Geil!

The link is just a blog post I found that summarizes pretty well my feelings about s02e07 (I could have used that much of « fuck »)

The thing is, I disliked almost everything in the first season, except maybe for the grandiose introduction. I didn’t find anything I loved in the books. I absolutely couldn’t care less about the changes of gender of main characters, and even found the Cleon’s clones thing smart (the show needed the Empire incarnation) but the show took itself so seriously sometimes it was embarrassing.

I started the second season anyway, almost because I haven’t anything else to watch and I started enjoying it a little more, thanks to Polly and Constant which finally brings Asimov’s humor to the show.

But that episode 7 of season 2 really kicked in for me. So I’m here to share. I truly hope they’ll manage to keep that writing quality.

So I’ll quote the author I linked: « Pay your fucking writers »

Just starting to read the series and the order is not so straight forward.

Apparently this is Asimov's suggested order:

• The Complete Robot (1982) and/or I, Robot (1950)
• Caves of Steel (1954)
• The Naked Sun (1957)
• The Robots of Dawn (1983)
• Robots and Empire (1985)
• The Currents of Space (1952)
• The Stars, Like Dust (1951)
• Pebble in the Sky (1950)
• Prelude to Foundation (1988)
• Forward the Foundation (1993)
• Foundation (1951)
• Foundation and Empire (1952)
• Second Foundation (1953)
• Foundation's Edge (1982)
• Foundation and Earth (1986)

As an opponent to the Apple Shows portrayal of characters through the foundation series, I've been wondering about other attempts at adapting Avimov's work. I was wholey unaware that this adaptation existed. It is the truest adaptation of the foundation that I've found. Small liberties have been taken and some short portions have been removed for expediency, but the complete message of the overall story remains intact. It covers the first three foundation books. Radio adaptation BBC 1973.

Respectfully, I find the Foundation TV series extremely disheartening. I envy those who can watch Lee Pace's triumphant acting without being completely off put by the appalling writing choices in the show. The fundamental aspects of the Robot, Empire, and Foundation series books clashe so hard with the message being presented in this show. The entire first season doggedly trashed psychohistory's main point by making single individuals into linchpins. Hari's double AI clones and his contrived disease was an abomination that undercut his entire function in the story. Demerzel (R Daneel Olivaw) is utterly without connection to their character from the book. It is infuriating to see a character that spent 18 books gently and intelligently guiding humanity towards a harmonious existence be turned into a Cleon sex doll muderbot. None of that should have been possible for them. It would have shredded their mind. In what universe can this character presented be guiding humans towards galaxia or second empire. The "believe in belief" motif of the show is antithetical to Azimovs clearly atheistic writing and goes counter to the whole message of his books. Intellectual pragmatism is replaced by dice rolling space cowboys. In the same way star trek has devolved from following hyper specialized intellectual duty-bound characters to flagrantly stupid/morally reprehensible ones, foundation has made its primary characters into people who ride on luck and faith.

All of this rant comes from a place of geniune distress and I don't mean to disparage anyone who enjoys the show. I've seen so much praise and it's causing me a lot of cognitive dissonance. I can't see how people aren't up in arms about Demerzel and the other character assassinations. I have no issue at all with any of the actor choices, design, artistry, or extraneous changes made to update the show to be a modern adaptation. There are even some good ideas, like the clone dynasty, which serve to enrich the story, but the flaws are to many to overlook. Are there any other foundation universe fans that feel the same way or am I living alone on the moon with a deteriorating positronic brain?

It's still a beautiful series to watch, but by now it's getting clear that season 2 is tonally completely different from season 1: far less ponderous, and funnier too.

Your thoughts? Is Brother Day ever going to get married? Where did this Mule come from? Who is Hober Mallow? And how did Poly Verisof live to such an age on a diet of alcohol and Vordaline dust?

Such a great re-entry into the series. And they sure didn't scrimp on the CGI budget. Beautifully shot.