Rehydrate! Netflix's 3 Body Problem tackles complex sci-fi

#148: Didn't hate it, didn't love it, will be watching season 2

Hey there!

I recently returned from spring break in Palm Springs, CA where I finally became converted to the activity sport of pickleball. Yes, it’s fun! Especially against a tough opponent (here’s looking at you, Michael). We also played in the pool with the kids, watched Caitlin Clark and the other Iowa stars win a couple games, and I finished a book (A Gentleman in Moscow for the second time) and started another (James by Percival Everett - amazing so far).

When the kids were asleep, us grown-ups watched 3 Body Problem, Netflix’s new sci-fi series starring Benedict Wong, Liam Cunningham, and Jess Hong. We managed to get through all 8 episodes during our 5-night stay. The series is based on the Hugo Award winning novel The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu.

(It should be noted that I had only read the first book and the adaptation covers parts of all three books in the trilogy).

Overall, I really enjoyed the book and am mixed on the series. It was hard for me to stay awake through all of it (maybe I was playing pickleball a little too hard?). There were things I liked about it and things I didn’t care for. If you could only do one, my recommendation would be to read the books.

Here are some of my impressions on the book and the series.

***********************Spoilers Ahead!********************************

The story is mostly preserved

This is a plot and idea driven book with characters that don’t have a lot of depth or dimension. They exist to present the big science ideas that keep the story moving forward. And it is a cool story! I think that approach works in the book — sometimes I don’t need the deep characters or interpersonal drama that I can find in other epic sci-fi series like The Expanse.

However, the pure science/speculative approach wouldn’t work at all in a TV show, especially a Netflix show geared toward a general audience. To be invested for 8 hours of television, one needs to care about the people on the screen. I think the show did a smart thing by adding characters (the “Oxford Five”) and an interpersonal dynamic between them that isn’t in the book. But did those character work for me? No, not really.

The cast is fine

Let’s talk about those new characters because I think they were mostly fine with a few standouts. They are the Oxford Five:

• Jess Hong as Jin Cheng was the MVP for me. She carries each scene with intelligence and believability. I particularly enjoyed how she explained the three-body problem and the nuclear rainbow.

  

• Jovan Adepo played Saul Durand with so much confidence but also plenty of fish out of water insecurity. I wanted more with him, and I think I’ll get it in season 2 based on what I know about book 2.

• John Bradley as Jack Rooney I could take or leave. He was bringing a good energy, but his character was somewhat expendable.

• I could not invest in Alex Sharp as Will Downing. I just didn’t care about him at all! I intentionally dozed off every time he was on screen. His pining for Jin didn’t move me.

• While Eiza Gonzalez's portrayal of Auggie Salazar had its strengths, there were aspects that didn't land. It's not that I don’t think nano-scientists can be stunningly beautiful; rather, it's about how her portrayal didn't align with the characteristics I'd expect from a nano-scientist. Factors such as demeanor, attire, and speech seemed considerably disconnected from the profession. As someone with acquaintances in the scientific community, this discrepancy stretched my ability to suspend disbelief. In short, she needed to be nerdier!

The true standout characters were Liam Cunningham as Thomas Wade (not a book character) and Benedict Wong as Da Shi (my favorite book character). Their snarky banter was funny and I’d watch Benedict Wong play grumpy detective any day.

Part of me thinks the whole concept would have worked better had these people not been best friends. They should have been smarty pants from all over the world who discovered the video game independently and were brought together by this extraordinary circumstance.

The sci-fi ideas are fresh and fun

There are some really cool science fiction concepts in the book, but it can be pretty dense. The pacing in the book and the way it unfolds is engaging, exciting, and reads like a mystery thriller. You don’t know what’s going on and you don’t realize it’s an alien invasion story. I love the idea that the aliens will take 400 years to arrive and have inhibited all earth technology using the sophons to ensure their survival when they do.

The show does a good job bringing these ideas and concepts to the screen. The explanation of sophons inhibiting earth technology combined lots of exposition with engaging visuals. The show felt original and unlike anything else on TV because it had so much rich book content to work with.

The visuals are a bit much

Judgement Day passing through the nanofiber fence was gruesome, horrifying, and oh so creepy! A slow approaching, unseen, indestructible force is a terrifying concept. The perfectly severed bottom halves of the paper people and the backpacks spilling their contents was a nice touch. But was it a bit much? Did we need to see that many people severed into pieces? Probably not.

The three body game visuals looked unreal by design and I really liked the dehydration and rehydration effects. I also liked how the video game headset was visualized. They must have used CGI to get that perfect, distorted reflection. Very cool.

Will I be watching season 2? Absolutely.

I don’t know how they’re going to pull it off (book 2 is pretty wild!) but I’m looking forward to the next season.

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How about you? What did you think of this series? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Thanks for reading,

Kyle