Long Ago, Not Far Away

Whether you like or loathe the adaptation of Asimov's original work, you will be impressed with this episode. Easily one of the strongest so far. With incredible but unintrusive CGI, this episode brings together and advances important strands. Demerzel's origin, in particular, is beautifully done. A visual treat, wonderfully presented. If you like sci-fi, you will enjoy those scenes. Elsewhere in the universe, Tellem and Gaal's relationship takes a turn for the worse, no surprise given last week's story. And Day and Seldon have a nicely staged chat about all things Foundation. Lee Pace's Day face to face with Jared Harris's Seldon, two huge characters in their own way, was cleverly constructed.

I started watching this as a book reading sceptic. It's won me over and I don't want this season to end.

A theme: As with many good stories, there are misdirections and red herrings galore, from simple showy magic tricks to body swapping to mind swapping (sort of);

Another theme: how arrogant those in positions of power can be when they think they have all the insight;

And another: Time. From realising that we are not quite when we thought we were, to showcasing a four dimensional analytical engine;

And another: lies.

All weaving together, reinforcing and tearing at history, in a constant tug of war between what *could* be and what *will* be; between the great sweep of stochastic force and the non-linear importance of inflection points.

Good heaven's this is storytelling of the highest order and, still, we will only know in the next episode if they have 'stuck the landing'.

But that was a quite stupendous amount of fun. Weep, NTBers, weep.

Hey, I gotta tell ya, I'm sittin' here, watchin' this sci-fi episode, and I'm like, "Whoa, where the heck do I even begin?" It's like, mind-blowing stuff, you know what I mean? This thing's got me on a wild rollercoaster ride!

So, all these characters, they're just poppin' off left and right in this episode, like fireworks on the Fourth of July. Demerzel, Seldon, Day, Salvo, Belriose - you name it, they're all going kaboom! It's like a sci-fi fireworks display, and I'm lovin' every second of it.

Now, I gotta be real with you, though - Gaal, that chick, she's still as boring as a cardboard box. But you know what? We've got so much other crazy stuff happenin' that you almost forget about her.

And here's the kicker - they're settin' up the whole Foundation (no pun intended) for five seasons! I mean, holy smokes, that's some serious long-term planning. It's like they're layin' down the groundwork for an epic sci-fi saga that's gonna keep us hooked for a long, long time.

So, if you haven't seen this episode yet, you better get on it, 'cause it's a wild ride from start to finish. And trust me, you won't wanna miss out on the explosion extravaganza and the epic saga that's about to unfold. It's big, bold, and unforgettable.

Outstanding episode, the best so far. It must be admitted that the foundation is a very uneven series. The first season was so tiring in places that it seemed like nothing could save it. Fortunately, the second season turned out to be much better and from episode to episode it gave hope for better. For the episode 9 of season 2 I give it 10/10 (although this is probably an exaggerated rating and I refer it to other episodes in this series). At this moment, I would say that the entire series is an 8/10 and I hope that it will get better and better with each subsequent episode.

Lastly, apart from everything, as others have already written, the special effects in this series really deserve recognition.

We get to learn a lot more about Demerzel and her relationship with the first Cleon. And this ties back to the wider story of Asimov's books, which is good.

Not so good is the decision that the Encyclopedia Galactica was never produced. In the book, it continued as a minor function. Asimov used it to give summaries that were well-informed, but not always correct.

The planned visit by Emperor to Terminus happens, of course, but with unexpected twists and turns and a cliff-hanger ending. One wonders just how many more changes the script will make to Asimov's tale.

Meantime Gael's story continues, with some emotional stress and a very unexpected helper arriving.

But I'll give nothing away: the surprise is much of the fun. I will be adding spoiler details in Trivia.