Some Second Hand Loot That Came Today! The Two DVDs On Top Are Still Sealed! I Think I Will Start With

Some second hand loot that came today! The two DVDs on top are still sealed! I think I will start with the Star Wars book, never read one before. But first I have to finish the third Fear Street book that was re-released because of the Netflix films. So much good stuff.

Maybe you've heard of Columbo, Sherlock Holmes or Miss Marbles but what about Charlie Chan? Found this gem in a local store. Charlie Chan is the original of Sidney Wang from Murder by Death, played by Peter Sellers. Can't wait to watch this!

TV Shows - 3 Body Problem IV

At the end of the second episode, I wanted to make a separate post.

The reason is that I’m wondering if this is just a dramatic portrayal in both the series and the book, or a form of social criticism. I mean, Ye Wenjie, due to all her experiences, believes that humanity is so messed up that it’s not worth continuing.

I also wonder how Netflix will handle these questions and reflections that come up repeatedly in the book. I don't want to say that this becomes tedious in the book, because I think it’s important to think about such things. But a voice inside me says that it could become tedious in the series. Especially when I recall some critiques of the series, saying that they had never seen a series where so little happens. I’m sorry, but I think those critics lack any understanding and ability to process events that go beyond the usual standards of today's series.

In the books, an important point is that characters think far beyond their own lifetimes and make decisions based on that. The author consistently paints a very interesting picture of the future and spends a lot of time explaining it. This is another balancing act the series must manage, because in the third book, the scope of this becomes even greater, and I feel that this could easily ruin the tension and structure of the whole story.

I also hope that the cast remains the same and that no one has to be replaced due to any foolishness. I've already pictured some actors in certain scenarios while reading, and I can hardly wait to see these in motion.

And yes, as I write, I realize that the next two seasons could be challenging. The line between disappointment and fascination is very thin, and I need to make sure my own expectations don't get in the way. A disappointment might not necessarily be the series' fault but rather due to my high expectations.

Yes, it remains exciting, and I've already written so much, even though we’ve just finished episode two. This could turn out to be a longer project than I initially thought.

Hopefully, Netflix won’t take too long and will quickly produce the next two seasons. Right now, we can see with Marvel that the long wait between series and movies doesn’t do the overall experience any good.

TV Shows - 3 Body Problem IX

Episode seven, and we can already see the finish line, yet the pace picks up once more.

The cryogenic facility is an interesting detail, as it's introduced mainly in the context of being used for the probe. However, it's so large that a full human can’t be sent, only something much smaller, like a brain. By this point, we understand that it will be Will.

But there’s another detail that may have been overlooked in the conversation between Wade and Jin. Wade plans to use the cryogenic facility for himself—he wants to freeze his body and be woken up every few years to continue overseeing the facility and essentially the survival of humanity.

This establishes a kind of time machine, because that's exactly how the cryogenic facility and the concept of "going into cold sleep" is handled. It’s an interesting aspect, since cold sleep is often just treated as freezing and that's it. But if you take a step back from the narrative and view it from a broader, chronological context, it can actually be seen as a form of time travel. The book presents and even calls it that way several times. I’d be thrilled if this idea is introduced in season two, as it’s crucial for Jin and Saul’s future development!

Will is now preparing for his self-induced suicide, and the dialogue between him and Saul is brilliantly written. Even Auggie’s farewell is well done—without getting too sentimental, they simply show the bottle, which works so well. And Saul and Will—Saul not wanting to let Will go until the very end—is handled in a way that feels refreshing, unlike what is typical in other shows. While Saul sheds tears, it’s not overly emotional, and I think that makes it even more powerful and impactful.

This is reinforced when Jin misses the chance to say goodbye after learning that the star belongs to Will. She arrives too late and can only watch as the cryotank, containing Will’s brain, is sealed.

We also briefly revisit Ye Wenjie after Tatiana, who wasn’t forgotten by the San-Ti, is sent to kill her. But before this happens, we see Ye Wenjie meeting with Saul and telling him a strange joke:

"So Einstein dies. He finds himself in heaven, and he has his violin. He’s thrilled. He loves his violin more than physics. Even more than women. He’s excited to see how well he can play in heaven. He thinks he’ll be amazing. So he starts tuning up, and the angels rush over.

'What are you doing?' they ask.

'I’m getting ready to play.'

'Don’t do that. God won’t like it. He’s a saxophonist.'

So Einstein stops. He doesn’t play. But it’s hard for him. He loves music. And there’s actually not much to do in heaven. Sure enough, from high above, he hears a saxophone playing. It’s playing 'Take the A Train,' do you know that one? Einstein knows it too. He thinks, I’m going to do it. I’m going to play along. We’ll sound amazing together. So he starts playing 'Take the A Train.' The saxophone stops, and God appears. He walks over to Einstein and kicks him in the groin, which hurts, even in heaven. Then he smashes Einstein’s beloved violin to bits. Eternity without music. Heaven becomes hell for Einstein. And as he’s lying on the ground in pain, an angel comes over and says: 'We warned you: Never play with God.'"

I find this line "Never play with God" very interesting, as it leaves a lot of room for interpretation. Is Ye Wenjie implying that the San-Ti, with their methods and the Sophons, are like gods and therefore should not be challenged? Or is it more about how humanity shouldn’t develop too far? Like the joke suggests, one shouldn’t try to play at God's level, or believe they can match him. When I watched this scene for the first time, I found it a fascinating detail, and I watched it several times in a row because of how Ye Wenjie delivered the joke—it was so gripping.

We have one more episode, and the final episode always reminds me a bit of the third season of Dark. Why that is, I’ll explain in the last post!

TV Shows - 3 Body Problem VI

First, we learn that Ye Wenjie is brought to Michael Evans on the Judgment Day, and at the beginning of the series, during Vera's funeral, we found out that Vera is their daughter. This is another aspect that is portrayed differently in the book. I wonder if this connection was chosen in the series to create a sort of bridge between the different factions. However, I don’t mean the factions within the series itself, but rather between the Chinese and Western actors.

Because, if we take a closer look, there are indeed some differences in nationality and gender, as well as certain events that are spread across multiple characters (I’m still very curious about how this will develop later in the series).

However, the crucial point in this episode is that, due to his ignorance, Michael Evans loses contact with the San-Ti (as they are also called). He reads them a story, but it is misunderstood by the other side. It’s also clear that Evans isn’t particularly good at explaining it. At the same time, it reveals that the San-Ti, as it seems—though it's not explored further—have a completely different understanding of truth and untruth, as well as communication in general. This is another area where more could have been explored about the San-Ti, to make things clearer for the audience. After all, communication has already existed for some time, and without an eight-year gap in between.

Will, meanwhile, has rented a small house where he also learns that he is the sole heir to Jack’s fortune. Unfortunately, at that moment, he’s too stoned to really grasp it. Honestly, I can understand him—if I had the chance, I’d probably do something similar and sign up for what’s coming in the next episodes.

Toward the end, Jin is almost murdered by Tatiana, but Clarence manages to prevent it. Tatiana is shot but manages to escape, and she will only reappear later. Ye Wenjie, however, is captured by the task force and still believes that this is all part of the San-Ti’s plan, and that when they arrive in 400 years, they will populate the Earth together.

I know I ask this question often, but it keeps popping up in my mind—how will it continue? In theory, I know how it goes on, but the question is more about what we’ll actually see visually, or what the series will show us. Especially when I think about Will and everything that gets set in motion through him—just that alone could easily fill half a season.

But the arrival of the San-Ti is a relatively complex topic (here’s a spoiler warning)! The first season leaves us with the knowledge that in four hundred years, the San-Ti will land on Earth, and humanity can do nothing about it—or won’t develop enough to counter it. This misconception persists until the very end, about 200 years in the future from here, where incredible arrogance among humans is suddenly, literally, shattered.

This is where the Swordholders and Wallfacers come into play, with the latter only being briefly mentioned in the last episode (more on that later).

This episode, I think, marks a sort of halfway point, and you can feel how things start to tighten up from here. Everything suddenly develops at a rapid pace, even though it’s still told calmly and thoughtfully. This is something the series shares with the book when you compare the first season with the first book. Because from the second book onwards, nothing is as it once was, and events start to spiral.

I just read an article about the Chinese audience’s response to this series, and the changes to the characters have not been well received. I can understand that to some extent. Even though these changes were made to make the series more appealing to a broader audience, I found it very interesting in the book that the main characters were mostly Chinese. It was just more diverse in many ways because it was something unfamiliar.

Even though I often complain that the series should tell us more about the San-Ti, I think, at the end of the day, it might not be such a bad thing. It maintains an interesting level of suspense, and that with a lot of finesse.

I’m particularly curious about what will happen with Tatiana since, in the book, she’s just a bodyguard for Ye Wenjie and dies rather quickly and unexpectedly. Especially because she manages to escape, and we later learn that she also gets a headset.

One more fun fact to finish: If Netflix sticks to its current plan, this could become the most expensive series in Netflix history. Each episode costs around 20 million dollars, and if the subsequent seasons also have eight episodes each, the total costs will reach 480 million dollars. Whether this includes marketing, I don’t know, but when you think about it, you can see that the series is highly produced. Even though the CGI in The Rings of Power (Amazon) is much more extensive, I still think that both series visually benefit from these high costs. And yes, I know, there are significant differences in storytelling, no question. But purely in terms of look and feel, there are some parallels.