Foundation Season 1 Episode 8 review: Souls, betrayals, and what it means to be human

3.5/5

Story:

Brother Day embarks on the holy trail to make the mythical walk to the Spiral to disprove Zephyr Halima’s claims that the clones of Cleon have no soul. Elsewhere Gaal Dornick and Hari Seldon are unable to see eye to eye regarding Gaal’s role on the Foundation. Whereas Salvor Hardin has finally uncovered the secrets of the Invictus.

Review:

The series has finally established a pattern of consistent writing over the last few episodes. The Missing Piece is unique in itself because it puts more emphasis on a character-driven story than a narrative-driven one. It is a departure from the grand visuals of the previous episodes and the shifting narrative structure has given a new dimension to the series. In fact, it is something that should have been carefully layered into the season from the third episode. Nonetheless, despite the several liberties the showrunners, David S Goyer and Josh Friedman, have taken from Isaac Asimov’s original novels, they have successfully established the captivating series so far.

However, it is not without its faults as proven by this episode as well. Despite its many positives, the series is still unable to break free from a few minor inconsistencies that continue to plague them even in the eighth episode. The very obvious weak link is the Terminus storyline involving Salvor Hardin and the Anacreons. This could be primarily because the Terminus storyline lacks the screen presence of Jared Harris who plays Hari Seldon or Lee Pace who plays Brother Day. In fact, Lee Pace puts in his best performance in the series so far in this episode.

Brother Day’s journey provides the viewers with a deeper insight into his psyche. The narrative also humanises Day through his interactions with his fellow companion on the trail. There is also visual imagery carefully crafted into the narrative to highlight how Cleon continues to cheat death. In addition to the excellent performance by Pace, this episode along with its many theological and political debates was able to capture the very best of Foundation.

Surprisingly, the most compelling scene in this episode does not involve Lee Pace. It is in fact the scene between Demerze,l played by Laura Birn, and Zephyr Halima, played by T’Nia Miller. The scene is a riveting performance by both actors and opens several philosophical debates on theology, artificial intelligence, and human conscience. It could be argued that it is one of the best-written sequences of the entire series. It also validates Zephyr Halima’s claims about Cleon and The Empire.

Gaal Dornick and Hari Seldon’s arc appears to be heading in different directions, which is disappointing as it promised an ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi and Luke Skywalker dynamic’ from the Star Wars franchise. Despite Salvor Hardin and Phara’s arc being overshadowed by the other major storylines, the cliffhanger at the end promises an exciting run-up to the finale.

Verdict:

The episode maintains, or even, elevates the standards from the previous episode and is setting the stage for a grand finale.