Foundation: 3.02

[selenak]

I had an extremely busy week for rl reasons, but am now up to date with the most visually gorgeous sci fi show currently on tv. (The possible competitions being on hiatus. Or cancelled, grr, argh.)



First of all, I confess I am somewhat disgruntled that the version of Hari Seldon I found the most interesting got taken from us (at least for now) in this episode. Vault!Selden, the purely digital one, is way less dimensional (and more smug), and it's Second Foundatin Hari who had the fascinating relationship with Gaal. Also, I strongly suspect that one reason why My Favourite Hari is gone (for now) is so Gaal when she inevitably encounters Vault!Hari will have another initially hostile and then eventually allied relationship with him. I loved that arc the first time around. Repetion is never good. Ah well. Maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised. Also, I cannot fault the show for its in-story reasoning, and of course Hari volunteering to age and die the last fifty pre-Mule years so Gaal and the Second Foundation are ready is entirely ic. And I am intrigued by the deaf Speaker Gaal now has to build a relationship with.

Of course, she also has another conversation partner revealed in the very last scene. Well played, show. Again, makes much sense that Gaal who is aware of the impending Mule Menace would have made the step to contact one of the three Cleons, and that she'd pick Dawn, not just because this Dawn so far seems to be the most sensible and active of the bunch but because at this stage of his life a Cleon tends to be most likely to respond well to an outsider manipulating him suggesting an alliance.

Meanwhile on Trantor: soon to be no longer Day really has it in for Demerzel, doesn't he? His disdain and insistence on referring to her as "it" is in stark contrast to the last few Brother Days. When he gambled, deliberately lost and hung out with his bodyguard I had a brainwave: assuming the Cleonic Dynasty is to a degree modelled on Byzantinium and Byzantine goings-on (which it is, hence season 2 offering us General Belisarius in Space), Partying!Day could be standing in for Michael III., and his bodyguard for Basil the Macedonian, more here. If Day is on a nihilistic, it's all pointless streak, Dusk who was extremely uneasy about his impending "Ascension" (read: death) anyway and now heard from Demerzel humanity as a whole might end in four months if nothing happens to prevent it is not unreasonably of the opinion he might as well live those months instead of just a few days more, but doesn't get anywhere with either Demerzel or Day in this endeavour, which is when we find out this Dusk thought creating the Death Star a planet killing super weapon based on a black hole is just the ticket to halt the Empire's decline and will be his legacy. What do you want to bet the Mule will get his hands on it? Because even a super mutant can't compell EVERYONE, and hence resorts on compelling a few and letting fear, blackmail and threats do the rest of the work, as we see in his sole scene this episode where he demonstrates what he could in theory due to the little arch duchess in order to make her staff fall in line.

As for the First Foundation, Space!Nick Fury in this episode contacts Hober Mallow's descendants, who picked the planet the Mule has just conquered to spend their honeymoon on and has to fashion these two hedonistic rich and idles into his anti Mule agents, which should be entertaining.