Netflix’s ‘3 Body Problem’ is Unsolvable
Netflix's new release, 3 Body Problem, has been generating a lot of excitement lately. It marks the first project by showrunners David Benioff and D. B. Weiss since Game of Thrones ended. Their previous show was so popular, that subsequent big-budget series have all tried to emulate its success in some way. Benioff and Weiss, along with Alexander Woo, who previously worked on True Blood, are adapting Liu Cixin's best-selling sci-fi book series, The Three-Body Problem. The first book alone has already sold millions and attracted notable fans, including former US President Obama. The book has even been adapted for Chinese TV by Tencent in a thirty-episode series. However, the hype surrounding the Netflix release may be overshadowing the actual content.
Netflix decided to use a total of eight episodes to narrate a story that might seem very daring once you hear the summary. It all begins with a violent moment that takes place during China's Cultural Revolution. Here we meet Ye Wenjie, a physicist brilliantly portrayed by Zine Tseng, who's forced to watch her dad get executed in public due to his teachings of science that go against the regime's beliefs. To avoid a similar fate, she begins secretly working for the government, but soon enough, things start to get complicated with some peculiar satellite communication.
Now, we find ourselves in modern-day London where a tough, cigarette-smoking Clarence Shi (Benedict Wong, performing at a higher level than most of his fellow actors) is investigating a series of suicides involving well-known scientists who have frantically been marking countdowns on their walls. In the meantime, a group of Oxford-educated scientists, who have recently lost their mentor to suicide, have reunited. Auggie (Eiza González), a successful nanotech researcher, has also witnessed the countdown phenomenon. Additionally, Jin (Jess Hong) has become addicted to an immersive VR game where she must fight against extreme weather conditions to rescue an ancient civilization.
One of their classmates, Saul (Jovan Adepo), expressed his dissatisfaction and claimed that science is a flawed system while he sits at his desk during the late hours of the night. It’s difficult to disagree with this statement, but I also find science to be a tad mundane when displayed on TV.
I should have realized it from the beginning. The title of the show already hints at an ongoing problem in physics and math that tackles the movement of three objects in a gravitational orbit. But I bet you're already aware of that. The creators of the show deserve credit since they simplified the science as the series progressed. Eventually, you'll start trusting the characters' claims without needing a thorough explanation. It's like recalling my science classes in school, where it's possible to keep up and even pass but never truly be entertained.
You might be bummed out to find out (and if you don't want any spoilers, look away now) that it's actually aliens who are the masterminds behind all of this. Yep, they're planning to visit Earth! Apparently, they're having some problems back on their own planet. Sounds kinda familiar, right? Anyway, this is where the science aspect of the show switches to the fiction part. But here's the kicker: these extraterrestrial beings won't be arriving for a few hundred years. So, what's the deal with humanity in the meantime? How can we get people to take this threat seriously? That's a question that definitely piques my curiosity.
As the first episode comes to a close, Auggie and Saul find themselves on a college lawn, gazing up at the stars. Auggie has been warned by a mysterious figure, who appears frequently throughout the show, that something big is about to happen. Suddenly, the night sky starts blinking rapidly, catching their attention. Saul observes the winking universe, and quickly realizes that the flashes are a secret message. It turns out that the same countdown that has been troubling Auggie all episode is the source of the mysterious messages! However, viewers may find that the buildup to these revelations falls flat, with missed opportunities to raise the stakes and build tension, leaving you feeling uninterested.
If you're looking for a fascinating movie to watch, "3 Body Problem" is a great option to check out on Netflix.
At Esquire, Henry Wong writes about culture both online and in print as a seasoned senior writer. He delves into various artistic forms such as movies, TV shows, literature, and even art pieces. Additionally, he has authored a number of profiles throughout his career.
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