The Foundation makes the long journey to Terminus as Gaal and Raych grow closer. The Empire faces a difficult decision.
In 2020, the television industry aired 493 scripted shows across numerous outlets. The way people consume content now is different than it used to be. It happens according to one's own schedule. As such, it's less necessary to provide ample coverage of each episode in any given season from a show. Moreover, it is simply impossible to watch everything. As such, this site provides shorter episodic reviews in order to cover as many shows as possible. With all of that being said, here are my thoughts on the next episode of AppleTV+'s Foundation.
"Preparing to Live" was written by Josh Friedman & David S. Goyer and directed by Andrew Bernstein
The purpose of life has become to prepare the next version of humanity with all the gifts that have been accumulated by this one. Hari offers that perspective to the world. As such, he has amassed a group of followers. These people hang on his every word. He offers them complete certainty. He knows that the mission they are about to embark on will be treacherous. Every single detail of life will have to be accounted for and measured. He and Gaal are analyzing every single detail and mapping out the odds in how it helps the overall survival of this project. It's all an abstract theory. But now, people are putting it into action. Hari is revered for offering that clarity. People want to perceive him as this aloof deity predicting what the average human cannot possibly know. He is expanding the universe while also declaring its end. As such, it's startling when he presents as part of their lives. He too wants to be engaged in this society. And yet, Gaal can offer the truth. She knows that Hari hasn't figured out every piece of this puzzle. Sure, that accounts for some stilted dialogue where people complain about the math as if it's the most important thing in the world. It's what everyone should place their hopes and dreams on. It's a more universal story when it becomes about one man with charisma attracting a flock to his view of the world. Many are in awe of it. Plenty are skeptical of his theory too. They don't want to radically change their lives in order to accommodate what he says will happen. It's impossible for him to predict the entire future. That's what he proclaims though. Gaal wants to be more rational. And yet, her actions have consequences too. She would love a peaceful life with Raych as they build a family on Terminus. The crew on this ship have years to prepare for that new world where they can start over. Gaal is the only person with the clarity of knowing the importance of choosing what ideas to preserve for the next evolution of man. It's a daunting task for people to decide what gets to live on. So many different cultures and ideas exist in the world. And now, a select few are deciding which matter. Gaal has largely walked away from the faith she was brought up in. The math is all that she believes in now. That can blind her to a certain extent. She does so with the peril she has placed Hari in for revealing that he doesn't have all the answers. He is human. So many look to him as something more. Something much greater. He has brought them peace. She presents as someone who can shatter that illusion. She must be protected. People are cautious around her. They fear that she is an extension of the person who will decide what matters in this new world. People still want their own agency. That may be taken away from them. It may only be entrusted to those who proclaim themselves as more worthy. The same applies to the Emperors. They present as the face of a strong and stable empire. Their rule has only lasted so long with prosperity because of the structure that keeps them at the helm. They have individual lives. They have specific roles that offer them unique perspectives during every single crisis. And yet, Eto acknowledges that the Emperor makes the same decision over and over again. His mentality never changes. The way he perceives the world is resolute. And so, two planets are essentially destroyed. It's brutal and horrifying. He projects himself as a man of peace. He sentences people to their deaths. He does so not knowing if any of them are responsible for the attack. He just needs to inflect more suffering. The quest for knowledge is felt throughout this universe. Their capabilities are vast. But mysteries still persist. They have more power to reach out in the hopes of finding answers. That also means they have more ability to hurt far more people. That's playing out in both sides of this conflict in determining the security of the world. As such, it may all be destined to collapse. Raych may act out of a need to save Gaal. However, that leaves her isolated and alone once more as she is mystified as to why Raych would have killed his adoptive father. That's a pivotal action that seems a little artificial and forced. It's all based around the development of Raych as someone who doesn't understand the math but is loyal to the mission now losing his faith. That's tangled up in personal relationships with both Hari and Gaal. It's just too sudden for it to come across as genuine. It's mostly just a shocking twist to send the audience spinning into the next episode.
The purpose of life has become to prepare the next version of humanity with all the gifts that have been accumulated by this one. Hari offers that perspective to the world. As such, he has amassed a group of followers. These people hang on his every word. He offers them complete certainty. He knows that the mission they are about to embark on will be treacherous. Every single detail of life will have to be accounted for and measured. He and Gaal are analyzing every single detail and mapping out the odds in how it helps the overall survival of this project. It's all an abstract theory. But now, people are putting it into action. Hari is revered for offering that clarity. People want to perceive him as this aloof deity predicting what the average human cannot possibly know. He is expanding the universe while also declaring its end. As such, it's startling when he presents as part of their lives. He too wants to be engaged in this society. And yet, Gaal can offer the truth. She knows that Hari hasn't figured out every piece of this puzzle. Sure, that accounts for some stilted dialogue where people complain about the math as if it's the most important thing in the world. It's what everyone should place their hopes and dreams on. It's a more universal story when it becomes about one man with charisma attracting a flock to his view of the world. Many are in awe of it. Plenty are skeptical of his theory too. They don't want to radically change their lives in order to accommodate what he says will happen. It's impossible for him to predict the entire future. That's what he proclaims though. Gaal wants to be more rational. And yet, her actions have consequences too. She would love a peaceful life with Raych as they build a family on Terminus. The crew on this ship have years to prepare for that new world where they can start over. Gaal is the only person with the clarity of knowing the importance of choosing what ideas to preserve for the next evolution of man. It's a daunting task for people to decide what gets to live on. So many different cultures and ideas exist in the world. And now, a select few are deciding which matter. Gaal has largely walked away from the faith she was brought up in. The math is all that she believes in now. That can blind her to a certain extent. She does so with the peril she has placed Hari in for revealing that he doesn't have all the answers. He is human. So many look to him as something more. Something much greater. He has brought them peace. She presents as someone who can shatter that illusion. She must be protected. People are cautious around her. They fear that she is an extension of the person who will decide what matters in this new world. People still want their own agency. That may be taken away from them. It may only be entrusted to those who proclaim themselves as more worthy. The same applies to the Emperors. They present as the face of a strong and stable empire. Their rule has only lasted so long with prosperity because of the structure that keeps them at the helm. They have individual lives. They have specific roles that offer them unique perspectives during every single crisis. And yet, Eto acknowledges that the Emperor makes the same decision over and over again. His mentality never changes. The way he perceives the world is resolute. And so, two planets are essentially destroyed. It's brutal and horrifying. He projects himself as a man of peace. He sentences people to their deaths. He does so not knowing if any of them are responsible for the attack. He just needs to inflect more suffering. The quest for knowledge is felt throughout this universe. Their capabilities are vast. But mysteries still persist. They have more power to reach out in the hopes of finding answers. That also means they have more ability to hurt far more people. That's playing out in both sides of this conflict in determining the security of the world. As such, it may all be destined to collapse. Raych may act out of a need to save Gaal. However, that leaves her isolated and alone once more as she is mystified as to why Raych would have killed his adoptive father. That's a pivotal action that seems a little artificial and forced. It's all based around the development of Raych as someone who doesn't understand the math but is loyal to the mission now losing his faith. That's tangled up in personal relationships with both Hari and Gaal. It's just too sudden for it to come across as genuine. It's mostly just a shocking twist to send the audience spinning into the next episode.
