In previous post, I have mentioned how I dislike TV series that go on forever. This is the main reason why i am reluctant to commit to something massive. However, after enjoying "Silo" on Apple TV, the curiosity inspired me to check out SF series "Foundation" based on the novels by Isaac Asimov. I have never read the books, because there are simply too many of them and it felt like a rabbit hole - the only title I have ever read by him was 1990 "Nemesis" which was not bad, so I had some idea that I might liked it. Liked? Binged for two seasons breathlessly and loved every minute of it, though must admit dear reader, sometimes the plot was so complex and convoluted that I had to watch recaps on youtube to understand what have I just seen.
This Apple TV version of "Foundation" is hugely ambitious, majestic and cinematic - like "Silo", it has only slight connection with the novels that inspired it (probably just a few names and not much else) but everybody comments that TV series are work on its own and rolls on nicely without taking much notice to the books. First of all, I must compliment the way it looks - its simply fantastic and full of details about different worlds, planets, architecture, clothes, etc. Sometimes it looks so huge that it would be easy to imagine watching this in the cinema. And the story itself is deep, serious and complicated - this is not for somebody with short attention span, you must focus on several different storylines that happens simultaneously (or even in various centuries) while one of the main story includes a complex mathematic theory - no wonder I had to re-watch recaps.
The story is naturally, set in the future where galaxy is ruled by trio of genetic clones: brother Day, Emperor Cleon and brother Dusk - somehow they are all the same person, cloned from the original Emperor Cleon who set the plan to extend his rule beyond the grave. So they sit on the three thrones and rule the galaxy, continuously changing places - when Dusk retires, Cleon will move to his place, etc. They are always supported by ageless Lady Demerzel who is kind of omnipotent governess to all of them (and later we learn, the last of humanoid robots, programmed to serve the empire, no matter what costs). There is also a famous mathematician and professor Hari Seldon whose mathematic theory predicts that in the future will fall and wants to start a new foundation to preserve the knowledge of humanity. So the whole plot is happening on the several different places: we are following the complications around Emperor, the building of foundation on a lonely and faraway planet Terminus and adventures of Seldon's helpers Gaal Dornick and her daughter Salvor Hardin - its all terribly complicated and difficult to explain but I plowed trough two seasons with the greatest pleasure and only at the very last episode i felt something like a twitch of saturation - like my brain is telling me that 20 one hour episodes was enough and now I need some rest. Even though the second season had ended with some deaths of important main characters, at this point we are familiar with the idea that nobody is really dead and there is always some way to bring them back to life, so I would not worry too much about it + Emperor and his brothers are cloned anyway, so even if they die, there is always another clone stored away nicely in some jars in the basements, and ready to be uncorked & set in motion. I am actually so hugely impressed with this series that i even started considering checking out the original novels.
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