3 Body Problem Ending Explained | Season 1 Breakdown | Netflix

In the 3 Body Problem, a young woman in China makes a fateful decision that alerts an alien race in search of a new planet to the location of Earth. Ye Wenjie (Rosalind Chao and Zine Tseng) welcomes the San-Ti because she believes humans have lost the ability to save themselves. She joins forces with Mike Evans (Jonathan Pryce) and recruits others through an immersive video game. Years later scientists started committing suicide after the laws of physics started to break down and a group of friends found themselves caught up in the mystery.

Thomas Wade (Liam Cunningham) and Da Shi (Benedict Wong) conduct an investigation and discover the coming invasion. They recruit members of the Oxford Five in an effort to save humanity in the 400 years it will take for the San-Ti to reach our system.

Based on the bestselling and critically acclaimed novels by Chinese author Liu Cixin, the mystery thriller series from Game of Thrones creators David Benioff, D.B. Weiss, and Alexander Woo (True Blood), explores humanity’s response to its gravest threat.

Benioff, Weiss and Woo all serve as executive producers; 3 Body Problem stars Hong as Jin Cheng, Eiza González as Auggie Salazar, Adepo as Saul Durand, Sharp as Will Downing, Bradley as Jack Rooney and Benedict Wong as intelligence officer Da Shi. The series also features Saamer Usmani as Raj Varma; Liam Cunningham as Thomas Wade; Rosalind Chao and Zine Tseng as Ye Wenjie; Jonathan Pryce and Ben Schnetzer as Mike Evans; Marlo Kelly as Tatiana; Sea Shimooka as Sophon and Eve Ridley as Follower.

Cixin Liu Books:

The story begins in 1960s China when a young woman makes a fateful decision that reverberates across space and time into the present day. When the laws of nature inexplicably unravel, a tight-knit group of brilliant scientists must join forces with an unflinching detective to stop humanity’s greatest threat. 3 Body Problem is an epic story that redefines sci-fi drama with its layered mysteries and story of human connection.

[PetePeppers]

I think this first season did everything it needed to do to get things set up for when the story really takes off. Hopefully, people who are being introduced to the ideas for the first time are enjoying them as much as I did when I read them. Bring on season 2. Let me know what you think.

[tonwisniewski]

Since Will's brain is neither dead nor alive, I wonder if her sister will have to wait a few million years to get hold of his money.

[ssotkow]

13:56 Watching the sunset is also symbolic because pointing to the Sun was how Ye was able to make first contact. The dawn and dusk of her journey.

[mrgold]

Please Netflix, don't cancel this series at the last minute!

[Jiraiyashouse]

Loved the show. The nano fiber ship slicer scene was next level awesome terror!

[marknovak]

I seems that in the book the lady who invited the invasion seemed to have been deeply scarred by the worst of human nature. It would prime her perfectly for such an act.

[lolieng]

I’m still pissed Netflix canceled 1899, although this series is interesting so far

[companymen]

I think the “You are bugs” moment definitely gives trisolarians character. They have a bit of flair for the dramatic, and that they fear humans.

[joso]

3 Body Problem made me think. I like that.

[LMarti]

Ye Wenjie's joke was a fucking awesome addition. I love that scene so much.

[carpeimodiem]

The Trisolarans: "We do not understand deception."
(2 minutes later)
Also The Trisolarans (presenting themselves as a hot chick with a samurai sword): "You are bugs."

Humans: "Wait, you don't understand deception... but you understand catfishing??"🤔

The Trisolarans: "Why would you fish for cats? Do they live in the Ocean??"

Humanity: 🤦🤦🤦

[Agemouk]

OK, so the joke is key. I realised that on the first watch, and re-watched the scene.
She is seen looking at the Fermi Paradox book and a Game Theory book before the joke is told.
She clearly trying to layer in a message to avoid the sophons, on the assumption that the aliens can't understand metaphor.
Not a book reader, but there seemed to be a simple message here: Direct confrontation will lead to humanity getting kicked in the balls and losing - so find another indirect way to fight. Guessing this is the Game Theory element, if we know that there is no "win" solution in game theory, and direct confrontation is always a loss (fighting "god" you will always lose), we would seek to avoid the confrontation and/or find another way to avoid a loss (in this case loss presumably being civilisation dead?).
But I suspect there's also another layer to the joke I'm not getting - something about being careful about playing music in heaven in the first place? - Fermi Paradox is about why we don't hear from other civilisations. So I'm guessing this is her message as to why we/they don't? They get kicked in the balls when they do?

[satyamanand]

The show didn't have any cliffhanger or a climax shot but the scene about the nature and persistance of bugs was very interesting.

[williamsullivan]

“The car was of the hacked self-driving variety” killed me, Pete. Uhm, no pun intended.

[btterman]

As a fan of the books, the series is better than I expected. The first season is almost all exposition, but they've done it artfully. Disappointed that Clarence isn't more of a developed character. In the book, he's sort of noir detective meets Lt. Columbo kinda guy. I'm hoping he'll get a bigger role in the next season.

[alex]

The ending of episode 5 was amazing and haunting.

[dumbsheeppro]

Imagine Vera committed suicide for seeing her 9 year old self in the alien game

[lalaland]

If the san ti can make humans see what they want us to see, could they be making it look like the mission with Will's brain was a failure? Could it actually be working as planned?

[bencera]

This show is goin pretty well, dunno how they’re going to turn such a dark f up story into a mass audience cause it gets dark af

[lous]

Wonderful summary. I appreciate that you addressed the joke. Clearly that is important & thanks for not spoiling the meaning. I trust it will become clear.