Earth will never be the same in 3 Body Problem episode 8, "Wallfacer."
Wallfacer
Saul (Jovan Adepo) watches the news as pundits debate the impending alien invasion. He's getting high while the woman he was with the night before (Lily Newmark) gets dressed. He doesn't seem to remember her name, but orders her a car and waits for it with her. She doesn't understand why he's so unconcerned about the aliens. He says he doesn't want kids so it doesn't matter. Suddenly Saul gets knocked to the street by a passing skater and a shocking series of collisions ensues. The final car, swerving to avoid the big collision, plows into the woman. Saul stares at her mangled body, only then remembering her name, Nora.
At the police station, Clarence (Benedict Wong) meets with Saul. Saul hasn't met him yet, but Clarence says he knows all of his friends and proceeds to ask about his meeting with Ye Wenjie (Rosalind Chao). Three days after their conversation in the cemetery she was found dead in China. Clarence has reason to believe the accident that killed Nora was intended to kill Saul, as all the cars involved were self-driving. Clarence hands him a bulletproof suit and tells him to put it on. Soon they're under heavy security and heading for a plane.
Once in the air, Saul wants answers but Clarence doesn't have any. Saul looks out the window and sees the plane is being escorted by fighter jets.
At Wychwood, Jin (Jess Hong) gives Wade (Liam Cunningham) a request that some seeds are added to the capsule. They’re all foods that Will enjoyed. But Wade denies the request.
Clarence and Saul's plane lands in the US, where they're greeted by someone who promises answers about what's going on. They go the United Nations, where a bunch of security guards escort him inside. Saul's taken to the meditation room by his liaison, Mr. Kent (Josh Brener), where he finds out he's being placed on hand for the "Wallfacer Project" at a Planetary Defense Council meeting.
During the meeting, the speaker says the San-Ti knows everything they're talking about and can watch every move. So how do you keep secrets from an enemy who can see everything? She points out humanity still has secrets and the San-Ti can't read minds. The idea is that three people will be charged with coming up with a plan to fight the San-Ti in their minds without revealing what they're thinking until the time its necessary. The first Wallfacer is a general, the second is a professor and Saul is the third. Part of this plan is that they will not be able to talk to anyone anymore. They have to leave everyone behind. Later, Saul's not told why he was selected but is assured the San-Ti know why. He says he's not going to do it and leaves, despite Clarence's protests. As soon as he's outside, Saul is shot in the chest.
On the brink
Jin feeds Will's fish and makes fellow researcher Edgar (Bilal Hasna) promise not to let him die. Jin gets on the plane with Wade and the other researchers, including Raj (Saamer Usmani). Wade gets a call from Clarence about Saul. "Clarence, don't let that happen again," Wade warns him.
When Saul wakes up he sees Clarence sitting by his bed. Clarence says he has a broken rib and internal bleeding. Clarence is upset Saul got hurt on his watch, so he makes Saul promise not to risk his life again. Saul wants to talk to the man who shot him; "know your enemy," he says. He tells Clarence he's not a Wallfacer, which makes Clarence smile like he knows something. Saul wonders why everyone keeps doing that, but Clarence offers no explanation.
On the plane, Raj asks Jin whether they've broken up. She can't focus on their relationship right now because she's trying to figure out how to make sure nothing goes wrong with the launch. She refers to Will instead of Will's brain, which Raj picks up on. He wonders if she realizes he's actually dead.
Saul meets with the man who shot him. The shooter's only regret was he didn't aim for Saul's head. He's proud to be a "soldier in the eyes of the Lord." He walks out, back to the soldiers, and Saul asks Clarence to leave. He brings in the Planetary Defense liaison, who says that it was announced that Saul rejected the Wallfacer project and that's public knowledge.
Saul meets with the Secretary General. She believes the San-Ti are listening. When Saul argues there's no point in worrying about something that's happening in 400 years, she agrees with him. She also says she has no idea why he was selected in the first place. He says they've ruined his life and now they can't offer him any answers. She says he'll know the reason when it makes sense. Saul leaves and asks Mr. Kent to be there when Will is launched into space.
Tatiana (Marlo Kelly) arrives at her trailer to find the door open. She grabs a gun and goes inside, where she finds a helmet from the San-Ti. "If one of us survives, we all survive," the card reads. She puts on the helmet.
At Cape Canaveral, the rocket is being prepared for launch. Will's brain is loaded into the pod. Wade reveals to Jin he put the seeds in the pod after all. He doesn't say why, rather they watch as the rocket takes off into the sky. Saul comes in and Jin gives him a hug while Clarence meets with Wade. Wade says it was lucky because "they" really want him dead, so Clarence will be with Saul for the rest of his life. Raj tells Saul he’s glad he's all right, but Jin pulls him away to get some air. Clarence follows.
Progress
On the beach, Saul says he wants to go back to a year ago when they weren't worried about anything. Jin asks about the Wallfacers and why he was chosen. Jin says Auggie hates what they did to Will, but Saul says he made his choice. He also says how much Will loved her.
Auggie is in Mexico explaining how the nanofibers can filter out all of the toxins in their water. She'll help make sure they have everything they need to make it work. She gets a call from Saul but doesn't answer.
The group goes back inside Mission Control to watch the booster separation and sail deployment. Everything is a success. "She did it," Jin says of Auggie's design. The first nuclear blast goes off and the capsule takes off. The next detonations are a success, too, until one of the sail's tethers comes undone and the craft goes off course and drifts into space.
Later, Wade is on his personal jet when the San-Ti host comes across the screens. She's sad they won't get to meet Will, just as they don't know whether they will meet him because "human beings are so fragile." The plane's power flickers and then she appears, saying Wade will see what they want him to see. They have a plan for him and they will continue to be with him until the day he dies.
Saul and Jin hang out at the pool. Clarence shows up and tries to give them a pep talk. No matter what happens, Jin was still able to make the craft travel faster than anything else. Clarence tells them to go on a drive with him. It's not a request. He leads them to the edge of the water, where bugs are all over the place. He says people have tried to get rid of bugs forever but they're not going anywhere. He pours out the rum "for the bugs" and says they need to get back to work.
The complete first season of 3 Body Problem is available to stream on Netflix now.
