Some inevitable spoilers for earlier episodes.

With the world in a state of panic following the San-Ti’s threatening message, Wade recruits Jin to help formulate a defence.

Phew.

After the cringeworthy, laugh-out-loud escapades of episode 5, featuring science fiction’s silliest plan ever for retrieving a hard drive, I was afraid that 3 Body Problem might be disappearing up its own quantum rear end.

Thankfully, the next episode stops relying on iffy VFX and returns to the well written character arcs that are at the heart of what distinguishes this show from other alien invasion dramas. We are now focusing on terminally ill Will Downing (portrayed with delicacy and real heart by Alex Sharp) and his unrequited love for Jin (Jess Hong) who is now working with the ruthless Wade (no one does ruthless like Liam Cunningham) trying to devise a way of intercepting the alien invasion heading our way.

The story is definitely more grounded again, although, like a hangover from last night’s excesses, there are still a few overstretched bungees of disbelief. We are supposed to believe that the whole planet has been thrown into an existential panic at the thought of an alien invasion that isn’t going to happen for another four hundred years. Given that in the real world we are on a path to self-destruction far more imminent than that, and the most we can manage panic-wise is to throw some orange paint on a few old masters, I couldn’t help a wry smile at the fanciful optimism that such news would be greeted with anything more than indifference.

However, I was re-endeared to the series when a deliciously meta exchange between the central characters appeared to acknowledge that the writing team were well aware that casting Eliza González as Auggie – the world’s least plausible nano-physicist – might be undermining the show’s credibility just a tad.

By episode 7, Only Advance, the hangover has completely dissipated, and this is an absorbing, character driven episode, as much love story as sci-fi epic – and when the ageing, conflicted Ye Winjie (Rosalind Chao) returns to the site of her original exchange with the San-Ti there is an unsettling, sinister twist that tees us up nicely for the series finale.

Verdict: 3 Body Problem seems to have swum clear of the narrative sharks, so hopefully we are in for a satisfyingly emotional series finale.

Episode 6 – 7/10  Episode 7 – 9/10

Martin Jameson

www.ninjamarmoset.com