Beijing. Wang Miao is a researcher of nanomaterials who suddenly sees a countdown of cryptic numbers on his eyes, nonstop, even when he his eyes are wide shut. A woman, Shen Yufei, advises him to shut down his research. Wang obliges, and the countdown disappears, but he defiantly re-starts his program, even though the countdown re-emerges. Numerous scientists are killed or commit suicide under mysterious circumstances worldwide, so Inspector Shi is sent to investigate and team up with Wang. They hear of a secret society called the “Frontiers of Science”, led by Ye Wenjie, a former employee at a defunct astronomical observatory that received a signal from an alien civilization in 1 9 7 7, the Trisolarans from the Alpha Centauri, and invited them to come and solve humanity’s problems. The Trisolarans have a very unstable planet due to three suns orbiting each other, so they embark on a 400-year journey to settle to Earth. Two Earth factions battle each other: the Adventists, led by Pan Han, who welcomes the removal of humans from Earth, and the Redemptionists, led by Ye, who hopes aliens will reform humanity. In a raid, they are all arrested at a meeting, but Shi is injured and poisoned by radiation in the event. In a video game, Wang finds out that the aliens plan to let humans continue living on Earth, but will forbid them one thing: procreation. The Earth assembles a defense unit to prepare for the alien invasion.
The original Chinese TV series based on the eponymous Sci-Fi novel by Liu Cixin, “Three Body” takes more time, patience and detail to conjure up said story in its 30 episodes than the Netflix remake series “Three Body Problem” released a year later, which has 8 episodes, but both series are excellent—what are flaws in one version is a virtue in another, and vice-versa. “Three Body” develops its character better, but it is overstretched and suffers from occasionally frustratingly slow pacing issues, leaving the impression that despite its virtues, it could have benefited from a more concise storytelling which could have shortened it by 10 episodes without losing anything. Repeating certain plots points, when everything is sufficiently clear already the first time, comes off as superfluous at times. For instance, episodes 26-27 are banal melodrama which could have been cut. Episode 28 spends two thirds of its time showing generals in the headquarters discussing which plan they should adopt to capture the data from the Judgement Day ship, when it would have been a far greater surprise factor to not reveal it to the viewers, and just let the ambush in the next episode come as a surprise. This is where the Netflix version is better: it has a sense for efficient editing and build-up of suspense. “Three Body” displays audacity in its depiction of consequences of technological advancement on social issues, and shows even the humans betraying Earth to welcome the Trisolaran takeover as multilayered characters who have their reasons (one of the proponents of the alien invasion, ecologist Evans, promotes species egalitarianism and hates humans for their ecocide), but it caves in from fear of depicting Mao Zedong’s totalitarian Communist dictatorship in the flashback episodes, which is why the first 5 minutes of the first episode of Netflix’s remake series has more courage than entire episodes 10-12 depicting same events, which are here truncated and self-inhibited.
Nontheless, the series is modern, smart, philosophical, with several fascinating examples of Sci-Fi depictions. The trap set up for the collaborators’ ship crossing the Panama canal using dozens of spread nano-wires in episode 29 is incredible and resourceful, almost playing out like a horror movie in slow motion. That same episode reveals the potential look of the aliens, as depicted in the video game, and the design is fabulous. The best character is snappy reporter Mu Xing (excellent Yang Rong), who in episode 8 leans her motorcycle onto the parked car of detective Shi. When Shi returns to his car, she goes: “You hit my car, but don’t worry. I am not going to demand a compensation.” She then questions him about the Frontiers of Science, and then it is revealed she hid a tape recorder under the windshield wiper of Shi’s car. Episode 10 has a philosophical dialogue when Shi goes: “Then she contacted Shen Yufei. She was sure that physics didn’t exist.” - Wang: “Yang Dong’s exact words were “Physics never existed””. - “Is there any difference?” - “Of course there is. If physics doesn’t exist, there may be a problem with our fundamental theory. If physics has never existed, it would overthrow human’s understanding of the entire universe for thousands of years, whether in the macro world or micro world.” Episode 16 has this sharp dialogue: “Human society can no longer rely on its own power to solve problems.” - “Human society can no longer rely on its own power to restrain its madness”. Episode 17 shows Ye observing human behavior: “Humans choose the side in line with their intentions”. The highlights are the video game depictions of the alien world orbiting Alpha Centauri which cause a chilling awe: for instance, just as sunrise appears on the horizon, it immediately turns back into a sunset, causing the valley to freeze, whereas a tale depicts the sun suddenly shrinking in the sky, almost to the point of being a star in the night sky, showing that from the POV of the aliens, they themselves did not know that they were part of a tripple solar system, since the three suns would often be so close they appeared only as one sun. One could also decipher a theme from the story: is there any species that is not able to feed off from another species to survive? Is this inevitable in nature? Still, Matsumoto’s phenomenal TV series “Queen Millennia” remains the best depiction of an alien invasion of Earth because it is all so genuine and fluent at the same time, without ‘empty walk’.
Grade:+++
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