Apple Series - Foundation s2 (2023) [+]
Oct 25 2023
Foundation season 2 jumps forward 140 or so years. After the Galactic Empire abandoned the rim worlds the Foundation on Terminus is now established on six or seven other worlds bringing technology as those worlds slide downwards without trade from Empire. This leads to the second crisis when Brother Day (Lee Pace) and the Empire realizes that the Foundation has become a rival power that must be brought to heel with an Imperial Fleet.
Meanwhile we have the trio of Gaal Dornick (Lou Llobell), her daughter Salvor Hardin (Leah Harvey) -- a daughter older than Gaal due to cryogenic travel -- and the Hari Seldon (Jared Harris) consciousness trapped in the Prime Radian and later given a body. They travel to a Ignis to establish the Second Foundation and on Ignis the find a colony of Mentalics (mostly telepaths, not sure if we see other powers). Turns out their leader knows about the three and wants to use them, especially Gaal, for her own purposes a bit at odds with being Second Foundation.
On Trantor, capital of Empire, we have a break with tradition as Brother Day decides to get married to Queen Sareth (Ella-Rae Smith) of the Cloud Dominion (a significant region of the Empire) and break the genetic (clone) dynasty. This would leave Brother Dawn (Cassian Bilton) out of the effective line of succession though to complicate it he kind of falls for Sareth who also likes Dawn because Day is one of the more unstable clones in history. As for Brother Dusk (Terrence Mann), he finds out Demerzel's (Laura Birn) secret history and for that he must die.
Back to Foundation on Terminus. The Hari Seldon there makes an appearance for the first time in 140 years. Then has two missions sent. High Claric Poly Verisof (Kulviner Ghir) and his assistant Brother Constant (Isabella Laughland) are sent to Trantor to make peace before there is war. These two are an example of how Foundation has been spreading, by proselytizing like a religion, the religion of Hari Seldon.
The other mission sends Hober Mallow (Dimitri Leonidas) to suborn the Spacers, a race created by Empire to navigate the FTL medium (Empire FTL travel requires normal people to be put in stasis or they'll go mad, leaving the Spacers to run the ship in FTL; but Foundation FTL doesn't require Spacers which is quite the tech leap). Hober was born on Terminus and raised on the church but went his own way to become quite the con man. He and Constant quickly develop an attraction even as their missions send them apart.
That was a lot of description and an indication that a lot goes on in this 10-episode season. Season one was also quite dense but had to establish baselines. Season two builds on season one and is very rich. It feels like Foundation is hitting it's stride and season three should be quite impressive.
Meanwhile we have the trio of Gaal Dornick (Lou Llobell), her daughter Salvor Hardin (Leah Harvey) -- a daughter older than Gaal due to cryogenic travel -- and the Hari Seldon (Jared Harris) consciousness trapped in the Prime Radian and later given a body. They travel to a Ignis to establish the Second Foundation and on Ignis the find a colony of Mentalics (mostly telepaths, not sure if we see other powers). Turns out their leader knows about the three and wants to use them, especially Gaal, for her own purposes a bit at odds with being Second Foundation.
On Trantor, capital of Empire, we have a break with tradition as Brother Day decides to get married to Queen Sareth (Ella-Rae Smith) of the Cloud Dominion (a significant region of the Empire) and break the genetic (clone) dynasty. This would leave Brother Dawn (Cassian Bilton) out of the effective line of succession though to complicate it he kind of falls for Sareth who also likes Dawn because Day is one of the more unstable clones in history. As for Brother Dusk (Terrence Mann), he finds out Demerzel's (Laura Birn) secret history and for that he must die.
Back to Foundation on Terminus. The Hari Seldon there makes an appearance for the first time in 140 years. Then has two missions sent. High Claric Poly Verisof (Kulviner Ghir) and his assistant Brother Constant (Isabella Laughland) are sent to Trantor to make peace before there is war. These two are an example of how Foundation has been spreading, by proselytizing like a religion, the religion of Hari Seldon.
The other mission sends Hober Mallow (Dimitri Leonidas) to suborn the Spacers, a race created by Empire to navigate the FTL medium (Empire FTL travel requires normal people to be put in stasis or they'll go mad, leaving the Spacers to run the ship in FTL; but Foundation FTL doesn't require Spacers which is quite the tech leap). Hober was born on Terminus and raised on the church but went his own way to become quite the con man. He and Constant quickly develop an attraction even as their missions send them apart.
That was a lot of description and an indication that a lot goes on in this 10-episode season. Season one was also quite dense but had to establish baselines. Season two builds on season one and is very rich. It feels like Foundation is hitting it's stride and season three should be quite impressive.