QS stands for “Quickshot”, a series of short form review/preview/opinion articles.
When I tell you I had no idea what I was getting into by deciding to check out the new Netflix sci-fi series, 3 Body Problem, I truly mean that I had no idea. Somewhere in the deepest recesses of my mind was the hazy recognition of having heard the name before, perhaps as a book title (this ended up being a correct hazy-recognition). Regardless, I’m a big fan of sci-fi, so I decided to give it a try.
I found myself immediately hooked, and I binged all eight episodes in five days (rookie numbers, I know). Still, it’s amazing!
A bit of an introduction first:
3 Body Problem is a television adaptation of the award-winning sci-fi novel trilogy, The Three-Body Problem, written by Liu Cixin. The first novel released in 2008, though it didn’t begin international circulation until around 2014. The book, and eventually the entire series, were universally praised, and received much acclaim. I’ve yet to read the book myself, but I hear it comes highly recommended for most sci-fi fans.
Whereas the book series was centered exclusively in China, the television show extrapolates the plot, characters, and themes to a global stage.
But, what is the plot even about? Well, a select few scientists and physicists around the globe begin to realize that tried-and-tested scientific principles are acting a bit wonky, and after some pushing and prodding, strange phenomenon starts to occur. Visual hallucinations, a strange cult, and more. It quickly becomes apparent that, sometime in the past, a certain someone may have contacted aliens, and may have invited those aliens to Earth. And those aliens might be anything but friendly.
Now, it’s important to note that this show has only just released season one, of what I will assume will be at least three seasons. To that end, it’s not as if there’s a complete story, per se, although season one definitely has a clear arc for both its main plot and its characters. That being said, it’s still a super good story that is excellent at slow-burn build-up. The way in which you have no idea what is going on, but slowly piece together the clues, and eventually realize you’ve been either metaphorically or literally hovering on the edge of your seat? It’s pretty brilliant, so major props to both Liu Cixin and the Netflix adaptation team.
Speaking of brilliant, I was a really big fan of the characters as well. The cast is sizable, but there wasn’t anyone who felt like a weak link. Every character had something to contribute to either the main plot or the arc of themselves/someone else, and likewise there weren’t any scenes that felt like they extraneously misused anyone’s screen-time. There’s a lot of people to root for here, and also people to hate (in a good way). My favorites were probably the distraught physicist Auggie, the no-nonsense leader Wade, and the ethereally creepy Tatiana.
It’s a big help that the characters are written and acted pretty sublimely, too! There’s room in the entertainment world for all sorts of writing and acting, and I’m not some sort of elitist snob that will rule out anything if I’ll have a fun time with it. All the same, 3 Body Problem is prestige-tier television, and it shows. No matter how long the dialogue scene, you’re hooked from start-to-finish, hanging on every word. Likewise, the acting is fantastic across the board, with some really stellar performances.
In any big sci-fi sort of series like this, you’d want the visual effects to be a real treat, and this show does not disappoint. Sure, there’s a few scenes particularly grand in scope (a good deal of episodes two and three take place in this virtual-reality kinda thing) that falter a bit, but the visuals as a whole are great. In particular, there’s a fairly visceral scene involving a boat in episode five, and then a jaw-dropping set piece in the final three minutes of that same episode that really leave an impression!
One area in which I was not anticipating loving so much was in the soundtrack. For only having eight episodes, this show has packed some seriously incredible tunes in! Specifically, the main theme really speaks to me, appealing to my love of leitmotifs. It’s sprinkled everywhere into the show, and I had a big goofy grin on my face each time my ears caught it cropping up somewhere! There’s some other musical standouts too, like an emotional moment in episode seven.
Here’s the main tune, if you’d like to take a listen: THEME SONG
To conclude, you absolutely should give 3 Body Problem a look if you’re a fan of sci-fi (or just good television in general), and you’ve got time to spare for an edge-of-your-seat eight episode experience!
10/10
The Contrarian Corner 