I just finished this and didn't care for it. I liked the first few episodes, especially the scenes in China, and was hooked, but it steadily got worse from there until I was bored and didn't care what happened during the second half. I love sci-fi and was looking forward to the science, but there isn't much in it and, instead, there's a lot of soapy melodrama. The fate of the world hinges on this handful of young scientists who spend most of their time with their relationships and personal problems (including a sentimental cancer subplot that nearly takes over the series). I found only one of them (Jin) somewhat likable, one of them (Auggie) very unlikable and the rest just there or boring. It didn't help that, whenever they gave an opinion or made a statement or choice, it felt like I was expected to agree with it just because the characters are smart. The plot is uneven, switching between realistic storylines (like the one in China) and unrealistic ones (like a virtual reality game), then dropping them after a few episodes. The plot is also nonsensical, not because I didn't understand it, but because it just makes little sense. That'd be fine if the series embraced it and had fun with it, but it tries very hard to be serious and smart. It just felt sophomoric because the science is watered down and it doesn't really raise any interesting questions like smart sci-fi does. I haven't read the novels, but they're supposedly more scientific and thoughtful. Finally, the season ends without any resolution or reward for sitting through 8 episodes, just the expectation that we'll return for the rest of the story in Season 2, which I'm thinking that I probably won't.