Netflix’s ambitious new 3 Body Problem sci-fi series might have started slow, but that doesn’t make it any less one of the streaming service’s most meaningful additions to its catalog of timeless original hit productions. David Benioff and D.B. Weiss took a huge risk by choosing to adapt Liu Cixin’s famously unadaptable book series Remembrance of Earth’s Past, after the two lost all credibility with Game of Thrones when they ran out of source material and gave the beloved fantasy series a notoriously bad ending.
However, it seems that 3 Body Problem has redeemed them — and proved that Game of Thrones was not just a fluke — by showing that Benioff and Weiss can handle some of the most complex and out-there book series ever written. The show is an exploration of science like the award-winning books inspired by Liu Cixin’s background as an engineer, going off deeply complicated and highly intellectual scientific concepts such as chaos theory, the three-body problem, and the “dark forest” hypothesis to delve into deeper moral topics like what it means to be human or the consequences of using technology for war.
The story begins in 1960s China under Mao’s Cultural Revolution where both science and religion were demonized. In this brutal opening scene we watch a young woman see her father (a professor) get murdered in front of a cheering crowd; filled with bitterness she eventually sacrifices our planet’s fate to an alien species which warned her not to trust them.
Hard Science Fiction does not need to start off fast paced like a typical tv drama; however many hard SF adaptations are criticized for starting too slow: Dune was critiqued for this on its first film as was Apple TV+’s Foundation. This criticism doesn’t prevent Netflix’s 3 Body Problem from being one their most morally provocative & culturally relevant shows yet.
Despite its captivating opening scene though, there is no denying that “Three Body Problem” starts off a bit slow. Characters are flat at first and references to scientific terms (such as the “Wow!” signal, or that the sun can amplify radio waves) are not always gracefully landed. This complaint is common of many hard science fiction adaptations: in order to properly pace world building over many episodes they must start slow. The same was said of Dune’s first film as well Foundation on Apple TV+.
So far the wildly divided reviews and mixed reception by fans have kept “Three Body Problem” from reaching #1 on Netflix in its first week. Reviews tend to be either highly praising or highly critical, with not much in between. Benioff & Weiss clearly were not deterred by this however, bringing their very best blend of hard sci-fi with questions of morality and empathy for what could be one of Netflix’s most ambitious projects ever done?
Netflix has previously received criticism for not having more serious or deep content. This could be the reason why they made 3 Body Problem. It’s not just a nice looking show, it feels important. Particularly poignant is the commentary on science. There is a lot of thought put into what moral implications certain technologies can have, how we challenge ourselves as scientists and even going so far as risking our lives for something bigger than us all in science itself. This theme remains prevalent throughout the series up until the end when it becomes even more dominating than aliens.
These scientific ideas would be much less compelling if they were not grounded in humanity. The human aspect was where Netflix’s show triumphed. Intellectual problems are given dramatic weight, such as when scientists must decide between destroying their projects to save themselves or dying for groundbreaking knowledge. Many characters start off underdeveloped but by episode eight this becomes less about sci-fi and more about people.
The story revolves around a group of scientists known as the “Oxford Five”: stubborn astrophysicist Jin Cheng (Jess Hong), entrepreneur Jack Rooney (John Bradley), nanotech inventor “Auggie” Salazar (Eiza González), jaded scientist Saul Durand (Jovan Adepo) and gentle-natured teacher Will Downing (Alex Sharp). These are joined by Liam Cunningham (also from GoT) who does an excellent job playing ruthless Thomas Wade, along with Benedict Wong who brings us cynical detective Clarence “Da” Shi whose nihilistic outlook provides some of the best moments in this show.
Arguably one of the most complex characters is also its central antagonist; Ye Wenjie played by Rosalind Chao as an older woman and Zine Tseng in flashbacks – she risks her own species survival because she had given up on mankind herself – though it works best when these characters finally feel real and investment into what happens scientifically within episodes becomes more impactful due to those humans rather than intellectually what’s at stake.
There are also a couple nods to the beautiful and poetic 1970s environmentalist book Silent Spring by Rachel Carson. “In nature, nothing exists alone” is repeated throughout the series – not just referring to the discovered aliens but also an imbalance between man and nature on Earth. War is another theme that comes up. We see consequences from fighting wars, using extreme violence in order survive as well as exploring how technology can be used for war; however there’s uniquely pacifistic commentary around what happens when you put one individual into such violent surroundings – it shows us anybody could make a difference.
This adaptation has a lot of changes, especially when it comes to pacing. It didn’t only have a slow start, but also brought characters from the second book and accelerated some events. I mean some changes are understandable considering how complex the books were — but so was Game of Thrones. Maybe that complexity is harder with sci-fi because of what it’s trying to say, but everything didn’t need to be so dumbed down. The people who read the books will notice this the most.
Also certain events seem rushed if you move them forward when in the books they’re more drawn out –– but again, this show can’t afford any more complaints about being too slow at the beginning. By midway through, events and characters are well developed; and the cliffhanger ending is absolutely gripping which sets up for things to go DOWN.
Maybe it’s just a story like this needs a long time building up. And honestly I don’t know what would be considered “the opposite” in terms of a show where we find out there are aliens in space or whatever (and that’s not even scratching the surface of things! creators promise later seasons will be mindblowing etc if they get them) –– Netflix sure is reaching for those stars with this one huh? i think its their most expensive show ever made with $20 mill per episode estimated. That could be something that prevents future seasons though if reviews don’t improve/numbers don’t go up.
But Benioff and Weiss are optimistic and ready to start producing Season 2 as soon as they get the green light. Netflix really went all in on this hard sci-fi high-concept high-production series here –– in an interview with THR Benioff said blah blah season 2 scene will change everything
