Posted in: Netflix, TV | Tagged: 3 Body Problem, Alex Sharp, eiza gonzalez, game of thrones, John Bradley, Jovan Adepo, Liu Cixin, netflix

3 Body Problem: Examining The "Friends" Dynamic of the Netflix Series

Netflix's version of 3 Body Problem features a "Friends" dynamic whose found family structure lends more nuance and consequences to the story.

Warning: You should finish watching Netflix's adaptation of Liu Cixin's 3 Body Problem before reading this because it's ALL spoilers… for the night is dark and full of spoilers. Seriously. We jump right into spoilers from the start to after this; there's no turning back. You've been warned…

Some hardcore fans of the original books of 3 Body Problem have a hard time with the character changes in the Netflix version, altering the heroes of all three books into a group of close friends rather than total strangers who never meet, separated by years, sometimes even centuries apart as in the books. If you want a faithful adaptation of the Liu Cixin book, it already exists in the form of the thirty-episode Tencent Chinese adaptation that's been available to stream for free on YouTube, Peacock, and Prime Video. Some people have said the Netflix version is like Friends stuffed into The Three-Body Problem. Showrunners D.B. Weiss, David Benioff, and Alexander Woo might have done this knowingly.

First, Friends had become the most popular show on Netflix; its viewing figures exploded worldwide during the Pandemic before the rights reverted to Warners. Second, the core of virtually all Hollywood TV series has been a central ensemble of friends and found families that become a wish-fulfillment fantasy for many viewers. It can get lonely kids and viewers through sad or dark times, so you shouldn't just poo-poo that appeal. To introduce a close group of friends as the core of 3 Body Problem, whether we like it or not, is a valid creative decision that is also a business decision. Let's examine how it was done since it's there in the show for all to see, and talk about Jack Rooney, played by John Bradley, who was Samwell Tarly in Game of Thrones.

In 3 Body Problem, Jack is the Embodiment of the "Friends" Dynamic

Jack Rooney initially appears to be the only member of the Oxford Five who's completely made up and not based on any of the heroes in the books but is actually based on Hu Wen from the third book "Deaths' End." Hu Wei is a drinks tycoon and the dying Yu Tianming's best friend who gives him a huge sum of money for giving him the idea that led to his success. In 3 Body Problem, Jack is a snack millionaire with a big heart who does everything to help Will Downing (Alex Sharp), from encouraging him to declare his love for Jin Cheng (Jess Hong) to pay for his medical care to leaving him a fortune hoping he would use it to treat his cancer and perhaps find a cure.

Jack is really the heart of the Oxford Five, the funny, snarky joker who says what we're thinking out loud. He's also the most relatable. The Five are geniuses and stayed close after graduation. Jin Cheng is one of the most respected rising young stars in the field. Auggie became an engineer and designed a groundbreaking new nanofiber that could change the world. Saul is depressed he hasn't found his niche or made his mark as a scientist. Will felt like a failure compared to the rest of them and became a high school Physics teacher. Jack left Science altogether and used his smarts to become a snack millionaire. Their bond has stayed intact since the bond from being in a study group at Oxford was intense and intimate. They each fulfill a specific need for each other. Auggie and Jin Cheng are best friends partly due to being the two women in the group. Jack is Will's biggest supporter, and their bond comes from leaving Physics. Saul and Will have a bond from each feeling disappointed in themselves for not having found success in Science.

3 Body Problem: Jack is a Major Foil for the Story

It's Jack's bond with Jin Cheng that becomes crucial to the plot – they play the 3 Body Problem VR game together.  The way they play together indicates they've played video games together in the past without the script saying outright they used to play together. They act like this is totally normal and show he's used to Jin Cheng's obsessive-compulsive tendencies. Jack does the things a gamer does like punch an NPC. The writers could have had Jin Cheng play the game solo and get the information from asking the characters she meets there, so the reason for having Jack play with her is to show their friendship, and his reaction to the conspiracy behind the game brings consequences to the rest of the story.

How the Netflix Series Shows, Not Tells, to Reveal Characters

You can criticize the series for speeding through the major points of the books and the key scientific concepts, but the scripts avoid clunky explanations for the characters. Not once does the series do the Network TV Writing 101 way of having characters explain their personalities or relationships to the viewers like every sitcom or series on the networks. Jack and Jin Cheng never say they've played video games together in the past; they just do it like they've done this before. Not once does anyone say the Oxford Five are geniuses. Saul and Will never declare they think they're failures, it's expressed in how they talk and their actions. Auggie never explains she had a hard life; she just acts like someone who's stressed out (and leads some viewers to find her unlikable because she doesn't bother to be likable), and later the line "I've been fighting all my life" sums up her entire history. Jin Cheng has anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder, and it's never said out loud but shown in the way she pops pills with booze and the way she can't resist any question or puzzle. Auggie goes to Will's family home on the coast to recover from her trauma because the friends are her safe place. Nobody says outright that Jack is a massive geek; it's shown by the Star Wars collectibles in his house. Saul and Will go through Jack's house to find and hide anything his family might find embarrassing, only to find his secret keepsake are photos from his childhood and souvenirs from his favourite football club to reveal he never stopped being that sweet kid he used to be.

The Double-Edged Sword of Friendship

The Netflix version of 3 Body Problem features a theme not in the books, which is about how friends try to love each other in the wake of an apocalypse and what consequences their actions to support each other bring about. Jack's decision to play the VR game with Jin Cheng has an impact on the whole group. Auggie supports Jin Cheng by agreeing to design a use for her nanofiber in The Staircase Project, which Jin Cheng created. Jack leaves Will his money, which Will uses to aid the war effort and make one last romantic gesture for Jin Cheng that will have massive consequences much later. Will's love for Jin Cheng leads him to make a sacrifice that will have an impact on the future of humanity. Thomas Wade (Liam Cunningham) weaponises the group's friendship to get them to do what he wants in his fight against the aliens.

This is an extra layer of nuance added to 3 Body Problem that makes the Netflix version a worthwhile adaptation despites its flaws. Say what you will about the series, but it's not lazily or thoughtlessly written.

3 Body Problem is streaming on Netflix.

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