3 Body Problem is a bit of a problem

The Netflix drama's depiction of China is, well, problematic. Or is it? Chinese viewers weigh in. (If you've not watched the drama, please note that this issue is slightly spoilery.)

In my last newsletter, I explained that the main issue I had with Netflix’s 3-Body Problem is the dumbing down of the book’s plot.

For example:

• The ETO is now a cult of religious, fanatical alien worshipers.

• The fight against the ETO also seems very small. Goodbye, world cooperation to defeat the Santi. Instead, the crusade against the EVA is now led by ... one man's shady organisation?

• The bug/pest analogy makes an appearance but in the clumsiest way ever, compared to the poetic way it was foreshadowed and then "revealed" towards the end.

• But, to me, the most egregious simplification (nay, twisting, really), happens to the character Ye Wenjie. She is now a religious zealot consumed by hatred for humanity. 

She is a pale shadow of the Tencent version, who is resigned, conflicted by what she has created and whose literally experienced a heavy personal loss as a result of her life choices.

I felt that the actress who plays her in the Netflix version has only one expression: A hate-filled glare.

This, when contrasted to Tencent's Ye Wenjie, is massively disappointing. 

Nudity, violence, and sex, are higher in the Netflix version, and a lot of times I wondered what was the point of them all. How does it further the story?

About the Cultural Revolution: Much has been written about the misrepresentation of how things really were during that time. But like everything else, it was oversimplified, highlighting the most shock-value event of the book - the public death of Yen Wenjie's father. 

I've had people argue with me on social media about why this scene had to be included.

Now, my complaint was not that it was included at all, but that the Cultural Revolution was reduced to this one bloody event in the drama.  Basically, they weren't terribly subtle about the Western POV and at one point, Ye Wenjie hatefully stared at the portrait of Chairman Mao.

Yeah, yeah, we get you writers. Communist, bad.

In my personal opinion, the Tencent version was far more critical of the Cultural Revolution. 

Ye Wenjie had to deal with the aftereffects of that awful time for years. We realise that the damage done to her (and other people like her), was so deep and harrowing that it led her to make this one decision that altered the fate of humanity. 

For example, that super uncomfortable conversation with her mother years after the terrible event, for example, was a subtle way of conveying the trauma that Ye Wenjie had suffered and was still suffering from. 

This helps us understand her actions as well - if she could not trust or hope that her mother would do the right thing, there's really no hope for humanity to save itself. Humanity is too corrupted/broken to improve, so we'd need external help.

But the Netflix's Ye Wenjie? Well, I hate humanity so we all deserve to be slaves to aliens. Or something.

However, my No.1 biggest beef about the Netflix drama is how it’s being used by some quarters to “play politics” or talk about “the China situation”. (Though to be fair, it’s not really the drama’s fault.)

Can you sense my weariness? Each time a Chinese cultural product breaks through into the English-speaking world, I have to brace myself for wonderful articles such as What Chinese Outrage Over ‘3 Body Problem’ Says About China.

Shut up, New York Times. I’m trying to enjoy a damn sci-fi drama, not read about the US-China cold war you’re constantly screaming about.

What folks in China think about Netflix’s 3 Body Problem

This may seem like a cop-out, but I feel like I’m not qualified to speak about the drama’s Cultural Revolution depiction as I don’t know enough about this part of China’s history. Nor do I feel like I can express the cultural sensitivities around the show’s depiction of the Chinese and China. (Though as one of the Chinese diaspora, I have plenty to say). So, I’ll let the folks from China speak about this instead.

Here are some articles and videos I’ve found that could help enlighten you. Some opinions are firmly on “they really screwed with our history” half of the discussion, while some are in the “it’s not that bad” territory.

First, author Liu Cixin recently spoke out and said: “My novel is not a metaphor for US-China tensions”.

The Dark Forest portrays the conflict between humans and aliens. There’s confrontation but no cooperation. However, in real life, including between the U.S. and China, there is not only competition and opposition but also cooperation. While readers are free to interpret the story as they wish, I do not use science fiction to convey metaphors. My work is not a politically charged sci-fi novel like George Orwell’s 1984.

Then, do read The Chinese backlash over Netflix’s 3 Body Problem, a good Vox article about how claims that “depictions of nationalistic outrage on Chinese social media are probably being exaggerated”.

Then, “there’s something wrong with this tale” reaction from a popular Chinese drama reviewer:

“I cannot believe they depicted China this way” reaction. (To be honest I found this video hard to watch due to the rant against American ideology, nationalism etc. Yes, it is true that there was a Chinese nationalistic reaction to the Netflix adaptation, but it's not the entire story):

“It’s actually not that bad, but there are still problems” reaction:

An interesting discussion about the story and they share my opinion that the story has been so simplified that it has been “flattened” and that it’s like “fast food”:

Note that most of the commentators here are very down-to-earth and grounded in their thoughts about the show and are more concerned about the plot than screaming about US-China relations.

I hope that these clips will give you a more “rounded” view of the sentiments around this drama now.

What did you think about the 3 Body Problem?

ℹ️ You can watch Tencent's Three-Body on Amazon Prime and Viki. Note, WeTV recently released a 26-episode anniversary version which is said to be better paced and edited.

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