3 Body Problem
Season 1 – Episode 4
Episode title: Our Lord
Original release date: March 21, 2024
Plot: Jin seeks justice after a death rattles the group. Investigators learn of an extremist group devoted to an otherworldly entity ahead of a major summit.
* * *
[doors creak]
[excited chatter]
[piano playing in distance]
Dr. Ye.
Mr. Evans.
[Evans] I have to say, I was surprised to hear from you.
I’m glad you remember me.
Of course I remember you. You were hard to forget.
I’m only here for a week.
For a conference.
Astrophysics.
So, you made it off of that hilltop, huh?
I know about your father.
I did some looking.
I know about your father too.
You run his oil company now.
And Mao is dead, and I’m a professor at Tsinghua University.
[takes a deep breath]
Things change.
Nothing has changed with me.
I’m the same man you met in Shaanxi.
I could’ve spent the rest of my life in that hut,
trying to save a subspecies of the northwestern brown swallow,
or I could use the resources available to me to do more.
[in Mandarin] In order to fight power,
sometimes you have to embrace power.
I agree.
And how are you fighting power, exactly?
Why did you write to me?
[in English] “In nature, nothing exists alone.”
[gentle instrumental music playing]
I did not know who else to talk to.
What would you like to talk about?
Back on that hilltop…
[music grows tense]
…I did something.
[tense music fades]
[futuristic piano theme playing]
[theme song fades]
[exhales deeply]
[groans softly]
[phone dialing]
[line ringing]
Hey, um, discharge was an hour ago.
So text me if you can’t make it, but, um,
I’m ready to go whenever you are.
[call disconnects]
[knocking on door]
[Will] Oh, hey.
Hey.
I thought you were at Oxford.
Yeah, uh…
[hesitates] I was.
Well, welcome back. [chuckles softly]
Jack was supposed to pick me up like an hour ago,
but the bastard won’t even answer his phone.
You okay?
[tense music playing]
Why are you here?
[Jack breathing shakily on film]
[Jin crying]
[sobs violently]
[shuddering] Stop it. Stop. Stop it now.
[sobs]
[sniffles, whines]
I should have stopped him.
[softly] Hey. Hey. It wasn’t your fault.
It must be the same woman, right?
The one who lit my cigarette?
Maybe she erased herself from the footage like last time.
Could be her, could be someone she works with.
Well, find her. That’s what you people do, isn’t it?
There’s 18 security cameras in and around your mate’s house.
She doesn’t show up on any of them.
[Wade] Strange, isn’t it?
Vera Ye recruited five pet geniuses to Oxford.
Now, Vera and one of her pets are dead.
An invitation. Three circles on it.
And how the fuck do you know about that?
Does it matter?
[exhales]
Isn’t that interesting?
They want you to stop work, and they want you to work for them.
Next week, a meeting to welcome you to the organization.
I’m going with her.
[Wade] No, you’re not.
Yes, I am.
[Wade] No, you’re not.
You were not invited.
You have a choice, Doctor Cheng.
You can go home, mourn your friend,
spend the rest of your life wishing you’d acted differently the night he died,
or you can help us catch the cunts who murdered him.
No, no, no, no, no, no, no.
[Jin grunts]
Drink the vodka.
I’d like those better than the vodka.
No, drink the vodka.
[Jin sighs]
Drink it for real.
[Jin swallows heavily]
[sighs]
You know, I really tried.
He just wouldn’t shut up.
He had to go and pick a fight with her.
Then I was trying to give him a look, and he wouldn’t shut up.
It’s okay, Jin. Who could ever get Jack to shut up?
I think they’re real.
Who?
[Jin] The San-Ti.
I think they’re real, and they’re coming.
I know it sounds insane, I…
It’s not insane.
It’s the only thing that makes sense.
What they’ve been doing, we don’t have that technology.
Nobody does.
So, if nobody can do it, and it’s still happening, it’s…
[exhales]
I don’t know how to fight aliens.
Neither do I, but guess what?
The people that work for them… aren’t aliens.
And I’ve been fighting people my whole life.
So have you.
[somber instrumental music playing]
More good news.
We found him.
Panamax oil tanker.
Hasn’t delivered oil in 40 years.
Could be 1,000 people living on there.
Got the coordinates.
Mediterranean Sea, 200 miles north of Alexandria.
Do we move?
[Wade] No.
We wait.
[tense music playing]
[wind gusting]
[excited chatter below]
Hola.
Monsieur Evans!
Gabrielle, bonjour.
[in French] Mrs. Chiang was telling us about the San-Ti.
[Evans] Yes.
Will I live long enough to meet our Lord?
If our Lord wants us to be here when they arrive,
then they’ll make that possible.
They can work miracles.
And if not?
Then that’s what’s best, isn’t it?
Yes.
[speaks French]
[in English] Sir, our final roster for tomorrow’s summit in London.
[Evans] What happened to Rooney?
He didn’t work out. [sighs]
[Evans] I see.
Sir?
[Evans] Hmm?
Should we increase security?
What security can we provide that the Lord can’t?
[chuckles softly] Yes.
My Lord?
[female voice] Yes.
We have new comrades joining us through the game.
For the London summit tomorrow, we’re planning…
They know about the summit.
“They”?
Your enemies.
They know where you are.
They are watching you right now.
[Evans exhales sharply]
[menacing music pulsating]
Don’t be afraid.
Nothing will happen to you.
Not to any of you.
We will protect you.
[Evans sighs]
That’s better. It’s nice to see you smile.
[characters grunting]
[controller clicking]
[sighs] Fuck’s sake.
What’s the point of this one again?
Uh, winning.
[Clarence] There’s a lot of blood.
Yeah, the boss smashed through my rib cage and snatched my heart.
He’s the Heart Snatcher.
Oh, very nice.
How is the job hunt going?
[inhales sharply] I’ve got a job.
What?
[son] I’m an entrepreneur.
That’s not a job. That’s a word you learned to pronounce.
Yeah, you think I’m such a loser, but wait and see.
I don’t think you’re a loser. Just think you’re lazy.
Yeah. Well, you’ve slogged your guts out, and look what you’ve got to show for it.
“Everything the light touches is our kingdom.”
[Clarence chuckles]
My job isn’t about getting rich.
About protecting people.
[scoffs]
Oh, you think that’s funny, huh?
Sorry, Dad. I just don’t think the police are heroes.
Well, I’m not police.
Yeah, you’re a functionary for a dysfunctional government.
Who told you that?
It’s an original thought, Dad.
I know the po-po discourage those.
[sighs] Ally said it.
Ally’s a twat.
You’ve been saying that for two years, but he’s still my boyfriend.
So what does that tell you?
That you’ve got terrible taste in men?
Guess I take after my mum.
When I make my millions and I buy you a sweet pad,
I’m gonna be like, “Still think I’m a loser?”
[controller clicking]
[characters grunting]
[blood squelches]
[son groans]
First, you better kill the Heart Snatcher.
[sighs] Almost had him that time.
[birds singing outside]
[Saul] Hey.
What do you think?
Yeah, that should be all right.
His mum said it would be a closed coffin.
Do you, uh, think there’s anything we need to get rid of before his family gets here?
Like what?
I don’t know. Uh, sex toys, happy pills.
Vintage porn. I mean… [chuckles] …this is Jack Rooney we’re talking about.
I don’t think so.
Ah, see?
Told you.
[contents clatter]
What do you think? It’s, uh, handcuffs?
Anal beads?
[Will sighs]
[Saul chuckles]
[gentle instrumental music playing]
[Will chuckles sadly]
[Will chuckles]
[Jin] I do data and equations and hypotheses and models.
I don’t do… this.
I’m not a spy, or whatever you are.
We know where you’re heading.
We’ll be close by, watching and listening,
making sure you’re safe.
Best thing you can do is avoid conversations altogether.
Don’t talk. Listen.
You’re there for information, not confrontation.
The longer you stay, the more we learn.
You go in, you gather the intelligence, you leave.
No one is the wiser.
[Clarence] Oh, bring a bag.
Clothes, toothpaste… enough for a few nights.
Why?
Just in case.
What? In case of what?
In case you can’t go home.
Why wouldn’t I be able to go home?
[Wade] They know where you live, Dr. Cheng.
When you say “they,”
who are you really talking about?
Do you think they’re in contact with aliens?
You don’t need to believe in Santa Claus to believe people give gifts on Christmas.
Do you believe in Santa Claus?
Ho ho ho.
[energetic instrumental music playing]
[cell phone ringing]
[Jin] Hello?
[Wade] Don’t take your phone inside when you get to the location.
Will you still be able to track me?
I hope you’re kidding.
Green light.
[inhales sharply]
[Evans] “And she looked at the Big Bad Wolf and said,
‘Grandma, what big eyes you’ve got.'”
[female voice] We do not understand.
What don’t you understand?
He intends to eat her.
Yes.
She does not want to be eaten.
[laughs] No.
So why does she remain in the house
when she knows the wolf intends to eat her?
Uh, she doesn’t know.
The wolf is pretending to be the grandmother.
We do not understand.
Well, he’s dressed like the grandmother.
He’s wearing her clothes. He looks like her. He sounds like her.
But he is not the grandmother.
He is the wolf.
Yes, but, uh, Little Red Riding Hood doesn’t know that.
The Wolf has communicated with her?
He has.
If he wanted to achieve his aim of eating her,
why did he communicate with her?
After he communicated with her, and she learned his intentions,
why didn’t she run?
Uh, because she didn’t learn his intentions.
He was hiding them from her.
Don’t you ever hide your intentions?
We do not understand.
Well, for instance, the, um, you know… these pests who are tracking us,
they’re trying to hide their intentions
because, well, otherwise, they couldn’t get to us.
Pests?
Our enemies.
The intelligence operatives you warned me about.
Pests are destructive insects
or other animals that attack crops, food, and livestock.
Your enemies are human.
Yes.
Yes, well, uh, you see, well… What I was doing there, I was, um…
I was using a metaphor.
I was describing them as pests because, well, that’s what they are.
Annoying, inconsequential, easy to eliminate.
Like bugs you can squash under your shoe.
Can’t you ever say anything that you know to be false?
Can’t you lie?
What is known is communicated as soon as communication takes place.
[sighs]
So, you communicate through thought?
While we are still like barnyard animals, squawking at each other. [chuckles]
You do this? You lie?
Well, I… I try not to, but, um…
Yeah.
Yeah, we all do sometimes. One way or another.
And the wolf, he is also lying?
Yeah. Yeah, I suppose he is.
We would like to speak to him.
What?
Is he still in the grandmother’s house?
Where is that?
Uh, in the forest.
Which forest?
There are many forests on your world.
[laughs] Oh no.
No, no, no. It’s not…
It’s… It’s not real.
We do not understand.
Well, it’s a story.
You know, the wolf, the grandmother, the, well, Little Red Riding Hood.
None of them exist.
So the story,
it is a lie about a liar?
[softly] Yeah.
Yeah, I suppose it is.
[somber music playing]
We need to consider this.
My Lord?
My Lord?
We think we understand now.
Ah.
See, that’s, um…
That’s why you need us, my Lord.
We can help you.
Help you understand us better.
A liar is someone whose words are false.
A liar cannot be trusted.
We cannot coexist with liars.
[scoffs] My Lord… [chuckles]
Uh…
My Lord?
We are afraid of you.
[ominous music playing]
My Lord…
[sighs deeply]
My Lord, are you there?
[ominous music pulsing]
My Lord?
[loudly] My Lord, are you there?
[crickets chirping]
[energetic music playing]
[music grows tense]
[Jin sighs]
[gasps]
[Jin sighs]
Welcome, Dr. Cheng.
[Jin on tablet] Where exactly are we going?
[driver] To the summit.
[Jin] What’s happening at the summit?
[driver] Don’t worry. Our Lord’ll take care of us all.
“Our Lord”?
[excited chatter]
[bright piano music playing in distance]
[woman] Jin!
[Jin gasps]
I’m glad you made it.
I am too.
I’m so sorry about your friend.
I didn’t think you’d come.
I know that voice.
[Jin] If I missed this meeting…
I met her at the graveyard.
[Clarence] She’s known about us all along.
And that surprises you?
[woman] So, what made you come?
[Jin] I want to know why the universe works the way it does.
I want the big answers.
If anyone knows those answers, it’s our Lord.
Yes.
I trust in our Lord to provide them.
I know it feels strange to say it at first.
It makes us all sound like religious loons.
Except our Lord is real.
You haven’t had anyone protecting you since the flood took your family away.
Now you do.
This has been my family since I was a little girl.
It’s an honor to be part of the family.
I know someone who’ll be very happy to hear that.
Our founder is coming.
How did Evans get off that boat without us seeing him?
[Clarence] How did that girl scrub herself from the security cameras?
[man] Everyone, if I could…
Do we move on ’em?
[Wade] No, let’s listen. He might admit to something.
It’s wonderful to see all your faces, old and new.
It’s a very special night for us all to be here.
The rumors are true, so I’ll get out of your way.
I am honored to introduce the founder of our movement,
our reason for hope,
the cause of our salvation.
Everyone, please welcome our founder…
[crowd cheers and applauds]
…Dr. Ye Wenjie!
[ominous music playing]
[in Mandarin] Welcome.
I knew you’d come.
[in English] There’s been nothing connecting her to this since the funeral.
[Wade] Nothing we’ve seen or heard.
But they’ve been controlling what we see and hear.
[Clarence] So how come they’re letting us hear this?
[all cheering]
[Ye Wenjie] Thank you.
When I was a young woman,
I saw my country torn apart.
My family was destroyed.
I was sent to hell.
I saw human beings cut each other to pieces,
destroy each other without a thought,
all in the name of progress.
[pensive music playing]
And what has changed?
We continue to destroy each other and the world around us.
We cannot save ourselves.
But we are not alone.
Four light-years away,
the San-Ti have achieved miracles beyond our wildest imagination,
in spite of the chaos that plagues their world.
And now, they are coming to share their knowledge with us,
to teach us how to survive and to thrive.
They travel to us at enormous speeds,
but it will take them centuries to arrive.
Four hundred years.
Four hundred years?
[Wade] Space is big.
[Ye Wenjie] …in history falls to us
and to our children, and to their children after them.
We must prepare the world for their arrival
and prepare our descendants to welcome them.
[crowd applauds and cheers]
I believe all our guests have arrived.
[Ye Wenjie] I thank you.
My partner in this movement, Mike Evans, thanks you.
And our Lord, the San-Ti, thanks you.
We will give them the gift of our world,
so that they can do with it what we could not,
so that they can mend
what we have brok…
[loud crashing]
[officer 1] Down on the ground!
[woman 1 screams]
[officer 2] Move!
[crowd clamoring]
[officers shouting]
[officer 3] Get down!
[officer 4] Get down!
[officers shouting]
[crowd murmuring]
[Jin panting]
Stop!
[women scream]
[Ye Wenjie] Do not resist.
If this is happening,
it is our Lord’s will.
[tense music playing]
[Ye Wenjie] Please.
Sit down.
[crowd murmuring]
[Jin sighs]
[Ye Wenjie] Our Lord will protect us from our enemies.
[woman 2 crying]
[man 1] Hey.
[Jin sighs]
[Jin grunts]
[officer 6] Come on. Let’s get you out.
[gunfire]
[officers grunting]
[Jin gasps]
[people screaming]
[Jin grunts]
[groaning]
[gun fires]
[screaming and gunfire on tablet]
[man 2 groans]
[sounds distort and echo]
[Jin groans, panting]
[muffled screams continue]
[groans]
Come on. Come on.
[Jin grunts]
[gunfire continues]
[tense music builds]
[Jin gasps]
[tense music swells]
[music fades]
[clamoring continues on tablet]
[indistinct chatter]
[somber instrumental music playing]
[medic] There you go.
How are you doing?
We’re gonna take you somewhere safe. Your friend Auggie too.
Just till we get a handle on this.
You got lucky. I’m a terrible shot.
[helicopter blades whir overhead]
[grunting]
[panting]
[music fades]
[tender instrumental music playing]
[Will exhales]
[siren wailing]
[cell phone ringing]
[call connects]
Hello?
[Will] Hey.
Hey.
I… I just wanted to check in and see how you were doing.
Yeah, I’m…
okay.
So, I was thinking, after Jack’s funeral, we could maybe all use a bit of a break.
Um, I’ve… I’ve rented this little cottage on the beach
down by Seven Sisters.
So, I mean, I don’t know if you feel like staring at the Channel but…
That sounds nice.
I’ll invite Saul and Auggie.
And Raj, of course.
Maybe it should just be us chickens.
He’s back at base anyway.
Auggie could make us her famous palomas.
We could drink them on the beach.
They say you can see France on a clear day.
[Jin] Hmm.
Are you driving somewhere?
Uh, yeah.
Where?
I don’t know exactly.
Somewhere safe.
What’s going on?
Nothing. I’m… I’m okay. I promise.
Jin, where are you? I’ll… I’ll come and get you.
I have to tell you something.
Something fucking insane but true.
Jin, what’s happening?
Just listen, okay?
It’s about all of us. It’s about you and me and Jack.
All of us.
[sighs deeply]
It started a long time ago.
Before we were born.
[dramatic music playing]
[helicopter blades thumping]
[Evans] What do you think?
[in Mandarin] It’s like seeing an old friend.
[man 1 on PA in English] Clear the helipad. Clear the helipad.
Incoming.
Clear the helipad immediately.
[man 2] All right. Watch your step.
Yeah. Here, sir.
Watch your step.
It’s gonna be different this time.
Our own research base.
[Ye Wenjie] Why here?
[Evans] No borders. No politics.
No interference.
[tools whirring]
[Evans] Our transmission center.
It took me eight years to receive a response last time.
We might have to wait.
They’ve been trying to reach you this whole time.
What?
Ever since they got your message.
You left the base before they could reply again.
You’re very important to them.
They’re curious to learn more about us,
and they want to teach us about themselves.
It was so long ago.
[gasps softly]
Sometimes I wondered if it was real.
[gently] It’s real.
[gentle piano music playing]
They’re coming.
[in Mandarin] You have brought us hope.
[gentle music swells]
[gentle music fades slowly]
[Wade] We know about the ship.
[exhales]
What’s on Judgment Day?
Why is it so important?
If you’re as clumsy as you were at our meeting, you’ll never find out.
We have you, don’t we?
[Ye Wenjie] And why do you think that is?
You’ve got me because they let you.
Well, judging by the number of casualties on your side,
I wouldn’t say you let us do anything.
We didn’t let you.
They let you.
[tense music playing]
You have no idea what they can do.
You think you do, but you don’t.
They are coming.
And there’s nothing you can do to stop them.
[menacing instrumental music playing]
[Ye Wenjie] And when they arrive… you’ll be so grateful.
[menacing music swells]
[tense, rhythmic music playing]
[tender strings playing]
[music fades]
