User Reviews

Something is terribly wrong with the pace of the show. I can't say it's bad, but it ain't good either.

This episode summary: Pro: Michael Burnham has less than 100% screentime.

Con:There is actually a Michael Burnham character.

Too redundant on part of the plot already shown in previous episodes.

I gave it 6 only because it also has a couple of very nice scenes.

This is the second episode I've found not so convincing so far.

Every review commenting that "you shouldn't compare the show to the books" is demonstrating that they're as "misguided" as the show's characters.

Justify it by being "fresh" and "different from the books".

You justified scenes like episode 4's "being in a room full of scientists and demonstrating psychic precognition with a coin and not experimenting on her". And episode 3's "we choose the sundial so people can know what time it is while they have three days to die of thirst on a planet with no water".

This show fails to understand the visual designs Asimov described and how Asimov's highlighted the social and technological conditions on Trantor. Fails to understand the explicitly written reasons there were no psychic heroes or eternal cloned emperors in the Foundation.

The internal, book-disconnected inconsistencies are ludicrous. Episode 1: if they spent months to manipulate their way to being exiled there, why was the unpredicted terrorist act the trigger to exile them? And "the Vault". We KNOW why it was called a Vault in the books. If they couldn't even REACH it and didn't know what it was, how it got there or why, why did they call it a "Vault"?

When trying to depict intelligent characters, this show & its writers & script editors & editors & production crew & actors all failed to understand and demonstrated they're so damn stupid they don't understand the importance of WATER. Even in AMERICA, this is a 3rd grade 8-year-old's lesson.

This show is an unmitigated cultural, social and intellectual crime. Defending it is offensive, ludicrous trash. And that's not even CONSIDERING they outdid Will Smith's "I, Robot" in getting a trash script and stealing Asimov's names for it. We finally found something dumber than post-2008 Star Trek, post-2008 Doctor Who and post-2012 Star Wars.

"Anti-Purist"? "Plot changes"? "Fresh interpretation"? No. The above demonstrates this show is idiotic trash and defending it is an indelible offensively glaring neon badge of shame.

Asimov right?

We all came here for one reason and the main story plot is great, of course.

But than what? So much, too much of people's drama as love drama, family drama, personal growth drama, just name one.

If I wanted to see that, well there are plenty of soap opera already.

I feel sorry for Asimov.

No, I haven't read the books. After reading the weekly vitriol from book readers in these reviews, I'm glad I haven't read them. I like the show so far.

I too have been disappointed in various projects in the past that don't quite adapt the literary form as well as I wished. It happens. Learn to accept it or don't watch. Some of you are pretty miserable.

This episode 6 was really boring.. it made me think the show is dragging already. I've felt no tension in either plots shown. Basically nothing much new happened.

I get puzzled by people who faithfully watch successive episodes of a series that they then claim to be utterly dull and to have spoiled the book. Why are they still watching?

Myself, I was not surprised that a lot changed. The original stories often have nothing but people talking. That would get a limited audience.

It is also fun to be surprised by interesting plot changes. And as the ending of the last episode suggested, we catch up with Gaal's future, as well as seeing some of her past. Very nicely done. She is both vulnerable and extremely clever. And I'm certainly not someone who's bothered by a young dark-skinned woman showing those qualities.

I'd been assuming all along that she is somehow tied to the Second Foundation. Which Seldon has never mentioned, unlike the book, but actually this is more sensible. A broad hint about a deep secret is decidedly odd.

But a lot happens back at Terminus. From Episode 4, I guessed that the elegant Lord Dorwin, Chancellor of the Empire, was not going to appear. In fact he has been changed into a mere warship captain. I still think it sad they didn't include this fascinating character in some guise or other.

At the end of episode 4, the state of play at Terminus looks impossible. Now we have to wonder what happens next. But given assurances that the mysterious mind-influencing object found on arrival is not the book's vault showing recordings of Harry Seldon, I speculate that it is for mass mind control.

It continues to be so painfully obvious that many of the reviews claiming this is "not like the books" have either never read the books, or do not realise the Asimov wrote a series of continuation books. For those interested: Foundations's Edge, Robots Of Dawn; Robots And Empire and Foundation and Earth, as well as two prequels Prelude to Foundation, and Forward The Foundation; all of which are feeding into this story.

Other than the Genetic Dynasty (a metaphor for refusal to change or adapt) and Gaal's backstory (Seldon's biographer, so pretty important to flesh out) there is nothing so far that isn't entirely consistent with Asimov's Foundation universe. Which, of course, is represented as exec producers by his daughter.

A fun episode, with a wonderful bit of non-violent single combat between Gaal and a recalcitrant AI, and Salvor being set up to have greatness thrust upon her. "Violence is the last refuge of the stupid", indeed.

The series should have led with this episode. Not a fan of an episode dedicated to a full origin story half-way into the season.

If Foundation opened up with this origin episode, with some edits to blend it in with the pilot we ended up getting, then this would have been a more coherent consistent story than the mess we got.

Im baffled by the so-called "purists" that bash this series on a weekly basis. Don't punish yourselves, stop watching it. Expecting to see the book described word for word in a tv series like Foundation it's absurd.

This episode was the best yet, imho. Don't listen to the crybabies that can't make the difference between an ecranization and the source material.

This show requires patience, intelligence from the viewer, and most of all, understanding that a world, cinematic nonetheless, is build in time.

As someone who didn't read the books, the show is a breath of fresh air in the plethora of mediocre so-called "sci-fi" attempts these days.

Don't judge it by the source material. Just my 2 cents.

Foundation isn't a story about characters yet the creators of this series are fixated in developing characters who are minor, if not irrelevant to the 1000 year epic.

I'm not some book puritan. In fact, most of the characters in the book are one dimensional and the changes are welcomed. However, the series is budgeting far too much time trying to develop characters and as a result the story is moving at a snails place. The strength of Foundation lies in its grand story, not individual characters. The series is starting to do the book a great disservice.

I have never read the books.

I liked the first episode: it was able to introduce us to a different world, and with great efficieny to present us to complex social and political realities.

But from the initial momennt, it has been down hill.

The first part of todays episode wal already "shown" (=suggested) in E01.

I am loosing patience wit this series. Seeing this is becoming a painful exercise.

Maybe I forgot but where in the Foundation trilogy is this from? Why did Apple name this Foundation if it is not the Foundation story? Did the writers read the book?

This was the best episode since the first of season 1 and finally it´s giving some and great answers.

The series is amazing and is the Avatar of the shows, because the visual , effects and scale. Never saw a most beautiful series and fanatical fans and criticals are negating the ratings only they don´t understand that the main trilogy it´s dry in therms of characters development and are great books because the ideas and concepts, not for the characters. And before complain about i never read the novels, yes i read all 7 foundations novels (including the two sequels and two prequels of the trilogy)

Even the author of Foundation novels (Isaac Asimov) agreed that some changes would be required if they adapted foundation. And the show it´s faithful in main plotline, themes and messages, but with more character development and more addictions in the universe like new scientific stuffs and new characters, because let´s face it, the first book of foundation it´s very dry in characters and it´s more about ideas and scientific concepts. The fans should be grateful to have new material for the characters, but they are fanatical who only want adaptations frame by frame and adaptations don´t work on this way.

All the moaning and crying in here is from the book readers. Who cares if it doesnt reflect the books. This is a great series so far and this episode was full of mystery and action. I was entertained and it ended with a major cliffhanger.

This one is a return to the same quality we had in the pilot. I was getting a bit worried for a while (especially after episode 3).

I've read the books and love them but knew they couldn't be made into a TV series. Sometimes 100s of years pass between chapters and filming a faithful translation would require new lead actors every week (for the original trilogy at least).

What we have instead is a re-using of key concepts and character names with an accelerated timeline and some novel tricks to attempt to keep the main actors in regular employment. It was a difficult task, a risky one and it hasn't always worked, but this week it did.

Ok, no spoilers.

The first 18 minutes are just one long and boring prelude. You can either skip this first act or have someone with actual storytelling skills tell you what this is about (if they have figured it out).

Then we switch to shaky camera fighting scenes and the sequel to the previous episode which ended in a cliffhanger.

50 minutes wasted. If you cut out all the bad acting, walking in corridors, opening doors, talking to computers, bad fighting scenes and dialogs that have no impact on character or plot development, we could probably watch 10 minutes of OK screen time.

Novel readers think that they need to watch what is exactly as written in the book. I haven't read novel yet, but love the this show as a fresh subject in different storytelling manner.

If u didn't read the novel, you will love this show. Don't mind the negative reviews.

I'm a long time fan of the original trilogy. This episode still kept me on the edge of my seat and wishing that next Friday will come to find out what comes next. It's different from the books but overall the differences have been well executed.

Gaal's mysterious ghost ship allows her to access all requested information, requiring her math powers to deduce from the information. If it was a matter of security, Raych could restrict Gaal's access to prevent potential hijackers. However, if it was a matter of security, it would have been easier to restrict access. The scene in the film is a mental test designed to keep Gaal sharp after floating through space for 35 years. It is a performative intelligence test that showcases a character solving problems with her brain, creating a dynamic tableau rather than a computer-voiced exposition dump. The use of astrophysics in the mystery of Gaal's destination adds an interesting element to the story. The show's focus on intelligence has been criticized for being window dressing, while the application of ideas provides a different form of catharsis than explosions. Both serve the same purpose of entertainment, but the idea of fun is not entirely accusatory. It is a legitimate reason for some viewers to disengage from the series, as it is pure space adventure and perfectly happy to push heady, contemplative discourse into the locker. "Upon Awakening" has both engaging and less engaging sections. The more engaging ones include Gaal's silly spaceship mystery and the ongoing crisis on Terminus. The extended backstory on Gaal's home world is less effective and takes the initial character sketch of a young woman at odds with her people, making it significantly dumber. Gaal, an acolyte from a religious community, is a member of the church who is suspicious of science and outlaws books. The Book of Folding, a mathematical poem, is the first book Gaal reads, and it is made explicit to the point of being cartoonish. When Gaal retrieves the book from a dead man's ankles, she swam past numerous other victims of her church. The book's discovery sparks Gaal's curiosity, and the speech he gives in the abandoned university about knowledge and progress is a miniature version of Hari Seldon's monologue about psychohistory, reinforcing the show's science vs. Faith stance. Gaal's story was ripped apart by her abbreviated timeline, which felt like an inauthentic narrative device rather than a thoughtful exploration of one's growth. The emotional tear between Raych and Hari in the second episode and the abbreviated timeline of Gaal's origin story diminished her story. On Terminus, the town is surrounded by the Anacreons and their giant cannon, and an Imperial ship arrives to save the outpost. Phara is led into the Terminus central tower, yanking out an EMP bomb from her eyeball, causing a detonation that lays out the town's protective shield. The show would have been better off not including this piece. The Anacreons attack the town, and Salvor and Phara engage in a stand-off, with Salvor dismissing the huntress's hostage issue as a distraction. Leah Harvey delivers a stunning performance, followed by a comical hallway brawl using improvised weapons and a sundial. The fight is a delightful display of wit and humor. Phara, victorious, seeks revenge on Hari Seldon for the chaos that led to her planet's bombing. She plans to destroy his project in return. Her final act is blowing the imperial warship out of the sky, which explodes spectacularly against Terminus soil.

Splendid all season. Set Decoration, Costume Series, Production Design Series is more then genius. It's not like in the book, the storyline, but they managed to develop organically in a more than decent production. I had emotions that the whole season will be trivialized. But it's wow. At a time when Squid Game has maximum reviews, although it is an idiotic soap opera, to see the Foundation is a delight.

It could have been better. It's okay that tv series doesn't follow the book. We are lack of good sci-fi. But the plot is terrible, why should I watch Gaal crying hysterically while we expect her to save the Universe? She is young, but her behavior is too childish.

The second foundation is way too stupid.