Elisa Palmer

I just put this show on randomly as it came up on my Netflix feed. I finished it all in one binge session- as I'm sure they intended, judging by the irresistability of the cliffhangers. I had no idea this was even based on a book, as most people who are not avid sci-fi afficianados probably don't know it either. I had so many questions: 1. Why are the scientists all so majestically gorgeous? I'm not saying that scientists can't be gorgeous, but why was that a common theme with the casting, as if it were a requirement? 2. Why was there so much emphasis on the characters' relationships with each other, when the main thing that made this show so captivating to watch was the alien contact? Personally, I thought the scene with the guy dying felt way too long and I just wanted to get back to scenes explaining the science. 3. Why do the characters sound like teenagers? For example, the dying guy has to get convinced forever to make a move on the girl he loves because the girl has a boyfriend, I thought that whole thing was a little childish and not the way 30 year olds behave. Also, who cares? Can we get back to the parts with the actual 3 body problem scenes that are way cooler? 4. The people who saw the flickering stars and that shocking message on the screens ALL 100% agree that is what they saw? Noone even had a single thought about government conspiracies? I know this is no "Don't Look Up" but given the post-truth era we live in, I couldn't believe that everyone across the globe would all agree that a) yes they all saw the stars flicker and b) agree to arrive at the same conclusions of what this means. A little diversity of thought, a bit of casting of doubt, would have helped with the general state of homogeneity in the show. 5. Why are the aliens capable of such incomprehensible advanced technology, but they can't comprehend the simple abstraction of telling a lie? More questions but I will end it here. Overall, from the perspective of someone who's never read the books and knew nothing about what to expect before watching it, I thought it was a fantastic "rare gem" type of show on Netflix. If one of the main goals of the show was to get people excited and pondering about the boundless scientific development possibilities, the show certainly accomplishes that. They did a great job of making the very complex science make sense to the average viewer, which is not easy to do. The existential threat was very well done and definitely translated well across the screen. The characters-- not so much. I hope they make a 2nd season, I am excited to follow the story line. But I hope they tweak some of the most unrealistic things about the show, and do away with much of the lengthy human relationship parts- people can't really relate to Adonis-looking scientists' friendship dilemmas, especially when they don't sound or look like ordinary people. It's not as interesting as the central material of the story.