Through him she meets Cleo, who makes her see something in herself, allowing her to finally beat Benny. He asks her about her drinking and pills and insists she be completely sober while he trains her.
Later they attend the Championship in Ohio, where he beats her soundly in a speed round. He is something of a Pygmalion, falling in love with someone he thinks he can create.īenny catches Beth off guard, intimidating her with his cool demeanor and alarming prowess. He is one of many characters who is enchanted with Beth while being eager to teach her, coach her, and advise her. Harry leaves, coming back into her life years later to express concern over the danger of her self-medication. Their relationship perhaps mirrors what the relationship between Alice and Beth's father may have been in the beginning, but Beth is decidedly not Harry's manic pixie dream girl. She is not in love with him, but she allows for a physical relationship to begin. He admits he has admired her for years, reading her interviews and profiles and replaying her matches. After reconnecting with Beth, Harry kisses her, taking her by surprise.
Years later, Harry calls her to offer condolences, and she invites him to come stay with her. Thanks in part to him underestimating her, she is able to beat him, earning respect in the chess community for the first time. Harry is first high-level ranking chess player Beth goes against. It seems very clear that what Beth needs in her life is true and loyal friends who act as the family she was denied. When they meet again, she is maintaining her sobriety despite the pressure of playing in Russia, and she is able to accept him telling her he's gay without heartbreak. He, like a chess board, is a puzzle to be solved, hence her long-time attachment to him as opposed to the other men in her life, whom she has figured out. She admits to Cleo that she's still in love with Townes many years later.
Most people surrounding her are troubled, sardonic, or detached, whereas Townes brings warmth and sincerity, which awakens a part of her dormant since childhood: one that desperately wants to be taken care of. Though this creates distance between them, Townes still remains one of the most gentle influences in Beth's life. When Beth and Townes adjourn to his hotel room in Las Vegas for some photographs, she meets his handsome roommate and assumes that they are lovers - something that's more or less confirmed in the final episode. He is one of the first players to be gracious to her when she shows up to compete, encouraging her to go for the big games. Townes is a kind, perceptive journalist to whom Beth forms a strong attachment.
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