Benioff and Weiss should stop looking back at their magnum opus unless they want 3 Body Problem to follow in its footsteps and reach the same finale.

Benioff and Weiss became world famous as the Game of Thrones showrunners; and then, notorious as its writers after they ran out of George Martin ’s source material. The last two seasons felt rushed, and D&D themselves admitted they wanted to be done with Game of Thrones and finally move on to their next big thing — hard sci-fi 3 Body Problem that recently premiered on Netflix.

But with 3 Body Problem’s release, it seems like Benioff and Weiss are still actively looking back at their first breakthrough series despite being eager to get rid of it.

3 Body Problem Wants to Be Netflix’s Game of Thrones

Consciously or not, D&D copied several aspects of Game of Thrones and inhabited 3 Body Problem with them. It becomes obvious right from the opening intro: it’s a graphic that continuously takes us from one location to another (check), accompanied by Ramin Djawadi’s epic soundtrack blasting our ears off (check).

After the intro, 3 Body Problem opens with a brutal execution scene (check) — and then seemingly goes on its own merry way if not for a big “but.” Every few minutes, the show introduces good old Game of Thrones stars (check), one by one, almost as if dropfeeding its viewers the “Hey, it’s us, D&D, we made GoT, remember?” vibes.

3 Body Problems Doesn’t Need to Look Up to GoT

With Benioff and Weiss being so eager to move on from Game of Thrones, the sheer number of GoT-esque elements is staggering. It’s a brand new hard sci-fi show with a budget larger than the good old fantasy drama D&D first became known for; it has its own phenomenal source material and ideas. 3 Body Problem doesn’t need to look up to Game of Thrones; on the contrary, it should distinguish itself on every level.

Every time you stumble upon something Westerosi in 3 Body Problem, you get unceremoniously pulled out of the immersion. Not only is it terrible for the show’s current reception, it also somewhat undermines its future — because if Benioff and Weiss don’t start treating 3 Body Problem as its own thing, it will never become one.

There can never be a second Game of Thrones; but there can be a first 3 Body Problem that’s just as brilliant, even though entirely different.