Some inevitable spoilers for earlier episodes.

With the Staircase project about to launch, Saul Durand finds himself caught up in a high-level operation.

As season finales go, the final episode of 3 Body Problem was always going to be an odd one, not least because the invading aliens are still four hundred years away. It’s hardly the stuff of imminent jeopardy.

In a bold move, writers David Benioff and D.B. Weiss take a left turn launching not just Will Downing’s brain into space, but a whole new strand, bringing Saul Durand (Jovan Adepo) into the centre of the story. For the preceding seven instalments, Saul has been very much on the narrative sidelines, mainly functioning as a foil for the more emotionally engaged characters such as Will, Auggie and Jin. It’s a nicely framed character arc, as he has been the one wanting to opt out of the crisis, until events conspire to thrust him right into the heart of things.

Once again, the show distinguishes itself by digging deep into the layers of loyalty motivating the central characters, but is less successful when it comes to not very well rendered CGI spacecraft and their associated sci-fi hokum.

Best of all in this season finale, we get lots of Benedict Wong – who makes every scene he’s in a complete delight.

Verdict: Despite its inconsistencies, 3 Body Problem has been a really fun and absorbing watch, even when it has mishit in spectacular style. At the time of writing, a second series is yet to be confirmed, but I sincerely hope it is, because I, for one, would watch a lot more of this… and after all, there’s another 400 years to go. 9/10

Martin Jameson

www.ninjamarmoset.com