Will is forced to make a major decision in 3 Body Problem episode 7, "Only Advance."
A plan forms
Will (Alex Sharp) tells Saul (Jovan Adepo) which star he bought, one that's very visible so he can look at it and know it’s "his." Saul wonders if there was a better use for his money, but Will bought it for Jin (Jess Hong), even though he swears Saul to secrecy. Moments later, Will collapses on the deck.
Saul calls Jin to give her an update on Will, who's in the hospital but in "no immediate danger," but urges Jin to come when she can. As soon as she disconnects the call, Raj (Saamer Usmani) arrives with a box. Inside is a plaque commemorating the star that was purchased for her. She thinks it’s a joke, though there are papers saying she owns it.
During a meeting with Wade (Liam Cunningham) and other researchers, a scientist reveals he's found a way to keep a human alive long enough to make it to the San-Ti. He's managed to suspend a monkey somewhere between life and death for over a month, then wakes it up to the researchers' amazement. Not only is the monkey alive and well, but he's very smart. After he sees the system is viable, Wade announces he's going to go through the hibernation process so he can be there to greet the San-Ti. Jin doesn't understand why he's the man for the job, but Wade evades her queries.
Auggie (Eiza González) gives Jin an update on the nanofiber sail and what she has to figure out to make it work. She's sad because she thinks she's on the wrong side of history, but Jin tries to make her see that humans may need to leave earth so that's why they have to figure this out.
Will is drifting in the paper ship Jin made for him. It's a dream. Suddenly he's pulled out of the dream by a woman's voice. It's his sister, who was listed as his next of kin, with her husband. You can feel the tension between them. Though they’re sad Will is dying, they're really there to ask for money. They think that whatever their mother left him should go to them. He agrees, knowing he has so much more money that they don't know about.
Wade reveals they won't have enough bombs to move a big ship, so he proposes they send their brains to the San-Ti, knowing they can rebuild the person later. They need someone smart, but who's willing to die for the cause. He knows the person inside is probably dying already to agree to it. Wade thinks Will is the perfect candidate for the task, despite Jin and Auggie's protests. Auggie, upset that she’s working on the wrong side of things, says she has to leave.
Wade makes a call, asking for help with a project. He has a plan, and he's keeping this one close to the vest.
Taking what's yours
Clarence (Benedict Wong) is playing video games when his son walks in and shows him the website he created for the business he's putting together. It's a way for people to secure their future by putting together a fund for transport to Mars or other habitable planets. Clarence praises his son for the idea and tells him he's impressed, but it's not real. "So help me make it real," his son says, because he's not interested in whatever is happening to the world right now.
Auggie meets with her business partner. He's taking control of the company so she pulls the trigger and puts all of her research onto the web so the people of the world can use it. She even included information about how they can protect themselves from lawsuits.
Jin meets with Will in the hospital. Auggie was just there giving him a bottle of alcohol as a going away present. He's curious about the project but she tells him not to do it. He asks who her other candidates might be and he quickly realizes she doesn't have anyone else. He praises how she always worked with big ideas that he could never dream of. He says he can see her, see her through the eyes of a dying man, and he loves her. "Tell me not to do it and I won't," he says. She breaks down in tears and he comforts her.
Wenjie (Rosalind Chao) is in Vera's room, going through her books. She sees a photo of them both from years before. She makes a call and says she needs to speak with the person on the other end of the call.
At Vera's grave, Saul tells Wenjie that Vera knew Wenjie was behind everything. She must have come across Wenjie's work. Wenjie recalls Vera always said Saul was the smart one. She asks him why he never ran his own lab, to which he says he was never interested. She tells him a joke, with the punchline being to "never play with God." While it's not exactly funny, she says some jokes are only meant for a few people and as she departs she hopes her joke doesn’t get him in trouble.
Wade and Jin go over Will's test scores. Will is asked to sign a loyalty contract to the human race, but he refuses because he wants to know what happens if the San-Ti are better than humans. He'll sign the oath to Jin, but not to humanity. Wade tells him they'll be in touch with the next steps. Outside, Wade explains that Will is their perfect man because he's not their man.
Tatiana (Marlo Kelly) is in a trailer in the woods. She suddenly hears a voice. It's the AI host, who says they were done talking to Evans but not with her. They need her.
Wenjie is at the airport about to fly to Beijing. She gets in line with her handler and tells him she changed her seat so they can sit together.
Consent
Will is about to give his final consent to end his life ahead of the procedure that will prepare him to go to space.
As Wade tells is about to leave, he mentions Jin's star, revealing that Will inherited some money and bought it for her. She hurries out of her office.
Will and Saul laugh about things they've been through. He eventually starts pushing the buttons that will trigger the medicine to end Will's life. Saul poses some important philosophical questions about what he's about to do and how the San-Ti could mess with him. Will pushes the buttons anyway. When he is at the fourth button, he wonders what could happen if he's a pet to the San-Ti. He's happy he can give a proper goodbye to his good friend. "I'm going to miss you," Saul tells him. "If they bring me back, I'll miss you, too," Will replies. His finger hovers over the last button as he looks at his fish and thinks about the boat on the sea.
Jin is running to the hospital. She arrives but Will isn't there.
It's raining but Will isn’t getting wet in his boat. It's very peaceful. He takes a breath.
Jin finds Saul in an observation room, watching as Will's brain is removed from his body.
In China, Wenjie and the security guard arrive at the site of the satellite. She asks for a few moments alone. As she walks up the hill she thinks back to when they first brought her there. Now the satellite is falling apart. She walks through the base and stands on the ledge. A voice stops her from jumping. It's Tatiana. She tells Wenjie the San-Ti aren't done with everyone yet. Wenjie was going to end her life anyway, so Tatiana doesn't need to do it for her. They sit for a moment. Tatiana suspects that Wenjie fulfilled her purpose. Wenjie asks if they can watch the sunset together.
3 Body Problem is now available to stream on Netflix.
