Nerdsplaining. Wait, I'm doing it now too, aren't I? Damnit.
Also, how do we feel about dropping the spoiler blocks for this thread? I'd like to. They get in the way of my now old man brain formulating commentary on shows.
Foundation Series (Apple+)
Also, how do we feel about dropping the spoiler blocks for this thread? I'd like to. They get in the way of my now old man brain formulating commentary on shows.
Marc_C
Solitary Role Playing
The Witcher series was 'disjointed'. The flashbacks were difficult to understand (when they actually happened in the grand scheme of things) and muddled the narrative. Very amateur editing.
I'm not seeing that in Fondation. Granted it's a slow reveal but all the blocks are falling into place slowly. It's very coherent so far.
I'm not seeing that in Fondation. Granted it's a slow reveal but all the blocks are falling into place slowly. It's very coherent so far.
We were debating if that huge flashback in ep 5 should have just been the start of the show or not.....like, which was a better way to tell the story.....and I'm still not sure if it really matters or not.
Marc_C
Solitary Role Playing
It matters. I prefer things to be more mysterious. We get "linear easy watching" narratives all the time. It's good to have some change once in a while. I find its a fitting way of telling the story for Fondation.
Goddard said "A movie has a beginning, an middle and an end. But not necessarily in that order". Revolutionary for the 60s. Still applies today in my book. ;-)
The best part of the flashback on Synnax for me was the seemingly throwaway line "we melted the polar caps". Thought it was a great way to take what at first seemed like a very Asimovian "descent into unscientific barbarism" and turn it into contemporary climate sci-fi.
I feel that same way about the Anacreon invasion of Terminus. In the original they're just expansionist rubes who forgot how to use nuclear power. In the series the invasion is a direct consequence of the kind of terrible political decisions a declining empire makes.
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Mercurius
Legend
I don't think the flashbacks are what makes it feel a bit disjointed (to me). It is more the big jumps in time. Again, that's ok in principle, but by episode 4 I kind of felt like I was reading a sequel book. Again, I understand the nature of the source material, but it still felt a bit off. To me. IMO. IME. As of right now.
I still like the series. And more than Witcher, which I thought was just OK.
I still like the series. And more than Witcher, which I thought was just OK.
MarkB
Legend
I do like the little tricks of cloning, and cryogenics, and possibly time dilation that are being used to maintain some continuity of characters. But still, the sheer distances make their stories feel disconnected from each other, and yet they haven't quite managed to illustrate the sheer scale of the galactic empire that makes it top-heavy to the point of collapse.
Like, everyone seems to know what and where Synnax, and Anacreon, and Thespis are. This is an empire of tens of thousands of star systems, more than anyone could keep track of - a couple of minor worlds from the outer reaches, or one planet whose handful of population don't even believe in science or technology, should be so utterly obscure that almost anyone at the heart of the empire would have no clue what they were without looking it up in some massive database.
Like, everyone seems to know what and where Synnax, and Anacreon, and Thespis are. This is an empire of tens of thousands of star systems, more than anyone could keep track of - a couple of minor worlds from the outer reaches, or one planet whose handful of population don't even believe in science or technology, should be so utterly obscure that almost anyone at the heart of the empire would have no clue what they were without looking it up in some massive database.
I actually think the series is doing a bit better in this regard than the first book. The show is at least attempting to illustrate the diversity of cultures, languages, counting systems, etc. in the Empire.
But the central issue of scale is unsolvable. It's central to the, ahem, foundational text. It's not like the size of the Empire made more sense in the original Asimov. You kinda have to roll with it.
Paul Farquhar
Legend
We see the Emperor receiving briefings and memorising information as planets become relevant. Anacreon and Thespis are near-neighbours of the Foundation on Terminus.
Mercurius
Legend
I just finished episode 6 and am finding that I want to like the series more than I actually do. First of all, I find the acting and dialogue uneven, and just don't care all that much about any of the characters. Salvor Harden is so central, but one of the worst actors in the show (imo).
It is still entertaining: fun to look at, a nice use of color, and enough intriguing elements to keep watching. But at this point it feels more like a big budget SyFy channel show than it does the SF version of GoT, or commensurate with other "premier" TV series in the post-Sopranos era.
It is still entertaining: fun to look at, a nice use of color, and enough intriguing elements to keep watching. But at this point it feels more like a big budget SyFy channel show than it does the SF version of GoT, or commensurate with other "premier" TV series in the post-Sopranos era.
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