It has been hyped for a long time and now it is on Netflix: 3 Body Problem, a series based on the novel by Liu Cixin: the very successful novel by this Chinese writer. However, that’s not the only reason why it was so hotly anticipated: it’s from the creators of Game of Thrones: David Benioff and DB Weiss. Do you notice that when you watch it, and especially: is it a good series?
3 Body Problem
3 Body Problem is really something completely different from Game of Thrones: the world of fantasy has been exchanged for a world of sci-fi. Although the two certainly have similarities, in our opinion there is little of DB Weiss and David Benioff in the series. At least, not in their Game of Thrones way of working. This series isn’t chock-full of locations and characters, it’s much more linear than Game of Thrones was and that’s a good thing. There is a fair amount of complicated sci-fi material and you cannot use a multitude of characters. We do see old acquaintances from GoT: John Bardley, Liam Cunningham and Jonathan Pryce, for example.
The way of telling alone makes a big difference, but 3 Body Problem is a completely different story anyway. It is not a series that is full of sex or crassness, it is actually a series that should be more subtle. Much more than Game of Thrones, it is a series that you do not turn on while shopping online or checking your mailbox: you have to pay attention. The story itself is easy to follow, but there are many subtleties to pay attention to. The story begins with scientists disappearing and one scientist in particular suddenly seeing a countdown timer that no one else sees.
Disappearing scientists
A time clock where, however, other people know something: people who threaten her because she has to stop her scientific work. That is the demand, but her calling makes it very difficult for her to quit: death or science? While this story is going on, she and a group of scientists discover that a fellow scientist took her own life after playing some kind of VR game a lot. Soon that strange virtual reality headset turns out to be a portal to a completely different world. However, it appears to be a ‘game’ that is difficult to stop, even though it can have a major influence.
We won’t spoil anything else, because you have to experience this series yourself. The episodes cost no less than 20 million dollars each and it shows: the computer images are well blended with the real world. Together with the characters, you will figure out bit by bit in this series what exactly that 3 Body Problem means. At least, if you can follow it, because it is not always the simplest matter. Don’t worry, if you can’t keep up with everything, you will probably get the general gist: this series certainly makes you think about who we are as humanity, what we do with the earth and how certain groups exert influence. . And all this in a context of Chinese politics, which in a very interesting way reaches England, where this series is set.
Sense8
This series reminded me a lot of Sense8: because of the unpleasant sci-fi feeling, because of the great diversity of the cast and – and yes there is also criticism – the fact that it sometimes feels a bit ‘made’. There is something inauthentic about this series. Maybe because in the end it doesn’t quite get deep and complicated enough, maybe because the cast is a bit too nice. In any case, there seems to be something too slick about 3 Body Problem, which is a shame, because something rawer would probably have fitted better with the rest of the subject matter: a Chinese revolution, another civilization, and so on. It would help if the main character in particular were a bit rougher, instead of being so beautiful that he could be a robot. Although… What exactly she is, you never know…
Ultimately, 3 Body Problem is a must-see. It is a series that tackles one of the biggest existential questions we have as humanity and does so in a way that is not all that unrealistic. And even if you think so: 3 Body Problem certainly makes you think. Have fun!
