I know at least that I experienced none of the mental whiplash my husband felt while watching the 10-episode season. He read all of the Isaac Asimov novels on which the show was based... and then had to come to grips with the fact that the TV series was almost nothing like the books. One could engage in a lengthy analysis of why the writers of the show changed so much, whether it made for better television, and whether the essence of the source material was preserved, but I'm not equipped for that kind of analysis.
What I think I can note is that Foundation definitely put out the vibes of a television executive who directed their underlings to "go out and get me a science fiction Game of Thrones!" They found for that executive a show with a similarly large cast of characters (some to love, some to hate, some to hate and then love), with a broad range of distinct-looking environments, and a politically-driven plot unspooled at a deliberate pace.
Foundation is neither as good as Game of Thrones was at its peak, nor as bad as everyone now proclaims Game of Thrones was at the end. As is not unusual for a TV series in its first season, it's a show trying to figure out what about itself works best. But that normal growth process is especially unusual for Foundation, as the built-in premise to tell a story over multiple generations means that many things about the show -- hit or miss -- can only last a few episodes before they're gone.
Looking back even now, only a few months later, I cannot recall any particular episode of Foundation and say, "ooo, that's when the show got really good." I had more of a Dread Pirate Roberts kind of relationship to the series: "Good episode, Foundation. Sleep well. I'll most likely not watch you next week." But I did keep coming back, and I'm pretty sure I'm looking forward to the greenlit season two.
Among many decisions in adaptation that book fans might view as dubious, one I find especially clever for television is that they found multiple different ways to allow characters to be be persistent even across time jumps in the narrative. It's best not to spoil those, if you're inclined to give Foundation a try. But suffice it to say, if you get Jared Harris to play a major character on your TV show, you'd be smart not to let him go too easily. Lou Llobell and Leah Harvey are the true protagonists of the first season, and both women are compelling in their roles. And Lee Pace gives good evil, which we've gotten tastes of earlier in his career without the full airing he's given here. (He has many scenes with Terrence Mann, who matches his tone moment for moment.)
On a streaming service that also has For All Mankind, Foundation is simply never going to be "the best science fiction show." (Now that Severance has arrived, it's even been knocked down a rung just for "best high-concept show on the service." But that's a topic for a future post.) Still, Foundation did capture my interest, and it might just capture yours too. I'd give it a cautious B, with hopes for growth in season two.
No comments:
Post a Comment