The 3-Body Problem: explanation of the finale of the Netflix series

The event series has finally been released on Netflix, and its complex plot may pose a challenge for its viewers: can humans survive the threat? How to interpret the finale? We will explain everything to you.

In 2018, a flagship series on the small screen divided spectators while its finale disappointed a large part of the public: Game of Thrones presented a final season to a more than lukewarm reception. From then on, the names of showrunners David Benioff and DB Weiss had disappeared from the radar, like their Star Wars project which was never heard from again. Until Netflix made a big announcement: the two creators would return, alongside Alexander Woo of True Blood and The Terror, for an ambitious new adaptation.

The 3-Body Problem then began the marathon of announcements, and very quickly created hype. Adapted from the famous award-winning novel by Chinese author Liu Cixin, the Netflix series already promised a complex plot, set in science fiction with sometimes in-depth philosophical concepts.

But how to interpret the finale in particular? We explain everything about the latest episode of the series The Three-Body Problem on Netflix.

Warning: This article contains major spoilers from the Netflix series The Three-Body Problem, including major twists and turns.

What happens at the end of The Three-Body Problem on Netflix?

The last episode of the series The Three-Body Problem is trying for the characters, but the last scene tends to reassure the heroes: if humans are vermin, then they will survive as well as vermin do.

alex sharp aka will downing in the 3 body problem — Chris Baker/Netflix

Episode 8 begins by explaining Project Colmateur: Saul Durand was chosen with two other strategists to think about a response plan, but everything will remain in his head. The “San-Ti” aliens revealed earlier that they were incapable of reading human minds, and were even very unfamiliar with the concept of lying. Saul therefore becomes one of the most important people on Earth, but this also makes him a target of the followers of the San-Ti cult.

Among them, Tatiana fled after the shooting which broke out during a meeting. Wounded, she took refuge in the forest, hidden in a caravan. But when she returns from an escapade, she discovers that the aliens have not forgotten her: they left her a helmet to join the virtual world of video games. If her exchange with the aliens is not shown, it is obvious that the young woman will have a significant role in a possible season 2 of The 3-Body Problem.

On the other hand, where the enemies of humans are jubilant, scientists quickly become disillusioned. Because the Stairs Project, which consisted of sending Will in a probe to analyze the San-Ti more closely, fails. Fortunately for him, Jin, Jack, Saul and Auggie’s close friend will never find out: separated from his dying body due to widespread cancer, his brain is plunged into a deep sleep. A state of stasis which prevents him from aging, but also from feeling the passage of time. His shuttle deviated from its trajectory due to loose cables, supposed to hold the nano-sail designed by Auggie. And by Jin’s estimates, she will travel through space for millions more years before perhaps ending up in the path of a star. It is therefore very unlikely that we will see the physics teacher again soon.

Explanation of the final scene of the series The Three-Body Problem

The end scene of the last episode shows Saul, Jin and Da Shi near swamps invaded by insects: far from representing a tragedy, this proliferation serves as an example for humanity to follow.

Saul Durand and Jin Cheng in the 3-body problem — Macaulay Pollay/Netflix

The failure of the Stairs Project greatly affected Jin, especially since she was unable to say goodbye to her friend. Saul and she are therefore depressed in the hiding place in which Thomas Wade has installed them, but that is where Inspector Da Shi will come to stir them up. Paying little attention to the mourning of the two characters, he will take them with him to witness a fascinating spectacle: the flight of millions of insects.

Throughout the series, newspapers have reported an invasion of giant cicadas in certain parts of the globe. However, the information was only said in the background, as it was considered unimportant – a bit like annoying insects but which can easily be crushed, according to Mike Evans. And this is precisely what Da Shi is getting at: the San-Ti have decided to consider humans as vermin, and their mistake is precisely to underestimate said vermin.

Because no matter the pesticides in the sky, the poison in the ground, the attempts to sterilize certain species: the insects always come back. “No way to overcome it,” concludes Da Shi. In the original version, the exact words of actor Benedict Wong can even be translated as “They’re not going anywhere” , which emphasizes his point: the Earth is not only occupied by humans, and even if they try to appropriate it, they cannot dislodge other species.

His speech recalls a thought Will had about his cancer: after an operation and still under anesthesia, the teacher claimed to have had a conversation with his tumors. A simple observation would have emerged: cancer is not fundamentally bad, but is looking for a place to settle… which did not fail to annoy Will, preferring not to share his body.

Another conversation showed an even different point of view: the war anecdote of Raj Varma’s father, Jin’s boyfriend. As squad leader, he had to kill all the soldiers in a camp to steal oxygen bottles and allow his men to survive in the mountains, despite the lack of air.

In the end, Da Shi’s speech is certainly the most factual. He is not poetic, and does not seek to position himself as a conqueror either. The inspector simply highlights a third aspect of the concept of survival: it is impossible to get rid of vermin. It will therefore be the same with the San-Ti, who will not be able to get rid of humans.

But to resist, you will still have to get back to work, as Da Shi will clarify before the end credits of The 3-Body Problem.