Path: ...!3.eu.feeder.erje.net!feeder.erje.net!eternal-september.org!feeder3.eternal-september.org!news.eternal-september.org!.POSTED!not-for-mail From: Arthur Lipscomb Newsgroups: rec.arts.tv Subject: Re: What Did You Watch? 2024-03-23 (Saturday) Date: Mon, 25 Mar 2024 10:46:05 -0700 Organization: A noiseless patient Spider Lines: 290 Message-ID: References: <2032961552.733070666.685287.anim8rfsk-cox.net@news.easynews.com> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8; format=flowed Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Injection-Date: Mon, 25 Mar 2024 19:07:37 +0100 (CET) Injection-Info: dont-email.me; posting-host="9117a1b15bcc3e8e0b8c31a0a5ab0619"; logging-data="1313390"; mail-complaints-to="abuse@eternal-september.org"; posting-account="U2FsdGVkX19zXdZx94cm3ro9qoPuPCR7qWiKNK0hj6Y=" User-Agent: Mozilla Thunderbird Cancel-Lock: sha1:+tQBSRNSd5OE/cPLJl5+Rga7RAQ= In-Reply-To: <2032961552.733070666.685287.anim8rfsk-cox.net@news.easynews.com> Content-Language: en-US Bytes: 14393 On 3/25/2024 8:50 AM, anim8rfsk wrote: > Arthur Lipscomb wrote: > >> 3 Body Problem (Netflix) I binged through the rest of the series about a >> pending alien invasion of Earth. SPOILERS! > > I powered through the entire Netflix series. I looked at the original > Chinese series on the Amazon prime, but there’s no English audio and it’s > way too much to read. I did read Ian‘s Wikipedia articles about all three > series (one unreleased), and the plots and history of the three books, the > first of which forms the basis for the various filmed projects. > > Also, it was recommended to me by our old friend Ob Veeus who is enamored > of the “stunning redhead“ who appears in a later episode. Sometimes I think > Ob Veeus and Ian are the same person. Apologies to you both. > > >> >> Spoiler Space >> P >> O >> I >> L >> E >> R >> >> S >> P >> A >> C >> E >> >> "Judgment Day" Episode 5 - In the present day Jonathan Pryce is a >> billionaire on Earth who has known about the alien invasion since the >> 70s and has been working to make to make it happen. He is in direct >> communication with them and reads them stories and answers their >> questions. Then one day during a story he explains to the aliens that >> the stories are just made up, not real. The aliens are confused at >> first because they don't have that concept in their culture. Once Pryce >> explains the concept of fiction/deception to the aliens they say, "A >> liar is someone who cannot be trusted. We cannot coexist with liars. >> We are afraid of you." Then they cut off communication. They also stop >> protecting their human allies. > > Of course, they were already on their way to conquer us, so I’m not really > sure this makes a big difference. > > I think those humans were planning on cashing in on being the first to welcome their new overlords. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8lcUHQYhPTE > >> Meanwhile Benedict Wong and his people are actually really good at what >> they do, and now aware an alien invasion will arrive at Earth in 400 >> years, and are making plans to deal with it. As his boss (Liam >> Cunningham) says, "We've got 400 years to come up >> with a plan." > > In an earlier episode, when they first said that the star system was four > light years away (which makes it Alpha Centauri, although oddly, nobody > ever says that.) they also said the trip would be 100 years. Both of these > come from the original pilot for the 1964 LOST IN SPACE series. So does the > idea (in the book, at least) that the erratic orbit of their planet sends > it from blazing heat to freezing cold every couple of weeks and > unpredictably. Which is why they want to get the hell out of Dodge. > > There’s also a part in the book that I don’t know if they said in the show > which explains them abandoning their system more clearly. Although it’s > very definitely stated everywhere that you can’t solve the three body > problem ever and can’t make any long range predictions about what their > world will do they in fact have done so and know that sooner or later their > planet’s going to crash into one of the three suns (it doesn’t say if it > will be Chip or Ernie). Again why they have to get out of Dodge. > > There seems to be a lot of contradictions between what they say, and what > we see, along the lines of what you would expect from a dubbed translation. > For instance, one characters life is saved, because he’s wearing > bulletproof fatigues, although clearly, the bullet went right through the > fatigues (they point out the hole) and hit the body armor he was wearing > underneath it. > > > >> There's a scene where the group trying to stop the alien invasion needs >> to take out a tanker ship where Pryce and his followers are living. >> They need to do it in a way that doesn't give them warning or time to >> destroy any data they might have on board. And the way they do it is >> like nothing I've ever seen before. > > You need to read more Larry Niven. :-) It’s directly from his various known > space works. In Niven’s RINGWORLD, the opponents use the weapon first, > neatly decapitating one of the protagonists leading to such dialogue as > “you tied a tourniquet around his neck?“ And “wait a minute! He’s got a > spare!“ > > Our team then proceeds to take out the other sides entire city! And his > protagonist suffered the same guilt as the inventor here (who also turns > out to be the most beautiful woman in the world) does. I would also like > to point out that Eiza Gonzalez has turned into a damn fine actress. > > >> From my perspective it pretty much >> destroyed the ship too, so I'm not sure why gas wouldn't have been >> better. > > This is apparently how they did it in the book as well, and it doesn’t make > any sense in either case. Somehow this destructive method leaves the > computers so that they can be saved. I have no idea why. > > They seem to be afraid that the ship had guards who would push > self-destruct buttons on their computers, with their literal last breaths. > But I don’t know why they wouldn’t do that in the case of any kind of > attack. > > >> That being said, it was a sight to witness as everyone on board >> started to brutally die having no idea why or how. > > This is definitely the visual Highpoint of the series. > > >> However, humanity's >> win is brief. At the end of the episode, the aliens initiate direct >> communication with Cunningham's character. And explain to him that in >> 400 yeas time humanity will be more advance than the aliens and would >> easily be able to defeat them. Therefore, they then inform him they >> have the ability to monitor everything everywhere and they will kneecap >> humanity and prevent any future development. They then proceed to >> broadcast a world wide message on every screen that humans are "bugs" >> and appear to engulf the planet in a shield. Roll credits. > > Yikes! > I know! > >> "The Stars Our Destination" Episode 6. News breaks of an alien invasion >> fleet coming to conquer Earth and the general populace doesn't take it >> very well. Although the aliens had a lot of secret human followers, and >> now they have humans who are publicly willing to help. Things weren't >> *as* bad as they looked at the end of episode 5. The aliens ability to >> directly impact Earth (outside of messing with communications or making >> people see things) is minimal. Nevertheless, the governments bring >> together all the best minds to develop a plan to fight back. They know >> the aliens have the ability to see and hear everything they do so >> they'll be no element of surprise. "Let them listen." First up how to >> achieve 1% light speed so they can send a probe to intercept the alien >> fleet. And beginning development of a base on the moon as well as a >> fleet of human ships. Some of the scientists insist the technologies >> needed are impossible to and given they have 400 years why not wait a >> few decades to develop them. But Liam Cunningham's character has no >> intention of dying without making a contribution to the now planet wide >> war effort. > > Although later events make his stance puzzling at best. > > > >> "Only Advance" - Episode 7 and "Wallfacer" Episode 8 (the season >> finale). I binged and the final two episodes blurred together. >> Humanity begins to make preparations for a generational war against the >> aliens. There are 3 main plans put into place. One is construction of >> the moon base and space fleet. The second plan is to send a human brain >> in cryogenic freeze to make personal contact with the >> aliens . > > Niven did this. Twice. > > >> The hope >> is the aliens will pick up the ship carrying the brain and reconstruct >> the body. And also not torture the person for eternity or > worse . ========== REMAINDER OF ARTICLE TRUNCATED ==========