My last weekend binge on Netflix was full of drama and a pinch of fantasy. But this weekend I’m doing a mix of documentaries, anime, and finally finishing The Queen’s Gambit, which I stopped watching at the penultimate episode.
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The Queen’s Gambit
Watch The Queen’s Gambit on Netflix
I don’t know what I was thinking when I stopped just before the end of The Queen’s Gambit. Maybe I got sidetracked by another show. In the end, it was a happy mistake because I got to rewatch and experience what drew me into the show in the first place. It was particularly entertaining to watch Beth (Anya-Taylor Joy) not only win against her male opponents in chess, but cut down their egos with a stare.
What’s most effective is how The Queen’s Gambit uses flashbacks, which the show cuts to as a way to unravel Beth’s backstory, and then weaves it into the present. For example, when Mr. Shaibel (Bill Camp) refuses to continue teaching Beth chess because she was acting like a sore loser. When she apologizes, they mend their relationship, and it’s ultimately what led Beth to play chess for a living. As much as I’d like a second season, The Queen’s Gambit works as a one-season wonder.
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Hunter x Hunter
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I’ve had Hunter x Hunter on my watch list for years, and I hate to admit that. What got me motivated was watching a completely different anime, YuYu Hakusho, which, until recently, I had no idea was created by Yoshihiro Togashi, who also created Hunter x Hunter.
Hunter x Hunter is the one show on my list that I know the least about. I know they have “Nen,” which sounds like a unique way to scale characters, and I know at some point there’s a tournament arc. In fact, in my ignorance, I thought the show only focused on tournament fights, not hunting monsters.
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Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story
Watch Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story on Netflix
Monsters was a surprising pick for me because I don’t normally watch dramatizations of real events, with this season focusing on Lyle and Erik Menendez and the murder of their parents. It’s a dark tale of abuse, to say the least, but it’s the actors portraying the murderers that caught my attention.
The dynamic of the Menendez family is what ultimately sold me on the show, especially when it’s just Lyle and Erik (played by Nicholas Chavez and Cooper Koch). Lyle is a very intimidating, controlling, and volatile person; meanwhile, Erik is much more soft-spoken and timid. You see the same dynamic play out between Jose and Kitty Menendez (played by Javier Bardem and Chloë Sevigny, respectively)—Jose has complete control over his wife, or else you see the same volatility as Lyle.
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Arnold
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Arnold Schwarzenegger has a very magnetic charisma to him, and considering the many movies I was exposed to, I’m not surprised he’s had quite an impact on my love for the medium. Naturally, I want to know about him, not just his incredible career as an actor. And I had already watched Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond, so I knew Netflix could pull it off.
I’m two episodes in—one more to go—and I desperately wish it was longer because Arnold’s life is incredibly colorful and inspiring. Few people can say they went from a bodybuilding icon to a movie superstar in numerous blockbusters to a politician; in fact, each episode is dedicated to a specific challenge he pursued. It’s also wild to think Arnold grew up in post-war Austria, with a father who was a member of the Nazi Party, and even recollects how miserable the vibe was at the time.
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The Good Place
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I was never suggested The Good Place by anyone, only experiencing its influence through cultural osmosis and a montage of funny moments involving one of the characters, Jianyu. It had a few spoilers, but it was worth the risk because it pushed me to check it out. And I’m glad I did because it reminded me of why I love Forgetting Sarah Marshall: Kristen Bell’s knack for comedic delivery is on full display here.
The premise hooks you in, too. I rather like the idea of Eleanor (Kristen Bell) being sent to the Good Place by mistake. But I’m also wondering if being a miserable person in life is enough to warrant an eternity of suffering in death. I’m only a few episodes in, and the philosophical conundrums already draw me into the show, tackled in a comedic way. I do appreciate a show that can be both smart and funny.
I really wanted to focus on Netflix shows with smaller footprints this time around. Only two, The Good Place and Hunter x Hunter, are going to outlive the weekend, and I’m excited to crack open another anime. While a lot of what I’m watching is more or less recent, Netflix also has old shows that are worth binging, too!
