Queen’s Gambit Season 1 Episode 7 Recap – End Game

[00:00:10] One last flashback, a few hours before the accident that killed Alice. The two of them headed over to Paul, Elizabeth’s biological father. Alice was trying to get assistance from Paul; it’s not certain whether she just wanted money or if she wanted to give Elizabeth over to him, but nonetheless, Paul declined. Paul already had a new family, and on top of that, it had already been five years since he left. Alice was in bad shape. She looked depressed as she went back to her car and left. Alice and Elizabeth drove off, and that would be the final time we see Alice alive.

[00:02:20] Back in Lexington, Elizabeth welcomed Jolene into her home. Jolene asked Elizabeth if she owned the house, which she confirmed. Jolene tells Elizabeth the reason for her visit, Mr. Shaibel died. She wanted Elizabeth to accompany her to the funeral, which was in two days. It looked like Elizabeth agreed, but she didn’t respond to Jolene’s invitation. Rather she acknowledged the fact that she was a mess and said that she was doing her best to bounce back.

[00:03:20] That evening, the two of them had some catching up to do. Jolene told Elizabeth that she went to college on a physical education scholarship but decided to change her major to political science in hopes of changing the world and its view on the colored race. Jolene noticed that Elizabeth was still taking the green pills. She also commented that Elizabeth was doing more than just pills as she was already turning into an alcoholic. Elizabeth felt remorse at what she got herself into; she told Jolene that she needed to quit her vices and clean up her act, but she was not too sure about herself.

[00:06:10] She felt like she was becoming like her mother, but Jolene disagreed, saying that her mother was dead and that it didn’t do any good to keep digging herself a hole that she couldn’t get out of. After their talk, Jolene presented Elizabeth with a gift; it was her old book of modern chess openings, the book she received from Mr. Shaibel. Jolene confessed that she took the book because she was mad that Elizabeth got adopted. They had a good laugh because Jolene was mad that Elizabeth got adopted and not because she became a crackhead.

[00:07:10] The next day, Jolene and Elizabeth drove off and headed for Methuen Home for the funeral. They passed by an old trailer that belonged to Alice and Elizabeth. Elizabeth told Jolene that Alice was rich and that she was always rich, but she had no idea how they ended up there. Upon arriving at the orphanage, Elizabeth said that she no longer wanted to enter the orphanage ever again, so the two of them headed over to the funeral; however, at the funeral, she had a change of heart. No one seemed to care that Mr. Shaibel was dead. None of his relatives were crying. Jolene stated they all seemed like they were waiting in line at the bank. The situation saddened Elizabeth as she remembered her debt of ten dollars to Mr. Shaibel. The two decided that they’d return to the orphanage after the funeral.

[00:11:50] Elizabeth looked around, and she found Mrs. Deardorff, who told her that she should be in the chapel. She headed to the basement. Nothing had changed. Elizabeth found a board that was filled with newspaper clippings and different articles about her career; she also found the old letter that she sent to Mr. Shaibel asking for five dollars so that she could enter her first tournament. Mr. Shaibel followed her career from beginning to end; he even kept their photo which Elizabeth took for her own. She headed back to the car, where she broke down.

[00:17:00] After their trip, Elizabeth had a little talk with representatives of the Christian crusade. They wanted her to make a press statement that she was going to the Soviet Union to fight communism. The representatives implied that communism goes hand in hand with atheism which they see as a threat to humanity and Christianity. They also gave Elizabeth a pre-prepared speech, but she wouldn’t have it. She told them that she was unable to address the press with what they gave her because it was nonsense. They were furious as they had already invested so much in her, but Elizabeth just wrote them a check, saying that she would just give them the money back. Elizabeth then called Benny for advice; she also tried to ask him to shoulder the remaining expenses for their trip to the Soviet Union, but he rejected her and told her to never call him again.

[00:21:45] Jolene offered Elizabeth the money that she needed to go to the Soviet Union, but she refused. She told Elizabeth that it was alright. She could pay her back once she won, or they could make a deal in exchange for a couple of dresses. Jolene supported Elizabeth through and through; she told her that she would spend her ice cream money back in the orphanage just to buy the chess magazines that had her on the cover so that she would remain updated on her career. She even knew how Elizabeth lost to Benny and how she won in Ohio. She told Elizabeth that they’re family, and they’ll have each other’s backs no matter what.

[00:24:10] Elizabeth headed over to Russia, and she was accompanied by a man who worked for the government. He advised her not to speak to anyone and to inform him if Borgov sent her a message in any way. He wanted her to stay in the hotel room unless she was going out with him, presumably for her own safety. The tournament started. Each player is called out and introduced to the crowd. The tournament is far from what we were shown back in the US. Chess in Russia is more than a sport for intelligent people. They treated participants with respect, unlike their US counterparts.

[00:30:00] As the commentator tells us, no one really cared for Elizabeth Harmon. The Russians never considered her as their equal, especially in chess. The Russians have a women’s champion in Nona Gaprindashvili, but she hasn’t faced any men in a game of chess. Women were not treated equally in their country; however, all of that would change as Elizabeth was there to once again destroy all of her competition. After each match, the crowd outside grew larger, comprised of mostly women; they eagerly waited for Elizabeth to emerge from her match to get her autograph.

[00:35:40] The tournament continued, and Elizabeth was up against Luchenko, who was one of the best players in the world. The match adjourned for the next day. Elizabeth would go on to beat Luchenko, who acknowledged her skill as the best player he had ever fought. After her match with Flento, we are brought full circle to the day of their accident. Alice crashed the car on purpose. After the flashback, Elizabeth disposed of her remaining pills.

[00:43:30] The day everyone was waiting for has finally arrived. It was Harmon against Borgov. Everyone was on their heels as they watched each move. Even the people outside received commentary, and everyone had their own chess boards to play each move and witness the match with their own eyes. Silence filled the room; tension filled the air. No one seems to be breathing as they wait to see who will emerge victorious. The match was fair and just. Elizabeth didn’t spend the night drinking; she was focused, determined to defeat Borgov for the first time and finally prove herself to the world. After what seemed hours in front of the board, Borgov called for the match to adjourn. Elizabeth addressed the press that night, and to her surprise, she heard a familiar voice. It was Townes.

[00:49:00] They talked things out through the night, and she finally got the closure that she deserved. Townes woke her up with a cup of coffee as the phone rang; it was a call from old friends. Benny, Harry, Hilton, Arthur, Mike, and Matt were all in New York playing out the adjourned game. Each of them provided their advice as to how and what Elizabeth needed to do to win the match. She wrote it all down with the help of Townes and reviewed it on the way to the match. The match resumed, and everyone was on the edge of their seats. Elizabeth was confident. She felt prepared for everything, but that wasn’t the case.

[00:55:00] Borgov wasn’t making any of the proposed moves that they all talked over on the phone. Elizabeth is back to where she started. She was on her own. Her face suddenly turned grim; it seemed that she was in a difficult position, so she looked up, and, without her magic pills or any vices, the shadows emerged. She was able to play it out as if she had taken the pills in the first place. She saw it all, the variations, the move sets, the possibilities. She makes her move, and in a few moments, Borgov offered her a draw, which she steadily refused. They played on through, and eventually, Borgov resigned.

[01:01:20] Elizabeth made it; against all odds, she had won. She emerged and faced the crowd. The thunderous applause filled the room. As she left, Townes took her photograph. Before they headed to the airport, she took a walk through the park where a bunch of old people were playing chess. They immediately recognized her and offered to play a game of chess. It was as if she was playing Mr. Shaibel again.