TV review: 3 Body Problem

Hello readers! Last month saw the release of 3 Body Problem on Netflix, an adaptation of a science fiction series by Liu Cixin. The show has received mixed to positive reviews, but I bet it hasn’t made as much of a splash as Netflix hoped, given that it was produced by the creators of Game of Thrones. The original book won a Hugo Award and has an international fanbase, so I’ll preface this review by admitting that I haven’t read the source material – although I’m aware that the book and the TV series are very different.

My spoiler-free review:

I watched all eight episodes of this show. And let me tell you, if it doesn’t have you hooked in episode one, don’t bother with the rest. The concepts presented span solar systems and centuries, and yet the show never manages to explore them in satisfactory detail. Everything is glossed over, leaving something shallow and superficial, slick but soulless. It looks just as you would expect from its eye-watering budget – in fact, just like Stranger Things and The Witcher, 3 Body Problem has its own unique Netflix intro, to make sure that we appreciate the size of the dent it left in the Netflix production pot.

Unfortunately, 3 Body Problem is a middling drama at best. It’s entertaining enough, but it certainly isn’t groundbreaking – and this is something of a letdown given its premise. This sort of show should be right up my alley, and yet every episode left me frowning. What annoys me most is the depiction of the scientific community, and the watering-down of complex, fascinating concepts. If you go in with low expectations, you might enjoy it. But for me, I expected better, and I enjoyed each episode less than the last.

Warning: spoilers ahead!

The following analysis is aimed at people who have watched the show. If you don’t want spoilers, stop reading here. I’m about to try and break down why so many science fiction fans were left feeling disappointed.

Gritty science fiction from the isolated planet of Oxford

Perhaps my biggest issue with 3 Body Problem is the way it explores a global catastrophe through the eyes of five protagonists in Oxford. When we eventually learn that aliens are on their way to invade Earth, the global reaction is presented via grainy news clips from around the world, showing generic chaos in the streets. It feels reminiscent of a Roland Emmerich disaster film, where the end of the world happens exclusively within US borders – but this time, the end of the world is happening in southern England. Which is as inspiring as it sounds.

The original book was set in China, and in order to be more relatable to “international” (i.e., western) audiences, the protagonists in the Netflix adaptation are scientists from various corners of the English-speaking world. However, they all live in Oxford, and even if the plot demands that they take a brief sojourn in foreign lands, they can never escape the gravitational pull of southern England. We spend a baffling amount of time in kitchens and bedrooms, listening to these friends reminiscing their university days as the world quietly falls apart outside.

Five episodes in, and you would be forgiven for thinking that the only people standing in the way of the alien invasion are these five Oxford scientists. There is no exploration of international collaboration until very late in the show, when we get a surprise visit to the UN. Before then, there are only brief references to scientists in other parts of the world, but we never meet them, or see the impact of their efforts. To me, this is a ridiculous oversight. There would be so many academic institutions, governments and private companies working on this problem – all taking different approaches, making mistakes, competing with each other – but this is never acknowledged. There is so much to explore in terms of international relations, and the role of individuals versus governments, but the show doesn’t even contemplate the prospect.

A matter of feasibility

A lack of realism permeates every episode of the series. From the very beginning, we know that the five protagonists are all going to play a role, just because they’re the protagonists. It’s ridiculous. What are the chances of five university friends all being pivotal to saving the world? I know that going to Oxford gives people “connections” that catapult them into leadership roles, but our protagonists don’t start in positions of influence. Their various skills just happen to be needed for saving the world, and their relationships couldn’t feel more contrived.

Even the skills themselves are questionable. Characters are simply handed their roles, which would be fine if the show actually acknowledged nepotism as the key to success, but instead it wants us to believe that these characters have earnt their place in the Earth defence force. Let me remind you: these are just five friends. One of them isn’t even a researcher any more. He’s a teacher with pancreatic cancer.

The lack of character agency only becomes more annoying as the series progresses. One of the protagonists is eventually made the leader of a project to launch a space probe to intercept the alien ship. We are never given firm reasons to believe that she is capable of this, because it is never quite clear what she actually does. Suddenly, she has a team working for her, but we never see the dynamics of this group, or how she copes in the leadership role. Right before the rocket launch, she starts frowning at a laptop screen and announces that the numbers “don’t work” – but she doesn’t provide a reason why. What calculations was she running on that shiny new MacBook Pro? We never really understand what any of these scientists do, except that it’s science.

The cancer has plot relevance.

Yes. I know. This, to me, is the epitome of the feasibility crisis that pervades this series, and it doesn’t come as any surprise. The moment that one of the protagonists was revealed to have cancer, I knew it could be no coincidence, and that it would play a role later in the story. Every one of these characters is shamelessly contrived, with their place in the plot pre-determined by their job, or in this case, by their cancer. Little did I realise quite how pivotal, and quite how stupid, the role of the cancer would be. The show just needed one of the famous five to be terminally ill in order for their brain to be put in a fridge and blasted to Omega Centauri. Yes, you read that right.

This is likely a matter of personal taste, but I just can’t take this sort of stuff seriously – not when the setup is so shallow and artificial.

A misunderstanding of “science”

This is a particularly irritating issue with the show, especially as it claims to be science fiction. Unfortunately, the writers don’t understand what science really is, and this is hugely problematic given that the main characters are scientists. We’re repeatedly subjected to the assertion that “science is broken” – and this is fundamentally flawed. Science is a methodology. It can’t break. Scientific progress relies on discoveries that disprove things, and scientists are part of a continuous effort to develop better theories. Many, if not most, get a kick out of overturning old thinking. The discovery that a model is wrong wouldn’t make scientists depressed, because it’s a model. They would be chomping at the bit to come up with a new explanation.

A misrepresentation of scientists

The series goes to great pains to convince us that scientists are just ordinary people. In fact, it hardly ever shows the protagonists doing science. We see the results, but we don’t see the journey to get there – at least, not beyond the vague assertion that numbers “don’t work” after frowning at a MacBook. I’m not demanding four hours of watching our protagonists cry over an inexplicable c++ seg fault, but it would have been nice to get a bit more insight into how they approached these problems.

We mostly see the protagonists interacting in non-scientific settings, where they whinge about their relationship woes. This feels hugely disconnected from the impending global catastrophe. Remember, these are the five scientists who have been tasked with saving the world, and here they are, sitting in a kitchen bemoaning the British weather. Sure, we need to understand our characters’ personalities in order to root for them, but in a show where science is the driving force, why can’t we get to know our characters in the context of their vital work? Why are we stuck in another kitchen?

The supporting, minor-role scientists don’t act like scientists either. Not one of them reads the briefing before showing up to a meeting, despite this being a global catastrophe. They also appear to have made up their minds before said meeting – and sure, maybe some scientists would be this belligerent, but most would be open to discussion. Instead, they fixate on costs and international nuclear treaties, as if any of this would matter in a crisis of this scale. These people are on a task force to dream up big ideas. Presumably, they have been hired for their intelligence, open minds and creativity – so it’s incredibly grating to see these characters acting in such a negative, unscientific manner.

A poor portrayal of intellect

My final gripe is the way that 3 Body Problem presents intelligence. In an effort to emphasize their intellectual superiority, the dialogue for our protagonists consists of endless jibes and take-downs. I suspect that this was intended to be “witty”, but it makes the characters intensely unlikeable. They don’t speak like scientists. They don’t even speak like humans.

Another recurring theme is that our protagonists are constantly referencing famous scientists like Einstein and Newton, and often comparing themselves to them. This just feels bizarre. Scientists don’t need to compare themselves to Einstein to feel insecure. They just need to compare themselves to the guy in the office next door. Or to their younger self. Or to the smiling golden retriever they saw on the way to work that morning.

After a few episodes, the quippy dialogue became too much for me. I started noting particularly egregious examples, with my personal favourites including “it’s a shit time to be a scientist” (thanks for that helpful insight), “the English really suck at beaches” (ah yes, that classic conversation starter), and “we’re going to watch an episode of Rick and Morty”.

In summary…

I found 3 Body Problem utterly uncompelling. I realise I haven’t discussed any positives, such as the visuals or the ship-slicing sequence, but these were eclipsed by larger-scale conceptual issues and small but persistent gripes. To my understanding, the book was full of challenging science and big ideas, but this was entirely missing from this adaptation. It’s an insult to the audience to leave so much unexplained. Did they really think we wouldn’t want more depth than this?

I also think it’s quite insulting that the show made such a conscious effort to make the scientists seem human. By robbing them of their science and reducing them to petty love triangles, the characters ended up as shallow husks, devoid of passion. You can still root for people even if you don’t understand what they’re doing – shows like The Queen’s Gambit prove that. Instead, 3 Body Problem is bereft of any intrigue for the characters or the plot.

Sorry for the negativity! If you’re looking for a good Netflix show where you actually care about character dynamics and plot, see Ripley. It’s not sci-fi, so I won’t discuss it further on this blog, but it was immensely enjoyable to watch after suffering 3 Body Problem. Happy reading, and I’ll be back next week!