In a year when quality TV has provided a crutch for most of us during the Coronavirus pandemic, there has been some outstanding individual episodes in some of 2020's best dramas.
But if you were to create a shortlist of five of the best this year, then surely the climactic episode of 'The Queen's Gambit' would have to be among them?
This unlikely hit series about a chess prodigy has become Netflix's most watched limited series in the space of 28 days, with a staggering 62 million households downloading it across the world.
As their leaders grapple with the restrictions that Covid-19 has imposed on citizens and their societies, viewers in 63 countries have streamed the miniseries and made it their top Netflix show.
The show has also sparked fresh interest in the game of chess.
Adapted by screenwriter and director Scott Frank from the 1983 novel of the same name by Walter Tevis, the seven episode miniseries begins with a scene of great tragedy.
At the age of five, Annabeth Kennedy's Beth Harmon stands frozen to the spot at the scene of a road traffic accident on a bridge as police stare at her.
The body of her deceased mother, Chloe Pirrie's Alice Harmon lies beside the wreckage of her car.
With no father to turn to, Beth is effectively an orphan and she is sent to the Methuen Home for Girls in Lexington, Kentucky where Christiane Seidel's Helen Deardoff prepares young ladies for possible adoption.
There she is taken under the wing of Moses Ingram's rebellious teen Joleen as Deardoff and the other staff try to mould the girls into proper young ladies.
Beth dazzles her teachers with her quick maths skills but she also discovers chess, wandering into the basement where Bill Camp's janitor Mr Shaibel hangs out.
At first, Mr Shaibel gruffly tells her "girls do not play chess" but they quickly bond over a game which Beth has never seen before but has a natural affinity for, sneaking away from chapel.
When she eventually discovers how to beat him, Shaibel starts to teach her strategy and introduces her to Jonjo O'Neill's Mr Ganz from the local chess club.
Mr Ganz persuades Deardoff to allow her to take part in an exhibition where she plays several simultaneous games and crushes those playing against her.
The girls, however, are given tranquilizers every day by the school authorities which Beth becomes addicted to, after Jolene advises her to hold on to them later in the day.
Beth comes to believe the pills play a huge part in her ability to visualise games.
However when the state decrees it is no longer safe for institutions like Methuen to issue the green pills, Beth becomes desperate to get hold of them and is caught trying to steal them.
As s punishment, Deardoff forbids her from playing chess and when she is adopted by Marielle Heller's Alma Wheatley and her husband, Patrick Kennedy's Allston, her friendship with Jolene comes to an abrupt and angry end.
While Anya Taylor Joy's teenage Beth adjusts to high school and her new suburban life with the Wheatley's in their Lexington home, she yearns for chess.
And when the couple's marriage falls apart and Alma struggles financially, Beth persuades her adopted mum to enter her in a chess tournament in Kentucky which has a $100 top prize.
Initially, the predominantly male players and organisers like Matthew and Russell Dennis Lewis' twins Mike and Matt are condescending towards her.
However as she destroys her opponents and dazzles spectators, their admiration for her skills grows.
Inevitably, she faces off against Harry Melling's arrogant tournament favourite Harry Beltik and triumphs to his amazement.
Soon Beth and Alma, who is surprised by the financial rewards that can be earned for playing chess, are racing around the country as her adopted daughter becomes a national sensation.
They head to Cincinnati, Las Vegas and eventually over the border to Mexico City as Beth's star rises.
Along the way, she encounters Thomas Brodie Sangster's flamboyant US champion and occasional chess hustler Benny Watts who initially has the measure of her and she also falls for Jacob Fortune-Lloyd's DL Townes.
However as she graduates from national sensation to international superstar, her main nemesis is the Russian world champion Marcin Dorocinski's Vasily Borgov who she is due to face in Paris.
But will Beth's continued reliance on tranquilizers and booze to boost her game prove to be her undoing?
Frank writes and directs every episode and serves up a compelling series capable of reeling in viewers with even a scant knowledge of chess.
Much of this is down to the quality of his teleplays which the cast eagerly devours.
The writer director also deftly handles his 1950s and 60s period setting, with some vibrant cinematography from Steven Meizler, clever editing from Michelle Tesoro, Gabriele Binder's sumptuous costume design and Uli Hanisch's intelligent production design.
However the show belongs to Anya Taylor Joy whose assured performance as Beth is bound to make her a household name.
Taylor Joy revels in the contradictions and complexities of her character, as she struggles to define who she is as a woman and to also harness her prodigous talent.
Beth makes an awful lot of mistakes as she traverses both paths.
It is an extremely bumpy ride but Taylor Joy makes it a compelling watch.
Frank also extracts sublime performances from the rest of his cast.
Thomas Brodie Sangster, Harry Melling and Jacob Fortune-Lloyd all impress as rivals turned admirers.
Marielle Heller is hugely sympathetic as the adopted mum who revels in Beth's success but whose own talents were suppressed.
Moses Ingram is full of mischief as Beth's childhood friend.
Bill Camp once again demonstrates why he is one of the best character actors working in US film and television at the moment.
Marcin Dorocinski is a haunting presence as Borgov - hovering over proceedings as the giant that Beth must take down if she is to realise her potential.
'The Queen's Gambit' is a wonderful life lesson for all those watching it.
It shows how having natural ability is simply not enough.
To reach the pinnacle of your sport or the arts, you also have to graft - a lesson Beth has to learn the hard way.
Frank's adaptation also stresses the importance of teamwork, even in a sport as individual as chess.
Townes and Watts both recognise that the reason why the Russians dominate their sport is their players operate as a team and support each other, while Americans tend to focus on the individual.
The miniseries serves as a parable too about addiction and the danger of relying on drugs and booze to unleash your creativity.
But it is also an uplifting tale about a woman smashing sexist stereotypes and forcing men to recognise her talent.
Finally, it serves as a warning about demonising your rivals.
All of these themes are brilliantly blended in the final two episodes, with the final hour dazzling its audience with its smooth execution.
It is so good that by the time audiences reach the end credits, they will find themselves craving more.
And there's the dilemma for Frank and Netflix.
'The Queen's Gambit' was meant to be a limited, one-off series but its huge success may mean the lure of a follow-up is just too great to ignore.
The way the show ends keeps the door open.
But would it be a huge mistake? Is it a gambit worth pursuing?
It's over to you Scott Frank and Netflix. It's your move.
('The Queen's Gambit' was made available for streaming on Netflix on October 23, 2020)
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