You know how this works. Joseph’s comments, critiques, and conjectures from watching the episode. Simultaneously published at ComicsTheUniverseAndEverything.net. Let’s go!

Watching Foundation S2E03

Space

It’s a slow pretty build as we see the Beggar approaching a planet, presumably Ignus.

It’s tense between Gaal and Salvor. The planet appears to be a dump and Gaal comments that it’s a weird place to build the Second Foundation.

Salvor’s “You would say that” is annoyingly passive-aggressive. Will they follow up?

The time jump bothers me here. First of all, they’ve had some travel time since this conversation started between Salvor and Gail. It should’ve happened already. Or if it seems almost instantaneous to them that they reached the planet they must’ve been traveling very close to the speed of light. I think this is a contradiction that’s going to be increasingly annoying as the show goes on.

The elephant in the room is that Salvor died in Gaal’s vision. There is a heated discussion about whether they can avoid or change those events. Nobody’s pondering how Gaal encountered someone with mental powers. Could that be an implanted image?

There’s that hand that we see crashing to the ground in the previews.

And Hari’s being an ass again. He’s taking them to Oona’s World without even bothering to discuss it with them.

Gaal’s anger about the math not making sense would be better in a show where they were carefully trying to make things make sense.

But Hari needs to go to an abandoned mine, and the Wi-Fi won’t reach that far. Boy, these three are being pissy with each other.

“Uninhabited doesn’t mean we’re alone.” That sounds good but actually yes it does.

Terminus

We see the Vault with Hober Mallow scrawled across it in large friendly letters. I think “don’t panic“ might have been a better choice given that the vault just exploded a guy.

It seems to me that stoic armed guards surrounding the vault is a very unfoundational visual.

Cut to a tense discussion involving Poly and Director Sermak.

“The vault is literally a man.” “Was this divine justice?” “How could Seldon’s math predict an individual?” It seems we’ve got a lot of characters pointing out the flaws in the show. I’m not sure that helps enough.

But “we don’t have time to cry and clasp our icons“ is at least funny.

Now it’s nice that Poly is the one making some sense about psychohistory, despite profoundly non-psychohistorical things going on.

So Poly and Brother Constant are going in search of Hober Mallow even though he is a “fuc%ing @sshole.“

Oona’s World

There are “autonomous mining machines“ abandoned in the desert. That means robot.

These robots “…sucked the palladium from the pores of the planet; and then, when there was nothing left of value, they were turned loose upon the population. The emperors are hollow men who hollow out their worlds.”

The political commentary here is apt but simplistic.

Then there’s a pretty much content-free argument between Hari and Gaal. Hari is an ass and Gaal is petulant. We knew that already.

It gets a bit better when the conversation turns to Salvor’s destiny. But not much. Hari starts by saying that Salvor’s future, might well be immutable. Then he talks about making small changes in the present to adjust large events in the future. Salvor’s death is a small detail in one of those large events. If the large event changes, of course, that will change! Ultimately the two are arguing over nothing simply because they are both profoundly unpleasant people.

Eventually, Hari says “At enough scale, I am insignificant.” I’m not sure a mathematician would phrase it that way. More importantly, it’s like the writers aren’t even watching their own show. In the last episode, we get that preventing Hari from starting the Second Foundation put the galaxy on a disastrous path. The show has already argued that Hari is NOT insignificant.

Lepsis Penal Colony

I assume that’s Bel Riose but I can’t see the guy from Law and Order UK under there. Joanne says he looks like a character from Planet of the Apes.

The quick scene introducing the Bel Riose at the penal colony is outstanding. We very quickly learn that Riose is compassionate, able to speak truth to power, and steadfast in both his beliefs and in defending others.

This tells you everything you need to know about him for the rest of the scene and the rest of the episode, possibly the rest of the season. Notice how many of the same beats hit in his conversation with Demerzel.

Oona’s World.

There’s a real dungeons and dragons vibe and Gaal gets to meet the image of Kalle, who Gaal tells us has been dead for hundreds of years. This surprises Gaal even though Hari’s standing right next to her. [Note: The handshake here is significant. I missed that.]

Hari sends Gaal away. “if you don’t hear from me within six hours, leave.” Yeah, right!

Korell

This looks very short-hand fascistic, except the leader is in fancy dress.

We hear the name “Master Trader Ponyets,” the main character of “The Traders” from Foundation the book.

That’s Commdor Argo in the fancy dress. And Ponyets turns out to be Hober Mallow, who in fairness, does seem to be an asshole.

He wants to sell a “castling device.” I’ve always heard “castling“ pronounced as three syllables in the chess context, “cas-el-ing.” “Cast-ling” sounds like a tiny member of a cast.

Hijinks ensue. This bit ends in a Kafkaesque fashion.

Trantor:

Demerzel is back with Riose. “I want to see Day like this” is admirable, and I see Law and Order guy under there now. Well, second time through.

C-17 is being a Dick. But the guy in the straw hat on Siwenna is an informant for the Empire. Why would they bother to do that?

Dawn and dusk are merely window-dressing here, emphasizing that C-17 wants to separate from the dynasty.

Riose really gets the better of the exchange with C-17 who comes off as cruel and insecure. Ultimately Riose is reunited with his husband. Now he’s reminding Joanne of Monty Python’s Life of Brian and me of the “it’s” guy at the start of an episode of Flying Circus. [Note: really Jon was right: “It’s the old man from scene 24” is the optimal reference.]

Then, haircut… and BAM! Law and Order Guy!

Demerzel and C-17 are being creepy again. And she has to reassure him he’s doing okay. More insecurity.

Oona’s World.

Gaal and Salvor debrief and prepare to leave. Salvor points out how dysfunctional Gaal and Hari are together.

“Never let your sense of morals prevent you from doing what is right” is another Salvor Hardin quote ascribed to Abbas. It might be less irritating if they called that character “Salvor” and Leah Harvey’s something else.

Korell

The two red robes standing out within the deluge of people is very effective.

Yet another execution in a revolting festival atmosphere. The name of the method of execution is funny and disturbing at the same time.

“I’m rather busy right now” is hilarious. Mallow’s funny. At least that’s something. The escape brings us back to comic-bookish. I don’t mind though.

This whole sequence is great fun!

Trantor

Riose: “A weak emperor needs a strong general.” Loyal to the empire to protect its people.

On his ship: absolute confidence. The casualness with which Riose comports himself is impressive and something I’ve never quite seen before.

We get our first good look at a Spacer who is named “She-Bends-Light.” Are they going for a Native American vibe there? That would be a weird juxtaposition.

Is the Foundation more technologically advanced than the Empire now?

Oona’s World.

I think a planet stripped of all its resources is different from a collection of sinkholes. Strip mining would make a lot more sense. Literally no one is going to go to the extra trouble to mine in a way that leaves easily-collapsable caverns. Looked cool though.

If the mining robots were programmed to go after living things, which seems to be the case, why are they just waking up now? Is the fourth law “A robot may not act until it is necessary to the plot?”

This is too Star-Warsesque for me.

They detect a life-form and it’s Hari. Off to the rescue because the plot robots are after him!

“You have a body, how is this possible?” “I don’t know!”

Because of math? I feel like we’re back to the Mathematicians being wizards. Not only don’t I like that but it can do real damage. Gaal and Salvor’s superpowers were bad enough. If they don’t explain this well it will diminish the entire series.

All Images from Foundation on Apple TV+.