S2: E8 The Queens Gambit and The Barrier

Today we're going to talk about two excellent shows currently showing on Netflix, one everyone is talking about and the other not so much: The Queens Gambit and The Barrier.
We hope by the time you listen to this, our great national nightmare is over, but for now, check our webpage for a sample of what went on here on Sunday, 11/01/2020.  Margot and Kenny had their first Halloween!
Margot as a Unicorn! Kenny as Sweet Pea! See pix on our website!

We have a new Facebook group! On a whim, Elaine decided to create a Facebook group for this podcast. Within an hour, we had 50 very active users and growing fast! Thank you to everyone who joined and supports our show! If you want to get in on the fun, here's a link:
Travis and Elaine Chat Group
Can't wait to see you there.
Lots of people in our group were talking about The Queen's Gambit on Netflix. We'd already watched the pilot on Friday night; we binged the rest on Saturday but saved the finale for Sunday. It took  27 years to finally get Walter Tevis’ 1983 novel to the screen. Originally intended to be a feature film, Heath Ledger was attached to direct in 2008, and Ellen Page was courted to star. We get into the long strange trip to Netflix, plus the exceptional cast. Currently, The Queen's Gambit is the #1 series on Netflix. Maybe, it was worth the wait.
If you're interested in the novel,  we have links on our website.

The Outstanding Cast
Led by a star-making performance by Anya Taylor-Joy is a uniquely quiet tale of isolation, genius, and how one girl navigates the world. With the exception of the episodes where her character Beth Harmon is a kid, Taylor-Joy is essentially in every scene. We knew her from The Witch but didn't even recognize her as Casey Cooke from Split and Glass the two movies that followed one of Elaine's favorite movies. Unbreakable.  See pix on our webpage
The supporting cast is solid. Standouts were Bill Camp, Marielle Heller and Thomas Brodie-Sangster. More about them in the episode.
For more about the fashion and music in the Queen's Gambit check our webpage
The Barrier  The Barrier - La valla (original title) is a Spanish series currently airing. one episode a week on Netflix. Luckily, if you haven't started watching yet, half the episodes are already up for binging.  Unbelievably, this series was created and filmed before the pandemic because the parallels are stunning. Yeah, it's another near-future dystopian drama, but it's better and more realistic than most. The cast, although mostly unknown to American viewers includes the remarkable real-life mother and daughter, Olivia Molina and Ángela Molina.

Hang in there, everybody.
Cya on Facebook! Travis and Elaine Chat Group