TL;DR – A solid introduction that promises a lot, but is more about the vibes than detail.

Disclosure – I paid for the Apple TV+ service that viewed this episode.

Foundation Review –

Well, it is time to jump back into the world of Foundation, a series I am fascinated by for how it adapts a classical work for a modern audience. The original series is one of its time, and it chopped and changed as Isaac Asimov charted a more serialised work. But this new adaptation has found ways to run through that narrative to give it a connection. Some of these have worked, and others have been failures. As we shift into the next phase of the series, it will be interesting to see where we land.   

So to set the scene, it has been 152 years since the Second Crisis, and while The Empire continues to collapse, The Foundation grows, expanding further out of the outer reach. Now both the Empire and The Foundation are fighting to control Kalgan, a pleasure planet, and the key to controlling The Middle Band. But there may be a third player out there, ready to tear everything up. For after much prediction, or perhaps, not enough prediction, The Mule (Pilou Asbæk) is on the move, and both sides should fear him. Now, from here, we will be looking at the season as a whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.    

After some foreshadowing last season, we have firmly moved into the realm of the second novel, Foundation and Empire. The Mule is on the run, the Empire is on the cusp of collapse, and the Foundation might be on the cusp of civil war. As we go throughout the season, it will be interesting to see if they just stick to the second or if they will dabble with Second Foundation as well. Given that this season was not a guarantee, I do hope they don’t rush through it to get to some finalisation point, given the large gap between Second Foundation and Foundation’s Edge. Though looking at the cast list, that might just be what they are doing.

If I could sum this episode up, it would be odd. It is a collection of snapshots of where everyone is at the start of the series. On the other hand, they are united with a single purpose. However, they are so wildly varied that they leave you with an odd feeling more than anything else. In this version, the Empire is still kicking along, but each Cleon is wondering if they will be the last, which puts the Empire in a slightly better place than it was in the book series. It is here where we get all the grandeur of Brother Dawn (Cassian Bilton) manoeuvring against The Foundation and keeping his Galactic Council in its place. Meanwhile, Brother Dusk (Terrence Mann) laments over his coming demise, and Brother Day (Lee Pace) has given up any pretence of being a ruler.  

On New Terminus, things have become so structured that it is looking more and more like they are their own kingdom, which is a good case of no one learning the lessons of the past. But Dr. Ebling Mis (Alexander Siddig) sees a coming crisis and goes to talk to the ghost of Hari Seldon (Jared Harris) left haunting his proverbial tomb. Alexander Siddig is always a delight, and I did enjoy him almost sparing with Jared Harris. It was also neat that they linked Ebling Mis back to the character Alexander Siddig played in the first season’s The Emperor’s Peace. It has been long enough that I don’t think they needed to do it, but it was nice that they did.   

The strongest and unfortunately, the weakest part of the episode was all the intrigue around The Mule. His opening introduction is one of the best scenes in the show because it perfectly captures just how dangerous the man is in real time. It also allowed us to have a little Ralph Ineson cameo for good measure. However, a lot of the posturing that comes after that just felt forced. It didn’t help that it reinforced my deep concern that we are going to mash a lot of storylines into a short season. If nothing else, it will mean that we will get more gardenposition as the season goes on.        

In the end, do we recommend Foundation: A Song for the End of Everything? Yes, I would. It was just a foundation episode for a season, which is slightly ironic given the title. However, it is nice to see Jared Harris, Lee Pace, and co get to romp around this world, and I hope they manage to stick the season this time around. Have you seen Foundation yet? Let us know what you thought in the comments below.

By Brian MacNamara: You can follow Brian on Twitter Here, when he’s not chatting about Movies and TV, he’ll be talking about International Relations, or the Solar System.

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Credits – All images were created by the cast, crew, and production companies of Foundation
Directed by – David S. Goyer
Written by – David S. Goyer & Jane Espenson
Created by – David S. Goyer & Josh Friedman
Based On – Foundation by Isaac Asimov
Production/Distribution Companies – Skydance TV & Apple+
Starring – Jared Harris, Lee Pace, Lou Llobell, Laura Birn, Cassian Bilton, Terrence Mann, Cherry Jones, Brandon P. Bell, Yootha Wong-Loi-Sing, Alexander Siddig & Pilou Asbæk with Rebecca Ineson, Leo Bill, Darren Pettie, Iðunn Ösp Hlynsdóttir & Ahir Shah
and Ralph Ineson, Jake Fairbrother, Miltos Yerolemou, Sule Rimi & Michelle Huirama