savior friends can one person have in her life?

Final note -- Beth leaving without playing at the local tournament was a real d*ck move given that she's the local chess hero.  Are we supposed to care about what happens to Beth?  Because she's making it difficult.

[Umbelina]

On 10/24/2020 at 5:12 PM, Michichick said:

Was Cleo deliberately trying to sabotage Beth?

I really think she was.  That warning that "Russians play as a TEAM." happened, and I think for that reason.

On 10/24/2020 at 6:09 PM, dubbel zout said:

I'm not sure, but Beth has always had a hard time saying no to booze. She's pretty good at self-sabotage.

Which the Russians knew, and may have exploited.  That particular night, she was not planning on drinking until Cleo randomly showed up to tempt her.

On 10/25/2020 at 3:55 AM, meira.hand said:

At first I thought so but than realized I have been seeing too many thrillers and crime shows. For the same reason I was wondering before if they were going for physical abuse at the orphanage or sexual abuse by the adoptive father. However, at this point it is clear this is not the direction  these series is going.

As I said above, for me, the clue was that earlier warning.  It tipped the scales for me to "yeah, Cleo was sent to do exactly that."

[dubbel zout]

10 minutes ago, Umbelina said:

On 10/24/2020 at 9:09 PM, dubbel zout said:

I'm not sure, but Beth has always had a hard time saying no to booze. She's pretty good at self-sabotage.

Which the Russians knew, and may have exploited.  That particular night, she was not planning on drinking until Cleo randomly showed up to tempt her.

Beth still could have said no, or limited her drinking. No one poured alcohol down her throat against her will.

[Umbelina]

21 minutes ago, dubbel zout said:

Beth still could have said no, or limited her drinking. No one poured alcohol down her throat against her will.

Sure!  I agree, she was not drugged, and getting drunk was always up to her.

I was responding to whether or not Cleo did that deliberately to help Russian chess players though.  I think she did, but leaving it ambiguous is fine.  

[dubbel zout]

39 minutes ago, Umbelina said:

leaving it ambiguous is fine.  

Yeah, it doesn't change what happened.

[SeanC]

The montage of Beth dancing/drinking around the house was well-done, but the fact that they set it to "Venus" made it somewhat difficult for me to take seriously since that song is for me entirely associated with Gillette commercials.

[dubbel zout]

I'm an oldz and remember when that song came out. We lived in Holland for a while, and since Shocking Blue was a Dutch band, it was played on all the pirate radio stations. "Music radio, Radio Noordzee!"

[DearEvette]

"Hi, my name is Benny and my turn ons are women who beat me in speed chess."  I just love how sexy this show makes chess look.    Also I liked Benny a lot in this one, especially his urging for Beth to take the Jesus People's money.  He's grown on me.

Chloe was so damned French I found myself thinking in a bad french accent everytime she was on screen.  But holy judgment batman, she had such raging contempt for models.  I also got the vibe she was sent to sabotage Beth.  Her suggestion for Beth to have a drink felt pretty insistent.  It was central to her to visit and interaction with Beth.  If she really wanted to hang with Beth she could have gotten herself invited to Beth's room for a hang.  But she mentioned a drinking twice and then pointedly mentioned she'd find a bar.  Also, after she resigned, there was a look in Borgov's face.  It could just be me extrapolating, but it was almost like regret. At this level can you really respect your own win if your opponent isn't at their best?

Yeah it is Beth's weakness and ultimately Beth's bad decisions, but that is the beauty of weaknesses they are ripe for exploitation.

I love the progression of chicness of Beth as the series has moved along.  She looked great in Paris.  I also loved how she smacked that one snide reporter down by answering pithily in Russian.

I love the 'Venus' dancing scene more because the arrangement of the song, the look of the led singer and all the various shots of Beth, her en déshabillé, her hair, the house, her new thrift store furniture ....  just emphasizes how well the show's set design is done.  Even her make-up at the local tournament she ditched.  There was such a 60s vibe permeating that whole scene.

BTW, she was a total asshole for ditching.

and finally.....

JOLENE, JOLENE, JOLENE, JOLEEEEENE.  She was rocking that fro'!

[tennisgurl]

Jolene is back! And is seriously rocking that afro! Hopefully she can give Beth the smack of reality that she needs to get her out of this downward spiral. Beth is falling apart, which is probably a long time coming, given her traumatic childhood, her mom dying, her lifelong habit of using drugs and alcohol to keep her head in the game, but hopefully she can pull herself back in time for her big game in Moscow. 

I didn't think of Cleo sabotaging Beth, as either a trick by the soviets or out if jealousy, as this show doesn't tend to go for the high melodrama, but I suppose its possible. Borgov didn't really look too happy about beating Beth (not that he seems especially chipper in general) and that might be because he knew it was some kind of soviet plan, or just because he could tell she was off her game and didn't want to win that way. 

Beth has certainly embraced her inner style icon, she looks so great in all of her chic 60s outfits. So much that one snide reporter commented on how some people think she is too "glamorous" for professional chess. Even when she went to the tournament in Lexington, when she was at her lowest, her outfit was one of her best so far. I also liked seeing the girl she played at the very beginning, and seeing how well she is doing, even if she gave up chess, is an interesting contrast to Beth, who has gone on to be a master of chess but is falling apart. Harry also checks in on her, being the nice guy that he is, but Beth tells him to shove off, which is just really sad. She is basically alone, in her dead moms house and avoiding her friends, its just really sad. 

The sheer 60sness of that Venus scene was pretty great, so much 60s in just one sequence. The set design, costumes, and general look of the show is still excellent, especially as we see the 60s moving from the early to mid to late 60s. 

I am really glad Benny told her to take the Jesus peoples money. Even if she isn't particularly religious, money is money, and plane tickets aren't cheap. 

 

[Roseanna]

On 10/30/2020 at 6:20 PM, tennisgurl said:

Even when she went to the tournament in Lexington, when she was at her lowest, her outfit was one of her best so far. 

Clothes doesn't help if you smell of old alcohol.  And her eye makeup was by a trembling hand. 

[Roseanna]

On 10/26/2020 at 5:45 PM, WatchrTina said:

Final note -- Beth leaving without playing at the local tournament was a real d*ck move given that she's the local chess hero.  Are we supposed to care about what happens to Beth?  Because she's making it difficult.

Beth isn't supposed to be an exemplary person but she is certainly interesting which IMO is far more interesting.

In this case, she was hurt by her friend's comments, all the more because they were true, and that hurt was shown by leaving. With heavy handover she just couldn't have resources to meet anybody, not even to tell a white lie for an excuse.  

Yes, I definitely care about what happens to her.

Edited November 1, 2020 by Roseanna
adding a word

[Mabinogia]

13 minutes ago, Roseanna said:

On 10/26/2020 at 11:45 AM, WatchrTina said:

Final note -- Beth leaving without playing at the local tournament was a real d*ck move given that she's the local chess hero.  Are we supposed to care about what happens to Beth?  Because she's making it difficult.

Beth isn't supposed to be an exemplary person but she is certainly interesting which IMO is far more interesting.

I think they've done a really good job of portraying Beth as someone who is barely holding on, so while it was a dink move, I also have sympathy for her because I think sometimes the world is just too much for her and she just wants to go hide on those 64 squares on the board. What the show did well was showing that while she has grown (and she's still just a teenager) she still isn't perfect, she still screws up. 

I wasn't sure what to expect going into the show but Beth has become one of my favorite tv/film characters in a long time. She's just so complicated, and messy but the missteps she makes come from a place of deep hurting and neglect. She's fascinating to watch for me. 

[kay1864]

 I play chess, but I couldn’t follow that last exchange with Borgov. Did she make a mistake moving her rook, because she was hungover? Or did she end up in that position just because he was better?

[Cheezwiz]

I found the scenes with the training and the gaming sessions in Benny's apartment a bit draggy, but the rest of the episode was great.

I didn't occur to me that Cleo may have been a plant, but I think that may have been the case. It's too bad that Beth can't see there are people around who care about her and want to help. 

Once she took possession of the house and began to work on decorating and sprucing it up, I really thought Beth was going to be okay - I actually wasn't expecting her to spiral quite that badly. I'm liking the more hip late 60's fashion she's wearing while she drinks herself into a stupor.

Jolene! Yay!

 

[shrewd.buddha]

On 10/28/2020 at 3:52 PM, Umbelina said:

That particular night, she was not planning on drinking until Cleo randomly showed up to tempt her.

Of all the times and all the places, Cleo just happens to show up in Paris, on the night before Beth's final match, finds Beth's hotel, finds Beth's room and phone number, and proceeds to passively bully her into drinking. It was odd. And Cleo was giving Beth all those compliments, like a friend, but never seemed to care about her well-being or being rested for the big match. Cleo could have waited - just one night - and they could have partied with abandon. 

The show takes some odd turns. It was interesting that Benny wasn't living such a grand life in NY. It looked sort of sad. I suppose it is not that different from today's video game 'superstars' who are living in their parents' basement.  
In many ways, Beth is like a celebrity to all the chess nerds in the US.  And people want to help her, personally and professionally. 

Sometimes I cannot tell how time passes on the show, but it felt like Beth was sober and industrious for two weeks - then she was a fall down drunk for two weeks.  I was guessing that from the time she was supposed to go to Paris and the time thereafter. 
It was amusing that Beth suddenly took an interest in taking care of the yard and planting things ... five or so years after she and the chronically incapacitated Mrs. Wheatley were left on their own. 

[Cranberry]

Beth was on fire during that press conference. The "especially that one" in Russian was perfect. I liked Borgov's impressed smirk at that comment, which contrasted nicely with his later disappointment when he realized he was playing a hungover and unprepared Beth.

I was a little disappointed that Beth and Benny slept together after he firmly shut down her advances at the end of the last episode, although I'm glad she got to have some good sex for once.

Cleo was the first woman around Beth's age that Beth has actually seemed intimidated/impressed by, which is interesting -- I assume that's because she was the first woman in Beth's extended circle who wasn't a giggling schoolgirl or a meek chess nerd or a trapped housewife. I didn't get the sense that Cleo was a plant, just a flighty model who's all about living in the moment with no regard for tomorrow (although this Reddit post is somewhat convincing -- minor spoilers for the finale there, btw). Are we meant to assume she and Beth slept together? (Edit: It appears so! I like Anya Taylor-Joy's insight into how Beth doesn't have any regard for cultural norms.)

I loved seeing Beth cut her useless sad sack of a "father" down to size. I also liked what she did with the house (watching her tear down that awful green ruffle thing over the doorway was so satisfying), but it was tough watching her mess it all up with her downward spiral. I hope she gets back on track; she was doing so well in New York.

I'm glad to see Jolene again! She looks amazing.

[dubbel zout]

8 hours ago, Cranberry said:

just a flighty model

I don't think Cleo was flighty at all. She had a very clear-eyed view of how models were thought of and treated and seemed to be able to work successfully within the system.

[kieyra]

I’m probably doing too much clothing math, but I had been leaning towards the idea that Beth and Cleo didn’t actually have sex, because it would mean that afterwards, Beth got fully dressed just to climb into the bathtub and pass out.

[Ms Blue Jay]

On 11/1/2020 at 7:30 PM, kay1864 said:

 I play chess, but I couldn’t follow that last exchange with Borgov. Did she make a mistake moving her rook, because she was hungover? Or did she end up in that position just because he was better?

I feel like the directors almost don't want us to understand.  There are so many chess sequences where they look at Beth's face instead of the board.  Even if I get a grip on a move the camera goes away so I can't see the countermove and the music swells up as if I'm supposed to react to something.

On 11/7/2020 at 9:51 AM, shrewd.buddha said:

Of all the times and all the places, Cleo just happens to show up in Paris, on the night before Beth's final match, finds Beth's hotel, finds Beth's room and phone number, and proceeds to passively bully her into drinking. It was odd. And Cleo was giving Beth all those compliments, like a friend, but never seemed to care about her well-being or being rested for the big match. Cleo could have waited - just one night - and they could have partied with abandon. 

Yes, I think she just doesn't give a shit about Beth.  If she did, she would have done what you said.

[Mabinogia]

1 hour ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

Yes, I think she just doesn't give a shirt about Beth.

That was my take. I don't think she was hired or asked to sabotage Beth in any way, she's just so self involved that she wanted what she wanted when she wanted it and didn't care that Beth had other priorities. If she did do it on purpose, I think it was more out of jealousy because Beth could connect to the boys on a level she, just being a pretty face, couldn't. I mean, when Beth went down the line beating each one of them she became a goddess in their eyes and Cleo was kind of pushed aside. I don't think the Russians hired her. I don't think they thought they needed to. 

[WatchrTina]

3 minutes ago, Mabinogia said:

I don't think the Russians hired her. I don't think they thought they needed to. 

I agree with your point but -- having just binge-watched the whole thing again -- that business with Cleo just makes me want to scream (again).  If it was NOT a set-up -- if the Russian's didn't hire her to mess with Beth -- then the whole situation is just so staggeringly implausible that it ruins the episode and damn-near ruins the show.  

The whole series kicks off with Beth waking up hung over in the bathtub the morning of her big chess match with the Russian grandmaster.  We work our way through six episodes waiting to find out what led to that situation and the answer is . . . that!?  An old friend looked her up and they got drunk together in the hotel bar the night before Beth's big match.  Sheesh.  It's just SO stupid. 

[Mabinogia]

8 minutes ago, WatchrTina said:

Sheesh.  It's just SO stupid. 

I think that might have been the point. Beth's enemy wasn't the  some Russian, it was herself. The Russian's didn't have to sabotage her because her poor impulse control, belief that she needed alcohol to play, and general confidence that she was the best are what got to her. That is how I am choosing to see it, whether that's what they intended or not, IDK. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Yay, Jolene! As great as it is to make friends when you're an adult and it's a conscious choice to be friends with someone, there's something about the people who knew you when you were an awkward kid. That goes double for anyone who knew you when you were both stuck at an orphanage. Jolene and Beth understand each other in a way that none of the chess people can because they lived through Methuen together.

And although Benny and Beltik have been honest with Beth, Jolene is upfront with her in a different way. She loves Beth simply because she's Beth, not because she's good at chess or a pretty face.

I couldn't figure out if Cleo was actively trying to sabotage Beth's match or if she was genuinely so self-absorbed that she didn't give a shit about Beth's big match the next day. When Beth asked if they could have drinks the following night and Cleo said she couldn't possibly know where she would be the next night, I just rolled my eyes. Yes, you're such a free spirit that you can't possibly tie yourself down by agreeing to have drinks 24 hours from now. It's all about Cleo's whims and you have to bend to her schedule. UGH.

Edited November 23, 2020 by ElectricBoogaloo

[Mabinogia]

4 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

I couldn't figure out if Cleo was actively trying to sabotage Beth's match or if she was genuinely so self-absorbed that she didn't give a shirt about Beth's big match the next day.

I am leaning more and more towards Cleo is just a self-absorbed twat who tries way too hard to be the "It Girl" when she's really just got nothing special about her so she floats around life with no goal, no plan, just acting on impulse. Which is interesting when paired with your other comment about Beth's impulsivity because, yeah, Beth has no impulse control at all. 

So it's kind of interesting to think of these two women both with no ability to stop and thing, but one is super focused on chess which grounds her while the other doesn't seem to have any real focus or passion and just floats like a balloon on the wind. 

I still think there's a bit of jealousy there, on Cleo's part, because Beth has something that makes her special, the guys don't look at Beth and think only about getting her naked, which I'm pretty sure if how most men view Cleo. So, if she was trying to sabotage Beth, I don't think it was because the Russian's hired her to (that would be a plan, a commitment to something and Cleo is way to free spirited (in her own mind) for that.) If she sabotaged Beth I think it was more out of jealousy. I'm not saying all women are jealous of each other. It's not jealousy that the guys want Beth over her, but that they actually respect Beth.

[ClareWalks]

Cleo told us when we met her that models are vapid, dumb, shallow creatures. I think Beth thought, as we all did, that Cleo was being wry and self-deprecating, but perhaps she was just being honest.

[dubbel zout]

I took that as Cleo talking about how other people see her (and models in general), and that wasn't what she was. She intended to exploit that for her own advancement, however, and get as much out of modeling as she could while she could.

[snarktini]

Beth's hair sure grew between Benny's apartment and Paris two weeks later! She gained inches and went from that stacked cut to a longer flip. I find things like that very distracting, and I wish I didn't because it's so unimportant. Just like how I was suuuper distracted by the eyeliner she wore to the high school event. It was nowhere near her lash line, which I assume was intentional? Her eyes are already so big and wide, she has kind of an otherworldly look, in that scene with her extra-pale skin and mod vibes she looked straight alien.

She really screwed up, whether Cleo was a saboteur or not. I'm still confused how/why/if she was sleeping in a full bathtub, clothed.

[Haleth]

I don't think Cleo was working for the Russians.  This show obliterates all the cliches and Cleo being a nefarious Russian spy would be a terrible cliche.  Beth's downfall was all on Beth.  Thank goodness Jolene returned to knock some sense into her.  

[ProudMary]

Problem solved! Nothing to see here. 🙂

Edited November 23, 2020 by ProudMary

[ElectricBoogaloo]

5 minutes ago, ProudMary said:

The paragraph I bolded didn't occur in this episode. I have only one episode remaining to watch as I type this, so it must happen in the finale. Perhaps you could spoiler tag it?

OMG I am so sorry that I got the two episodes mixed up! I watched them back to back so it was like one long episode to my brain. I deleted that paragraph so would you mind editing your post so that no one else sees that spoiler?

[ProudMary]

4 minutes ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

OMG I am so sorry that I got the two episodes mixed up! I watched them back to back so it was like one long episode to my brain. I deleted that paragraph so would you mind editing your post so that no one else sees that spoiler?

Done!

I hate when I watch two or three episodes together and then forget which one held the moment on which I wanted to comment. I've been so good while watching this series, at coming directly here to read/comment, after I watch each episode but that's a completely new thing for me!

[dleighg]

On 10/29/2020 at 9:37 PM, DearEvette said:

She was rocking that fro'!

I watched BlacKKKlansman awhile back and just marveled at the beautiful afros.  Those were the days!

[AnnieBananie]

I literally cheered out loud when Jolene showed up. I felt like *I* was seeing an old friend again!

She was that breath of fresh air that Beth needed, just at the right time.

[lasu]

I don't think that Cleo was hired to set Beth up.  It doesn't make sense - she was Benny's ex, and she had known the other two chess players for a while too.  I didn't get the impression Cleo was jealous or resentful of Beth, either for her chess skills or the fact she had more recently bedded Benny.  If anything, I think Beth had a bit of a crush on Cleo - she petted her hair when she first met Cleo, which is the same move she does when she meets boys she likes, and she picked a special dress to go to the bar.  It could be a platonic crush, but I think that, along with the fact she's an alcoholic, is what led her downstairs.  Cleo?  I think she's just a party girl and isn't there to remind someone to go to bed if it's important.  I just don't feel like the Russians sabotage her fits with the theme of the series, which is that she sabotages herself.  

[SoWindsor]

Beth & Benny have too much chemistry for them to completely skip over any sort of love scene. I mean at least give us a kiss!

When Beth was fixing up the house I thought she was trying to sell it. 
 

So much happens in a single episode it’s crazy!

[shapeshifter]

I assumed Cleo was determined to get Beth wasted because Cleo was still in love with Benny and observed that Benny was in love with Beth. Whether Cleo was motivated by revenge or a hope of destroying the competition didn't matter. Hmmm...now that I've typed that, I realize Beth's motivation in chess tournaments is also "revenge or a hope of destroying the competition" (quoting self).
But then I read all the posts above about Cleo being a Russian plant, and that seemed feasible.
But my final conclusion at this time is that perhaps the Russians did hire her to screw with American chess players who were taking on Russians, but that Cleo did it this time for her own reasons (jealousy).
 

The one thing in this episode that wasn't mentioned above is that Beth replaced the flowery, Baroque wall paper with modern geometric-patterned wall paper, which was obvious to the 2020 audience to also soon be passé.

 

Also still up for possible discussion: I couldn't quite tell what the lawyer thought of the way Beth handled the house deal with her adopted father.

 

On 11/1/2020 at 6:30 PM, kay1864 said:

I play chess, but I couldn’t follow that last exchange with Borgov. Did she make a mistake moving her rook, because she was hungover? Or did she end up in that position just because he was better?

I haven't played in ages, but from the direction of the scene (the way her hand moved those last few pieces and the obvious distress on her face) I concluded that she was just playing the last possible moves after she knew he had beaten her.

 

 

On 11/26/2020 at 8:09 PM, SoWindsor said:

So much happens in a single episode it’s crazy!

Yes! I've read so many complaints on other shows' threads of episodes dragging.
I don't mind slow episodes (I loved "Fly" in Breaking Bad).
But this show is an example of how a lot can happen without confusing the audience --which I've seen happen on lesser shows.

Edited December 6, 2020 by shapeshifter

[JustAsking]

I don't know what the law is in US but in my country Beth's lawyer should be in trouble, possibly disbarred, for misrepresenting his client. Beth is entitled to at least some equity for the house because she is a legal daughter and her father's words about "In my book you aren't [my daughter]" are irrelevant. Her lawyer should've make that clear. She was also paying the mortgage for some time, so any payments should also be deducted from equity.

Generally, her lawyer wasn't doing his job here. He seems to have supported the father instead.

[JustAsking]

I don't know what the law is in US but in my country Beth's lawyer should be in trouble, possibly disbarred, for misrepresenting his client. Beth is entitled to at least some equity for the house because she is a legal daughter and her father's words about "In my book you aren't [my daughter]" are irrelevant. Her lawyer should've make that clear. She was also paying the mortgage for some time, so any payments should also be deducted from equity.

Generally, her lawyer wasn't doing his job here. He seems to have supported the father instead.

[chocolatine]

On 10/24/2020 at 5:12 PM, Michichick said:

Was Cleo deliberately trying to sabotage Beth?

I thought something was fishy with Cleo when she first showed up at Benny's apartment with the other two chess players. Her "I'm a French modelle, I'm cosmopolitan, sexually adventurous, and so free-spirited that I don't know where I'll be tomorrow" spiel was laid on way too thick to be authentic.

On 11/25/2020 at 10:07 AM, lasu said:

I don't think that Cleo was hired to set Beth up.  It doesn't make sense - she was Benny's ex, and she had known the other two chess players for a while too.

That's exactly why it makes sense. Benny was the reigning US champion until Beth beat him just weeks before. Until that upset, *he* was the one on track to play Borgov in Paris, so Cleo was initially there to sabotage/spy on him.

On 10/28/2020 at 2:28 PM, SeanC said:

The montage of Beth dancing/drinking around the house was well-done, but the fact that they set it to "Venus" made it somewhat difficult for me to take seriously since that song is for me entirely associated with Gillette commercials.

I'm an '80s child, and embarrassingly, until I watched this episode, thought "Venus" was an original Bananarama song.

On 10/29/2020 at 6:37 PM, DearEvette said:

her new thrift store furniture

Was it thrift store furniture though? I thought the store where Beth picked out the sofa looked pretty fancy and had fabric swatches and such.

On 11/7/2020 at 6:51 AM, shrewd.buddha said:

It was amusing that Beth suddenly took an interest in taking care of the yard and planting things ... five or so years after she and the chronically incapacitated Mrs. Wheatley were left on their own. 

I think having the house finally in her name did something to her. Especially since it looks like she never had a stable home as a child.

On 11/21/2020 at 2:34 PM, snarktini said:

Just like how I was suuuper distracted by the eyeliner she wore to the high school event. It was nowhere near her lash line, which I assume was intentional?

That look was popularized by Twiggy. 

On 11/10/2020 at 11:45 PM, Cranberry said:

I loved seeing Beth cut her useless sad sack of a "father" down to size.

What I loved even more is Beth wearing Alma's housecoat and slippers when he came to the house. She knew he was coming over because the lawyer had called beforehand, so she dressed that way deliberately to unnerve him.

[shapeshifter]

40 minutes ago, chocolatine said:

On 10/24/2020 at 7:12 PM, Michichick said:

Was Cleo deliberately trying to sabotage Beth?

I thought something was fishy with Cleo when she first showed up at Benny's apartment with the other two chess players. Her "I'm a French modelle, I'm cosmopolitan, sexually adventurous, and so free-spirited that I don't know where I'll be tomorrow" spiel was laid on way too thick to be authentic.

On 11/25/2020 at 12:07 PM, lasu said:

I don't think that Cleo was hired to set Beth up.  It doesn't make sense - she was Benny's ex, and she had known the other two chess players for a while too.

That's exactly why it makes sense. Benny was the reigning US champion until Beth beat him just weeks before. Until that upset, *he* was the one on track to play Borgov in Paris, so Cleo was initially there to sabotage/spy on him.

That's how I saw it too.

 

But 

40 minutes ago, chocolatine said:

On 11/21/2020 at 4:34 PM, snarktini said:

Just like how I was suuuper distracted by the eyeliner she wore to the high school event. It was nowhere near her lash line, which I assume was intentional?

That look was popularized by Twiggy. 

 

 

That was my generation. I spent many of my lonely young teen hours doing hyper-realistic pastel drawings of cover girls from my older sister's Teen and Seventeen magazines, and never saw lower eyeliner like this: 

Edited December 20, 2020 by shapeshifter

[Mabinogia]

13 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

That was my generation. I spent many of my lonely young teen hours doing hyper-realistic pastel drawings of cover girls from my older sister's Teen and Seventeen magazines, and never saw lower eyeliner like this: 

While true, I could see Beth doing that in a rather failed attempt to emulate what she sees in the magazines. Mainly because, when I try to copy something new I see on a celeb it never comes out looking right. lol If Beth was still drunk or slightly hung over I can see her attempt to Twiggy coming out looking like that epic fail. We're just so used to seeing even the most fucked up characters looking flawless on TV that it's jarring to see someone actually look like they did their own makeup and that totally looks like a teenager trying to do her own makeup when she isn't really good at it or didn't have a mother teaching her how. 

[shapeshifter]

48 minutes ago, Mabinogia said:

14 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

While true, I could see Beth doing that in a rather failed attempt to emulate what she sees in the magazines.

Thank you, @Mabinogia! It was really bugging me. That makes sense. 

[chaifan]

On 11/11/2020 at 4:37 PM, kieyra said:

I’m probably doing too much clothing math, but I had been leaning towards the idea that Beth and Cleo didn’t actually have sex, because it would mean that afterwards, Beth got fully dressed just to climb into the bathtub and pass out.

While you were doing clothing math, I was doing hair math...  First, like someone already said, her hair seemed to grow 2 inches between NY and Paris.  But more than that, it appeared she was late for the tournament when the hotel guy knocked on her door, but she had time to fully dry and curl her hair despite being in a huge hurry.   So, was that a wakeup call, or had the tournament start time already passed and she still hadn't shown up yet?  If that's the case, what's the rule?  Does her clock start ticking like it did for the guy at the Kentucky State tournament?  I'm confused...

Eyeliner...  the show's hair & makeup designer explained the below the lid eyeliner was purposely bad, but she was trying to channel Venus' lead singer, Mariska Veres (not Twiggy).  https://www.marieclaire.com/beauty/a34484644/the-queens-gambit-beauty/   Warning:  Stop reading after the eyeliner part, because afterwards they start discussing her look in Ep. 7.  I stopped, so I don't know if there are any real spoilers in that part of the article.  While I get what they were going for, I think it's interesting that she was able to do full makeup, including eyelashes, flawlessly after her night drinking with Clio. 

I like both sides of the argument as to whether Clio was a Russian plant or not.  I personally think no, and I think if they really wanted us to believe she was, she would have come in and sat down next to the Russian's wife and child.  Or maybe that would be too obvious.  (It is what I was expecting, and true to form, the show never does what I'm expecting.)

I loved the Extreme Home Makeover 1960's Edition.  Those pink patterned wallpapers!  OK, I could go for an accent wall in one of them, but that's a whole hella lotta pattern going on in that house!   (Did anyone else notice Beth took both wallpapers straight from the store display?)  Loved all the mod furniture.  The show's prop master must have had a blast doing those rooms.   I figure at least a month or more had to pass between Beth getting back to KY from Paris and the high school tournament, just based on how much time it would have taken to have all that done.   I'm pretty sure she redid the entire kitchen, too.  

I was also doing money math during the house buying/makeover montage...  $7,000 to buy Mr. Whitley's equity, but she'd still have the mortgage after that.  Based on this site, http://www.thepeoplehistory.com/60sfurniture.html , let's say all the new furniture and re-design cost at least $1,000-$2,000.  There were about a dozen trophies on the piano, and we know she got $500 from the Cincinnati tournament.  Assuming she's playing bigger tournaments, that's $5,000 - $10,000 in award money, but that's over the past few years.  So still trying to figure out where she's getting enough money to pay for this, plus her fab wardrobe, plus all the booze. 

Finally, I'm so glad to see Jolene is back! 

I can't believe we get only one more episode. 

 

 

 

 

[kieyra]

9 hours ago, chaifan said:

Eyeliner...  the show's hair & makeup designer explained the below the lid eyeliner was purposely bad, but she was trying to channel Venus' lead singer, Mariska Veres (not Twiggy).  https://www.marieclaire.com/beauty/a34484644/the-queens-gambit-beauty/   Warning:  Stop reading after the eyeliner part, because afterwards they start discussing her look in Ep. 7.  I stopped, so I don't know if there are any real spoilers in that part of the article.  While I get what they were going for, I think it's interesting that she was able to do full makeup, including eyelashes, flawlessly after her night drinking with Clio. 

I guess I'd counter that the "Venus" look occurred in the midst of a much more protracted downward spiral, versus one night of partying. 

I do agree that she looked a little too perfect the morning after Clio (although we don't know how much time she spent getting ready). In my mind I handwave it to a certain extent, because that scene--which is also the very first scene of the show, in episode one--is part of what hooks the audience, and they needed to include Beth in one of her iconic looks. 

[chocolatine]

14 hours ago, chaifan said:

I like both sides of the argument as to whether Clio was a Russian plant or not.  I personally think no, and I think if they really wanted us to believe she was, she would have come in and sat down next to the Russian's wife and child.  Or maybe that would be too obvious.  (It is what I was expecting, and true to form, the show never does what I'm expecting.)

Borgov wouldn't have had anything to do with Cleo, it would have been all KGB. And they would most certainly not have exposed one of their assets by having her show up at the game.

[freddi]

I have not yet viewed the final episode (New Year's Day treat!), and planned to wait to comment until then, but one frame in this episode caught my attention:  at home, in her downward spiral, Beth is reading an article about herself that has a picture of her as a young girl in the centre of the page.  The surrounding text, which is somewhat blurred, is partly her history, and partly about the debacle in Paris, with a quote from Beth about "there was a gentlemen, and I'm still seeing him," apparently the excuse for her performance in Paris.  There are also paragraphs about other competitions, and Beth complaining that she has been "blacklisted" because she is "young and beautiful".  I wondered if this were an article conveyed at more length in the book, as there were so many details in the article.  It was only on the screen for a second or two, but I froze the image to read as much as possible.  

Also, in her final Paris game, with the cut glass water pitcher -- a hotel at this level would not have let the water go down to nothing, let alone made her ask for more water (twice).  Then, when the waiter brought more water, he did not pour it, but plopped the pitcher on the table.  I understand not disturbing the players, but as the water delivery clearly was already disturbing the table, the waiter could have saved her a step or two.  

About the local tournament -- clearly, her presence had been advertised as a big deal, since both Belnik and her first opponent showed up to see her.  I actually thought the nice woman who was her first opponent might offer to fix Beth's eye makeup -- but the contrast of the two of them, in appearance, really pointed up how bizarre Beth looked.  I agree that no one wore eye makeup like that -- Twiggy's look was a more smudged eyeliner exactly on the eye line, not a quarter-inch below.  

On 12/19/2020 at 9:42 PM, shapeshifter said:

But       That was my generation. I spent many of my lonely young teen hours doing hyper-realistic pastel drawings of cover girls from my older sister's Teen and Seventeen magazines, and never saw lower eyeliner like this: