I think the misuse, or rather the underuse, of Bill Camp borders on criminal. Yet this is one of the best shows I have seen in a long time. And it is at least nominally about chess -- not something I would normally watch, but I saw Camp was in it and had long ago vowed to not let something he is in pass me by unviewed. Scott Frank could have better developed the relationship between Shaibel and Beth.
Still, Anya Taylor Joy is a joy to behold (sorry, I could not resist it). I recognized her as soon as I saw her but did not know from where. I had seen her in Morgan, Thoroughbreds, and the Shyamalan movies, but I could not place her at first.
Here, she is delightful. She has a way about her that precludes you looking away. And it is not just the face. Some people are more than the sum of their parts. She is surely one of these. The way she moves, almost hopping at times, is wonderful and a joy to behold (sorry again). By the fourth episode I was hoping there would be more than seven.
Before I watched that last episode, I watched Emma. At first, I did not recognize her in that...until I saw her flit across the floor. Jane Austen, also not something I would willingly watch, but I saw her and kept it on because of her. Even though, as I said, after having watched her in this for 5 hours, I didn't recognize her -- at least until I saw her skip her way across the floor.
I am smitten. Joy will always get my viewing dollar. Especially if the quality of the writing is as good as it is here. Scott Frank is an exceptional writer with some of my favorite things: Godless, the Lookout, A Walk Among the Tombstones, Out of Sight, etc.
When I first started rating films on IMDB I gave out some 10s. Today, realizing ten is the best, and understanding that no thing is ever the best, or at least not for long, I rarely give them out anymore. For Frank, Joy, and Camp, I give this a 10.
