3 Body Problem Review – Epic Vision, Sputtered Execution
Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
Creators: David Benioff, D.B. Weiss, Alexander Woo
“In your physics course, did you teach the theory of relativity”
“Relativity is one of the fundamental theories of physics. How can a basic survey course not teach it?”
“You lie! Einstein went to the American imperialists and helped them build the atomic bomb!”
Based on the bestselling science-fiction novels by Cixin Liu, the 2024 Netflix series “3 Body Problem” begins with an ostentatious flashback scene set in 1960s Beijing, China, where a professor is brutally beaten to death by a mob of Red Guards in front of his young scientist daughter. It’s an expansive, brutal scene that establishes the background of the series’ key character – Ye Wenjie, the young scientist who loses faith in humanity after watching her father die for standing by his ideals.
The China flashback is subtly tied to present day, where British officer Da Shi (Benedict Wong) is investigating the mysterious and gory deaths of some top scientists around the world. When another brilliant scientist called Vera Ye kills herself by diving into a Cherenkov tank, Da Shi’s focus shifts to her group of scientist friends, dubbed “the Oxford Five”. So, the primary plot of “3 Body Problem” is set in present-day Britain, and it’s about a potential extraterrestrial threat to human life on Earth.
‘3 Body Problem’ takes its own sweet time to get interesting, with one of the most compelling twists in the series taking place at the end of episode two. Viewers who were lured by the “from the makers of Game of Thrones” branding for the series might want to tap out by the second episode because things get incredibly interesting only by episode three. It’s in episode three where the ‘3 Body Problem’ is finally explained, along with the inherent reason behind all the weird incidents happening around the world. So, if you could hold on tight until episode 3, you might just enjoy the rest of the series, which does get a little slow now and then.
Among the primary cast, “the Oxford Five” comprises Auggie Salazar (Eiza González), a nanotech developer who begins to see strange numbers everywhere, a strange symptom witnessed by other scientists who are found dead. Saul Durand (Jovan Adepo) is Auggie’s love interest and a research expert who was working with Vera Ye. Jin Cheng (Jess Hong) is a brilliant theoretical physicist who becomes obsessed with playing a scarily realistic VR game on a strange headset given to her by Vera’s mother Ye (Rosalind Chao), who claims Vera was playing it a lot before she died. Jack Rooney (John Bradley), an Oxford dropout and multi-millionaire entrepreneur, also plays the same VR game with Jin, only to learn an unbelievable truth about its stunning futuristic tech. And Alex Sharp rounds off “the Oxford Five” as Will Downing, a physics teacher who is unrequitedly in love with Jin, but he holds is feelings back as she is seriously dating Raj Verma, a handsome navy officer.
Each friend has a distinct personality. On one hand, you have Jin, earnestly portrayed by Jess Hong, a character who is ambitious, empathetic, flexible, and genuinely passionate about solving humanity’s problems with science, while on the other hand, you have Jovan Adepo’s Saul Durand, who believes in laying back, getting high, and ignoring anything that’s going wrong. Benedict Wong, however, is the most relatable character as Da Shi, a tired, exhausted investigator who juggles between being a disappointed widowed dad to a young son and a normie trying to untangle the complex world of scientists. Liam Cunningham is subtly sharp as Wade, the man in charge of solving humanity’s problems in the show.
One of the strongest suits of ‘3 Body Problem’ is the cinematography and special effects; most of the sets are a visual treat, especially due to a subplot involving Jack and Jin playing a VR game, where they find themselves in different historical eras and are expected to solve complex science riddles to save the planet from destruction. A rather diabolical scene set in the real world, involving the annihilation of a ship carrying several passengers considered dangerous, is excellently and chillingly executed. The flashback scenes also recreate a visually striking world, like the labor brigade Ye Wenjie is forced to work at in Inner Mongolia in the 60s or the secretive military base where she is offered to use her knowledge as a scientist to help with a covert operation.
Zine Tseng and Rosalind Chao take turns in the series to play the young and older versions of Ye Wenjie, respectively. Both actors look like they really are the same person, so brownie points to the casting team for that. Ye Wenjie emerges as one of the most complex and important characters of “3 Body Problem”. A bright young scientist, she is irrevocably altered by China’s cultural revolution, having witnessed first-hand the barbaric treatment of intellectuals by communists, her own father bludgeoned to death as she watched helplessly. How the most brilliant minds can get waylaid, misguided by the trials and tribulations of life is expertly shown through the experiences of a young Wenjie.
Even though the ultimate theme of “3 Body Problem” is survival of the fittest, or to be more accurate, survival of the brightest (intellectually), I think the series serves as a pretty amusing metaphor on the power of religion or cults and how humans are easily swayed into putting their faith in a higher/unknown power when they are resentful of their current circumstances.
At eight episodes, the pacing of “3 Body Problem” isn’t the best, and the romantic subplot about Jin and Will gets far more screen time than needed. The final episode features a fascinating and overambitious space program, and the story ends with a cliffhanger – the primary protagonists haven’t solved the “3 Body Problem”. “We’ve got work to do” is the closing dialogue of the season finale, and viewers will have to wait for a next season to see how things actually end.
I feel like the creators should’ve just made a ten or twelve-part episode and ended the story with one season instead of ending the story halfway. But since I haven’t read the books, I don’t know how much more potential there is for more seasons in the future, and I can only hope things get more exciting. This eight-episode season fluctuates between exciting and boring, but overall, it’s worth a watch for science-fiction enthusiasts.
You can stream “3 Body Problem” on Netflix.
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