"Everything builds to that moment"

The creators of Netflix's 3 Body Problem know that there is a lot behind their adaptation. There's the fact that the books it's adapted from are a beloved sci-fi series that's popular all over the world. It is science fiction that becomes not only intoxicating but also wonderful, which is often considered unadaptable. There's also the fact that two-thirds of the showrunning team are coming to this from Game of Thrones, another big-budget TV epic, and one that left something of a bad taste in people's mouths.

Which is all to say: Many people will be prepared for skepticism when it comes to watching 3 Body Problems on Netflix. But when you watch, the showrunners (Alexander Woo, David Benioff and DB Weiss) want you to keep one thing in mind: Watch through Episode 2 before you make up your mind. It's the moment that the entire season—and indeed, the entire core of the show—hinges around.

They thought it was a beat they could make a little faster. The group talked about making it a two-hour pilot, before ultimately deciding that wasn't the way to go. "When we broke down what was actually going to happen, it's too much event; there's no way to do it in an hour," Benioff told Polygon.