A Glimpse of Darkness

It is well established now that this show has veered so very very very far away from the prey fun and interesting source material, as to now have less than a homeopathic relationship to Asimov's books...It has also been my understanding that some people have still enjoyed the show on its own merits, but how is that possible after this incoherent blob of storytelling, long and tedious exposition scenes that are supposed to explain the whys and whos but just keep on stumbling around the expensive sets and production values invested and wasted on this mystical mumbojumbo. Shame on all involved in this nonsense. I give it two stars for now as I'm certain it hasn't hit rock bottom yet.

Me - I swear like a trooper. I don't believe that it's indicative of a limited vocabulary, but rather acts as an augmentation to it, and can be a great emphasiser and emotional release, as well as sometimes even being funny. I am also struggling to think of a single time that "bad language" has ever bothered me in literature, film, TV or theatre. In fact in the hands of a master such as David Mamet it can be positively exhilarating. It kind of gets on my nerves when I read reviews complaining about such language as unnecessary or offensive to their delicate sensibilities. It's part of our language, and so it should be reflected in our dramatic media.

Why am I telling you this?

Well I've not read Asimov's original books, though I doubt they're littered with F-bombs. Also I can't recall hearing any swearing in the first season of Foundation. But suddenly this season every character seems to be F-ck this and F-ck that, totally out of the blue, and (I can't believe I'm writing this) it really grates. Everyone sounds like a child experimenting with new swear words, and it keeps pulling me out of the show because of how unnatural it sounds and how ubiquitous it seems. I know that Empire's behaviour is corrupting due to genetic pollution, and the first Foundation has evolved into a much different kind of society, but Gaal has pretty much only just woke up from some kind of cryo-sleep/hibernation. It just doesn't feel as though it's a natural part of anyone's vernacular - especially after the first season.

Like I said, I'm a pretty big fan of "foul" language, especially when used creatively, emotionally or humorously, but this just feels forced, like some executive producer decided, "Right! We need more f-cks to make this more relevant!", and it just seems so out of place in "high" science fiction such as this.

Other than that with regards to the show, so far, so flipping good.

In Season 2, Hari Seldon emerges from the Prime Radiant, shocking Gaal and Salvor. Salvor's plan is to seek Hari's help to rescue their ship. The second episode follows the mother-daughter duo as they attempt to fly out of Water. Hari helps them after scolding Gaal for trapping him inside the Prime Radiant. Together, they successfully fly out of Synnax and embark on a new journey. The visuals in this season are impressive, leaving the first season behind. Episode 2 focuses on Hari Seldon, the prophet and second foundation he hopes to connect with. The second foundation is more complex to explain than initially thought, as it is assumed to exist but is not due to Gaal's failure to allow it to happen. In Trantor, Brother Day invites Queen Sareth to lunch with him and his brothers Dawn and Dusk to create an emotional attachment for their alliance. Queen Sareth questions Brother Day about the assassination attempt and wonders if he would be replaced with a similar-looking clone. Queen Sareth is an interesting character in the season, but her true intentions remain unknown. The upcoming episodes may reveal the answers, but defeating the Empire in his own home is challenging. In Sivenna, Brother Constant and Poly Verisof, true followers of Hari Seldon, are spreading the word of their prophet on the planet. They receive a message that Hari Seldon is returning and are called back to Terminus. Poly Verisof, who started his journey with Hari Seldon and witnessed him alive, is asked to manage the crowd when he returns to Terminus. The concept of a second foundation is complex for Gaal and Salvor, and they attempt to navigate through their visions using Prime Radiant. They discover that they are not the only telekinetics, as Mule appears in the future. Gaal discovers a mysterious name, Hober Mallow, which later appears on Terminus on the Vault, where Hari Seldon was expected to appear. Season 2 moves slowly, with no regular time jumps, but time works differently on each planet. The series hints at a planet within their reach that might have answers about Hober Mallow, a mystery. The Prophet, Dr. Hari Seldon, was supposed to appear on Terminus, but he did not, and Hober Mallow stole the show.

Sorry,

what the heck is going on? The story is just a mash-up of different phantasy movie tropes. What does this has to do with SF anymore? No, sorry, SF is gone. We get some magic, we get some fairy talles, we get some religious stories, which might work on their own, I mean it worked quite well in the last century for other shows but ONLY IF DONE RIGHT. And this thing does NOT feel right. This is mostly drama and feelings, sometimes without explaining the background and sometimes just overdosed, shoved down your throat.

And it does not even make sense. The obvious technical challenges which act as a plot device in the beginning are suddenly washed away and are never mentioned again. This is just an offense of viewer's intelligence and is the last episode of "Foundation" for me. The first of season 2 was creepy nonsense - but this one is FUBAR. Enough is enough.

Nice CGI, though. At least that is done right nowadays..

It's just bad fanfiction.

Asimov's books can definitely be improved, and there are definitely things that can be updated. But it would have been necessary to maintain at least the main structure and not completely distort the meaning of the main characters. Demerzel's character was already ruined in the first season, but in these first two episodes she has already done actions that would have led to her death in the book. And if we give credence to Gaal's vision, the Mule is about to receive the same treatment.

I'm not talking about the way Hober Mallow was introduced because it is pure trash.