Wait...3 Body Problem is Actually GOOD!?

A positive review of the new Netflix show "3 Body Problem". From the showrunners of David Benioff and Dan Weiss who made Game of Thrones, I wasn't exactly expecting this show to be great, but it was surprisingly really well done. A learned educator delivers a lecture shedding light on the three-body problem in a detailed and easy-to-understand manner.
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Thank you to my Patron: Logan Farmer
Music:
Epidemic Sound

[@tkirby]

By the third episode, I'd almost kind of forgotten about the Iron Fleet.

[@prestonpersonal]

So did the writers

[@owieczkacs]

Holy shit you struck gold with that comment :D

[@gamingforfun8662]

Maybe they arent as important as they look

[@mateobarrett6829]

Dont worry, D&D "kind of forgot" that Sophons can hack every electronic device on the planet (a change from the books) and thus could easily destroy humanity remotely. Mind you, you actually have to think for a second to come to this realization, which is why it has escaped both D&D and most of the people who watched this trash

[@edgbarra]

@@mateobarrett6829 it's a plot hole added for the spectacle. But it doesn't make the show trash. I'm a big fan of the books AND now the show. I'm ok with most of the differences. I get that you have a different opinion, but calling it trash is way too much

[@liferiot]

The way they separated and mixed characters that will lead into the 2 other books is pretty fantastic.

[@SirEmCeeCoy]

I agree 100%. At first I was a little disappointed in the lack of authenticity of the characters to the book, but as they dropped hints of how each character was fitting into the book's story, I just found myself more and more hooked

[@Junksaint]

I was worried after the last airbender adaptation a few weeks ago, but I liked the changes they made in T3BP

[@MrTrouserpants101]

it's become clear to me that D&D are great at adaptation when they are passionate about what they're doing, just not original stories. i'm looking forward to what's next

[@cthulhuwu_]

@@SirEmCeeCoy Yeah I ended up loving Saul and Will way more than expected and love the transformation to their recognizable book counterparts. Jin Cheng is also set up very well, and I can't believe this was Jess Hong's first major role!

[@jordanbrown3816]

Yeah it’s really clever. I’m excited to see how Saul, Will, and Jin evolve as the story progresses into the plot of Deaths End. They are gonna change a lot!

[@isthatyoursomnomnom]

I think season 2 will bring in a lot people who are on the fence. It's about to get real wild with this story.

[@charlesajones77]

I remember an interview where one of them said that there was a scene in The Dark Forest that was the "Red Wedding" of The Three Body Problem (If you've read the book, you know exactly what scene I'm talking about). They figured that if they can get the show to that point, they would be home free to finish the series.

[@zanderliu9639]

@@charlesajones77hmm droplets?

[@mellohi5956]

l like blood

[@Torile0]

@@charlesajones77 that scene in the book was much more expected than the Red Wedding, at least for me.

[@charlesajones77]

@@Torile0True. It kinda bugged me how Zhang Beihai was the only character who saw that coming.

[@dt5690]

I'm sorry if I spoil this to anyone else, but regarding your take on characters becoming relevant late in the season at around 11:00 mark, Saul wouldn't have gotten important at all for the entirety of the show if Ye Wenjie didn't tell him her joke. That's the single point that enables his character and will turn him into main guy of the second season. What Ye's joke means, well that's for Saul and y'all non-book readers to figure out, but I promise you it's one of the best plot points and revelations I've ever read / seen in media.

[@Notherj]

100% true for me as well, this is such a rewarding resolution in books! Not simple, but most elegant. I am so exited that people are discussing those books now

[@user-tq4ns8lt9o]

I can't wait for the people to find out haha!

[@JMFSM]

Did she tell that joke in the book? Can't remember

[@dt5690]

@@JMFSM Nah, it's different in the book. If I recall correctly, she tells him 2 Axioms.

[@eriksanchez7286]

The joke ain't the reason he's relevant, the joke was towards the end of their conversation. What they talked off camera about is what's important and what only us book readers know

[@Vigstad]

the reason will and saul didnt get much to do until the last episodes is because their characters' stories take place in book 2

[@jasonhu7995]

Will is from book 3

[@user-tp5hn1nt6w]

The first 5 episodes are basically book 1

[@user-tp5hn1nt6w]

Also Sal and Wills charcters arent introduced till the 3rd book. Basically because book 2 and 3 jump between the past and future alot which is what i think they want to avoid in later seasons and just have it focus on the future. 3/4 of their story isnt even in the books only like what happens to them in the final 3 episodes.

[@tednugent1917]

@@user-tp5hn1nt6w Sual is Luo Ji, the main character of the second book.

[@edgbarra]

Exactly, that's why episode 5 seems like a season ending.

[@goblin3810]

And the beginning of the dark forest

[@rocky171986]

I want to add that the Cultural Revolution scenes and young Ye Wenjie scenes were absolutely standout and top notch.

[@DCF-dc14f]

well the history version have the Callithumpian including "f**k American" but netflix never wanted to shot them, this just like Doctor Strange MOM included the adv of Falun Gong

[@coalnel]

It kinda crazy that your complaint about Saul and Will being "left in the background and/or irrelevant" is so factual since their analogues (Lao Ji & Yun Tienming) don't appear in the first book which episodes 1-5 take inspiration from.

[@caffeinepuppy]

Bringing characters a book or two forward can and has been done better. (IMO the bar to meet for that is Chrijen Avaserala in season 1 of The Expanse.) That said, I’m still fairly happy with how this adaptation managed to make me care about characters more than the books did.

[@lntrt1390]

I completely agree with the fact that the caracters didn't feel as intelectual or intelligent as they should be. In my opinion there was a little bit too much fixated on their emotions. But great story nontheless.

[@alexr7595]

They may have overcorrected from the book, which has incredibly blank characters with very little personal drama. And I say it as someone who mostly loved the trilogy. But the story is all about high concepts, and cares very little for everything else.

[@-Markus-]

I too find the show focus too much on characters and emotions, the books are in general about a grand scope story and not about characters. I understand an adaptation needs more character focus to work but I think they took it too far. Im also annoyed that the supposedly supergeniuses we follow are mainly a bunch of good looking pre-30s...At this point they should be at the end of their educations most likely, not running world leading laboratories and companies. All those peeves aside, Im honestly surprised at how good the show is so far (watched 6 episodes) and even if its deviated and mishmashed the books together, the core of the story so far is very true to the original and actually good. Im excited to watch the rest and hopefully in the future we get an equally good continuation and full arc of the story!

[@SerginhoPMoura]

​@@alexr7595exactly, in the books the science is the main focus of the story and the characters are secondary. The creators made a choice to even out the science side with the human side of the story, making it less Star Treky and more Arrival.

[@ChromisPasqueflowerBowerbird]

What language are you speaking?

[@lubu2960]

yeah, who the fuck cared about the romantic relationships of these 2 individuals? This is the history of humanity, a macro narrative.

[@zartan2622]

It seems to be a unique situation where people who read all the books seem to like the show more than those who didn't.

[@edgbarra]

My favorite book series and I really liked the show 🙌

[@ShirleyTimple]

I've read the trilogy untold times and this adaptation is a white washed injection of adderall into an otherwise very eastern story about humanity. This show is the same in name only, but the spirit of the story and the science therein have been dumbed down for the lowest common denominators

[@OsaculnenolajO]

I've never read the books but I actually really liked the show. I have a general knowledge of the plot of the books but that's it. I was honestly surprised how much I connected with the characters, and there are some really fantastic scenes that blend emotional performances as well as science fiction wonderfully.

[@Trepur349]

It's visually stunning, and the characters are more interesting. Judgement Day was everything I wanted from that scene. I'm mostly fine with the dumbing of the science because I already know the science from reading the books and just seeing it on the screen I love.

[@Unknown-us3ii]

I had the opposite experience with people who read the book, they don't like the series...

[@TZnomad]

The original author was a professional engineer and the books are categorized as "Hard Sc-Fi"; because there are only 8 episodes, I think they don't have enough time span to go "deeper" on those science concepts.

[@mateobarrett6829]

The original author doesn't even have a tepid understanding of the science he tries to wield. This isn't "hard sci-fi" this is science fantasy, and anyone with a passing understanding in physics knows that the concepts he slings in his book are more akin to magic than science.

[@Jacobenz]

Characters weren't very 3D in the books. Someone told Liu he needed characters, but he didn't know how to write them. Breathing life into the characters had to come from the script. I believe that could be behind the disconnect. Liu explains a lot of things in the books, sometimes multiple times. He dives deep into the mistakes and eventual creation of the sophons which the show barely mentions.

[@SupercutsDelight]

Yeah the whole way the Sophons operate was pretty confusing and wasn't explained very well.

[@buckiemohawk3643]

The main character of the second part just disappears. And they are flat. although the main plot is dumbed down especially the science.

[@zachcreaghcoen2389]

@@SupercutsDelightare you sure? They made completely sense to me. They unfold a proton? Write code into into it then return it to its original size essentially making a artificial intelligence the size of a single proton. As it is so small it can travel at close to the speed of light and therefore is impossible to really work around. This is just what I ascertained from the show

[@lynnchance8219]

​​@@zachcreaghcoen2389Some people will get these kind of abstract concepts by just reading, some people are more of a visual learner, and others just don't get it even when the visuals are directly shown. It's difficult to make every viewer understand some hard sci-fi concepts.

[@linhho8113]

@@SupercutsDelight It's basic Quantum Physics, 2 entangled particles will have opposite attribute (spin) thus if the sophon on earth have an information, the other sophon on trisolaris immediately have the parameters to work backward to get the information on earth

[@edgbarra]

Soul's character is not from the first book, he's the main character of the second. That's why he doesn't have much to do in many episodes and at the end he gets so important. Last episodes are from book 2 and 3

[@jaytealstone1687]

"It was fine to good". Bro why is everyone on the internet so hard to please with shows these days. Is everyone just too riddled with dopamine now? This show was absolutely incredible.

[@adamcummings20]

I agree, this show was a solid 'great' in my books. Everyone's a critic these days, like they're watching these shows and writing a report as a homework project rather than just experiencing the show.

[@mateobarrett6829]

Man, I just don't understand this take at all. The show was absolutely riddled with plot holes that fall apart even after just a cursory glance at the meager strings that hold this shredded ship together.

[@adamcummings20]

@@mateobarrett6829 such as

[@lightscorer1320]

@@mateobarrett6829Can you mention some of these plot holes?

[@spartan120_3]

I've read the Three-Body Problem and I'm nearly done with the Dark Forest, loving the books so far. I think I'm on episode 20 of the Chinese version, I like how they go into the theories and add more detail to what took place in the book. Right now I recently finished episode 5 of the Netflix version, and HOLY CRAP is it good. Despite the changes that were made in the show, they haven't affected the story in a negative way, and if anything there were improvements in aspects like the characters. While yeah, I was apprehensive at first, I watched a review done by Quinn's Ideas (the channel that introduced me to the Remembrance of Earth's Past trilogy). The review has solidified my faith in the series, and I can't wait for the next season.

[@DeftPol]

I much preferred the Netflix version. Tencent’s series was more directly attempting to be faithful to MOST details, but they leave out the biggest one of all in the cultural revolution. So you’re left with this bloated, overly long and plodding series that has a lot of the details, but misses the entire motivation that brings the invasion to earth…

[@Daneki]

Quinn got me too lol

[@ergohash2517]

I couldnt really finish the chinese version (which is more faithful to the books), but this one was more accessible, so i binged it in 2 evenings. It was pretty good, really liked the characters. Although my nitpick is that they didnt use any other word except for "fuck" and its variation when swearing, i didnt like it, its almost like english language doesnt have any other words to express swearing, that was definitely DnD's addition As for the science stuff - they definitely dumbed down it for the general audience. From what i know the book is going deep into all the science and it can be a big turn off for some.

[@Skibbityboo0580]

I really want to hear people using "cockbooger" more on tv,

[@sayeduzzamanrayan9387]

I would disagree about the science stuff being a turn off. If its shown well, it doesn't have to be dumbed down. Maybe a bit of exposition, like in Interstellar, and people loved the concepts in it.

[@SurrealNirvana]

Chinese version would have been way better had they shortened it from 35 to 20 episodes. So many episodes I just zoned out on cause it was the same thing again.

[@fazed343]

TBH ppl overstate how much the tencent version is faithful to the book, they definitely censored a lot of scenes from the cultural revolution backstory

[@ergohash2517]

@@SurrealNirvana somebody told me recently that there is a shortened version of the tencent version without the slow filler (Three-Body Anniversay Version). its less epiosdes - 26. i would have to search for it

[@tempestmars123]

Most characters in the trilogy are badly written, and this is the reason I find myself enjoying the majority of the adapted characters. The only exception would be Ye Wenjie, who is probably the best-written character in the trilogy.

[@DamonSun-hn7cn]

After the 1 star review bombing before the show was even out, its rating on both imdb and rottentomato are growing steadily. I was actually surprised by how petty people are, either because of their decade-old grudge against D & D or Chinese jingoism.

[@likeabigboiii6324]

I won't watch it because of my hatred of D&D. I'll never watch anything of theirs.

[@realhillkell]

​@@likeabigboiii6324 fair enough

[@mateobarrett6829]

@@likeabigboiii6324 You're not missing anything. This show is absolute trash aimed at audiences with 0 understanding of science or the ability to work out the glaring plotholes the show trips over repeatedly throughout its run. Blaming it on grudges or anti-chinese sentiment is merely a shield the uneducated viewers of this show wield to protect themselves from having to ACTUALLY think about the show. Because if they did it would be impossible to ignore Chicxulub sized holes in the plot

[@joker21st4869a]

If it ended at episode 5, Saul and Will would become throw away characters. The Netflix crew set up the chess pieces pretty well. Looking forward to season 2. I got a feeling Raj would play a bigger role in season 2 if he is who I think he is in The Dark Forest.

[@linav6959]

Zhang Behai?

[@linav6959]

Zhang Behai?

[@KiriB]

Loved the 3 body problem! They did a great job adapting book series.

[@lepidoptera9337]

Yes, but why did they adapt a horrible series of books?

[@rafael246]

I dont understand the lower expectations. - D&D proved on GOT first seasons that they are masters in adapting great fiction into TV. - And they also proved on GOT last seasons that they are terrible in writing TV shows from scratch So if they were casted to adapt one of the best SciFi ever (which is already finished), the logic would be that the series would be awesome. I feel like people forget how good GOT was while they are mostly following the books

[@andersschmich8600]

That’s exactly what I was thinking. They had a completed story to adapt.

[@franzfrikadelli6074]

If you read all the books, you can't deny its kind of genius, what they did with the character arcs.

[@Unknown-us3ii]

How did they beat the aliens?

[@franzfrikadelli6074]

@@Unknown-us3ii wdym? They wont be here for another 450y. How would i know?

[@Unknown-us3ii]

@@franzfrikadelli6074 I assumed you read all the books since you said "its kind of genius".

[@franzfrikadelli6074]

@@Unknown-us3ii Its a joke. i dont want to spoil.. Besides who says they beat them?

[@Unknown-us3ii]

@@franzfrikadelli6074 I don't mind spoilers, you can do spoilers . . . . So what you're saying is the humans die? That's not a story I can get behind XD

[@sayeduzzamanrayan9387]

I agree! They should gone more into what is going wrong with science and what was happening to the particle accelerators!

[@edgbarra]

It would be very interesting, but for the story all we need is that what's happening is impossible/breaks our understanding of physics

[@BoognishQC]

they did explain what was happening in the particle accelerators and why science is breaking, it was the sophons

[@zachcreaghcoen2389]

The do go more in depth with what was wrong with science?. It was the sophos.

[@fly_pie_1172]

to be fair, what they did with early seasons of got is outstanding, i hate them a lot for the ending, but they are AMAZING showrunners to adapting something (that is finished) and they are passionate about, outstanding work from them

[@martinszczepanski3698]

There is also very faithful Chineese adaptation of the 1st book called "3 Body". 30 episodes! And its great!

[@famimame]

I hope they didn't drag out the pacing for s2 like what they did in s1. I like their attempt at adapting the "Hard-science fiction" portion of the book overall, it just that the pacing could be so much better without needing that 30 eps count. Also they need to get better English speaking actors.

[@yonez3238]

​@@famimame All Chinese TV shows have similar pace as it. It's an cultural difference

[@KennethLawHK]

Well, i see the Netflix version of the show as a pretty strong companion piece to the book series. Having read the books both in its original Chinese language and the English translated version I think the tone and thematic core of the story is pretty much intact and they did fix a lot of the nuances lost in translation and came up with some cleaver puns that's aimed more at recreating the relatable sentiments it delivers to native Chinese audiences but catering to the more international crowd in this version. All the high level nerdy scientific hardcore jargon do exist in the source material but i think if it's included as it was written then the pacing and entertainment value will suffer so it's probably a deliberate artistic choice to dumb things down a bit. There are some poetic allegories that are still alluded to symbolically which i do appreciate but for a predominantly western audience i think how they've split and rearranged some of the characters and their relationships is done quite well. Especially since the writer is notorious for creating characters that seems more like stereotypical symbols rather than living and breathing human beings, especially for female characters. I think the sometimes more overly emotionally driven characterisations in this version fills a gap that was lacking in the source material and dive into the humanity behind the decisions of some of them in a more relatable manner. They did mix all three of the books into season one for the most part so how season two can be done will likely be quite tough knowing what's left of the source that's yet to appear but even if it's just one season i feel like it did the books justice. I know a lot of the Chinese audience comparing this to the locally produced version is up in arms about many of the changes but i seriously think that due to cultural differences the appropriate adjustments was made just for comprehension purposes. Durand and the Wallfacer project was originally the entire core of the 2nd book but introducing it in season one actually did make sense to me. How they handle the interstellar and dimensional battle scenes, as well as Jin and Will's fairy tale reunion is worth some anticipation but also a lot of worries.

[@user-kb4zm6hx6y]

老兄，你说的还真好

[@heehaahoohoo]

catering to the more international crowd ?🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@bunnyofdoom4501]

I think this series gets better in the subsequent books... I hope it gets a following so we can have season 2 and 3 and spin off novel.

[@kaydens6964]

Please no, they’ve gone the Witcher route, even worse because It’s almost unrecognisable.

[@incoglido]

I think the pace is so fast because if you have an inkling of what is in store in the 2nd and third books, you know that there is so much to get through. Plus the tone and scope changes so dramatically, that I think the writers are anxious for viewers to get this before writing off the show. There is so much at risk with the budget, but to hold even loosely to the plot, the first season has to be the calm before the storm. I think the OA on netflix had a similar problem, and for maybe slightly different reasons, it didn't work out for that show past the second season. But I believe that if this show makes it through a second season (which will be WILD)... then it will without a doubt go on to the third final season.

[@dr.virus1295]

I'm actually amazed those two managed to get something after fucking up GoT.

[@mateobarrett6829]

Failing upwards, as they say. They butchered this show too

[@fernandotomaz2554]

I found it absolutly fantastic, acting 10/10, plot 10/10, image 10/10. Potential for next seasons 10/10. The human leader Liam Cunningham was 100% carismatic/genius(the person we need in our reality, a 200 IQ madman, with full autority that only wants to improve improve improve and has the ability to control eveything and lead humanity for a better world)

[@TravelingThruLife]

That’s a really great insight regarding how these top physicists didn’t really seem that smart. We’re just constantly being told how smart they are.

[@SerbAtheist]

Do you think top tier physicists are some superhumans who do life differently? I can assure you they aren't. At the end of the day, they go to their ordinary lives just like everyone else, have flaws, tell bad jokes, some get drunk, some don't, some act like jerks, some don't, some are extroverted, some are introverted, some are incredibly well read and interested in everything, some are so focused on just that one thing they couldn't even tell you what Star Wars or Nirvana or The Sopranos or Taylor Swift was... all in all not that different from the rest of humanity. It's only what they do during their work hours that makes them extraordinary.

[@Nif3]

@@SerbAtheist Nah, you are absolutely wrong. There is definitely a common shared pattern of behavior among highly intelligent people and your little attempt at presenting intelligence as a trait isolated from personality isn't convincing at all. The characters in the Chinese series act like scientists: rational, critical, knowledge-oriented. The Netflix cast are much closer to undergraduates in a community college than world leading scientists.

[@captainhaddock6435]

Most people who are exceptionally smart in a particular area are pretty dumb regarding lots of other stuff

[@likeabigboiii6324]

Arya: sansa is the smartest person I've ever met Subsequent zero examples of said smarts. Great writing D&D. I hope the pooch has sex worker rights because you really keep screwing it.

[@mateobarrett6829]

Its not just the dumb physicists. This show insults the audience's intelligence as well. D&D "kindof forgot" that Sophons can hack every electronic device on the planet (a change from the books), thus enabling them to simply destroy humanity remotely. I can think of countless ways to destroy humanity with this power, but it seems most of the audience nor D&D managed to think of this.

[@prestonpersonal]

Ive been telling people about the books for years. They are my favorite Sci-fi books. I expected the show to be terrible, because Netflix. But man, i was wrong. What a great first season!

[@lepidoptera9337]

Why are you telling people that you have bad taste? ;-)

[@bricksmith1515]

Netflix has countless goods. Common man.

[@samirmuhammad1781]

I mean, I'm not surprised. For as long as there was source material for the ASOIAF, the show was actually great (excluding season 5) which still had book 5. But game of thrones was a great show not only due to the greatness of Martin's writing, but thanks for the great work of D&D. They fucked up the last seasons, because they were tired of it. Having to fill in the loose ends and try to end ASOIAF is extremely difficult. They were arrogant, and believed they would be able to succeed, but they failed. 3body problem is a simpler story which has the benefit of being over already. They made changes which I approve of, such as the new characters, and the changes they made in adapting some of them. The guys have the experience of working in the greatest show of all time.

[@TheJunmengo]

I too was casually pessimistic about the show, was incredibly surprised , the show hooked me up, the actors are fantastic what a cast, can't wait for season 2

[@mateobarrett6829]

It genuinely baffles me to see so many people praising this show. I simply cannot suspend my disbelief enough to enjoy the ludicrous nature of the Sophons and these characters to enjoy it. But hey, flashy lights and big science words go buuuuurrrrrrr right?

[@stubbywankenobi1]

Existential dread is the main driving force behind the story to me

[@JD-yz4kr]

If the scientific exposition was included, the number of episodes will have to balloon to 30 episodes, so the criticism is not really justifiable as the fact is, you can't really go very in-depth as everything has to be compressed into 8 episodes. If he wants very scientific discussions that adheres to the original book, he should just watch the Chinese adaptation, which was 30 episodes long.

[@treavorwhitlock5606]

As long as D&D had book to work with they were solid, they just can't be left to there own devices or we get "I'm smart and I have a penis" Terion

[@likeabigboiii6324]

As long as the writers don't have to write it will be fine. Dude how tf do they keep getting work

[@mateobarrett6829]

Were we watching the same show?? Aside from the banal dialogue and frankly lackluster acting, D&D changed a critical element of the Sophons capability that completely destroys the logic of the show. In the show, the Sophons can hack every electronic device on the planet (but not in the books) - can you imagine how easily you could destroy humanity with this power? And you could do it remotely! They've already jumped the shark and its only the first season - talk about failing upwards.

[@jeffbachman2949]

I suggest reading any of their novels they're more than capable of writing their own stuff. Also some of the most acclaimed moments and episodes in GOT are stuff they came up with

[@DonHbankz]

I haven’t read the books yet but from Quinn idea’s videos I learned that this season is adapting the first book and things later brought up in and explored in the later two books which is why they feel slow and slightly out of pace but the setup and pay off is way worth it. Also episode 5 is essentially where book 1 ends which is why it feels like a season ending. Quinn explains this and the entire series as a whole really well so it is best to get your knowledge from him.

[@jcwoodman5285]

Yes it is! They made many necessary changes for this Western adaptation BUT it actually helps the narrative greatly. The books are really high concept Sci Fi which like Asimov's 'Foundation' series, which also required more to make a good visual adaptation 😊

[@moamrabjie597]

6:04 it actually has everything to do with it. A deepfake is a image superimposed upon another to make it look like reality. Thus as this character says previously no space telescope could find any flickering, thus this must be local (meaning only seen from earth, remember the proton unfolding and covering the earth later in the series, which must have done so in this episode)superimposed image like a deepfake.

[@edgbarra]

Oh you're right!! I was wondering how they could use the sophons to make the stars flick. I forgot they can unfold them into a 2d surface. If they can make them transparent and not transparent at will, no problem making it seems like the universe is blinking

[@DeftPol]

As someone who has read all three books, this review and others like it to me just get at the fact that people who haven’t read the books probably wouldn’t like them much either… The show effectively collapses elements of TBP and the sequel - the Dark Forrest into the first season. The story - either in the show or the books - is never about providing platforms for characters “to show how smart they are” by spouting a lot of technical babble at the audiences (seriously, why/how is this a complaint?) - it’s about exploring the notion of first contact based on the real scale of the universe and what that means when you think about the consequences of said physics and time with game theory. The show isn’t perfect, but it does a good job of creating characters with some connective tissue with eachother, whereas in the books it’s much flatter, disparate and disconnected because the focus is much more on the higher concepts.

[@springsogourne]

I have not read the books, but I loved this show! Now I will read the books.

[@davidboivin7996]

Season 1 sets up Season 2 pretty well. Buckle your seat belts.

[@jhunz23]

This series is an incredible storytelling achievement. It takes you on an amazing journey that stays true to its original story. More than just an adaptation, it deeply explores what the future could hold, including the chance of meeting beings from other planets. It asks big questions about whether we should try to contact aliens and what we need to think about if we do. The series also brings a unique kind of fear, not from scary things but from the huge, mysterious universe around us. This fear, mixed with wonder and the unknown, makes the show more than just entertaining-it's a thought-provoking look at what lies beyond our world and how we fit into the vastness of space.

[@aidarosullivan5269]

It is! Turned out much better than I expected

[@Duomaxwell02M]

Haven't visited this page in some time since GoT's ending, but I'm glad that you're covering this series.

[@jeremykoo1873]

I think if you liked Episodes 6-8 more, you will like the books (and future seasons) more. I am a big fan of the books, and they are all slow-paced and dialogue heavy around scientific concepts as you're more interested in. But Episodes 1-5 are a thriller-style adaptation of all of book 1, then Episodes 6-8 are adaptations of a couple chapters each at the beginning of books 2 and 3, which get headier and headier. I also found I enjoyed Episodes 6-8 more as a result, and they were more directly adapted from the books and preserved more of the slow pacing. I hope we get Season 2 because Episodes 6-8 showed me they really get where Books 2 and 3 go and how to preserve the tone of those books.

[@cinifiend]

For me it felt like they spent a bunch of screen time developing characters who just end up getting killed off anyways. The show is at it's best when it's focusing on myster, philisophical and technical elements, so I think the show would have landed better if they went with more basic characters. I understand the Saul character's arc is buildup for S2 but it really felt like he had nothing to do in S1 and was just wasted screen time, same with Will's character. Also lots of fast travelling which D&D are infamous for which makes the pacing of the show feel weird.

[@jeremykoo1873]

@@cinifiend I assume you haven't read the books, but I think you would like them if you prefer a focus on ideas and concepts and don't care about any characters (Liu's characters are largely paper-thin receptacles for ideas). I will say that Will's screen time and character development absolutely will not be wasted screen time if the show is able to conclude the trilogy. And I don't get what you're talking about with fast traveling. It's 2024, not Westeros, and there aren't concurrent events going on that make it not make logistical sense. Takes a day to travel around the world, not months of walking.

[@Guy21072536]

D&D should stick with adapting the series that completed. Glad to see them can keep going.

[@shinyespeon3995]

If they were tired of GoT and felt insecure about no longer having source material to work with, they should've just *quit* rather than stay and ruin the greatest show of the time.

[@likeabigboiii6324]

I did the math once. 10,000,000 viewers. 76 hours of tv. That's 760,000,000 hours of wasted time. Divide by 24 and again by 365. That's over 87,000 years or roughly 965 human lifetimes of WASTED TIME! Fuckin criminals

[@arttujuntunen1356]

tbf the wallfacer project was a similar suprise in the books aswell.

[@Dyltone]

Well said. Unfortunately the books don't have much from a character perspective for them to work with. The books dialog and characters are very flat most of the time, but I'm not sure if this is because of the translation or how they were written. Many of the characters in this adaptation are new and/or parts of existing characters. The books main characters have little to no interaction, so the "Oxford 5" is a huge departure interlinking most of the main plot points. The other massive change from the books was to incorporate plot points from book 2 and 3, which I think helped with the pacing, but only if we do actually get the rest of the seasons. I enjoyed the show and am rooting for more... much much more!

[@merdufer]

We have a more intellectual version of the show in the Tencent series, and a version with more mass appeal in the Netflix series. The best of both worlds, imo.

[@jeffbachman2949]

I actually don't think Tencent is as intellectual as people claim. It explains things over and over again has the audience watch flashbacks of scenes we already watched over and over again. It over explained things imo and wow did it have so many cheesy musical montages

[@paragbandhate9951]

Well the whole series is about science fiction and not about characters and characters in this series have more complexity to them than characters of books and all main character has different background they are not releated to each other in any relationship. And if we talk about agguie in series if I assume they follow the same story for the character to her counter part character from books she will not have any more scenes and will fade away but her technology will be very helpfull in future development of human technology.

[@NemoPropaganda]

I’ve read all the books and I share 100% your same praise and criticism of the show. You have a very good handle on it despite not reading the books. Good job!

[@jimmymcgee9374]

I think it's fair to say, D&D are emotional writers. When they are passionate they win, when they are frustrated they lose.

[@likeabigboiii6324]

When someone else (an author) has already done the writing, they win. When these multi-millionaire Hollywood writers actually have to write.... They lose.

[@Ph.D_of_Lagomorph]

Saul’s book counterpart is supposed to not take anything seriously. So I’m very happy about him hanging out with Will in the first seven seasons

[@jzt4248]

Netflix把原著拍成了一个平庸的奇幻类型作品，而不是硬科幻

[@keystonexu1]

I read the Chinese version of three body problem series 3 times, and I completely love this Netflix's adaptation. I am going to view it again. Enjoy!

[@fearlesswild]

Smart ppl are really chill alot of the time so i think there dialog was mostly

[@BoognishQC]

i disagree about the need to bog the story down with too much scientific explanation. Also in reference to the science in the first episode they were talking about breaking, they actually did address this in later episodes, it was the sophons interfering with the particles themselves. As far as Saul's deepfake comment, it actually technically was a deepfake. How do you think they did it? Again the sophons were unfolded and blocked the light as needed to create the code

[@gabrielmartins-xt6rx]

I think the character were writen that way as in opposition to the books, where the characters are so bland they might as well not be there at all, my only issue is that they didn't put some of the best scenes of the books or altered them. The part about some characters not having much to do is because some of them don't acctually exist during that part of the story, but trust me, it's better than the books

[@DtWolfwood]

Just happy they have a complete series to adapt.

[@6Churches]

Huge bungling of the three strongest plot pillars (I've only seen Netflix) * Sophons have highly variable capabilities and this becomes contrived and absurd when you think about it: they move close to the speed of light and can bump individual high-speed particles, but cannot seem to break a nano-fibre that is still. Sophons can hack the whole global internet including millions of cellphones each with their own security - and yet, they choose not to damage the internet at all (they could encrypt it all with San Ti level encryption - thus crippling global trade and communication). The sophons can also cause hallucinations in people - but this is never weaponised (e.g. any armed person could mistakenly perceive Wade as an enemy combatant and shoot him), or Wade could be driven insane with 24 hour a day hallucinations. * The arms race between two species in conflict: The San Ti just allow humans to develop new cryo technology AND to use the nano-fibrers to create space sails. Why? * The San Ti claim not to understand fiction, metaphor or lying - but the VR tech, the little girl, the Sword Lady and the hallucinative numbers countdown disproves this: they know exquisitely how to craft fictional characters, characters who disguise themselves, tech that lies to your senses and more. It's bafflingly obvious

[@TomekSw]

Soundtrack is on Spotify.

[@OnlyAStormInATeacup]

I’ m curious to watch the Chinese version of the show. They remain faithful to the books and I want to see which version looks more entertaining

[@DCF-dc14f]

for Entertainment and fun Netflix version did a great job of making morons compare to the origin character from the book

[@awiNde009]

Don't be too harsh on characters development and interactions, the source material is just like that, Cixin Liu's stories often criticized for using characters as pure plot devices.

[@juggadaaku4219]

Ngl, at times this felt very ‘agents of shield’ - the special government team can do anything and extraterrestrial threat is an omnipresent force that can’t overcome plot armor. If the readers are liking the show much more than the non-readers, then there’s a problem in how the show was written.

[@requiemlul3140]

Examples? Cause if you mean the Sophons aren’t doing anything to stop the humans you haven’t been paying attention.

[@RonOnTheWay]

I loved the mystery and landing the explanation.

[@MrHeyhoman]

I think you're analysis of the individuals when they first discover Jack has a headset is a bit off base. Yes, they are some of the greatest minds on the planet, but even so it is totally believable that the conversation is grounded in emotion (mostly) rather than science due to the context they are in at the time. A close friend and teacher kill themselves inexplicably after being thought to have used the headset

[@lepidoptera9337]

The motivation behind the headset is bogus. It doesn't take a computer game to explain the situation to a physicist. All it takes is "Hi, I am Joe Alien. My home world is in an unstable orbit around three stars. We have tried everything to survive, but we can't. We are looking for another planet and we like yours.".. Even that doesn't work because there are plenty of planets that these aliens could terraform instead of invading Earth. The books are simply setting up a series of really bad plots and they never get better. They only get worse and worse. To be honest... if you want to play the "friendly alien wants to destroy humanity" plot, play it like "Resident Alien". Now that show is (or probably better was) funny and interesting.

[@MrHeyhoman]

@@lepidoptera9337 I think you're looking at this through a very narrow lens and not considering how different everyone can be in any given situation, regardless of profession or how scientific your mind is, especially in moments of emotional distress. You're also putting a lot of assumptions on how these aliens should talk and act, we have no reason to believe that aliens would act the way the show portrayed them or the way you presented either, both are equally likely and unlikely due to how fundamentally different aliens would be to us. And the game wasn't solely designed to explain their situation, of course it presents the problem and their situation to the humans but there's more to it than just that, they are clearly testing and vetting the people who interact with the headsets, whether they be physicists or not (many are and many are not physicists). When it comes to the idea they could terraform any planet, sure they probably could, but we still have to consider the absolute vastness of space, the closest star to our system is 4 light years away, same distance of their star to ours and takes 400 years at 1% lightspeed to travel that distance. We can't just assume that they have tons of really close options and our star might very well be the closest to theirs, same way theirs is closest to ours, again i'm not saying they absolutely have no other options, they most certainly do but ours might still be the closest and easiest to get to, with proof that it can support life (they may need to terraform still i don't know). Considering us as humans can be bugs to them, it wouldn't necessarily be that hard to conquer us if they had to. I'm not saying the show is perfect or anything, and I only watched a couple episodes of resident alien (didn't really grip me much but I want to check it out again) but all I'm saying is it's worth letting yourself get taken by the show and just enjoying it, if they did the exact same thing as resident alien or some other show/movie of similar premise what would be the point? It's good to explore different ideas and creative choices. Anyways sorry about the long reply, my opinion is that the show was very well thought out overall and executed quite well but everyone can have different opinions and that's great :)

[@KIBICKE94]

Comparing it to later Game of Thrones is actually pretty accurate. Same bad writing that makes even excellent actors act bad. A typical example is Wade / Sir Devos, who was an incredible character in GoT who became pretty non-essential at the end. Here, he's a harsh-mannered, visionary leader. I get the character, but the way he has to deliver his cunning lines, without any pause at all between phrases is just ridiculous. I guess it is to suggest, that he is a brilliant mind, but it's just annoying and unrealistic. Btw, most of the dialogs are like that, quick, witty, no pauses. Yet they fail to convey a sense of superior intellect, that all these individuals are supposed to have. Another example of bad writing is nanofiber-girl, who helps the military to cut in slices everybody on Judgment Day. She shows some vague concern, while doing it. Sheds a tear when she sees a child's limb, but the next day she calls Wade a monster. Then his dying friend tells her that she should go back, and hop, she does so. Really poor character painting. So apart from the visual aspect it remains a poorly written and rather poorly played show.

[@punpun-ya]

i love that Bradley’s character is a Man City fan 😂😂😂

[@engineerforthefuture8593]

"A degree in film studies" "This is worthless"

[@steelenutz1]

Episode 5 is the end of first book, more or else, hence why it feels like season finale You should read the books, sounds like you'll like them. Book 1 is just intro and the shoe so far are just setup. youre in for a wild ride if you stick with the series

[@galaxya51-us4ir]

The thing that bugged me about the boat scene is that it ended in total destruction but weren't they desperate to avoid destroying the data? Although it is copied from the book it is still a risky move.

[@tsarbombawithinternetconne875]

In the book, they knew that the data servers would be destroyed. But because of the nanofibers, the way it will slice the devices would be so clean that they could theoretically just stitch them back up and fix it with no problems.

[@galaxya51-us4ir]

@@tsarbombawithinternetconne875 thank you. And how about fire? Explosions? Crush damage? Guess I should let it go for the sake it was a damn unique scene.

[@scottwatrous]

@@galaxya51-us4irYeah I was like "well after the engine room explodes, that looks like it isn't much cleaner than a missile strike would be" The books if I recall, the data was just chilling in its server rack and they just had to do a bit of digging.

[@NuttyPotato]

yeah but it was the only way so it is what it is , still risky but again still the only way

[@edgbarra]

They don't have many nano fibers so they are quite spread out. It was unlikely that they cut the data banks and if they do it would be just one clean cut

[@timotfenyvesi9863]

Im sorry but what they did to game of thrones UNDENIABLY the GOAT of Shows , i just cannot give them praise, also they dont deserve it

[@batsaubattler3200]

Is this book series completed?

[@ShirleyTimple]

Yes, for a while now. 1. Three Body Problem 2. The Dark Forest 3. Death's End

[@JC-wn7ih]

It seems like they have learned their lessons.

[@Carlo_ReNews]

Yeah of course it is D&D are talented writers. They always were.

[@nomex9829]

100% agree with your review. There's one thing in the tv show I do not understand though; perhaps a plot hole. The show starts with scientists seeing results they cannot understand. Later a reason is given. However, this reason occurs later in time than the scene from the first episode. Not sure yet if D&D just kind of forgot how cause and effect work.

[@jasonhu7995]

No, in the VR they are telling the story already happened many years ago

[@takatetkt]

Saul has been chosen to become the wallfacer is because of the Jokes that told by Yewenjie, and that’s why the alien is trying to kill him. The explanation will come in season 2. The Dark Forrest.

[@factualopinion4275]

you should read the books after the show wraps up. or read the book that is currently adapted i personally loved season 1 more than book one. but kind of wish they didnt started the beginning of book 2 yet

[@kaihinyung6230]

I totally agree! The Netflix Show is great but yes after reading the books, I felt the pace of the show is a little too quick. I also agree the show would have had more depth and layer of the writers have nerd it out more on the scientific theories, either through the scientists or the game. That is the one part that the Chinese TV show did well.

[@gosnooky]

I would have loved much more discourse on the physics, but I understand why the writers didn't - this show, to be profitable, had to capture a wide audience - and let's face it - a majority of viewers out there just don't have the attention spans or the zeal for science we do.

[@Peachgorillafit]

I enjoyed the show but felt it slowed down significantly the last 2-3 episodes. Episode 8, to me, didn’t feel like a season finale but I do look forward to a second season.

[@Shryce]

So here's a question... how do they know where the San-ti are ?

[@petern326]

The boys cooked here you gotta hand it to them

[@mur4s4m3]

Few things I want to point out : Going through the book (or at least the detailed plot on Wiki) helps to figure that some logical inconsistencies stem from the novel and not the show Suspension of disbelief feels a bit exaggeratedly disregarded in your speech, remember it's entertainment. Working in the (cinema) field myself, I think a Netflix show wouldn't have had such success if the characters were to be too scientific/analytical... Content has to be lucrative so it aims at a wider audience, otherwise is discarded quickly (willy-nilly, I concede) Lastly, not reading the book makes your analysis miss aspects. If not reading prevents some biases, it creates others. For example, the diegesis is changed in the show when in the book, the story is more focused on few characters and narrated from their points of view (take Salazar in the show vs Wang Miao in the book for example) Overall, I agree on the show being a bit too emotional and inconsistent character-wise. It's a good show but not the show of the year

[@lepidoptera9337]

There is a difference between suspension of disbelief and bad sci-fi plots. In hard sci-fi the science sets up limitations to the actor's free will. It's like a set of walls that set the stage. To the scientifically literate person it is extremely uncomfortable if that is done without any actual science skills because it just ends up as a jumbled mess of logical mistakes. Better authors try to avoid that by using it sparingly. Ursula K. Le Guin, for instance, used the light speed limit to set up a physical barrier between her different inhabited worlds. She then pierced that barrier with ansible technology to achieve certain plot effects. Unfortunately she didn't understand how to use that device correctly and so one can find far more likely plot developments in many of her stories than the ones she picked. To me that ruins several of her otherwise fine works.

[@CZTachyonsVN]

As much as I wish the show would show off more science, I know why it’s not the case. Most people watching Netflix do not care enough and would rather watch chat at drama. Some parts of the books are quite dry because of the science exposition and the characters lack emotion and growth. This series aims to do the reverse. Focus more on the human element which I really enjoyed. I am a hardcore books fan but I still enjoyed the show for what it was. If anyone wants more science dialogue and exposition, READ THE BOOKS! No other screen media will able to cover everything the book has.

[@iamsheel]

I ended the show wondering why every female character is hatable and insufferable and almost all the male characters simping for them or follow everything they say blindly. *Then I found out about D&D and it all made sense*

[@gutspraygore]

A part of me wishes I had watched the show before reading the books. In the beginning, I found myself hyper-focused on the differences and had a generally negative feeling to the changes from the source. It took a few episodes, but I realized the Netflix adaptation was far more faithful than I gave it credit for. The book series is incredibly dense and had I read it after, the details would have filled in many of the more lush or scientific aspects of the story. I would essentially be enjoying the story again, but in a whole different light. I had a similar experience with Jurassic Park, where I had only got through the first chapter before watching the movie. I thoroughly enjoyed the movie and did not at all regret seeing it before finishing the book because the book was fantastic even though I "knew" what was going to happen. Very much looking forward to season 2 because while I "know" what's going to happen, I don't actually know what's going to happen. Cheers, mate. Great video!

[@lepidoptera9337]

It may be dense to you, but to anybody who knows physics the books fall apart completely at the science level. There is sci-fi the kind of works (like Michael Crichton's "The Andromeda Strain" or even "The Expanse") and then there is this nonsense.

[@DynterS]

I was suprised by this. It wasn't the best thing I have seen, but still very good. Hopefully we get a season 2.

[@mauzouq]

It’s awesome series just like got the first series was not famous when released

[@Will_Parker]

There's also a Chinese adaptation coming out now too I think. It'd be interesting to compare the two, especially with the "it's a Chinese story" complaint in mind.

[@edgbarra]

It's already finished. 30 episodes. You can even find it here on KZbin. It's good but very very slow. Specially compared to the Netflix show

[@wayneeicher5483]

They have to write for uncle and grandma who don’t know shit about hardcore physics. They hit all the story beats from the novels. This was a very good adaptation

[@a.nonymouse]

I'll just leave a link to another review. Having listened to both I'm not sure which one I prefer, we all have different opinions. But after what these guys did to Game of Thrones I wouldn't trust them to write a poem, let alone another TV show. kzbin.info/www/bejne/l4q4Y4x3lrStgK8

[@jeffbachman2949]

That guy who made that video leaves so much out to fit his narrative. I basically disagree with literally everything in that video.

[@skryvazena6548]

I watched this, I enjoyed this, it feels like tptb really considered the story. I hope there will be s2.

[@Pemulis1]

It's OK. Jack is the only character with any personality, though.

[@RoninX33]

Up to episode 5. So far, in my opinion, I think this show suffers from the stupid alien's syndrome. I mean if they are so advanced they should have been dealt with their primary issue, but they are basically super advanced idiots.

[@ramsinghal5608]

It's the best sci fi I have ever watched or read This is mostly because the characters are soo good and the science also makes sense which it usually does not in other stories

[@user-kv9kc7ij9i]

Honestly As I read the book two years ago, I felt pretty much the same about everything. The game and vr-set (there was the whole jumpsuit for it) were invented by humans. For me there were many great moments, but most of the characters and the delivery of investigation were just straight up boring and very predictable and disappointing. Thus I decided that I won't read next books. What I've seen from your review, they've added a lot more characters and plots. Maybe I'll give it a try.

[@edgbarra]

I liked the first book, but man 2nd and 3rd are the masterpieces