"Foundation" King and Commoner (TV Episode 2023) Poster

(TV Series)

(2023)

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7/10
Another filler
lahilaastravnar11 November 2023
Warning: Spoilers
This series abandons the classic science fiction style of the last century, full of cynicism and drama, to embrace a Disney style of gender neutrality similar to the production of the latest Star Wars movies.

This translates into characters who are physically and psychologically unlikely like the situations they face, sometimes caricatural: fat and clumsy warriors, leaders with questionable charisma, hitmen full of moral scruples, forced labor prisoners who contest the emperors.

The way this script uses quantum physics to justify whatever fantasy miracles the director inserts is puerile.

Interstellar travel as simple as airplane flights, tractor beams, teleportation: the galaxy seems to have become a pavilion in a Disney village, without danger or drama.

If I wanted to see another Star Wars I would have subscribed to the Disney portal.

Acting ranging from good to passable, photography and effects always magnificent and well calibrated.
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9/10
So the usual suspects are still watching a show they hate...
ShippersAreEvil2 August 2023
Baffling isn't it? The writers do not have the option of retconning things that Asimov did - they have to deal with them has he finished them, not as he started them and also recognise that it is not even the 1980s any more, much less the 1940s, when the original trilogy was created. That's why the podcast is so very useful.

So here we are putting the pieces into place for the second crisis, with the key players on collision course, while Hari, Gaal and Salvor work out how to pick up the pieces wrecked by Raych's impulsiveness.

But still, here come the NTBers, with their oh-so-clever references to Michael Burnham (that really exposes the misogynous tendency, that one) for any strong female character; with their contempt for anything with emotional content and their complete inability to grasp the requirements of adapting a sprawling (and inevitably inconsistent) source material into a single narrative.

Still, it saves thinking, doesn't it?
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10/10
I Love this show
moviesfilmsreviewsinc17 September 2023
The episode "King and Commoner" is not a bad or average show, but it lacks the elements of a big-budget science fiction show. The characters, dialogue, imagery, intrigue, and cool future tech are all present and working according to plan. This show is suitable for those who enjoy major space opera or SFF epics, but there is a slight concern. Hari's digital ghost leads a trio to an abandoned imperial mine, acting on orders from the Prime Radiant. Hari is instructed to travel to a mountainous monument with a statue with an outstretched arm for his plan to work. He encounters a representation of Kalle, the mathematician who inspired his work. Gaal leaves, and Salvor convinces him to set up the Second Foundation on their own. However, their ship is attacked by giant mining machines, which race through the sand to the monument. Gaal saves Hari from death, and the trio is left to explore the world. The storyline explores themes of power, fate, and the consequences of human actions. The wise old man must travel to a desert planet (Star Wars) and pass through a secret ancient door (The Fellowship of the Ring) to ascend a giant statue in the shape of a man carved from a cliff (The Fellowship of the Ring). His pals' ship winds up in a cave where they escape just in time from a giant hidden creature that tries to eat them (The Empire Strikes Back). The creature swims through the sand (Dune) and moves like an insectoid robot (The Matrix) and shoots laser beams while mounted on three legs (War of the Worlds). The Foundation religious clerics Poly and Constant track down Hober Mallow (Dimitri Leonidas) at the demands of the Vault. Hober is a handsome, fast-talking con man who nearly gets himself killed the first time we meet him before humiliating the military dictator Commdor Argo (Philip Glenister) and his comically hot right-hand woman Forcer Wallick (May Lifschitz). Constant has the hots for him quite plainly, which is cute. The favorite storyline of the hour is the one where Demerzel travels to a grim penal colony to recruit Bel Riose (Ben Daniels), the disgraced general who was imprisoned for daring to disobey an order from Empire in battle. The tension of their meeting and Bel's subsequent meeting with Brother Day, the striking British character actor, make it feel like the politicking of Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon gone galactic. Ben Daniels, who has transformed from a wasteful hermit to a handsome man, has a significant screen presence as Bel, sparring with Demerzel and Day and reuniting with his young husband Glawen. Isabella Laughland and Kulvinder Ghir also appear as Constant and Poly. The episode's lack of originality has left the viewer wondering what a more original Foundation might be. The genre-veteran chops of showrunner/director David S. Goyer and writer Jane Espenson are crucial to the show's entertainment, but breaking out of storytelling patterns is difficult. However, Goyer's keen eye for visual experiences makes the conversations that drive the show fun. The show borrows concepts and imagery from the SFF landmarks, but does so with a visual vocabulary all its own. The show features bubble-like blips of supernova color, better ship designs, convincing costumes, and silhouetted shots of characters looking out at viewscreens, evoking the viewer's view on their own. Foundation looks like nothing else on television, and few shows attempt to achieve this. The lack of originality in the episode has left the viewer questioning what a more original Foundation might be like.
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9/10
Actually My Favourite Episode from the first 3 i have watched
Tv-Addict199130 March 2024
I Do want to like this Show so much because of the Hype it got on various Sites in the Internet....but i had my problems with it

Sometimes very complex, hard to follow, but entertaining ...

But this Episode had an clear Structure for me i guess... Easy to follow the story of the single characters....

I Want to Like this Show so much, i am very exited about the rest of the second season, i watch it very slow, maybe 1 Episode a day max.....

I Want it to be the show that was promised for me.... Sci-Fi in its finest, and it has already very good moment for that argument

Very Exited for the Rest of the Second Season now ! (:
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4/10
This is turning into Star Wars for kids
olilaflamme31 July 2023
The Poly character and role and the introduction of Hober Mallow are such a tone crasher, I almost can't believe it.

This seems like out of a bad Star Wars comedic bit. I mean sure, take liberties, but why make Hober Mallow a gentleman thief clown?

A clown who's secretly brilliant I guess since he's supposed to take Terminus to the next level. Do writers and producers really think we need such histrionics to make a compelling character narrative and transformation?

Season 2 is a disaster. Foundation has such a potential to be a magnificient political and philosophical epic. All that in the drain, dumbed down and destroyed.
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3/10
Everything s01 got right s02 got wrong
b-toshkov28 July 2023
This show is becoming painful to watch. I've been anticipating the second season with excitement. I haven't read the books and I don't really care about the source material. I do care about a show as a standalone piece of art. The first season had depth. It developed original ideas. Characters were driven by deeper philosophical motivations and most of the time that was conveyed trough meaningful dialogue, solid acting and overall good pace. It was visually stunning and had the potential to become a sci-fi classic.

The second season looks and feels like the showrunners threw the white towel. Judging by its quality this show apparently got cancelled and the second season was filmed and aired only because of contractual reasons. Such a wasted opportunity.
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3/10
Time to Jump Ship
jeroen-10619 January 2024
Alright, folks, I've hit my limit with "Foundation" Season 2, Episode 3. Let's dive into why I'm calling it quits on this space saga.

Season 1 was decent, right? It had its moments, but oh boy, Season 2 has taken a nosedive into the abyss of fantasy gibberish. I mean, I'm all for a good space opera, but this? It's like they're just tossing in random elements without any rhyme or reason. The dialogue? It's like they're pulling it out of a hat.

This episode just highlighted all the flaws. The plot's wandering and the characters - they're just there, like extras who forgot they could leave the set. And let's talk world-building - or the lack thereof. In sci-fi, you've got to have a world that makes sense, even if it's a crazy, out-there kind of sense. But here? It's like they're winging it with every scene.

Honestly, Apple needs to take a hard look at this show. It feels like they just gave up and everyone's going through the motions. And while they're at it, might as well reevaluate "Invasion" too. Maybe take some notes from "Silo" Season 1 - that was a breath of fresh sci-fi air.

So, I'm out. If you're still hanging on, hoping for a miracle turnaround, I admire your optimism. But for me, "Foundation" has lost its foundation. Time to find a new space adventure.
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4/10
Dune meets Expanse meets Star Wars
matejkaarnost22 April 2024
Starting to like it.

Obviously as in season 1 indicated second one completely lost anything to do with books and screenwriters got simple instructions - speed it up, more for US audience and if something sounds too complicated explain it further... maybe by magic. Put Duna scenery and feel, starwars intriguing short stories, Expanse CGI (but forget physics, we don't care magic and starwars mechanics are enough) oh and game of thrones nudity so teenagers will appreciate some nice action otherwise forbidden to them.

Put your thought's on timeline and fill as many things to next 10 episodes as possible. If it doesn't feel logical, let's the force explain it ;)
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1/10
What happened to this season?
jongsnyder27 February 2024
I loved the first season. A great story, great characters, great acting. What happened with season 2 though? The plot has gone crazy, there's so many new and unlikeable characters. You hardly see the best actors/actresses anymore. It's just so so disappointing. I notice that others have said the same and it looks to get better through the season but I certainly want to skip these episodes.

If you can make it through the rubbish writing and dialogue you might enjoy the future episodes as well, but trust me, it'll be a slog to get through them. Let's hope that season 3 learns from this mistake because I know this season lost some viewers.
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