A Glimpse of Darkness

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..

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.

I am shocked at the drop in quality through the two first episodes of this season. The "Gaal and Salvor "-show is still absolute rubbish, but even worse than before. Writing and acting is absolutely appalling.

The Empire is still more classy in terms of acting apart from the princess who absolutely blows.

Then there is the sudden f-bomb explosion. What gives? They all of a sudden speak completely differently, all of them.

This is the greatest disappointment in a very long time. At least the production values are still top notch most of the time. I really hope it picks up again, this was just rubbish.

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.

Going from having some potential. What happened??? This garbage have diverged so far from the story that you can call it something completely different. Do not slander the original story by implying that this is the same story that Asimov wrote. Why can't you let a great story be great. What is the point in even calling it foundation when you make it into something completely different. If you manage our expectations this show would be a lot better. It feels like they have made a fabrication version of the original. And the production also feels cheap in comparison to the first season. Or perhaps the overflow of special effects instead of a proper story takes it toll on the whole production.