Conservatives see a critique of the left in Netflix’s ‘3 Body Problem.’ Liberals see the opposite

The new Netflix series “3 Body Problem” isn’t about China’s Cultural Revolution or US culture wars. That hasn’t stopped viewers from seeing the opening scene as a commentary on American politics.

The new Netflix series “3 Body Problem” isn’t really about China’s Cultural Revolution or US culture wars. The science fiction epic, adapted from Liu Cixin’s Hugo award-winning novel, is more concerned with big theoretical questions, like how humanity might respond to an impending extraterrestrial invasion. But that hasn’t stopped viewers from drawing parallels between the brutal period of China’s history, depicted in the show’s opening, and present-day American politics. “3 Body Problem,” from “Game of Thrones” creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss along with Alexander Woo, starts out with a harrowing scene set in Mao Zedong’s China in 1966. A physics professor, accused of teaching counter-revolutionary concepts, is brought onstage before a raging mob and beaten to death. Such incidents, in which “class enemies” were publicly humiliated and tortured, were common throughout the decade-long Cultural Revolution, which sought to silence Mao’s perceived opposition and ended with his death in 1976. The series’ first season, whose eight episodes hit Netflix on March 21, debuted at No. 2 on the streamer’s top 10 shows and has since climbed to the top spot. Though subsequent seasons of the show haven’t yet been confirmed, the showrunners have said they envision the story unfolding over four seasons. Despite the show’s ambitious, intergalactic scope, it’s that first scene that seems to have elicited the strongest reactions. As US audiences took in the highly charged opening, which has also sparked controversy and debate in China, some were quick to share what they saw as the subtext.