Foundation on Apple TV

[ctg]

Thank you all for your replies. They are needed. Not just for us but for the producers, who might be actually scanning these posts, as we have often found out. To me it's clear that the Fruit Company has invested heavily in the spectacular SF, especially in on Space Pron as their other flagship product is the For The Mankind. The intriguing detail is that FtM is Alt History and Alt Future, while this series is definitely Alternative Future.

There is no multiverse, but there is something that I can feel being part of the Fantasy class and I'm intrigued if they'll dip into it or will they stay in the SF realm. As far as what comes to the GoT style play with the Empire of Mankind, I don't mind, but they should totally expand and embrace the court cast to give it depth and intrigue.

And on personal level, it's good to see Far Futuristic stuff that isn't SW or ST. Do you agree?

Also as a note, this isn't over an hour long episode as they have cut time to under just fifty minutes.

Spoiler: S01E03 - The Mathemacian's Ghost

It's interesting that Eto is essentially an immortal machine. In the Raised by Wolves, she would be a droid god, while in the Foundation she is the vessel that carries the story over the millenniums. To her, time has different meaning, but in reality it's interesting that she seems to remember a lot of the events, even though the share number of notions must be filling her memory storage.

In the episode, we saw that at the beginning of the Genetic Dynasty the Emperor had a choice and he was still doing to the good thing, even caring about the state of the Imperium. But over the four hundred years of cloning the same seed thing really effed and all that was good were ruined by corruption of the 'elite organism.'

Some could even claim that "Absolute power corrupts absolutely."

I love watching the hubris of the elite. The choices they think are important and the people, who serve them with dignity. It's just seeing Brother Dusk in his questionable underwear I would have certainly giggled. I could not have kept a straight face. But the Tailor were absolutely into all of it, and he represent the same cast of people that fixes the living fresco. A highly skilled individual that are next to nothing in eyes of the Empire.

With that I mean the acting Empire. He doesn't seem to care about any of the legacy and that must heavily weigh in Hari's equation. It's just how do you measure it. How do you put in all the variables that affect the outcome?

It troubled me that he claimed to Brother Dusk that the Imperium will somehow replicate the StarBridge program, even though they were heading straight into the chaos and the darkness of the Fall.

In the idea level that variations in the soul should work for the advance of the Genetic Dynasty, but in the practical level it seems that the corruption is in the gene part. From what we know it needs to replicate and renew through mutation. In the Dynasty version that error keep creeping into the clones as the time advances. And with an evil soul, with too much power, the Fall of the Imperium is inevitable.

Even I can make that out, and I'm not a mathematician.

So is Hari's play just a clever analysis or did he actually figure out how the cosmos works?

Also I don't get why the Dynasty has termination program for the clones and why the last one is called Darkness?

The first Cleo was preserved, but we saw that there was nothing left of the emperor, when he went through the termination program. Is that how they become digitised memories for the pedestals?

So Terminus is what we call today as Super-Earth. It has large moons, oceans, greenery and mountains and that famous thin blue line. From those brief shots, it also seemed to have volcanic plumes. Therefore, a living planet, with a lot to offer for the colonists.

It surprised me that the Vault location artifact was already there and the colonists couldn't explain it at all. They wrapped some foil and came up with the aliens theory, just like us with unexplainable technology. And also just like us, everyone were dismissing it, because of the alien angle. They cannot be real, can they?

It's just nobody was saying nothing about alien fauna. To my eyes it looked very alien.

I loved seeing another Council meeting. Them arguing over the minute details that means nothing in the galactic timescale. A thousand year or that matter five millenniums is nothing, but to human timescale it's everything.

Going back to sundial time measuring is one way of doing things, but it's not the only way. It's just none of them are doing anything to gather all the knowledge, including that bad stuff so that nobody has to reinvent the wheel and go through the wrong stuff.

I understand the argument of having one system, but when you're rebuilding the civilisation can you be selective, when one solution doesn't apply to all? Just like the town cannot be expanding just next to the Null field without some sort of measurements.

I loved listening to the Privateer's banter on the different systems. It is that Asimov magic, his descriptions that veer on the plausible territory. But when you take into the account all that we know about the exoplanets and their exotic compositions, all that he was saying were definitely plausible. And absolutely in territory that used to inspire so many people to join the space programs.

But what he's talking about is interstellar trade done in the real time, also by breaking the rules by going to places faster than light can travel. It is not like you'll have a trader that travels in sublight speeds and then reports back five hundred years later.

You could not have a human relationship with normal physics, could you? Interstellar trade has problems and the sins of the Empire in the Imperial outpost certainly presents an intriguing problem.

So what should they do? I mean really, as in their shoes alliance with the imperial enemy is also a possibility.

 

[Vince W]

I agree that it's nice to have something that isn't SW or ST but I had hoped to get a little more Asimov and a lot less Martin. It's turning this classic book into a formulaic, by the numbers, shock quest. The goal here isn't to tell a great story but rather tell enough story to set viewers up for the next shock to keep them interested until the next episode.

 

[Valtharius]

I'm not a Fruit Company subscriber but it sounds like about what I expected. I guess Asimov is just too...intellectual for a mass audience? Is that the problem?

 

[Vince W]

I don't think Asimov is too intellectual. Quite the opposite. His writing is clear, concise, and easy to grasp. It's just not violent or titillating enough for today's desensitised audiences.

 

[Valtharius]

Yeah that sounds about right.

 

[Elckerlyc]

I am still not thrilled, after watching episode 3. Perhaps I'll write a review tomorrow. when I have found the proper words to describe it.

 

[BAYLOR]

I don't think Asimov is too intellectual. Quite the opposite. His writing is clear, concise, and easy to grasp. It's just not violent or titillating enough for today's desensitised audiences.

The plan is for the show 8 seasons. Will they make it?

 

[Vince W]

Episode 3. Bland and directionless. They're edging into 'The Mayors' territory but rather poorly.

Unsurprisingly they've added a lot of extraneous material but they can't seem to decide how they want characters to be portrayed. In the first two episodes, the Emperor(s) are clearly meant to be hated but then we're supposed to feel sorry for them?

What's clearly missing is Asimov's firm belief that intelligence and careful planning will do more than threats and aggression.

The plan is for the show 8 seasons. Will they make it?

Given the current tone and direction; unlikely.

I know it sounds like I want this series to fail but I'm quite the opposite. They could've added a lot of needless padding as long as they had kept the clear story Asimov gave us. I'm actually desperate for this series to be great but so far no luck.

Remember the first two seasons of Star Trek: The Next Generation? They were pretty dismal at points but by the third things really came together. This may be the problem with limited series like this. Eight or ten episodes a series is not enough to come to grips with the characters by the actors and the fans, especially for something as big as Foundation.

A longer series would give everyone a chance to breathe and relieve the pressure on the characters and the stories. I guess we'll have to wait and see.

 

[ctg]

I have thought and thought about how they could fix and I have to agree that I was feeling lost with number of cast, especially with them not addressing themselves with names. There is a lot that could and should be done to allow the cast to breath, and I'm not sure if there is a material for eight seasons, when they are taking huge leaps.

It's just they've already wrapped up the filming and what we'll see is coming straight from the post-production FX teams. So, there is a little room for improvements in story wise. In the next season they have another chance to slow down the pace and allow some padding. Maybe even a filler episode or two.

So I think we'll have to take the first season as it is and hope that Fruit Company reads these comments.

 

[zeph]

nm...

 

[ctg]

nm...

Don't be scared, please. I know it can be intimidating to throw out your thoughts and opinions, but it is also a pleasure as you get to express your point of view. There is nothing wrong on voicing your thoughts. It is welcomed here.

 

[ctg]

Maybe it's me but they've changed the title sequence and it goes much more along the ideas that can be found in the original covers and the art books. Also note that they've again cut down the runtime, this one being around the 44 minute mark. A top imdb comment also says, from a none book reader that the character development has become lazy and that there are pacing issues, with the episode score standing at 7.4 at the writing moment.

Spoiler: 1.04 - Barbarians at the Gates (Panic, hide the rum!)

"Once, a man came to Hari Seldon and asked to be told his fate. He wanted to know whether the predictive model could chart the significance of his life. But Hari told him only the movements of masses could be predicted."

The story itself counters Hari's claim on being able to chart the course of next five or so millenias and the hypothesis behind his death is that he orchestrated the end of his life. The story itself is a part of the Hard SF, with the knowledge of old school mathematician behind it. It is what it is, but it's not the whole truth, because of course the model can be applied to chart all sorts of things, not just masses.

The story explanation is, "The fate of one individual will always remain a mystery," throwing again a wedge in Hari's ability to predict his presence in the equation and what it would do to the balance of things. Sure it's hard, but there's another SF classic called Cattage that breaths into the lump of cindered coal. In it a man works against the system that is geared on being able to predict one's life and therefore put him in the best position. But the man cheats the "transhuman" system by being a normal man (well trained and disciplined).

The system and Hari's equation doesn't count in the anomalies, but the timeline does. I bet Hari's equation cannot predict their appearance and how much they can influence the history, but it should and if it doesn't Gall should absolutely fix it, in order to give the Foundation the most accurate model of the universe and its movements.

It's kind of funny that neither ST nor SW never approached the Hard SF and maths. But what is interesting is that ST approves the multiverse, while SW shies away from it. We know through the physic experiments that it is a real thing. Not just tales invented in writers heads.

The hard truth is that the Future is not set in stone, it fluctuates.

Why is it that only Day seems to have power and the rest has to accept his will? It is also a bit difficult for the viewer to understand the gravity of the play the ambassador presented to the dynasty, before Dawn popped the question about the Primary Octavo - the soul transference or its state after the death.

It goes well along the title Barbarians at the Gates, because the Empire position is always against the radicalism, including ideas. It is as if they have put themselves into a box and refuse to acknowledge that there is anything outside the norm. In other words there is only the box.

The problem is that trio doesn't see that they all have souls and that they have a whole hall full of souls that completely debunk through the evidence Primary Octavo theory. They cannot see further then their nose.

Why are the so-called barbarians wearing a leather armour? I get that they lost their home systems to the Imperium, but they still have access to the military vessels and other equipment. Where are their power armours that Imperium is showing at above shot?

It is an intriguing detail in similar way on how the Warden fooled the nomads with her knowledge on the land and technology. If you're able to cross the vast distances in interstellar space, then surely you must have more knowledge then what the chief hunter were having in that land speeder.

Warden also seem to be the only realist in the Foundation. She has a good eye on the detail and she ain't scared on calling BS on scientists ideas. What she lacks is the experience and through that the wisdom, specifically trust on her intuition. Not everyone has it, but those who do, like the Warden can train herself to trust it more. But that also breaths into coal of Hari's equation, because the intuition predicts near future, ie. you have a feeling about something is about to happen and you'll have an idea about what to do about it.

I love how she used it to read the barbarian woman, but at the end it was on bar with telepathy. Almost as if she knew exactly but she just needed time to read the hunter and figure out her identity. Only she couldn't figure out what it meant and she almost panicked when the barbarians showed force.

I get that the leaders feels pressure, but she's (the Warden) is clearly under it because she's lacking on the experience. All direct evidence of the character development.

It throws me off that the Genetic Dynasty always wear the same face, and that the Brother Day is always a d*ck. It's like somethings never changes, even though they have different souls. But further they go down the timeline, more they seem to open eyes to the history lessons.

Maybe, therefore, there is some truth on the Primary Octavo theory as the pattern keeps repeating itself no matter whose behind the wheel. But it is hard to see if the Dynasty is getting worse, when the pattern stays the same.

The Empire couldn't even believe in the factual science. All the dynasty is doing is making sure it's going to fall ... at some point.

Not barbarians. They are very cunning and capable of more than showing force. It's like they enjoy playing ruses. They clearly understands the technology and its value. Maybe even better after the Imperium assaulted their systems.

I don't agree with the imdb top comment, the pacing is fine. And so is the character development.

 

[zeph]

Don't be scared, please. I know it can be intimidating to throw out your thoughts and opinions, but it is also a pleasure as you get to express your point of view. There is nothing wrong on voicing your thoughts. It is welcomed here.

Best to say nothing at all if you have nothing good to say. I’ve already expressed my disappointment with the show, no need to continue harping on it. Episode 4 did nothing to change my feeling about the show. It all looks magnificent, but it’s not Foundation.

Also, an earlier post was removed by the mods for ”politics”, and as a noob here I don’t want to be that guy.

 

[BAYLOR]

Best to say nothing at all if you have nothing good to say. I’ve already expressed my disappointment with the show, no need to continue harping on it. Episode 4 did nothing to change my feeling about the show. It all looks magnificent, but it’s not Foundation.

Also, an earlier post was removed by the mods for ”politics”, and as a noob here I don’t want to be that guy.

It's gotten a second season renewal.

 

[ctg]

This episode is around 51 minutes long and I forgot that the Foundation is on. So, apologies, but seeing from IMDBs score of 7.2 that I didn't miss anything or did I?

Spoiler: 1.05 - Upon Awakening

Well, it seems we got a background story for Gaal. Two episodes she has been missing, presumably lost in space. And since it so massive, with no boundaries, finding one rescue pod ... seems impossible. Hence why we haven't seen any search and rescue efforts, until the writers comes along and rescue the character from oblivion.

I am personally guilty for doing that sort of activity, just to keep tension up and in Foundation timeline, they could have kept her in dark for a very long time. In fact, I would have reconstructed the episodes a bit differently, and not giving Hari or Gaal so much time in the opening episodes, but instead I'd have used flashbacks to flesh out that story.

Why should I care about her, when there's more understandable characters like for example Warden in the Terminus? I don't and to be honest, at the moment I don't care as I don't see her function in the bigger picture. So, to me the religious debate between reason and probability lost its meaning.

Seeing Gaal dooming her teacher to the sea just made me lose hope on the character and I wished her to be lost in the space for forever. It certainly didn't make me feel any better, when she went to fish out the texts from twenty meter depth and then after studying, she continue doing religious debates on things.

It's as if the controversies are tearing her apart.

As soon as she'd been rescued from the void I started to care. I was with her in the Awakening and in terror of beign absolutely clueless about anything. Including that fact that she'd been in sleep for over thirty years.

The Ai certainly was unhelpful and it remained true to its core by being the brains of the rescue ship. What I don't get is how it had all the information about the events, including the trial and the execution of Raych Foss. Gall used words search and the Ai replayed immediately, even though in my mind the ship was accessing a galactic internet.

Where's the lag?

Not that it mattered as Gaal saved the show by hacking the Ai by using science and maths.

What I don't get is that how Foss had organised the ship? Is this again about the fact that Hari had calculated his death into the equation and Foss willingly acted upon it?

Also the last scene, is the big man alive or is he a hologram, a ghost in the machine?

"Pull up a wide-spectrum planetary scans. I want population, power plants, weapons."

Ensign looks at her console and replies, "Primary power source is a geothermal cell ten klicks north."



Well done ensign, well done. Hilarious cock up and it completely broke the illusion. I loved the Imperial entrance to already tensile situation and seeing the Grand Huntress smirking on the news I guesses that blood spilling was in the order.

To be honest, if the quality of the Imperial forces is such that they cannot do a proper justice for the readings then they should be doomed, even though they arrived as a cavalry rescue. So I liked that the barbarians acted smart and jammed the signals, before the imperial commander got enough of information.

It's just he didn't and the pompous idiot went straight into the trap, instead of being the smart one. In his shoes I would have commenced drop pods and all the invasion article, including calling back up against those three destroyers.

Warden acted smartly by trying to take out the Grand Huntress, as under numbered it was her only card that she could play, without ordering her people to stand down.

Now at least they stood on their feet instead of begged for mercy on their knees. The pompous idiot captain, farewell, we didn't need you.

 

[Elckerlyc]

Spoiler

Albeit far from perfect, I found this one of the better episodes. Not good, but better.
Gaal's backstory comes at a curious moment, now that it added little to nothing on what was already known or hinted at in episode 1. And at the same time it fell short by not fleshing out enough the religion on Synnax(?) and its hostile attitude towards acquiring knowledge. It does however take courage and time to wrestle yourself free from such a tight and restricted community, where nothing can happen or being said without someone noticing it. The backstory wasn't in all aspects convincing. But I find this to be the problem with the series as a whole so far, with a narrating which is often a bit too sketchy, jumpy and often with fleeting hints at certain facts or events. The whole feels unsteady and cluttered.

The survival of Gaal didn't come as a surprise. I had already concluded that a comeback was in the works. Nothing else of what Raych did would make sense otherwise. And above all, we didn't see her dead, only put in cryo-sleep in a rescue-pod and disappear into deep space. It had al been prepared and staged.
Gaal may been clever in the way she circumvented an obnoxious AI, she failed however continuously to ask whose authority it was that the AI requested. This, I guess, will turn out to be Hari Seldon (but that would have been a give away, hence Gaal didn't ask.) We see finally something that presumably is a hologram of Hari, with puddles of holographic blood. Hari's blood, which Gaal will find on the knife Raych dropped next to Gaal in the rescue pod. It has been shown repeatedly, still dripping with blood.
Or Hari may show up himself. He was 'buried' in a casket he especially had prepared for himself. The burial followed more or less the same route Gaal's rescue pod had.

The Empirical cruiser blasted out of hyperspace (or whatever mode of FTL is being used) directly overhead of the one small settling on the whole planet. I am always so impressed by these miraculous events. The commander promptly shows he hadn't done his homework in advance. "Pull up wide-spectrum planetary scans. I want population, power plants, weapons." What did he expect to find on Terminus, a 30 year old settlement of exiles?
What he should have expected was some hostilities, but he comes wholly unprepared for one single shot by artillery. Goodbye cruiser. No one wonder the Empire is going to Fall.
But will the settlement on Terminus survive? Not by another miraculous appearance, surely?

All in all this episode was entertaining and, to some degree, exciting. But the writing remains sloppy. (To be clear, not Asimov's fault.)

 

[Vince W]

It's gotten a second season renewal.

Apple has too few shows not to renew.

 

[ctg]

Spoiler

But will the settlement on Terminus survive? Not by another miraculous appearance, surely?

Spoiler

Surely it will survive and they just got supplies from that crash landed ship. They might not get weapons, but they'll get alloys, electronics, software updates, hardware updates, maybe even a couple good power cores.

It's just will the writers allow such exploitation and positive growth for the community?

 

[ctg]

6.7 on iMdb, interesting. The length is around 55 minutes.

Spoiler: 1.06 - Death and the Maiden

I find it extremely interesting that the Spacers are all taller and have bigger eyes then we do. It is breathing into the theory that in the darkness of space your eyes evolve, they become bigger to catch more light.

They also seemed to worship the embodiment of the ultimate transhuman, the Emperor as if he's the salvation. From his point of view, he doesn't even consider the worshippers being human. Demerzel kind of confirmed it by saying that the human mind cannot comprehend the warp space, making the Spacers as a different species ... in the theory.

So, Asimov's human only spacetime continuum goes away and the series leans on the fact that we are not alone in the universe. And that seems rile up some of the commentators in the iMdb, because the fruit company is going against the known facts.

"How is it that you believe," Emperor asked.

Demerzel thought for a moment and answered, "From the moment you come into the world, you and your brothers know your purpose. But the rest of us have to seek these things on our own."

"But... you know your purpose. It's to serve my brothers, to serve me, to serve the Empire above all. It's literally written into your code."

She nodded. "And I am quite fullfilled in that purpose. But the search for meaning is not always about the answer. It's also the process of seeking that enlightens. The goddesses didn't choose to be split into three. They long to be made one again. The salty terrain of the Maiden is said to be their tears. But it was their sacrifice that graced the rest of with wholeness. At every point in our lives, we have the power to choose our own path."

Like in Asimov's books the droids are great teachers, just because of their longevity. They have their programming and their rules. And yet they are their own lives and their own free will. And in this case, she chose to believe rather than staying completely logical and cold.

You look at ST's Data as an example, and he too, even though blessed with longevity he chose life and family. Not just to stay as a machine, but as a machine with a soul. But we can't say that she has a ghost inside the machine, because that is totally different concept. It's just that over the time and generations, she developed her own soul. Just like you can experience with Asimov's robots.

We can be glad that Robin Williams showed that side very well in Bicentennial Man.

The Salt Palace, what magnificent fortress. That ain't natural place, even if the foundation looks erosion patterns. But it also makes you think that why they chose to do it over fifteen thousand years ago, when the space flight and all the advanced technologies were already there?

The Luminecent people aren't dump or unsophisticated. It made me giggle when their intellect surpassed Emperor's wisdom. Brother Day has so much to learn and by the time he has done on learning everything in their vast empire, he has already turned to Dawn and knowledge is lost, when the cycle renews itself. Everything remains as it was.

It impressed me that the Imperium offered to "build a moon-wide desalination system" instead of saying, "You now have peace." But when you think about all those three trillion souls praising the empire, it is a small price to pay for the loyalty. For a keeping the status-quo instead of Hari's Chaos.

[Imgur](https://imgur.com/uRWJwg1)

Damn, that Imperium cruiser almost disintegrated. In the Star Wars we have seen proper battle damage, and the ruins of vessels littering planet surfaces. But in this series, almost nothing was left. And yet, the pompous captain somehow survived with a couple of bruises and cuts to his face. How is this possible?

I admire how well the Barbarians put together the takeover and the purge. It was all planned, before the Grand Huntress revealed the true aim, the Vault. It is the great unknown to them as well. The StarShip is just a step and it really intrigued me that their aim was to restore the Imperial Vessel for a possible strike.

Hari most certainly didn't think that the knowledge stored in the Foundation was going to be used to aim on act of war, when he spoke about it. And I really doubted that he counted in that the Barbarians were going to use a ghost ship for the mission.

I like that they bring in a hint of fantasy and bring in the relics like the Invictus. Warden called it as the First Seldon crisis. Then again, I'd say that taking our three corvettes with a three man team against a company of strike troops is a suicide mission.

When the heat turned up, she shouted, "There's too many."

That Ms Warden is a facepalm moment. You effed it up by thinking you're superior against the numbers. Heroism happens when you take actions that a grave, but you do them anyway, despite the risk. That's what the old man did. He sacrificed himself for the greater good and took out the corvettes. Plus whoever was left of those fighters.

Damn, Hari ordered his death. So, maybe he absolutely predicted the movements of certain things in the future, but he also needed for his death to happen so that the equation would remain true. It is almost like a plot point in a con job. And the explanation was that remaining with Gaal was impossible, because everything hinged on the murder plot. A little step towards the chaos instead of doing it all for real ... as he'd solemnly vowed in his speech.

That scheming *******. LOL.

This was the most tensile scene in the episode. I was wriggling and gringing in my chair, while thinking that's super dangerous. Especially when the chemistry takes over and you lose the sense from your mind as the passion and sexdrive takes over.

Man, the balls on the colour blinded Emperor, they're made from brass. Slip and you're gone with your new partner. Who the hell needs forcefields. when you have balls and mind like that?

Damn woman, telling to Emperor's face that he's no holy. The mighty arrogance. Man, that made me smile like nothing else. Think about doing that to Pope's face, and you know what the reaction will be. She spoke clearly about the stagnation and corruption that is in the heart of the Imperium.

It is the truth that the Imperium cannot accept. The lives of all individuals in the galaxy should be tied to one tyranny. It is not right that everything piles to dynasty.

I liked it and I thought it was a good episode.

 

[ctg]

7.4 on iMdb. The length is just shy over 47 minutes.

Spoiler: S01E07 - Mysteries and Martyrs

I could say that after Hari's death there has been a lot of speculation on whether the galaxy is on downfall or not. Without Warden's boyfriend telling us that they'd left the mining business, because the empire stopped supplying hardware to outer rim, I wouldn't have really known that it's happening.

Why? Well, let's just say that a galaxy is a big place and even in SW the conflict was only about in the half of the systems. Not in all of them. Yet, Hari's prediction talks about all. Yet, it has not happened. The business is as usual, even though there is some decrepitation.

What I don't get is why the Invictus was abandoned in the Outer Reaches? But I liked that they did the boarding with space suits. A daring job as a pebble can end the run. They looked motionless in the footage, but just like with any 'space junk' one is enough to create a very bad day.

In fact, their approach was nothing but easy and I kept thinking how many men can they lose, before they are too low on numbers. But the Grand Huntress didn't care. All she wanted was the massive ship, the doomsday weapon. Everything else could go to hell.

Thing is, if she would have told that the Invictus had malfunctioned and were in the verge of jumping away again, they could have put together a plan, instead of trusting in the Hail Mary.

Well, get it done before it jumps again. That is a serious pressure, with no guarantees on the survival. Until the Grand Huntress told the plan on suicidal strike on Trantor I thought they were trying to make up a fleet.

Brother Day, it must be hard when you realise that you're no longer a god. Not that the Genetic Dynasty has ever been gods. They are just humans, and it's kind of weird how much all of the power has gone into their heads.

I think Cleon I would have been pleased for some activity instead of stagnation that happened in the Imperium of Man. Not him. Not the dynasty. I loved watching Brother Day squirming when the priest told what's what directly to his face.

Thing is I didn't see Brother Day taking action on his hands and doing things actually instead of hiding behind the facade of the Imperium. Just like what new Brother Dawn is with his beloved as he is living his life instead of following the protocol..

Dawn said that they are all copies and the changes are not really allowed. And that is the problem. There is no easy fix. Not without breaking the protocol and allowing the chaos to renew things. Who knows, maybe the Dynasty survives through mutation.

So everything's effed. Gaal was no supposed to be in the resurrection ship. She was suppose to lead the Foundation through its first crisis. Raych was supposed to live and somehow enable for Hari to remain as a ghost in the machine. To me that completely throws out Hari's predictions as it makes his math faulty.

in fact, he knew his prediction being faulty and that he needed to be a cog in machine that would go through the time to reach the Foundation at the end. Strangest thing is that Gaal saw the math faulty but she chose to play the game.

What I couldn't predict and neither did Hari is Gaal turning to a sage or to an oracle. Only she's following her dreams instead of seeing them to others.

So fantasy meets reality in Asimov's play.