The Foundation in David S. Goyer and Josh Friendman's show is a stark contrast to the unimaginable scope of the galactic empire. Brother Day's punishment for Azura's corrupting role in Brother Dawn is a clinical measure to protect Cleon's bloodline. However, Day's cruelty is not security, but revenge. The idea of killing 1,551 people with a single hand is terrifying and one of the few moments in the show that visualizes the sheer scope of the galactic empire. The terrorist attack on the Star Bridge at the start of the season highlights the limitations of the universe, as it can be destroyed with no amount of bodies, but it can be reassembled with just two bodies. Gaal's voice-overs emphasize the importance of building power over burning, which is evident in the show. The story portrays immense suffering, but the galaxy's preservation is limited to a few. The story's focus on two characters' fate as the season draws to a close is disappointing, as it doesn't fully capture the unique qualities of a property like Foundation. The finale revolves around Hari Seldon's visit to Terminus, where he is transformed into a bio-mechanical Chia Pet. Hari's coffin is a bio-mechanical Chia Pet, using his body to build the Vault on Terminus. The Vault is not a collection of galactic knowledge but the server running Hari's advanced AI, which he built to inform everyone he lied to. The citizens of Terminus are not historians but are forged by the inhospitable climate to become hardened survivors capable of taking back the galaxy. Hari Seldon, a semi-interventionist deity, dispels the narrative surrounding the initial blood feud between the Anacreons and the Thespins, hoping to calm the hatred between the two peoples and form a coalition. Despite having an unknown number of their own recently murdered by the Anacreons, the Terminans are open to joining the two rogue planets. The first season is complete, and Foundation decides not to explore Hari Seldon's god. He is a semi-interventionist deity who offers cryptic words of encouragement before disappearing again. The series has never leaned overly hard into themes or subtext, but what has been dropped away quietly through the season. Ghost Hari has no idea who Salvor is or why she receives psychic images of Gaal. Salvor, who is Gaal's daughter, inherits the same psychic ability as her mother, making her antsy and decides to skip her inauguration as mayor of Terminus and bounce off the planet. In the future, Gaal wakes up from a sleep and discovers an ecological disaster that has consumed her village. She discovers a beacon under the ocean and Salvor's ship, which has turned into an ocean habitat. Gaal and Salvor meet for the first time, but the season has shuffled her around to position her with Salvor. Gaal has never fully developed as a character, and her ownership of Hari's psychohistory model raises questions about her future. The show's second season may focus on the entire galaxy, except for the two characters, but the show's focus is on the galaxy as a whole.
Review of The Leap
