‘3 Body Problem’ Recap, Episode 5: ‘Judgment Day’
Goodbye, Mike Evans. I have received numerous complaints about the way characterization is presented in 3 Body Problem. It gives off a feeling that something is missing because the show covers a lot of ground but doesn't go into detail about any of the characters except for Ye Wenjie. When it comes to "Judgment Day," there is a lot of missed potential in the storyline. One of the most important antagonists, played by a renowned actor, is taken out of the plot along with most of his followers. We couldn't get a real understanding of these people's lives and beliefs before they were abruptly killed, sliced in half and left buried in an oil tanker wreckage. The characters are all reduced to "anonymous cultists," with Auggie being the only one who remembers them, but they aren't significant to the larger picture.
However, I cannot argue against the effectiveness of this particular storytelling style, especially when it produces such enjoyable results. "Judgment Day", the latest episode of the current season, is possibly the most fast-paced, with a singular focus on a morally questionable, violent heist for an important object. The aftermath that follows is thrilling, as our heroes finally get some much-needed answers. The level of violence is disturbing, yet thought-provoking and impressive, even without any romantic or badass elements. It has left me unsure of where the story can go next, making it a great episode of "3 Body Problem."
After the raid at the summit, the idea for a new operation arises quickly. The people on the boat, Judgment Day, are anxious and upset from seeing their loved ones get arrested. Evans tries to reassure everyone that this is all part of God's plan, but tensions are high. Evans has a troubled relationship with the San-Ti, as he has accused their entire species of being liars. Auggie and Jin find refuge in a secure house while Wade comes up with a plan. He believes that there is valuable information regarding the San-Ti's technology and weapons on a hard drive aboard the boat. They must obtain this information if they have any chance of fighting back against the aliens. Wade is willing to sacrifice over a thousand "traitors to humanity" to accomplish this mission.
The opportunity to commit a secret mass murder arises when Clarence announces that Judgment Day is coming to the Panama Canal. Wade has a plan and Augustina Salazar's nanofibers could be the perfect weapon for the occasion. Auggie takes on the mission after Jin's previous spy work. She is understandably scared by the idea and equally concerned that Jin's boyfriend Raj doesn't seem bothered by it. The show might want Jin to be with Will instead, but it's clear that Raj is just a blind follower.
The show quickly jumps to the significant action, neglecting some of the preparation period. The main scene features Auggie's tiny fibers being stretched over the Panama Canal. As soon as the boat enters, the fibers flawlessly cut through the water, creating no disturbance initially. However, a hose on the deck is accidentally sliced, causing the person holding it to be split in two. This isn't the only time it occurs in the episode; it happens repeatedly over the following moments.
The director, Minkie Spiro, adds some great touches in this scene. For example, the paper dolls falling from the wall as the nanofiber moves forward was both gross and entertaining to watch. Despite how screwed up it is, the massacre unfolding was still enjoyable to witness in a B-movie sort of way. However, there is a strange feeling of contradiction between two emotions - the excitement of watching people get killed off, like in Final Destination 2, while frantically trying to escape a collapsing boat, and the eerie silence in the control room. To keep things tasteful, the show only briefly shows the aftermath of a dying child in the form of a detached foot, which Auggie finds nauseating.
Overall, I'm not convinced that the attack was necessary, as it was a very unusual and specific one. Even though the aim was to catch Evans off guard and prevent him from accessing his hard drive, the attackers didn't succeed. Fortunately, Evans managed to avoid destroying his drive just before the attack. Two weeks have since passed, and Wade's team has been unable to access the encrypted drive, but the San-Ti group has finally agreed to grant them access. Wade has enlisted Jin's help again, given her expertise in high-dimensional matters.
Jin and Wade take a break from the game and receive some important information from Sophon, the woman who previously gave them information in level four. This time, Sophon explains the truth behind the name "San-Ti." She reveals that the San-Ti are aware that human technology will surpass their own before they arrive on Earth due to the longer time it takes for scientific progress in a three-body system. In order to fight back, the San-Ti have created sentient computers known as Sophons. These computers are created by applying a massive amount of energy to protons to unleash their higher dimensions. Two pairs of these Sophons were sent to Earth at faster-than-light speeds, allowing them to easily observe and report everything back to the San-Ti.
This may seem like a bunch of strange and fictitious scientific jargon, and it evidently tries to rationalize nearly everything that was unclear before: the countdowns, peculiar occurrences in the sky, confusing data from particle accelerators, instant communication over vast distances, and all the monitoring that we suspected was occurring somehow. But despite its somewhat baffling nature, the sense of coherence that it provides is reassuring. Moreover, it's understandable that Sophon technology would seem implausible. While it's not exactly magical, highly developed science appears to be magical to those who have not kept up with recent advancements.
The purpose of the Sophons is to disturb scientific progress on our planet and create false perceptions. The San-Ti make this evident when the conclusion of the episode displays the message, "YOU ARE BUGS" using Sophon technology across every screen. This is an unsettling moment, not only due to the omnipotent camera, but also because it reinforces a valuable lesson taught by the late Mike Evans about regarding adversaries as insignificant pests.
The depiction of a massive reflective dome hovering over the Earth is a symbolic representation of the situation at hand. The story focuses on a senseless crime that results in the loss of innocent lives, but it also examines how we perceive ourselves. Wenjie firmly believes that the San-Ti organization has humanity's best interests at heart, or at the very least, aims to improve humans by taking control. However, her trust in them is a reflection of her own imperfections and humanness, much like anyone else outside the group. When she earnestly claims to Clarence that she wants to reveal the future to him, he doubts its potential greatness and bets her twenty quid that it won't be as spectacular as she predicts.
After hearing Evans's final conversation with the Lord, Wenjie's confidence in the San-Ti is shaken. Her facial expression shows horror and realization that her species might be doomed. It's like a breakup for Wenjie who has a long relationship with the San-Ti spanning decades. She knows that her role in their mission is over, but it's hard to accept that her faith in the San-Ti might have been misplaced. Wenjie was inspired by the idea of living in harmony with other intelligent beings and exchanging knowledge, but it now seems like this was just a work of fiction.
This Auggie episode is definitely my preferred one so far. Apart from her intense dilemma with regards to this task, I admire Auggie's initial chat with Jin where she expresses not wanting to be controlled. Moreover, I can completely understand her immense sense of relief when the timer fails to restart after she reactivates the nanotech laboratory. Clarence aptly states that "the Lord has ceased to defend his herd."
One more time there is a separate piece in the story concerning Will and Saul. Will is receiving half of Jack's forty million pound property. As anticipated, Will does not want to spend the money on expensive treatments and would rather have fun during his last few months or weeks.
"What is your true appearance like?" "It's not appealing to your liking."
Wade is the kind of person who would use ancient metal stirrups from Genghis Khan's army to prove how technology played a crucial role in building empires.
When it comes to Wade, this episode features several harsh phrases that he said such as his comment about the numerous people who died while constructing the Panama Canal. He also gave his congratulations to Auggie after the surgery was successful. Additionally, he sarcastically uttered "sorry for your loss" to Wenjie when the father of her deceased child also passed away.
Sometimes, I'm uncertain about the identity of the communicator behind San-Ti. It appears that a few leaders are responsible for deciding what information is relayed to humans, correct? Additionally, I'm not certain if the sentient Sophon creates some of the messages or if it's simply a medium for communication (or merely an illusion). Furthermore, I'm curious about the relationship between the game version of Sophon (such as "Sword Lady") and the AI - is it a component of the AI or a direct representative?
Honestly, Jonathan Pryce's role on this series was shorter than my initial expectations. However, it's possible that he wasn't intended to be a significant character in the storyline.
