‘3 Body Problem’ Recap, Episode 6: The Stars Our Destination

Following some episodes driven by the intense plot that aimed to uncover what exactly was going on, "The Stars Our Destination" presents a much-needed break. This episode takes a step back to assess the current mental states of the characters in the aftermath, while also serving as a turning point to prepare for the last two episodes of the season.

I have been yearning for this: the opportunity to take a moment to reflect on everything. Going to Will's cottage beside the beach is a great way for all four of us from Oxford (rest in peace Jack) to gather again. We're doing our best to take a break, although we have many things to worry about. Will is still suffering from pancreatic cancer, and the countdown in his mind seems more real than the one Auggie had in his hallucinations. In addition, he is deeply in love with Jin, which causes him a great deal of anguish. Nonetheless, spending some time with Will is comforting, as he is usually preoccupied with tackling these issues in his own world.

I feel like the love triangle part of the story is a bit forced, but the actors Jess Hong and Alex Sharp do a great job of showing the underlying desire between them in scenes like at the beach, where she drops two paper boats in the water to represent them. It's like in a romantic comedy when the best friend (Saul) says "Go get her, man!" The stakes are high for Will, who's running out of time to express his feelings. Eventually, Saul and Auggie succeed in getting him on a train to London to catch Jin after she leaves work.

Will has a valid reason for doubting this plan: It would be unjust to assume that Jin will leave Raj for him, even if she has feelings for him. Additionally, crossing that line could potentially lead to awkwardness between them in the future. However, I found it frustrating when he ultimately backed out after witnessing Jin and Raj embrace from a distance. While their relationship may be strained due to Raj's failure to disclose the Judgment Day mission, they are still together. If you're going to take such a risk, you must be prepared to confront the possibility of them remaining in a relationship.

Will decides to make a less conspicuous move by using the millions of dollars he inherited from Jack to purchase a star for Jin through a charitable organization called Stars Our Destination. The goal of this foundation is to gather resources to protect the planet. Personally, I concur with Auggie's point of view. The money could be used in more practical ways to aid individuals today rather than being spent on a hypothetical war that might happen in 400 years.

I particularly enjoyed the moment when Will informed Auggie that Jin needed her now and not a man. Although Eiza González's acting remains weak compared to the rest of the cast, this episode is excellent for Auggie's character development. She grapples with the moral implications of her actions and struggles with the guilt of causing harm to families with her use of nanofibers. Ultimately, she decides to work with Jin again, not because she supports the objective, but because she has faith in him as a friend.

In the blog post, the objective is to send a probe into space to meet the San-Ti fleet halfway. Jin is tasked with making this happen, and she uses her skills as a physicist to create a proposal that she presents at Wychwood Manor, the new base of operations. To achieve the necessary speed, 1,000 nuclear bombs will be detonated along the probe's journey. This plan is expensive and untested, but Wade is not deterred. He even wants to send a human on the probe to be picked up by the San-Ti during their brief point of contact. The science is simplified for our understanding.

In this section of the blog, some of the concepts discussed may be difficult to understand as they are quite abstract. The magic abilities of the Sophons are seemingly limitless, making it difficult to gauge their power accurately. The book attempts to clarify this through Wade's scheme to distract the Sophons with particle accelerators. However, it's still unclear how this will affect the story. It raises questions about what half-omniscience means and what the San-Ti will not be able to perceive if the Sophons are preoccupied. Overall, the section leaves us with a greater understanding of the intricacies of the story and the complexity of its magical elements.

I appreciate how the focus of this episode centers on the characters, including Wenjie. She is struggling with her faith after the summit raid and Judgment Day massacre. When Jin visits her, it deeply affects her. She refers to Jin as a traitor for letting her daughter die. Wenjie has always believed in valuing God's plan over human life, but the accusation hurts her. Later, she confides in Clarence that Vera committed suicide after finding the correspondences between Wenjie and Mike Evans. Vera never spoke to her mother about it or left a note.

Wenjie tells Jin about a poster she came across which read, "Eradicate the ancient world and create a fresh one." According to her, this was the only instance where she found herself in agreement with the Red Guards. It is evident that the thought of having a similar ideology to the ones that caused her so much pain would be devastating for Wenjie. The Red Guards were responsible for her father's death, and now her own doings could potentially lead to more loss of life, making the Cultural Revolution seem meaningless.

It's difficult to determine Wenjie's ultimate intentions after returning home and conversing with the San-Ti. She speaks about having a few ideas left, and despite the possibility of the San-Ti forgiving her, it's uncertain if she can truly let go of the consequences of her actions. Faith requires a deliberate decision, and individuals may hold onto their beliefs to avoid confronting the terror of their errors.

The beaches in England are not very good.

One of the most humorous scenes in the TV show has to be when Saul refers to Auggie as "beautiful in a monotonous manner." It's even more hilarious when he mentions that she would play the part of the villain in the third edition of the movie Speed, which is quite fitting since González appeared in Ambulance, which shares some similarities with the film.

The TV program is finding great pleasure in making fun of Raj. For instance, when he believes that Wade is challenging him with an unattainable mission, but Wade effortlessly opens the window. Raj figures out that the new location for constructing spaceships is on the moon, which might become the new hindrance in Jin’s relationship with her comical partner. (I must admit, Raj’s sincere apology and reassuring words upon returning to London are admirable.)