114: Book vs. Big Screen: 3 Body Problem on Netflix

May 6, 2024

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"But if science tells you that something’s impossible, and it happens anyway, it means one of two things. Either the science is wrong, or it’s a scam.”

Welcome back to another episode of Made You Think! Today, we're exploring the 3 Body Problem TV series on Netflix, inspired by Cixin Liu's acclaimed novel. Listen in as we discuss Season 1's adaptation from book to screen, analyzing character shifts, narrative changes, and the portrayal of scientific concepts. If you enjoyed The Three-Body Problem book series or consider yourself a sci-fi fanatic, this one is for you!

We cover a wide range of topics including:

What narrative changes and expansions were made for the TV adaptation
The show's production costs compared to Game of Thrones
How the creators translated the scientific aspects from the book series
Our main praises and critiques of the show
Book or series - is there a clear winner?

And much more. Please enjoy, and make sure to follow Nat, Neil, and Adil on Twitter and share your thoughts on the episode.

Links from the Episode:

Mentioned in the Show:

Books Mentioned:

The Three-Body Problem (0:39) (Book Episode) (Nat’s Book Notes)
Dune (14:28)
The Road (28:40)
Blood Meridian (28:46)
No Country for Old Men (30:06)

People Mentioned:

Show Topics:

(0:31) Welcome to our first TV show episode! Today, we’re covering the TV series based on one of our previous reads, The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu. Go check out the episode on the book if you haven't already! We dive into our overall thoughts on Season 1 and how it measured up to the book.

(4:09) *Spoiler alert!* If you haven’t watched the show or read the book series, we suggest you do that first before continuing this episode. We talk a bit about the depth, or lack of depth, of the characters in the book and TV series.

(6:55) Neil talks about the pivotal scene in Episode 5 that changed his mind about the show, and how the shows portrayal of something can be completely different than what you had pictured in your head.

(9:38) From character shifts to the order of events, how did the show differ from the book series?

(13:48) How the creators of the show had a unique challenge of keeping the intriguing scientific elements from the book series in the show while maintaining a pace that keeps the viewers interested.

(15:43) The cost per episode in 3BP was higher than the final season of Game of Thrones. Which aspects of the show and scenes may have taken up the largest pieces of the budget?

(21:24) We talk about the relationships between the heroes of the books and how they're all close friends. It sets you up to think there might be a happy ending... but is there?

(25:36) Nat, Neil, and Adil share their thoughts on a character addition that wasn't in the books.

(28:45) From Blood Meridian to The First World War, many books have some grotesque elements to it. It's interesting to see how authors capture the emotions and events from something that actually happened and put them into a book.

(32:55) Our thoughts on the scene where the universe blinks, and how it was shown in the movie vs. in the book.

(34:50) We list off one major criticism of the show, as well as many things that we felt the producers did a great job on.

(39:03) How effective was the show in portraying scientific aspects from the book? We share our final thoughts 3BP Season 1.

(42:10) That concludes this episode! Make sure to check out our episode on The Three-Body Problem and check out the Netflix series if you haven’t already. We highly recommend it! Next up is Einstein’s Dreams by Alan Lightman. Pick up a copy of the book and read along with us!

If you enjoyed this episode, let us know by leaving a review on iTunes and tell a friend. As always, let us know if you have any book recommendations! You can say hi to us on Twitter @TheRealNeilS, @adilmajid, @nateliason and share your thoughts on this episode.

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Thanks for listening. See you next time!