S01.E07: End Game

[dubbel zout]

Quote

A visit from an old friend forces Beth to reckon with her past and rethink her priorities—just in time for the biggest match of her life.

[dubbel zout]

JOLENE!!!! Looking absolutely fabulous and rocking that Afro like no one's business. And Townes! And the guys getting together to come up with ways for Beth to win!

This was my favorite episode by a mile. Beth finally embraces her destiny and beats Borgov. I loved all the international press, especially the BBC chess correspondent. (The NY Times used to have a chess column.) A woman winning the world championship would have been cataclysmic news, and I think the show kind of undersold that aspect of it, though I know this wasn't about the USA vs. USSR. IRL chess chronology, she beat a Russian before Bobby Fischer, who beat Boris Spassky in 1972.

[Michichick]

Well, hmmm. They sure wrapped everything up in a neat bow. Kind of disappointing in a way, that it was such a big “everyone is friends and everything is great” happy ending. I don’t know what I wanted but I guess that wasn’t it, because I feel a bit let down.

1 minute ago, dubbel zout said:

JOLENE!!!! Looking absolutely fabulous and rocking that Afro like no one's business. And Townes! And the guys getting together to come up with ways for Beth to win!

This was my favorite episode by a mile. Beth finally embraces her destiny and beats Borgov. I loved all the international press, especially the BBC chess correspondent. (The NY Times used to have a chess column.) A woman winning the world championship would have been cataclysmic news, and I think the show kind of undersold that aspect of it, though I know this wasn't about the USA vs. USSR. IRL chess chronology, she beat a Russian before Bobby Fischer, who beat Boris Spassky in 1972.

I was writing my post while you were posting yours. Didn’t mean to look like I was crapping on your enjoyment of the episode.

it was great to see Jolene. I enjoyed that.

[dubbel zout]

Things were wrapped up neatly, I agree, but it worked for me. I'm not sure how losing to Borgov would have made sense. 

I like that we really have no idea if Beth will continue to play chess or if she'll decide to do something else. In one of the earlier episodes, when she was at a tournament at a university, it looked as if she was seeing that college could be an option. She's still very young, so it's not as if she'll be so much older than her classmates. And I like to think Jolene will push her to do more than just play chess. (Side note: I hope Beth pays Jolene back!)

[Michichick]

2 hours ago, dubbel zout said:

Things were wrapped up neatly, I agree, but it worked for me. I'm not sure how losing to Borgov would have made sense. 

I like that we really have no idea if Beth will continue to play chess or if she'll decide to do something else. In one of the earlier episodes, when she was at a tournament at a university, it looked as if she was seeing that college could be an option. She's still very young, so it's not as if she'll be so much older than her classmates. And I like to think Jolene will push her to do more than just play chess. (Side note: I hope Beth pays Jolene back!)

I don’t mind that she beat Borgov, that seemed inevitable from the first time they mentioned him. Maybe it rang a bit false to me that Benny suddenly was on the phone giving her advice, when he’d pretty decisively told her to take a hike earlier. And not sure why Harry still cared enough to help her against Borgov, either.  Ultimately their help didn’t pay off since Borgov went a route that none of them had anticipated. I did like that she beat him on her own, really, and it wasn’t some coaching of a specific move from Benny that did the trick.

[dubbel zout]

12 hours ago, Michichick said:

Maybe it rang a bit false to me that Benny suddenly was on the phone giving her advice, when he’d pretty decisively told her to take a hike earlier. And not sure why Harry still cared enough to help her against Borgov, either.

Remember when Benny told Beth that the reason the Russians were so good was because they played as a team? That's what was happening here. In order to beat Borgov, Beth needed a team behind her. I think at this point for the guys, it was more important that Beth beat Borgov. Their personal stuff could be set aside for that.

12 hours ago, Michichick said:

Ultimately their help didn’t pay off since Borgov went a route that none of them had anticipated. I did like that she beat him on her own, really, and it wasn’t some coaching of a specific move from Benny that did the trick.

I disagree. The guys weren't directly responsible for Beth beating Borgov, true, but all of the plays they gave her were helpful to see what he had done in the past and might do this time.

I was amused when Beth was looking at the ceiling, seeing the pieces move, and they showed everyone else doing the same, wondering what she was doing. That was a nice touch.

[Michichick]

11 minutes ago, dubbel zout said:

Remember when Benny told Beth that the reason the Russians were so good was because they played as a team? That's what was happening here. In order to beat Borgov, Beth needed a team behind her. I think at this point for the guys, it was more important that Beth beat Borgov. Their personal stuff could be set aside for that.

Yes, I remember that and understood that’s what they were doing. Just didn’t find it that believable. Maybe I can see it for Benny, since chess was so important to him, but I don’t buy it that Harry would be involved since he had realized he didn’t love chess that much and he’d been hurt by Beth. The twins, sure, they maybe weren’t all in on chess anymore, but they’d always had a good relationship with Beth.

In any case, overall I enjoyed the series even if the final episode was a bit disappointing for me.

[kieyra]

On 10/24/2020 at 9:16 PM, Michichick said:

Well, hmmm. They sure wrapped everything up in a neat bow. Kind of disappointing in a way, that it was such a big “everyone is friends and everything is great” happy ending. I don’t know what I wanted but I guess that wasn’t it, because I feel a bit let down.

Yes, I felt the same way. I loved the series overall, and I expect I will rewatch it many times, but something about the finale was a little bit ... pedestrian? compared to earlier episodes. I expected a win v Borgov, just not in such a heartwarming way.

I’ve also been pacing myself on the series (because I’ve been enjoying it so much), and it had the effect of Jolene’s appearance seeming a little discordant, and it implied a closeness between them that I don’t really remember the show showing me. I mean, as far as we know, they never spoke again after Beth was adopted out. But then Jolene shows up to rescue her from everything from alcoholism to her money problems to facing her past. It’s tiptoeing around trope.

I also really loved Alma/Mrs Wheatley’s dialogue, and losing her also seemed to mean we lost some of the stylized/minimalist dialogue in favor of more straightforward television dialogue.

Performances remained stellar throughout, and the show is uniformly lovely to look at. 

[dubbel zout]

12 hours ago, kieyra said:

I mean, as far as we know, they never spoke again after Beth was adopted out. But then Jolene shows up to rescue her from everything from alcoholism to her money problems to facing her past.

Jolene made it clear she followed Beth's progress, so I don't think it's completely out of the blue for Jolene to show up. It's very handy she appeared when she did, but that's how stories work. (I don't mean that to be as snotty as it might read.) 

[Laurie4H]

All of the guys being together in New York was a little sappy but I liked it.  And I liked how these men rooted for her.  They didn’t play her as a victim fighting all these horrible men like many shows do.  She was treated as an equal for the most part.  On another note I am assuming a call from NY to Moscow or other overseas calls wouldn’t have such good reception in the 60’s as it’s depicted in this show?  

[ClareWalks]

I appreciated that at the end of the day, the Soviets weren't a bunch of evil boogeymen. I was on edge that they'd have wiretapped her phone or poisoned her food or something, but they did nothing bad and she earned their full respect. It was nice to see a Cold War-era throwdown go so smoothly.

[dubbel zout]

Same, though I was legit surprised the State Department guy (who was totally CIA!) didn't warn her that her suite was bugged. That was SOP, and everyone knew it.

Again, I know this wasn't about dueling ideologies, but given the era the show is set in, I'm a bit surprised things weren't played up a tiny bit more.

[WatchrTina]

On 10/24/2020 at 8:15 PM, dubbel zout said:

IRL chess chronology, she beat a Russian before Bobby Fischer, who beat Boris Spassky in 1972.

<Blink blink>  Wait what?  Is this show based on a real person?  Huh.  I think if I had known that I would have enjoyed it more because my biggest problem with the story was its implausibility.

Well, that was a good ride.  I got the happy ending I was hoping for and I thoroughly enjoyed TeamBeth coming together to support her -- especially after it was shown that her opponent was discussing the match with her defeated opponents during the overnight pause in play.

I still watched the episode with a knot of dread in my stomach because I was so convinced that someone was up to no good.  But once again, no -- they just played chess.

My one major eye-roll was when Beth got out of the car on the way to he airport and went for an impromptu stroll in Moscow, ending with the game against a sidewalk player.  I knew that a match was coming as soon as they showed us the players near the start of the episode.  What a pity they decided to stage the match in such a thoroughly implausible manner (nobody risks getting to the airport late for an international flight.  And why would her CIA minder just let he go after having dogged her heels the rest of the trip?  It made no sense.)

Bottom line, this was an interesting ride.  I thought the casting was great and the cinematography & costumes were top notch.  But in the end, for me it is all about the plot.  And the plot had weak spots.

 

ETA:  Annnnd I'm wrong.  The show is not based on a real person.  It's based on a novel.  In the New York Times review of the show (there's a link in the media thread) it says:

Quote

Tevis [the book's author] doesn’t seem to have based Harmon on any particular woman. It took another two decades after his novel was published before a female player, the Hungarian grandmaster Judit Polgar, broke through to the Top 10 in 2005. “She could beat anyone,” said Kasparov, who dropped a game to her in 2002, the first time a female player had bested the world’s top player.

 

Edited October 26, 2020 by WatchrTina

[dubbel zout]

13 minutes ago, WatchrTina said:

On 10/24/2020 at 9:15 PM, dubbel zout said:

IRL chess chronology, she beat a Russian before Bobby Fischer, who beat Boris Spassky in 1972.

<Blink blink>  Wait what?  Is this show based on a real person?

No, it's not based on a real person. I mentioned Bobby Fischer because that was huge, huge news internationally. I can't emphasize enough what the impact of this was. Not only did a Russian lose the world championship, he lost it to an American! An American Jew! It was Cold War vs. democracy played out on a chess board. 

And IRL, women didn't play chess at that level—they made a point of mentioning the Russian women's champion never played the men at her level (and they showed her watching the tournament with a hilariously sour look on her face; she was probably irate Beth could compete)—so for the show to completely ignore the impact of Beth winning goes against everything that was chess (and likely still is).

[Mabinogia]

3 hours ago, WatchrTina said:

My one major eye-roll was when Beth got out of the car on the way to he airport and went for an impromptu stroll in Moscow, ending with the game against a sidewalk player.  I knew that a match was coming as soon as they showed us the players near the start of the episode.  What a pity they decided to stage the match in such a thoroughly implausible manner (nobody risks getting to the airport late for an international flight.  And why would her CIA minder just let he go after having dogged her heels the rest of the trip?  It made no sense.)

Yeah, I wish they hadn't done any of that, from the moment Beth decides she's going to walk (to the airport?!??! I mean, she's taking an int'l flight, so I imagine this is a fairly major airport. Any fairly major airport I've ever been to has been pretty massive itself, so it would be a hike just to get to the terminal from the entrance, let alone from the city!!!!) to her saying "let's play" with her signature chin on folded hands stance. I know what they were going for it just felt really really cheesy in a show that had so far avoided being heavily cheesed. 

On rewatch I will probably just skip the end scene and pretend the show ends with her win. 

[Neurochick]

On 10/24/2020 at 9:16 PM, Michichick said:

Well, hmmm. They sure wrapped everything up in a neat bow. Kind of disappointing in a way, that it was such a big “everyone is friends and everything is great” happy ending. I don’t know what I wanted but I guess that wasn’t it, because I feel a bit let down.

This was a limited series, it was never going to have a season 2.  It had to end.  I think it was the best ending.  I mean it would have sucked if it ended with her dying drunk in an alley.  I think because there is so much darkness on TV these days, it's hard to accept a nice, simple story.  There always has to be something behind it, like the janitor had to be an abuser or something, or something terrible was going to happen because that's the shit we've been fed on TV and movies.

Beth had been told early on that she was angry and she was.  When Beth finally cried, I knew she was going to be all right.  I think the first time Beth cried was when she saw the picture that had been taken of she and the janitor and then when she saw his bulletin board and realized how much she meant to him.

Even without the drugs, Beth was able to see that chessboard in her mind, she thought she needed the drugs for that.   I liked all of them giving her advice too.  Benny said that the reason the Russians were great players was because they helped each other while the Americans felt they had to do it alone.  The help she received was the parallel with recovery.  You can drink yourself to death by yourself, but you can't do recovery by yourself.

In the beginning, I think Beth enjoyed chess, then she enjoyed winning, then she started winning tournaments, and that's when the pressure started, chess was no longer fun, she HAD to win.  At the end, after she beat Borgov, she could go back to chess being fun again.  In the first episode, they showed Beth's birth year as being in 1948, so at the end she was twenty.

Edited October 27, 2020 by Neurochick

[Michichick]

@Neurochick, I really like your analysis.

[Stiggs]

13 hours ago, Michichick said:

@Neurochick, I really like your analysis.

Same!

Seeing the photo of herself with the janitor was like a dam breaking, and I'm not sure it would have happened without Jolene. Beth was tough because she had to be tough, but being around Jolene made her feel safe enough to express and emotion other than anger. 

My favorite part was her making sure the reporters would print the name of Scheibel. It bothered me that she didn't give him credit, so I'm glad she did at the end.

I thoroughly enjoyed this. I don't mind an all-together-now happy ending if it's done well, and I thought this was done well.

I'd love to see a second season about Jolene becoming a lawyer.  

[AttackTurtle]

I loved this show.  I was very happy with how they humanized the Russians.  It started with the young boy she initially played and then they kept it up.  She always credited the janitor, but the publications chose not to include it in their stories about her. But man, when she saw his wall of her stories in the basement, I was like it’s about damn time you remembered that wonderful man.

So much was packed into the last episode, but I loved it.  I also loved that the story didn’t go the predictable route of her being corrupted by guys.  Her adoptive mom was a head fuck for sure, but that relationship meant something to both of them at the end. 
 

And this doesn’t really need to be said but the hair/makeup/wardrobe people all deserve Emmys.  

[kieyra]

9 hours ago, AttackTurtle said:

 I also loved that the story didn’t go the predictable route of her being corrupted by guys.

I've been rewatching it and paying a little more attention to the 'romances'. I remember being surprised, the first time through, by the end reveal that Beth apparently had feelings for Townes. I always found him extremely creepy, including what seemed like a large, visible age difference.

I had a hard time taking Benny seriously, mostly because of wardrobe issues. I never got over his weird cowboy getup. The actor was fantastic but he was absolutely swimming in those clothes, and it made him look like a little kid playing dress-up with a false moustache. Suspension of disbelief issues for me. I did think he and Beth had the most 'chemistry', at least on paper, though. 

But yeah, overall I liked that she could take or leave romance as any kind of goal. 

[dubbel zout]

1 hour ago, kieyra said:

a large, visible age difference

He was 36 or something to her teenage when they first met, so yes, a huge gap and definitely very creepy. 

2 hours ago, kieyra said:

I never got over his weird cowboy getup.

The hat is what made it too costumey for me. But it was the '60s. There was a lot of dress-up going on.

11 hours ago, AttackTurtle said:

And this doesn’t really need to be said but the hair/makeup/wardrobe people all deserve Emmys.  

I hope they get some nominations, because they were all terrific. So was the set design. One thing I'll say for Netflix, it doesn't stint on the details.

[Neurochick]

3 hours ago, kieyra said:

I've been rewatching it and paying a little more attention to the 'romances'. I remember being surprised, the first time through, by the end reveal that Beth apparently had feelings for Townes. I always found him extremely creepy, including what seemed like a large, visible age difference.

I felt it was more of a crush for Beth rather than a real romance.  Not everything has to be creepy.

[dubbel zout]

58 minutes ago, Neurochick said:

I felt it was more of a crush for Beth rather than a real romance.  Not everything has to be creepy.

I wasn't bothered that Beth had a crush on an older man, I was bothered that said older man looked like he was going to kiss her more than once when they were in his hotel room. That's the creepy part.

[Neurochick]

13 minutes ago, dubbel zout said:

I wasn't bothered that Beth had a crush on an older man, I was bothered that said older man looked like he was going to kiss her more than once when they were in his hotel room. That's the creepy part.

I think that because Beth was playing chess at such a high level, people forgot how young she was.  When the show ended, she was only 20, so during the series she was very young.  BTW, was that man supposed to be gay or bi?  

[dubbel zout]

Gay, I think. He mentioned that that when they met, he "was obviously confused."

[Umbelina]

On 10/26/2020 at 10:23 AM, WatchrTina said:

My one major eye-roll was when Beth got out of the car on the way to he airport and went for an impromptu stroll in Moscow, ending with the game against a sidewalk player.  I knew that a match was coming as soon as they showed us the players near the start of the episode.  What a pity they decided to stage the match in such a thoroughly implausible manner (nobody risks getting to the airport late for an international flight.  And why would her CIA minder just let he go after having dogged her heels the rest of the trip?  It made no sense.)

Yeah, she would have most likely had followers, but then again?  She may have, but they didn't want to be seen.

Even though I knew where it was going, I did like it in some ways though.  She was a huge celebrity, so I could see them allowing it.

I expected that kid would try to defect, kind of glad that didn't happen, but all along during this one, I was waiting for it.

 

On 10/25/2020 at 9:03 AM, dubbel zout said:

Remember when Benny told Beth that the reason the Russians were so good was because they played as a team? That's what was happening here. In order to beat Borgov, Beth needed a team behind her. I think at this point for the guys, it was more important that Beth beat Borgov. Their personal stuff could be set aside for that.

I disagree. The guys weren't directly responsible for Beth beating Borgov, true, but all of the plays they gave her were helpful to see what he had done in the past and might do this time.

I was amused when Beth was looking at the ceiling, seeing the pieces move, and they showed everyone else doing the same, wondering what she was doing. That was a nice touch.

Yes, I agree.  About the guys helping her?  This had nothing to do with friendships/relationship issues, this was America possibly beating Russia in chess.  Of course they would all pull through for her, just as the Russian were helping Borgov.

The ceiling thing was fascinating.

On 10/26/2020 at 8:30 AM, Laurie4H said:

All of the guys being together in New York was a little sappy but I liked it.  And I liked how these men rooted for her.  They didn’t play her as a victim fighting all these horrible men like many shows do.  She was treated as an equal for the most part.  On another note I am assuming a call from NY to Moscow or other overseas calls wouldn’t have such good reception in the 60’s as it’s depicted in this show?  

I liked it too.  They do comment on issues with the phone call though.

On 10/26/2020 at 8:43 AM, ClareWalks said:

I appreciated that at the end of the day, the Soviets weren't a bunch of evil boogeymen. I was on edge that they'd have wiretapped her phone or poisoned her food or something, but they did nothing bad and she earned their full respect. It was nice to see a Cold War-era throwdown go so smoothly.

Well, earlier I DO think Cleo sabotaged her, and this time she was far more protected.  Also, both her room and phone were undoubtedly wire tapped, that is just a given, but that they didn't show the KGB informing Borgov of chess plans was great.  The wire tapping was irrelevant to the over all story, which I loved, just standard "keep an eye on things" stuff.

[dubbel zout]

42 minutes ago, Umbelina said:

I expected that kid would try to defect, kind of glad that didn't happen, but all along during this one, I was waiting for it.

Or Borgov. I guess he didn't feel stifled enough to want to leave. Though that would have added a political bent that the show wasn't going for, I think.

[Umbelina]

15 minutes ago, dubbel zout said:

Or Borgov. I guess he didn't feel stifled enough to want to leave. Though that would have added a political bent that the show wasn't going for, I think.

Interesting.  I never thought Borgov would, his life in the USSR was probably about as good as it gets for a non high gov person.

I did wonder about that kid who asked about drive in movies though.  Her CIA handler telling her to be on the lookout for messages (that he wouldn't see since he isn't a chess player) kind of made me look at the chess pieces whenever there wasn't an active tournament!

[dubbel zout]

23 minutes ago, Umbelina said:

I did wonder about that kid who asked about drive in movies though.  Her CIA handler telling her to be on the lookout for messages (that he wouldn't see since he isn't a chess player) kind of made me look at the chess pieces whenever there wasn't an active tournament!

LOL. I kept expecting someone to pass Beth a note that read HELP ME GET OUT. 

[showme]

What is the deal with Mr. Towns? Is he or isn't he? did he help Beth relax in the bedroom before the big match?

[dubbel zout]

Townes is gay. He and Beth never had sex.

[showme]

Just now, dubbel zout said:

Townes is gay. He and Beth never had sex.

Looks like he slept in the bed next to Beth? It was quite obvious when he woke up Beth in the hotel room, the other half of the bed was occupied by someone.

Maybe he is bi? in that earlier episode, he invited her back to his room, the hair touch and the almost kiss before interruption, it was quite obvious he was sexually interested.

[ClareWalks]

9 minutes ago, showme said:

Maybe he is bi? in that earlier episode, he invited her back to his room, the hair touch and the almost kiss before interruption, it was quite obvious he was sexually interested.

Rewatch this episode, he said he was previously feeling confused because he really liked Beth but he realized it was just as a friend.

[kieyra]

39 minutes ago, showme said:

Looks like he slept in the bed next to Beth? It was quite obvious when he woke up Beth in the hotel room

I’m having a hard time placing this scene. When did Townes wake Beth up in a hotel room?

[showme]

1 hour ago, ClareWalks said:

Rewatch this episode, he said he was previously feeling confused because he really liked Beth but he realized it was just as a friend.

So as a friend, he stayed in her hotel room over night (very likely in the same bed) and then bring her coffee in the morning and lovingly touching her arm to wake her up? I'd like a friend like that.

[ClareWalks]

1 hour ago, showme said:

So as a friend, he stayed in her hotel room over night (very likely in the same bed) and then bring her coffee in the morning and lovingly touching her arm to wake her up? 

Yes.

[showme]

24 minutes ago, ClareWalks said:

Yes.

It is a rhetorical question.

Edited October 29, 2020 by showme

[kieyra]

Rewatched the final hotel room scene. It does read as friendship to me, both textually and otherwise. I suppose one could ask why he stayed in her room, but this seemed to be an era of people crashing on each other’s sofas and whatnot. And I think if we were meant to read the scene as post-coital, she wouldn’t be in buttoned-up pajamas, and he would be shirtless. 

Just my take.

[Umbelina]

On 10/26/2020 at 9:00 AM, dubbel zout said:

Same, though I was legit surprised the State Department guy (who was totally CIA!) didn't warn her that her suite was bugged. That was SOP, and everyone knew it.

Again, I know this wasn't about dueling ideologies, but given the era the show is set in, I'm a bit surprised things weren't played up a tiny bit more.

I just thought of something.  It's POSSIBLE, but certainly not a given that Beth's tapped phone and room, the Russians very well could have told Borgov everything that was said in that phone call.

After all, he wasn't making the moves she or her helpers expected there, and she had to scramble on her own, so ...  was that chance, or did he know?

[DearEvette]

I am glad we got to to circle back to Mr. Scheibel.  He was such a self contained man and yet he was responsible in a big way for Beth discovering her passion.  I was happy she broke down when she the picture.  It felt fitting, 

Jolene was a fresh delight!  I loved her frank assessment of how and why she got hired at her law firm.  I liked her balance of cynicism and irreverence.

I had no idea the Phil Donohue show existed as early as 1967!

Man, the chess tournament was so dark.  It reminded me of that Wendy's Soviet fashion show commercial from the 80s! LOL.

I thought it was so cool when the Ol' Russian dude gave her such a lovely compliment. And then everyone's reaction to her winning. 

Also, I don't think she and Townes did the deed.  I think they acknowledged their attraction but in the present day cemented their deep friendship. 

This was a great series.  Put me on the side of the people who liked the ending.  I am a sap, but the feel good ending just worked for me.  The series and Beth herself was very melancholy in places, but also very exhilarating, especially around chess.  So I am glad it ended on an exhilarating note.  It takes a village, people!!

The acting, the writing ,the set design(!!), the costume design(!!), it was such a treat! And Anya Taylor-Joy was perfectly cast.

[DangerousMinds]

12 hours ago, showme said:

So as a friend, he stayed in her hotel room over night (very likely in the same bed) and then bring her coffee in the morning and lovingly touching her arm to wake her up? I'd like a friend like that.

Yes, I’ve slept with men platonically in the same bed numerous times.

[Neurochick]

12 hours ago, kieyra said:

Rewatched the final hotel room scene. It does read as friendship to me, both textually and otherwise. I suppose one could ask why he stayed in her room, but this seemed to be an era of people crashing on each other’s sofas and whatnot. And I think if we were meant to read the scene as post-coital, she wouldn’t be in buttoned-up pajamas, and he would be shirtless. 

Just my take.

I remember crashing on people's sofas in the 70's and 80's.  Not strange to me.

[Ohiopirate02]

12 hours ago, Umbelina said:

I just thought of something.  It's POSSIBLE, but certainly not a given that Beth's tapped phone and room, the Russians very well could have told Borgov everything that was said in that phone call.

After all, he wasn't making the moves she or her helpers expected there, and she had to scramble on her own, so ...  was that chance, or did he know?

I got the impression that Borgov was an honorable man who wanted to beat Beth fairly.  Yes most likely the KGB was bugging the room and could have had that phone conversation translated, but that would have been a seriously confusing translation.  There were what 6 or 8 other voices on the other line talking rapidly about chess using terminology only serious chess people could understand.  I can't see them getting an accurate translation to Borgov in enough time for it to be any use to him.  He was too busy in his suite with the other Russian grandmasters planning their own strategy.  

[dubbel zout]

12 hours ago, Umbelina said:

I just thought of something.  It's POSSIBLE, but certainly not a given that Beth's tapped phone and room, the Russians very well could have told Borgov everything that was said in that phone call.

After all, he wasn't making the moves she or her helpers expected there, and she had to scramble on her own, so ...  was that chance, or did he know?

This is exactly why I was surprised Beth wasn't warned about the bugging. Though:

10 minutes ago, Ohiopirate02 said:

I got the impression that Borgov was an honorable man who wanted to beat Beth fairly.

Same. And given that the show didn't play up the USA vs. USSR aspect of the match, it makes it seem even more unlikely Borgov would cheat that way. And he wouldn't need to be told what moves he might make and what the countermoves would be. Beth was the one who needed that information.

11 hours ago, DearEvette said:

I had no idea the Phil Donohue show existed as early as 1967!

It was local to Dayton at that point (went national in 1970, per Wiki). I don't know how "big" it was considered at that point, but regionally it was probably important enough for Beth to appear on.

[DearEvette]

20 minutes ago, Ohiopirate02 said:

I got the impression that Borgov was an honorable man who wanted to beat Beth fairly. 

This was my take too.  I further think Borgov respected Beth even from the start.  In the overheard conversation in the elevator while his KGB minders were ragging on her he tried to defend her a bit calling her a 'survivor like us.'  This is also why in the previous episode, I do believe that Chloe was sent as a saboteur.  There was a look on Borgov's face after Beth resigned in their first match that looked like regret.  Like he did not like winning that way.

Overall I just loved how they were all (all of her opponents, not just the Russians) ultimately the best sportsmen.  Even as they were being beaten their respect for her game and skill was larger than any national issues or gender issues. 

[ClareWalks]

I'm confused - was it established that the room WAS bugged? I know we are assuming that, in real life Communist Russia, they would have bugged her hotel room/phone, but is it canon? I don't remember them including that but it's certainly possible that I missed it. I don't know how productive it is to just assume that the room and phone were bugged and that was part of the story if it wasn't included. Watching this episode I was definitely waiting for the "eek Soviets" stuff that never ended up happening, but now I'm starting to wonder if I just missed things that lots of you saw?

[dubbel zout]

No one came out and said the room was bugged; we're just assuming it was because that was SOP back then. As I've mentioned a few times, the show isn't getting into the political/ideological side of the times, so this is the sort of thing that goes unmentioned even if you have some RL knowledge.

[Ohiopirate02]

Was it just me, or did anyone else think Borgov was proud of Beth beating him?  

[Umbelina]

4 hours ago, Ohiopirate02 said:

I got the impression that Borgov was an honorable man who wanted to beat Beth fairly.  Yes most likely the KGB was bugging the room and could have had that phone conversation translated, but that would have been a seriously confusing translation.  There were what 6 or 8 other voices on the other line talking rapidly about chess using terminology only serious chess people could understand.  I can't see them getting an accurate translation to Borgov in enough time for it to be any use to him.  He was too busy in his suite with the other Russian grandmasters planning their own strategy.  

You can be honorable and still want to be the best in the world.  I think we he "adjourned" the match early, it was because he was losing, and he went to his chess buddies/team for advice and help.

That shocked me frankly.

I haven't read the book, so I don't know if that was just to set up the feel good scene of all the boys back home helping her, and that being OK since Borgov already cheated, or if it's SOP for Grand Champion Chess matches.

3 hours ago, ClareWalks said:

I'm confused - was it established that the room WAS bugged? I know we are assuming that, in real life Communist Russia, they would have bugged her hotel room/phone, but is it canon? I don't remember them including that but it's certainly possible that I missed it. I don't know how productive it is to just assume that the room and phone were bugged and that was part of the story if it wasn't included. Watching this episode I was definitely waiting for the "eek Soviets" stuff that never ended up happening, but now I'm starting to wonder if I just missed things that lots of you saw?

All rooms were bugged then if Americans were staying in them.  It's a given.  It would be absurd to assume hers was not. 

No idea what the show intended, but if they tried to pretend it wasn't bugged?  That would be utterly ridiculous.

3 hours ago, dubbel zout said:

No one came out and said the room was bugged; we're just assuming it was because that was SOP back then. As I've mentioned a few times, the show isn't getting into the political/ideological side of the times, so this is the sort of thing that goes unmentioned even if you have some RL knowledge.

I agree.  I assumed it was.

-----

Oh, and the KGB would have just played Borgov the tape, not tried to translate it, or they would have pulled in a chess expert, but easier just to play him the tape.

Regardless of where the show tried to focus attention, the reality was that this took place in the middle of a very cold war.  Russia was desperate to win over the USA, certainly in various Olympic Sports, and Chess mastery was their pride and joy as well.  Everything was a competition between the glorious USSR and the decadent USA, from the space race, to world domination, to maintaining that prestigious chess domination.

IMO of course 😉

[tennisgurl]

I am so happy that we circled back to Beth's bio mom, the orphanage, and Mr. Scheibel as Beth become the world champion. I really loved this show and I thought that the ending was great, with Beth finally beating Borgov and all of her chess buddies coming together to help her win. Beth went through so much over the years, that her finally getting her big win felt amazing to see. The series in general has been really great all around, it had an often melancholy feel, but ended on a really triumphant note as Beth achieved her dream, and it never went overboard with how bad Beth had it the way I think a lot of shows might have. She had a lot of loses, but also a lot of wins (very appropriate for a show about chess) or at least she had things that helped to shape her into the person she became. I like that we don't know what exactly will happen to Beth after this, although considering her talk with the young Russian kid she played against she has at least considered her post-chess life, but now that she is at the top of her game, she can figure out if she wants to keep playing, or try at something else. She is still so young, she has plenty of options, and that's a great place to end the show. I especially loved her growing fan club in the USSR and how much everyone was rooting for her, and as weird as it is that she decided to just wander the streets back to the airport, I am glad that we ended where we started, with just a regular game of chess. The happy ending felt really earned to me, so I was happy to leave on such a high note. 

I really liked how the Beth's competitors were portrayed, it would be so easy to make the whole chess world be filled with sexist jerks who are all resentful of being beaten by a woman and there are lots of scenes where someone is a sexist creep to Beth and she beats him easily and the audience cheers, but just about everyone she played were very impressed by her abilities and respected her as a great player, to the point where pretty much all of her friends are people she beat before. Even the Soviet players aren't the bad guys like you might expect, they all seemed to be very honorable and decent people who greatly respected Beth as a competitor. The talk between her and the older master with the Einstein hair was especially sweet, and even Borgov gave her a full hug after she won. Of course I always thought that he respected her a lot, even when the KGB agents were trash talking her in the elevator, Borgov defended her as a survivor, and he even seemed sad to beat her in Paris, whether its because he knew about a soviet plot to sabotage her or just because it was clear she wasn't on the top of her game and he wanted to play her while they were both at their best. I also loved how supportive the other woman she played back in her first match was, and how she even came back to see her later and wish her luck in her future matches. 

I did expect to see a bit more of the cold war politics to show up, especially with Beth in Moscow, but the show is mostly told in Beth's point of view, so I can imagine that a lot of the cold war stuff, and even the media frenzy that is certainly happening back in the US over a young American woman beating the Soviet champion, was all happening elsewhere because Beth really doesn't care about any of that beyond it getting her funding for her trips. This is a woman who shrugged off a meeting with the president and then wandered around the streets to play chess with some random old guys, its clear what her priorities are. She just wants to play chess and doesn't really care much about the greater international ideological implications of her games. If the KGB did bug her room (and they probably did) than I hope that those agents listening really like chess because that is about all that Beth really talks about when she is competing unless she is spiraling out, so I suppose it wouldn't matter to her much either way. 

I guess that answers a few questions about Townes. I didn't think that they slept together back at the hotel, and this pretty much confirms it, he was still figuring some stuff out about himself then, and was unsure if his feelings towards her were platonic or not, which they certainly were. Generally its interesting that the show didn't go very hard on romance for Beth, and Beth seemed pretty lazier fair about romance in general. She slept with Harry and Benny, but those were more friends with benefits (even if Harry wanted it to be more) and had a crush on Townes, but that obviously isn't going anywhere. 

I wonder if some of Benny's cowboy look was influenced by the New York folk music scene of the era, which had a lot of very cowboy style aesthetics? Of course it was the 60s, it was kind of anything goes when it came to fashion a lot of times, especially in places like New York.  

I am really happy that Beth insisted that the reporters print Mr. Scheibels name this time and talk about how he taught her to play chess, none of this would have happened if it wasn't for him taking the time to teach chess to a little girl and seeing her potential. It really hit hard when Beth saw that he had been following her career, and when the damn really broke and she allowed herself to really start feeling all of her grief, which finally allowed her to start getting better. I was also thrilled to see Jolene and see how well she is doing, and seeing her awesome afro look. I am really glad we got to follow up with her, and like I said, I was happy to see things coming full circle.  

Edited October 30, 2020 by tennisgurl