# Foundation: TV series discussion (open spoilers; comparison to the books allowed) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** tv-shows-scripted, apple\ **Created:** [September 25, 2021, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foundation-tv-series-discussion-open-spoilers-comparison-to-the-books-allowed/951328 "2021-09-25T13:28:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Page:** 17
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2026, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foundation-tv-series-discussion-open-spoilers-comparison-to-the-books-allowed/951328/321 "2026-08-23T20:44:06Z")
Finally got around to catching up on this series. Bayta is the Mule?! WTF? The writers are definitely fucking with us. After the not-Mule died and before Bayta entered the room, with the ominous music rising and Gaal saying the Mule was not dead—there was a distinct shot of Magnifico looking intently at her with his brow lowered—but it was all misdirection. And what happened after that? Is the Mule/Bayta still alive? I assume so, but there is merely a cut between Gaal fending her off and then getting away. I guess they are leaving that until next season. And lastly, Brother Darkness is a megalomaniac, to say the least. Interesting how they painted him as being resigned to his fate and fairly mellow with his Foundation ambassador girlfriend. Then there was the heel turn when he crushed the ferret to death under his foot and things went rapidly downhill. Overall, it’s hard to consider this in any way an Asimov work. Just a completely different malevolent vibe. In a way, though, maybe it’s closer to Asimov’s original source material. His stories about the fall of the galactic empire were inspired by Edward Gibbon’s famous [History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_History_of_the_Decline_and_Fall_of_the_Roman_Empire). Which of course was a long, violent, and bloody affair over the course of centuries. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foundation-tv-series-discussion-open-spoilers-comparison-to-the-books-allowed/951328.md?page=16)