Queen’s Gambit Season 1 Episode 5 Recap – Fork

[00:00:10] The episode began with another flashback of her biological mother. This time she advised her that the dark was nothing to be afraid of. That there was nothing to be afraid of out of anything. Her biological mother believes that the strongest person is someone who’s not afraid to be alone, someone that knows how to take care of oneself.

[00:00:55] Elizabeth arrived home from Mexico City. As the rain poured, she entered their home. Alone for the first time, she reminisced the time she spent with Mrs. Wheatley. Suddenly the phone rang, it was Harry Beltik. He called on the notion that news spread of her loss against Borgov and offered to help her; Elizabeth agreed and invited him over. Harry arrived with a box of books, complementing Elizabeth on her looks, saying that she was no longer the gawky kid that bested him five years ago. They discussed what happened in her game, and Harry advised her that she should always remain open instead of focusing on a single play as that would always guarantee her loss.

[00:07:05] Elizabeth decides to play out a scenario, which proves Harry’s point; she also complemented Harry saying that something also changed with him, but she couldn’t specify. Harry stated it was his teeth, giving Elizabeth a big wide smile; he got it fixed a while back. She smiled back in agreement. Harry decided to take his sandwich and proceed to his hotel; he left his chessboard and told Elizabeth that he’d be back tomorrow with more books.

[00:10:10] The next day, Harry arrived, and both of them continued to play chess. Elizabeth destroyed him five games in a row; however, she doesn’t have any end game plans. As Harry stated, she’s just improvising, which shouldn’t be the case. Harry advised her to read about Borgov’s career as she might learn a thing or two. As the days went by, the two enjoyed each other’s company, continuing to play and discuss chess. Each night Elizabeth read about Borgov’s career, and we are given a flashback of his matches and interviews. Harry revealed that he’s going to move out of his hotel and into an apartment; he also needs to look for a part-time job, so he can no longer come by as often as he would like.

[00:15:50] Elizabeth offered to let him stay with her for free, and to her surprise, Harry leaned over to kiss her. Harry apologized for the awkward moment, but Elizabeth shrugged him off, saying that she wasn’t ready. Elizabeth took a moment and then told him that she was ready; Harry hesitated, but she told him that it was now or never. Elizabeth turned on the lamp by her bedside, and to our surprise, Harry Beltik is lying beside her. She continued to read Borgov’s career, and Harry asked her if he should stay or return to his room. She told him that he could do whatever he wanted.

[00:18:00] The next day, Elizabeth went over to Ben Snyder’s, where she bumped into Margaret. She told Elizabeth that she got married right after graduation. Margaret seemed happy, but the wine bottles under the baby carriage tell us otherwise. Evening came as Elizabeth and Harry talked over chess again, but this time we see Harry trying to confess his love for Elizabeth. He told her that she’s the reason he had his teeth fixed and that he was waiting for her to come back, but Elizabeth immediately dodged the conversation and changed the topic. Harry just ends up inviting her to another game of chess.

[00:21:30] Elizabeth heads over to Bradley’s to buy two packs of chesterfields, the same brand that Mrs. Wheatley used to smoke; she also purchased a chess review magazine. Mr. Bradley recognized her and asked her if she would want to just steal the magazine like last time. Elizabeth was surprised, but Mr. Bradley just wished her luck for the upcoming tournament, and she told him to keep the change as payment for the magazine that she stole.

[00:22:15] Elizabeth and Harry played another game of chess; however, Harry couldn’t keep up with her; she was too quick and too sharp, so he decided to call it quits. The next day, Harry informed Elizabeth that he was moving out to pursue his career as an electrical engineer; he no longer had the same love for chess that he once had years ago. Harry warned Elizabeth that she needed to be careful, or she’d end up like one of the chess players that she looks up to.

[00:28:50] We head over to Ohio for the 1967 US Championship; Elizabeth enters the venue, and Benny Watts has a few words with her. Benny provided his opinion on the way they’re treated, unlike other sports like golf or tennis. He compared their setup to those in the Soviet Union, Elizabeth tells him that she plans to go to the Soviet Union to see it for herself, but Benny provokes her, saying that she needs to beat him first. The tournament proceeded as usual, with both of them crushing their opponents. Benny invites her over for a few rounds of speed chess and beers, but Elizabeth declines.

[00:34:00] Elizabeth just wanted to study on her own, but her plans didn’t go so well. She ended up heading over to grab a cup of coffee when Benny spotted her. He once again invites her over for a round of speed chess, but this time he placed a wager of $5 per game. Elizabeth wanted to decline, but Benny insisted by allowing someone else to get her a cup of coffee. They began to play, and with each round, the crowd grew larger. Elizabeth lost each round and, along with it, her money. She couldn’t believe what had happened as she returned to her room, feeling devastated. She ended up just sleeping off her woes.

[00:39:40] The next day was the final match of the US Championship, she would face Benny again, but this time she would emerge victoriously. After the match, they went over what had happened. Benny told Elizabeth that the US Champion gets invited to the Moscow Invitational. Elizabeth wasn’t aware of this, and she wasn’t sure how she would handle that tournament. Elizabeth told Benny that she wasn’t even sure if she would still go to Paris. Instead of sulking and drinking, Benny told her that she should go to Paris. He offered to coach her for both tournaments if she was willing to go with him to New York. Elizabeth agreed, and Benny informed her that they would leave the next day.