Anya Taylor-Joy is one of the best actresses working today, in my opinion, and I really admire her and enjoy her performance in everything I see her in. So, when I saw that she was starring in "The Queen's Gambit," I felt as if I had no choice but to watch it. I spent a weekend binging the series' seven episodes, and while I was enthralled by Anya, as well as the beautiful cinematography and production value, as a whole, my feelings are mixed.

Anya's performance as Beth Harmon really carried me throughout the approximate seven hours or so of "The Queen's Gambit's" running time. She is just so much fun to watch - she has a very unique beauty about her that had my eyes glued to the screen, and her performance as an orphaned and damaged chess-whiz is quite interesting to see. Observing her interact with the other characters who inhabited this world was pretty entertaining, from a janitor who teaches her to play to her adopted parents who may or may not even want her in the first place to multiple opponents who she battles on the chess board; seeing her navigate her way through multiple people and personalities, all while struggling with her obsession with chess and proclivity to drugs and alcohol is compelling. Additionally, the narrative of the show does offer some threads and plot points that you will want to see through - for example, Beth's love life, tournament progression, and personal redemption (or lack thereof). However, besides Anya and her wonderful performance, I found the overall plot of the show mildly uninteresting, and without Anya, I wonder if I would have even watched this show in its entirety.

"The Queen's Gambit" truly is a feast for the eyes, with its gorgeous cinematography and direction, but I found its story simply not too engaging. There seemed to be a constant lack of an overarching hook, besides Beth's compulsion to continue to play and beat her opponents. And while I enjoyed watching those sequences, and especially the scenes where she discusses chess with others, there wasn't much emotionally that managed to move me. Of course, I wanted to see Beth happy - I wanted her to beat her opponents, to find love, to kick her addictions, but besides that, I was never struck by anything specific or moved to tears or euphoria, as I have been by other television shows.

This series is definitely watchable, and definitely enjoyable. Anya, along with practically everyone else, is fantastic in their roles and bring a lot to the material. As I mentioned earlier, this is a beautiful show to watch, filled with scrumptious set design and delightful music. But, as a whole, I found the narrative not too engaging, and the plot lacking. That being said, I enjoyed enough in this show to definitely recommend it to others, and I may rewatch it myself further down the line, but for the performances rather than the plot.