Foundation: King and Commoner Books Included
July 30, 2023 6:29 PM - Season 2, Episode 3 - Subscribe
The Empire recruits Bel Riose to investigate the resurgent Foundation. Hari leads Gaal and Salvor to a desert planet.
Hah, I had that exact reaction, too. It felt like Hober Mallow got the lion's share of the story this time, which is weird for all the time that Gaal and Hari and Salvor were fucking around, and Bel Riose was .. uh. God, I don't really know what was going on with Empire there. I mean, I get it, Day was trying to decide whether he was going to be a good little soldier or not, but it wasn't the usual Power Of Lee Pace in that scene.
It did seem like the gallery that Empire met Bel Riose has shrunk from the gallery that Empire met Hari Seldon, but I'm not about to go dig up comparative shots. Maybe it was just the lighting, but it feels like there was an implied dimming of Empire there.
I did like that Salvor cut right through Gaal's whining about Hari. Just do it for christ's sake, it'll shut him up and we can get on with our shit, stop arguing about every goddamn thing.
posted by Kyol at 5:58 AM on July 31, 2023 [1 favorite]
It did seem like the gallery that Empire met Bel Riose has shrunk from the gallery that Empire met Hari Seldon, but I'm not about to go dig up comparative shots. Maybe it was just the lighting, but it feels like there was an implied dimming of Empire there.
I did like that Salvor cut right through Gaal's whining about Hari. Just do it for christ's sake, it'll shut him up and we can get on with our shit, stop arguing about every goddamn thing.
posted by Kyol at 5:58 AM on July 31, 2023 [1 favorite]
No way was the distance to the mountain just 500 metres!
posted by daksya at 6:20 AM on July 31, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by daksya at 6:20 AM on July 31, 2023 [2 favorites]
Between Hober Mallow, Bel Riose, and Empire being a mess, I am very into this season and kind of already dreading Gaal going to cryosleep again. (I haven't read the books, but that seems like a given considering the glimpse of Salvor dying in the future.) Also, it's not Gaal's fault that she's the worst character -- she's basically displaced in time and cursed to be the exposition explainer -- but I'm never happy to see her.
posted by grandiloquiet at 11:18 AM on July 31, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by grandiloquiet at 11:18 AM on July 31, 2023 [1 favorite]
Yeah, I sort of have to remind myself that real time it's only been maybe a couple of years since she left Synnax (and was basically excommunicated from her church and severed her life there for good) and was consigned to an icy death with Hari on Terminus, she finally gets maybe a bit comfortable with that future when _blammo_ Hari and Raych plot a plan for (magical handwave) "foundation" purposes that would've ended up with her substitute dad and future-husband out of her life _anyway_, and then she gets zotted out into space in Raych's place where she meets up with Hari again who blames her for the shittiness of his and Raych's plan, I mean.. I don't blame her? And I do appreciate that they're kind of coming back to how psychohistory doesn't depend on any one person over the long term blah blah blah, but on the other hand sometimes she gets stubborn and plot-blocky for no particularly well defined reason other than the writers trying to ensure the episodes don't end up being short.
posted by Kyol at 11:26 AM on July 31, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by Kyol at 11:26 AM on July 31, 2023 [2 favorites]
so Futurama goofs aside, I've been really enjoying this season so far! Foundation still successfully fills the Game of Thrones-shaped hole in my heart with its combination of vast sweeping epic, gorgeous cinematography, and also it's a little dumb and goofy sometimes
posted by DoctorFedora at 5:29 PM on July 31, 2023
posted by DoctorFedora at 5:29 PM on July 31, 2023
but on the other hand sometimes she gets stubborn and plot-blocky for no particularly well defined reason other than the writers trying to ensure the episodes don't end up being short.
The bits where she and Hari are just yelling at each other and he’s being deliberately obtuse and evasive are the absolute worst parts of this show. Just fucking have a conversation already, lay things out a bit and maybe people can get on board.
Fuck I hate a white saviour.
posted by coriolisdave at 3:59 AM on August 1, 2023 [1 favorite]
The bits where she and Hari are just yelling at each other and he’s being deliberately obtuse and evasive are the absolute worst parts of this show. Just fucking have a conversation already, lay things out a bit and maybe people can get on board.
Fuck I hate a white saviour.
posted by coriolisdave at 3:59 AM on August 1, 2023 [1 favorite]
Only three episodes into season 2, and I don't know how many more Space Opera elements the writers can fit in. They've got clones, genetically modded spacers, human-passing androids, personality backups and restoration. They've got rocketships, space elevators, hyperspace jump drives, warp gates, cryosleep escape pods, waterproof spaceships, levitation, teleportation. They've got ship shields, personal shields, holograms, holodecks. They've got psychics, mentats, neuralizers, and giant things emerging from the sands to devour everything.
I fully expect the series to end with Demerzel traveling back in time with the Third Foundation to set everything on track.
posted by WhackyparseThis at 4:56 AM on August 1, 2023 [1 favorite]
I fully expect the series to end with Demerzel traveling back in time with the Third Foundation to set everything on track.
posted by WhackyparseThis at 4:56 AM on August 1, 2023 [1 favorite]
The bits where she and Hari are just yelling at each other and he’s being deliberately obtuse and evasive are the absolute worst parts of this show. Just fucking have a conversation already, lay things out a bit and maybe people can get on board.
Yeah, like this episode's whole bit that psychohistory is based on tiny changes now can affect the motion of all of humanity, while Gaal is trying to apply huge changes now to affect the outcome for a single person. And... I dunno, like what huge changes was Gaal proposing? Sleep it out, so they never meet the Mule? Don't set up the Second Foundation? I think they kind of hinted at the former, but too much of it boils down to Hari Seldon Says No and Gaal gets shouty.
I'm deeeeeeply uncomfortable with the revivification of Hari at the end. On the one hand I kind of do want a though line, some continuity of cast, and I do like Lou, Leah, Lee, Laura and Jared and I suspect an anthology-style series with all new characters every time jump would struggle to tell the narrative among all the introductions, but on the other hand it goes directly against like half of how Hari says that psychohistory doesn't depend on one man. But here he is anyway!
posted by Kyol at 5:37 AM on August 1, 2023
Yeah, like this episode's whole bit that psychohistory is based on tiny changes now can affect the motion of all of humanity, while Gaal is trying to apply huge changes now to affect the outcome for a single person. And... I dunno, like what huge changes was Gaal proposing? Sleep it out, so they never meet the Mule? Don't set up the Second Foundation? I think they kind of hinted at the former, but too much of it boils down to Hari Seldon Says No and Gaal gets shouty.
I'm deeeeeeply uncomfortable with the revivification of Hari at the end. On the one hand I kind of do want a though line, some continuity of cast, and I do like Lou, Leah, Lee, Laura and Jared and I suspect an anthology-style series with all new characters every time jump would struggle to tell the narrative among all the introductions, but on the other hand it goes directly against like half of how Hari says that psychohistory doesn't depend on one man. But here he is anyway!
posted by Kyol at 5:37 AM on August 1, 2023
Yeah he’s back, but the show at least gets how arrogant Hari is in a way the books never did.
posted by andrewdoull at 4:56 AM on August 4, 2023
posted by andrewdoull at 4:56 AM on August 4, 2023
Two things about this episode: (1) I need to watch it again because there was definitely a chess motif happening throughout. I noticed it as soon as Bel Riose crossed diagonally over the squares in the field. Is he knight or bishop? I think there was even a mention of chess. (2) I LOVED the scene of Bel Riose returning to his ship. The cinematography and the score were magnificent. For half a second, I was like "Hey, this empire thing ain't so bad..."
posted by johnxlibris at 8:24 PM on August 11, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by johnxlibris at 8:24 PM on August 11, 2023 [1 favorite]
No way was the distance to the mountain just 500 metres!
Hari later clarified he was talking about vertical distance.
posted by fairmettle at 1:16 AM on October 25, 2023
Hari later clarified he was talking about vertical distance.
posted by fairmettle at 1:16 AM on October 25, 2023
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posted by DoctorFedora at 5:50 AM on July 31, 2023