I recently watched The Queen's Gambit, a 7-episode miniseries on Netflix. It's based on a novel that I haven't read.

The story drew me in and, though I originally planned to watch one episode per day, I ended up needing more and more. I watched one on Sunday, one on Monday, two on Tuesday, and the last three on Wednesday.

As often happens when I finish a story, I was excited to see how it ended but I also felt a pensive sadness at the loss of characters I had grown to care for.

I have some thoughts on the story below. If you haven't watched it yet, I recommend that you stop here and go experience it yourself! I hope you like it.

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I kept thinking about the plot and characters, especially the main character, Beth Harmon. At first, I was a little disappointed that Beth had so many people helping her yet she had not been good or kind to them. They supported her because she was so brilliant that they wanted her to succeed. Part of their support and her success also came from being physically attractive and stylish. This happens in the real world, too, but it's not inspiring.

I eventually found more inspiring takeaways:

- Beth overcame her struggle with addiction thanks to people caring about her
- Beth found success by following her passions and developing her talents
- Beth's success required more than raw talent or learning on her own. Friendship and mentors made a huge difference.
- Beth was able to break free from the trouble in her past when she finally let herself face it directly. She had a breakthrough by realizing her troubles weren't the same as her biological mother's. She also needed to see that other people had cared for her and followed her story from the beginning.

In the end, the story resonates with me and the series is great entertainment.