WD
Will Downing
A physics teacher and friend of the Oxford group.
ClearStory · NETFLIX · SEASON 1 · EPISODE 7
3 BODY PROBLEM
Only Advance
The setup
The Staircase Project still faces severe limits on what it can send. Ye is free again, while the group considers what it can contribute to humanity’s defence.
OPTIONAL REFERENCECharacters, places and useful termsContains story details. Open after watching.
QUICK REMINDER
8 peopleThe only names you need
JC
Jin Cheng
A theoretical physicist and member of the Oxford Five who receives an impossibly advanced game headset.
TW
Thomas Wade
The intelligence chief overseeing Shi’s investigation.
SD
Saul Durand
A gifted but unmotivated physics researcher and member of the Oxford Five; close to Auggie and Will.
YW
Ye Wenjie
An astrophysicist whose experiences during China’s Cultural Revolution shape decisions affecting the whole planet.
DS
Clarence ‘Da’ Shi
An observant investigator examining scientist deaths and unexplained technology.
TH
Tatiana Haas
A mysterious woman who approaches the scientists.
AS
Auggie Salazar
A nanotechnology pioneer and one of the Oxford Five, frightened by a countdown only she can see.
WHILE WATCHING
Recap as you go
Open a recap only after the whole named scene has finished. If unsure, wait until the episode ends.
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AFTER WATCHING
Key story points
Hidden because this section reveals Episode 7.
Content note: Violence, strong language, death, suicide themes and distress, assisted dying, terminal illness and murder.
An unofficial, independently written viewing companion for 3 Body Problem. Not affiliated with or endorsed by Netflix or the programme’s creators. No official images, logos or programme artwork are used.