MIDNIGHT REVIEWS 3 Body Problem Episode Three
Midnight Reviews features reviews and thought pieces written and edited by a parent, at night, after bedtime.
3 Body Problem Episode 3: ‘Destroyer of Worlds’
Series created by: David Benioff, D.B. Weiss, Alexander Woo
Featuring: Benedict Wong, Eiza Gonzalez, Jovan Adepo
Synopsis: Jin (Jess Hong) and Jack (John Bradley) complete more and more levels in their mysterious game, revealing snippets of what is to come. The consequences, however, are rather dire.
Review: After 3 Body Problem’s rather mixed opener followed by the fantastic, mesmerising second episode, it’s perhaps fitting that Destroyer of Worlds comes along. Like the series so far, this episode is split into two by quality if not by plot.
Sciency science.
So far the series has followed a mix of characters but episode three’s major focus is on Jin and Jack. In a typical gamer fashion, Jin promises not to become obsessed with a new, potentially dangerous piece of hardware and in fact promises her friends she’ll never play it again. Cue her promptly covering whiteboards in notes. She drags Jack in and spends hours with him trying to figure things out, like a truly dedicated gamer would, making copious notes on the position of the sun(s) along with other, I’m assured, sciency science. I usually only have one note for whatever game I’m playing (‘Don’t do that again’).
But before we get to that, we have the title of the episode and the threat of Oppenheimer becoming the poster boy for all destruction, everywhere. Even if it’s caused by aliens. A major problem with coming within a country mile of the ‘destroyer of worlds’ quote is that, short of making a movie about the man, this invocation has been as overused as Ryan Reynolds in low to mid-quality action flicks. Indeed, if the show were to have used ‘There’s a storm coming’ Benioff, Weiss and Woo could’ve taken a step closer to a full bingo card. A missed opportunity indeed.
However, we do also have some more subtle moments, such as Will (Alex Sharp, excellent) knowing just a little bit more about suicide than the rest, coincidentally having just been told he’s going to die due to the cancer plaguing his body. We also have a wonderfully written interchange between him and Jin where he can’t help but signal his true feelings for her.
It’s the little details like this where 3 Body Problem gets it consistently right. To the point where I sat, engrossed, as a story about the Kargil War was told, camera panning in deliberately, slowly, the tale matching the tension of meeting the in-laws for the first time. After I’d let myself take a breath, I was trying to work out the foreshadowing, or if there was any foreshadowing present to begin with.
Reminds me of both the best and worst […] of Westworld.
Unfortunately, we get to the second half and despite the presence of two of the more interesting characters, things start to get hokey. Once Kublai Khan (Jenson Cheng) slices two men in half whilst being dragged into the sky due to Earth’s gravity going haywire, the feeling that things have gotten a little silly can’t be avoided. It would be alright if the show weren’t trying to play it so straight and serious.
Another mystery rears its ugly head too: why is Jin allowed to play the game, when Jack was beheaded continuously before receiving an official invitation? Is this a plot hole, or did I miss something? Or could this be explained away that the all-knowing aliens did it? Which, being a show selling itself as being about hard science and deep thought, again seems hokey. Also, which producer on the show is a huge fan of British comedy actors? They pop up like geraniums (moist, but simultaneously well-drained) to a distracting degree.
Overall, so far 3 Body Problem reminds me of both the best and worst of the most recent version of Westworld. There are the surface level similarities, such as Ramin Djawadi on soundtrack duties, complete with opening theme that seems to deliberately evoke the robot cowboys. But there is also the general philosophy of the show. Deliberate obfuscation, sometimes brilliant and tantalising, sometimes contrived and frustrating. I can’t help feeling this huge-money gamble by Netflix will result in something less than satisfying.
3 Body Problem is available on Netflix. The entire series. All in one go. Despite the evidence that releasing individual episodes one at a time is more enjoyable and creates more hype. Oh well.
Matthew D. Smith likes to overshare his views on movies whenever and wherever he can. Indulge him, and follow him on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Smith_M_D
