The show 3 Body Problem, written by David Benioff and DB Weiss (known for Game of Thrones) alongside Alexander Woo, follows a group of scientists working together with a counter-terrorist agent (played by Benedict Wong) to prevent an impending unknown threat.
Although it has sparked mixed reactions, the Netflix series builds towards an intense climax. The Wallfacers, named after the Buddhist term for meditators, are a secret group brought together to defend humanity against the Santi invasion.
The Wallfacer Project begins with secrets that must never be spoken aloud (Photo: 3 Body Problem/Netflix Studios, Bighead Littlehead, and Plan B Entertainment)These individuals must come up with a strategy that they only keep in their minds, without speaking about it to anyone, due to the Santi’s constant surveillance of humanity. The moment they speak of their plans, the Santi will be aware, yet they cannot read human minds.
Each Wallfacer is given full authority and top-level security clearance, with a guarantee that they will never have to justify their actions or decisions. They are also granted whatever resources they need without any questions.
The final episode of 3 Body Problem follows Saul Durand’s (Jovan Adepo) journey after he is named a Wallfacer. This happens as news of an impending alien invasion spreads globally. While the invasion is 400 years away, some people believe humanity must begin preparing future generations for what is to come.
Saul, however, has become disillusioned and uncaring about it, even engaging in a one-night stand that ends in tragedy. After escorting his date (who he doesn’t even remember the name of) to her Uber, Saul tells her that his family’s line ends with him, and thus, the invasion doesn’t matter to him.
Then, a series of tragic events play out. Saul steps in the wrong direction, causing a scooter rider to knock him out of the path of an oncoming car. Unfortunately, the car runs over his date, killing her instantly. Saul later meets Da Shi (Benedict Wong), revealing that the cars involved were being controlled autonomously.
It turns out someone was targeting him, and he survived only because he was pushed aside at the last moment. Saul and Da Shi travel to the United Nations in New York, where Saul is told about a “ceremony” at the Planetary Defence Council meeting, but he remains unaware of what is to come — the Wallfacer Project.
Who Are the Wallfacers in 3 Body Problem?
The Wallfacers introduced in the series are:
General Hou Bolin, a renowned military history author
Professor Leila Ariç, a soldier who gained prominence fighting ISIS in Raqqa
Saul Durand, one of the Oxford Five, and a trained physicist
Initially, Saul rejects the offer, thinking it doesn’t make sense for someone like him, a “low-level researcher”, to be chosen. However, shortly after leaving the UN, Saul is shot — and only survives because he was wearing a bulletproof vest.
He later has a chilling encounter with the assassin who was sent to kill him. The assassin apologizes for not aiming for his head, which would have freed him from the mission of becoming a Wallfacer.
Despite Saul’s rejection of the position, the assassin insists that Saul’s only response is that he is “going to be a soldier in the army of the Lord”. Unfortunately for Saul, no one accepts his rejection of the Wallfacer role.
When Saul asks why he was chosen, he is told that the reason is unknown. The only explanation he gets is, “I believe you’ll know when the time is right.” We won’t spoil the events from the books here, but the statement could be linked to a major event in the future that may determine humanity’s survival.
Saul’s prominence in the last episode suggests that future seasons may further deviate from the books. After all, Saul is a character who was only introduced for the TV adaptation, implying the future of humanity could hinge on him, leading to more important changes from the original novels.
In an interview with RadioTimes.com, co-creator Woo discussed the potential for more seasons. “Well, the most immediate hope is that there’s a second one. One thing at a time, today is the first day we’ll find out… the ball has started rolling down the hill, and we’ll see how far we go.”
Regarding the book trilogy, Woo mentioned, “Three books, roughly maybe three seasons, but that third book is quite long, so it might take a little bit more time.”
In the novels, the Wallfacers include:
Frederick Tyler, former US Secretary of Defence
Manuel Rey Diaz, former President of Venezuela
Bill Hines, Nobel Prize-winning Neuroscientist
Luo Ji, astronomer
What Happened to Will in the Staircase Project?
After being diagnosed with terminal cancer, Will (Alex Sharp) decides to sacrifice himself for the Staircase Project, sending his brain into space. This is a tragic ending, especially after Will loses his best friend, Jack Rooney (John Bradley), in a brutal death in episode 3.
However, things go terribly wrong, and Will ends up stuck on the edge of life for millions of years, lost in deep space. So, what is the Staircase Project and why did Will choose to give up his life for it? Towards the end of his life, following his cancer diagnosis, Will is approached by Thomas Wade (Liam Cunningham) about the project.
Will, with little time left, is asked to make a sacrifice — launching a probe with his brain, which is in between life and death, towards the Santi fleet to gather intelligence, under the assumption that the Santi might reconstruct the living brain to learn about humanity.
Jin (Jess Hong) points out that the Santi could do anything, even torture Will, but he agrees, consenting five times to end his life for humanity’s good, primarily out of his love for Jin.
In the final episode, Jin is seen struggling with Will’s decision and the mathematics of it, desperately trying to ensure his sacrifice wasn’t in vain. She refuses to accept that he is dead, since his brain is still technically alive, and expresses her love for him, blaming herself for stealing his last moments.
Saul and Jin are present at the launch, which initially seems successful. However, a malfunction causes the spacecraft to deviate from its intended trajectory, resulting in Will’s sacrifice being wasted.
Alex Sharp, the actor who plays Will, discussed the storyline with RadioTimes.com, saying, “It’s such a simple thing, it’s about a man who loves a woman more than anything else and what he’s willing to do for her. It was very simple and very moving and quite abstract in playing the scenes because Will’s not getting involved with the aliens — well, I’m hitchhiking a ride now!”
This part of the show follows the books quite closely, with the Staircase Project adapted almost exactly as in the third novel, Death’s End. In the books, it is engineer Yun Tianming who sacrifices himself for the project.
What Is Thomas Wade’s Hibernation Plan in 3 Body Problem?
Throughout the series, Wade is seen as the figure in control, but the final episode casts doubt on this. Wade previously confides in Jin that he plans to survive the Santi invasion, set to occur 400 years from now, by putting himself into hibernation.
Humanity’s future rests on strategies that only exist inside a person’s mind (Photo: 3 Body Problem/Netflix Studios, Bighead Littlehead, and Plan B Entertainment)His idea is to wake up every few decades to ensure humanity’s plan is on track. However, we are reminded that the Santi are actually in control, when Sophon (Sea Shimooka) appears to Wade while he is mid-flight.
She tells him that she’s looking forward to meeting him if his hibernation technology works and adds that he is part of their plan. She causes his plane to malfunction, saying: “We’ll always be with you. Every room you enter, we’ll be there with you. Whatever we want you to see, you will see, until the day you die.”
After this, the plane returns to normal, and Wade is safe but deeply shaken. As for whether his plan will succeed, fans will have to wait for a potential season 2.
What Does the Final Scene of 3 Body Problem Mean for the Future?
The closing scene of 3 Body Problem shows a sincere and optimistic Da Shi bringing Jin and Saul to witness a beautiful scenery, filled with the sound of buzzing cicadas. Recalling how the Santi referred to humans as “bugs,” Da Shi points out how bugs have managed to thrive within humanity.
He raises a toast: “For the bugs.” While humanity’s problems are far from over and the Santi threat still looms, this final scene hints at the next steps, leaving viewers eager for what comes next.
