Yesterday Apple TV+ released the first two episodes “Foundation” based on the Foundation series by Isaac Asimov.
For this thread open spoilers are allowed (although you can spoiler tag to be nice if you saw a recent episode and you think others may have not yet). Also, feel free to compare to the books. While it has been ages since I read the series I have already noted some differences (as is to be expected).
So far I like it. It was a little slow and the characters (except for Brother Day/Cleon XII who was great) are a little meh so far but the casting and acting have been great. Not bad but neither am feeling much for any character (except Brother Day as mentioned…already learning to love to hate him). I think it is just the nature of trying to introduce a complex universe to the audience. I hope this will improve and certainly believe it can.
That said, Asimov was never really big on character development so the directors will need to take some creative license, I think.
The show looks fantastic. The filming and editing are top notch and the sci-fi aspects/world building, visually, is outstanding.
Overall I am happy with the result. Cautiously optimistic for the future and I look forward to future episodes.
I’ve just watched the first episode. Indeed impressive. Some random throughts.
The visuals are very good, as is the general world-building. Asimov was never very strong on the details of the worlds he described, so the makers have quite a bit of freedom and they use it to the fullest extent. Like the details of a protective veil for the ‘jump’.
I’m at a loss of what the first scene is about. It combines tropes from other SF like the monolith from 2001, and the reference to ‘null-field’ reminded me of Dune which probably was not intended. At the end it is called the Vault, but appears not to be the thing Hari’s holograph appears from in the future. (spoiler for those who have not read the books) Possibly this is a plot addition to keep a bit of mystery for those who have read the books, it works as a kind of cliff hanger.
The writers have done a good job in expanding on the emperors thought process, examining closely the information and gifts they receive to deduce intentions and expectations. That is very much in line with Asimov’s writing in the books. As far as I can recall, the books had nothing about this. Indeed, the writers here make it seem as if the emperors are actually quite good at their job or at least are not stupid: they seem to be very much aware of the complications they have to deal with (even if they might not make the best of it).
The general feel for me is quite different from the books, but that is probably a good thing. My recollection of the books was quite sober: mostly men talking in offices and conference rooms. Not the lush views we are presented here. The show does a good job capturing the wonder of Gaal when encountering Trantor.
The writers have kept Asimov’s plot intact, while removing details that would take too much time in a 1 hour series, and adding a few elements of their own. I like it, the end result is a fair presentation of what I appreciated about the original books, combined with what is probably necessary to have a watchable TV series.
So overall, I’m quite pleased with the result: it is Asimov as a live action series. Having read the books is not a hindrance. I do wonder what people who are not familiar with the books will think of it.
Also: I liked that they used mainly unknown actors (at least I don’t recognize anyone except Hari Seldon). I find that fitting for a series millennia in the future.
Introducing Anakreon already was a nice idea as it gives a bit more coherence to the series. I hadn’t expected the trigger for Hari’s banishment and I do wonder whether that was something he could predict with psychohistory.
The cloning for the emperor was also a nice invention. I gather we will see more of the emperors in the next episodes, even though I think we hardly ever encountered the emperor anymore in the books (maybe with the general Bel Riose).
I think we are seeing the far future in that scene. I believe the Vault is a Foundation vault containing knowledge to reboot civilization. It may be in the second episode but the show mentions that only a very special and particular kind of person would be able to approach the Vault. And we see her in that early scene. Presumably, the Vault doesn’t want just any Joe or Jane to access it. Right person at the right time.
ETA: Seems my theory is probably wrong from what @Alessan posted below.
IIRC, in the books, Hari never made it off Trantor. I could be wrong though, it has been a long time since I read the series.
Also, was Demerzel a woman in the books? I thought Demerzel was male. Make no mistake, totally happy with the character being a woman here and I think the actress (Laura Birn) portraying Demerzel is doing an excellent job.
IIRC mostly every important character in the original trilogy was male, excepting Arkady Darell and her mother. Also a few side characters (I recall the mistress of a warlord in Second Foundation) . As you say, it works this way quite well. The nice thing about early Asimov is that his characters behave mostly gender-neutral so it doesn’t matter if genders are switched.
The first episode wowed me. It was gorgeous and was telling the story well. The second episode was a massive step backwards with a ridiculous ending imo.
I have read somewhere that the first season will only be covering the first 100 pages of the first Foundation book - the first two short stories. So I imagine they’ll be adding a bunch of things (and I’d have to imagine flashbacks from Prelude to Foundation and Forward the Foundation?). If it’s like Ep 2, well I don’t think I’ll be sticking around much longer.
I’m rereading the robot series at the moment, haven’t hit Foundation yet, but wasn’t Demerzel actually R. Daneel Olivaw directing the grand plan and masquerading as a human?
Also, is there a movie with Lee Pace where he is not creepy?
Yes. You are correct on who that really is (we get a hint of it in episode #2).
And Lee Pace is great in this role. He doesn’t immediately appear menacing (like Christopher Lee or Jack Nicholson would).
Yet somehow he just is scary but it takes a bit to realize. Neat trick. Works well. Indeed, he is initially disarming before you realize you are in deep doo doo. Great acting (I think the whole cast is great…not seeing anyone I am wishing was not there).
Complex sci-fi/fantasy takes a bit of time to introduce characters and world build…set the stage so to speak.
After that the good stuff can come.
Of course, it can go both ways, good or bad. But, so far, it seems to me the producers/directors are being careful and trying for a good result rather than a fast money grab.
In episode one Day said that there are 8 trillion people in the Empire. In episode two Gaal mentioned just 300 planets–a tiny corner of the Empire–having 40 trillion.
Then again, population numbers never made sense in the books either. Trantor at its height has a population of 40 billion, which feels far too small for a planet-spanning metropolis that requires twenty agricultural planets to feed its people, and the crowded, dystopian, racked-with-resource-shortages Earth of Elijah Baley’s day had a population of 8 billion.
We just watched the first episode and I liked it, looked good well acted.
It did feel rushed , the meeting of Hari and Gaal went from ’ you’re smart’ to ’ we are about to be arrested ’ to ’ ’ you set me up’ in about 5 seconds .
The Cleon clone is good idea , it will keep a suitably creepy bad guy around for a while .
One thing I liked was how the three emperors, Dawn, Day and Dusk, formed the classic triad of maiden/mother/crone - except male, which is not something I’ve seen before in speculative fiction.
Just watched episode 2 still enjoying it although again the interactions with Hari just seem to come out of no where, Gaal walking along talking with what’s his name and just drops " oh the calculations are not finished" out of nowhere, and a few other bits, but a minor quibble.
