Foundation 3.6: Finally! But ...

Well, we finally got to see my favorite scene in the whole Foundation saga by Asimov, the three Bs, and others -- the scene that made me a fan of science fiction for life -- we finally got to see, in Foundation 3.6 on Apple TV+, Hari's hologram talking to the First Foundation about some crisis involving the Traders or whomever, with no mention of The Mule, when The Mule's armada appears in the sky.

It's a brilliant pivotal quintessential scene, as only Asimov could write it.  Seldon's Plan earlier proved to be right when, in the face of the overwhelming forces of General Bel Riose, the First Foundation survives and succeeds when the General is called back to Trantor by an insecure Emperor.   So we readers of course expected this to happen again, and Asimov fooled us.  Exactly the kind of surprise you relish in a novel.

So why didn't it work as well on streaming TV?  Several reasons:

1. The Empire, though struggling, is not in such deep disrepair.  That's in part because of Demerzel, and in part because the clonal triumvirate, despite their internecine squabbling, are impressive.

2. The Second Foundation is already a major player.  So much so, that the destruction of the First Foundation doesn't seem so serious.  I mean, I wasn't happy to see Bayta knocked unconscious but it wasn't a major blow, because the First Foundation has already seen its much better days.

3. I think the writers of this episode overplayed their hand when they had Hari's hologram explicitly voice his ignorance of The Mule.  Asimov's scene was much stronger with Hari's hologram not speaking of The Mule at all.

But I'm very glad to see the story moving along, and I'll be back with more next week.

See also Foundation 3.1: Now We're Talkin'! ... 3.2: "The Fault, Dear Brutus, Is Not in Our Stars" ... 3.3: Dawn and The Mule ... 3.4: Cleon Knows His PKD ... 3.5: Cleaving Closer to Asimov's Trilogy

And see also Foundation 2.1: Once Again, A Tale of Two Stories ... 2.2: Major Players ... 2.3: Bel Riose and Hari ... 2.5: The Original Cleon and the Robot ... 2.6: Hari and Evita ... 2.7: Is Demerzel Telling the Truth? ... 2.8: Major Revelations ... 2.9: Exceptional Alterations ... Season 2 Finale: Pros and Cons

And see also Foundation 1.1-2: Mathematician, Man of the People, and Cleon's Clones ... Foundation 1.3: Clonal Science Fiction, Hari Seldon as V. I. Lenin ... Foundation 1.4: Slow Hand, Long Half-Life, Flipped Coin ... Foundation 1.5: What We Learned in that Final Scene ... Foundation 1.6: Folded Variations ... Foundation 1.7: Alternate History/Future ... Foundation 1.8: Divergences and Convergences ... Foundation 1.9: Vindication and Questions ... Foundation Season 1 Finale: Right Up There

 

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