Foundation (TV Series) The Last Empress (2023) User Reviews

Superb

[yqrfmpzdn · 10/10 · 2 September 2023]

This episode had a very good pace and plot. Everything was really well written with long time mysteries being solved.

Foundation S2 keeps on delivering. It has a very unique approach to actually finish what starts within the same series, moving the plot in a cool and fast paced way, while being philosofical and emotional.

One of the many missteps on finishing storylines is when they try to explain everything on the same time. It is not the case here, and many mysteries, while solved, now create a fullfilling sense of direction that will probably be already finished by the end of the season in the next two episodes.

Foundation proves what a good story is for television: something that know when to begin, develop, end and move forward.

The best episodes on the series so far. The acting was amazing and the effects were cinema-like. The best sci-fi series out there nowadays.

Demerzel rules!

[Xamalion · 10/10 · 2 September 2023]

And I mean that in many different ways, but primarily because she or it (depends in what shape one wants to see that matter) is simply the most interesting character, and I was finishing season one only to see more of her and get to know more about her.

Portrayed on a new level of excellence in highly subtle facial expressions or gestures, Laura Birn simply outplays most of the other cast of the whole series and is a worthy counterpart to Lee Pace's charismatic Day.

I'm not saying the rest of the show is not good, but Birns portrayal of the character Demerzel just makes you long to explore more and to find out what truly happened over so many centuries that she lived.

Possibly the first truly great episode

[tom-640 · 9/10 · 1 September 2023]

This has been an odd show. It is not super faithful to the original books. It seems to dramatize the tension between Hari's predictions of great movements of people and the effects of the outliers - individuals who act in chaotic ways whose actions can't be predicted and actually *may* be forming history - in a way that I think is almost directly in opposition to the first few books of Asimov's series.

Often it doesn't seem to work very well - the tension isn't so much dramatized as it is just an unclear mess on the screen. But every so often, episodes rise through the disorganized world-building and give you a sense of something organized and interesting.

It's not really Foundation as such, but when it happens it's suddenly really quite good.

It happens in this episode with some big reveals, big plot points, some clockwork ticking into place and some fun scenes and engaging characters. But it also benefits from some *great* direction from Roxann Dawson, with the pacing, characters, form, shape and drama all operating at top form.

Genuinely this *may* come to be seen as a great show. It's definitely not a great one yet. But this may be a so-far mediocre show's first truly great episode. And who knows, that may bode very well for any seasons to come.

Those rings around Trantor...

[ShippersAreEvil · 10/10 · 1 September 2023]

..such a cool metaphor when you realise they are wheels within wheels.

While I think it was obvious that not all on Ignus was as it seems, I really didn't see that coming. In many ways events on Trantor were more predictable - well, apart from *that* obviously. We have people of all sorts on potentially reckless paths, secrets properly foreshadowed yet still throughly surprising. Empire's arrogance and self-confidence a transgression against the gods by another name (look it up - 'cos Asimov had a novel named for what comes next). And Demerzel is either in for a mighty shock or is setting the stage.

Salvor continues to kick bottom. And also, give me an army of Beckies.

Adaptation is *hard*, man - and it is so good when it is so well done.

Tellem Bond. Telem. Telum.

[nyxstrix · 9/10 · 1 September 2023]

One of those episodes in a series where everything starts to come together. This was a lot of fun for me. It was also surprising to learn that it was directed by B'Elana Torres, better known as Roxann Dawson on Star Trek Voyager. In retrospect, the pacing was excellent.

I originally didn't enjoy all the frontloaded Empire stuff in season 1, but knowing now what the series has led up to. I'm glad I stuck it out.

This show first season was meh, but this season has just been so fantastically written. Every story is so well-paced that it keeps you guessing while not revealing everything.

Rather than the last episode, we're revealing big things with episodes to go so we can keep exploring it. That could easily have been a season finale cliffhanger for other shows!

Where the pieces start to fall together

[mcvspjvj · 9/10 · 4 September 2023]

This is truly excellent Science Fiction - epic in scale, and intricately plotted. It wont be for everyone, but for those that loved the likes of Babylon 5 or Game of Thrones with their multifaceted stories with great character moments, this is the most recent entrant into that club.

This episode saw so many threads coming together - the manipulations of Demerzel, the plotting of Dominion, Bel Rios's desire to seek revenge, the events on Ignis, tying up finally with those on Terminus and subsequently with Hober Mallow and the Church of the Galactic Spirit. These are threads that were sown in season 1 for the most part, and developed and expanded upon earlier in this season.

The acting, particularly the character driven moments are very well acted and engaging. It's all too easy to dismiss some of the key characters here as 'comic relief' but if one watches what unfolds it quite clearly is not the case. Each has a purpose, not simply to distract.

I feel sorry for the NTBers who are too deeply invested in the literary origins to appreciate what is unfolding as it is one of the best on TV right now and probably for a long time to come. I note the average scores for episodes have been ticking up as the series has gone on, suggesting perhaps that view is now a minority.

Bonding, and Teamwork

[moviesfilmsreviewsinc · 10/10 · 17 September 2023]

Foundation is preparing for its finale, and the show has pushed the gas pedal through the floor. The Mentalics play a significant role, causing bad news for Salvor and Gaal. A botched execution causes chaos on Trantor, driving Brother Day towards a collision course with the Foundation. Apple TV Plus has one of the best sci-fi series on its hands, and this week's episode shows it flexing its muscles as the crap begins to hit the fan. Day is in a theatrical mood as he presides over the televised execution of Poly and Constant, but Constant's emotional pre-death prayer ignites something throughout the watching galaxy. Before Day can complete Constant's execution, Hober Mallow arrives in his whisper ship, setting Becky the Bishop's Claw on Day. Becky is shot down before she can tear Day to pieces, but Hober and Constant manage to escape in the ship. Brother Dusk (Terrence Mann) wants a war response, but Day decides to travel to Terminus to "look the ghost of Seldon in the eye," taking Poly with him and leaving Brother Dawn (Cassian Bilton) in charge. Poly maintains his faith in the Church of Seldon despite Day's dismissiveness. Constant and Hober sleep together in a matter-of-fact scene on the whisper ship, but they are captured by Bel Riose (Ben Daniels), who doesn't let them get their clothes back on. Constant and Hober's relationship has been a consistent joy throughout this season.

On Ignis, Gaal approaches Tellem Bond (Rachel House), who admits to killing Hari and imprisoning Salvor. Tellem reveals that Gaal herself is locked in an underground cell with puzzle dishes tuned to cancel out her psychic pitch. Salvor, trapped in a similar cell, realizes she has a version of the Prime Radiant with her and uses it to project herself to the version of Seldon in the Vault on Terminus. Salvor protests that she mustn't tell him anything for The Plan, but she declares that the math isn't important because Gaal is in danger. He helps her solve the puzzle of psychic suppressants and escapes, while she tells him that Hober Mallow will pierce the Empire's hide. Tellem, a character in the Asimov adaptation of Ignis, has Gaal strapped to a stone table and reveals that she has been enhancing her powers by forcing her consciousness into the minds of younger women whenever she ages. Gaal is earmarked as her next vessel. The showdown between Gaal and Salvor and the Mentalics is set for a week, with big questions about finding common cause against the threat posed by The Mule and Tellem Bond trying to go a week without murdering anyone. Rue (Sandra Yi Sencindiver) has infiltrated Demerzel's living quarters but is disturbed by Dusk. They discover a mysterious artwork concealing a hidden door. Queen Sareth (Ella-Rae Smith) meets secretly with Dawn, agreeing to reverse his fertility and sleep together. Sareth suggests destroying all the remaining Cleon embryos in the Principium, but Dawn refuses, realizing he is in danger. Dusk and Rue find themselves in a secret room where a hologram of Cleon I appears, telling them the room was originally designed as a prison. Dawn and Sareth realize that the Cleons are all "puppets" and declare Demerzel as Cleon's only true heir. This strong ending brings Demerzel into the light as the most important character on the show. Foundation is cantering towards its season 2 finale, with performances from Isabella Laughland, Cassian Bilton, and Oliver Chris as Terminus director Sermak. For more information on Apple TV shows, check out our guides to the Severance season 2 release date and the For All Mankind season 4 release date.

Too many unbelievable characters and scenes...

[staraffinity · 6/10 · 6 September 2023]

...but there's also some good ones. Both some scenes and characters and the actors behind them. For example I think Lee Pace does a great job - there is wight to his acting and it makes the character come across as believable. There are oher example of the cast lifting things upp and the visuals effects looks good I think. On the oposite I did find the chairs in the Beggar's. Lament pretty rediculous - my office chair is more stable than those. :D

So while the series has some good parts it also has many that brings it down. Hober Mallow for example. A character that doesn't seem to care and comes across as indolent, yet he manages to easily succeed with everything he does and the fighting and action sceens where he has been involved has been relly sloppy made I think.

I agree with those questining this show being like a Game of Thrones in space - the overall quailty isn't near. But I want to say there has been sceens and and acting that are close, but too bad the flaws bring the overall impression down too much for me. It could have been so much better I think.

Unexciting drivel

[bendiksendan · 1/10 · 1 September 2023]

Apparently there is only something like 5 important people in the entire Foundation universe, one of which is Lee Pace who must have something incriminating stuff on the producers since the show is a lot more about him than the actual foundation, which technically the show is the story of... The other important person Hari Seldon dies, lives, dies, lives etc ad nauseum, only to hold long exposition monologues to make it look like the story has at minimum a homeopathic level of coherence. The triteness of the last second saving someone trope emphasizes the lack of excitement of the story because the show will shamelessly keep folks around for centuries in a show that supposedly is about the slow inevitable grind of history.

DO NOT turn this into a Disney cliché, please.

[tom_stone · 6/10 · 1 September 2023]

I feel like this is turning from a great, and rather serious, sci-fi series into a cheesy Disney-style cliché of a production.

The parts which focus on the empire storyline and the Foundation are amazingly good, so are most of the Gaal/Salvor/Hari parts, but every time Hober enters the scene, the cringe factor just goes through the roof.

While he is a decent actor, I think the casting choice for Hober Mallow is not appropriate and the role badly written, unless they want to ride the "sexy funny space-pirate" trope.

Is the sex scene between him and the priestess necessary for the plot? No. Necessary for character development? Also, no.

Do we want a Jack Sparrow of the skies? Hard no.