Foundation S01E08 is the eighth instalment of the first season of an American science fiction epic streaming drama based on the classic novel series written by Isaac Asimov. Asimov developed high concepts regarding the decline and fall of empires and civilisations in his Foundation series of novels (number seven in total).
Entitled “The Missing Piece”, Foundation S01E08 continues the meandering narrative of this adaptation where purpose and direction is hard to discern. The various sub-plots never gel or serve the bigger arc of the series because at the moment there just isn’t one. And that’s the whole problem with Foundation Season 1 – everything seems disconnected.
Taken as individual sub-plots perhaps the most interesting one remains the examination of the Cleon clones – a unique deviation from Asimov’s novels. Brother Day undertakes the pilgrimage of the Maiden planet’s religion in an attempt to circumvent the opposition of a religious leader poised to take over the top post of the planet in question. The outcome of Day’s journey is meant as a commentary on the clones but falls flat. There is no resonance at all in the manner in which this sub-plot is resolved. None at all.
Salvor Hardin’s struggle with the Anacreonian forces also ends up in a narrative cul-de-sac and is once more prolonged further into the final episodes. All the key characters in this sub-plot are unlikeable so nobody quite cares what their ultimate fate will be – an abject failure of the story writing!
Finally, Foundation S01E08 confirms that the series has no idea what to do with Gaal Dornick. This is particularly disappointing as the character was built up rather well in the first two episodes but since then everything has gone wrong and to this point, there’s no indication that this particular sub-plot will improve. Two more episodes to redeem the season and the series!
READ OUR REVIEWS OF FOUNDATION SEASON 1.
Now streaming on AppleTV+.
… still there’s more …