Season 2 reviews/interviews: ‘FOUNDATION’ continues to stretch intellects, dazzle with its otherworldly spectacle

Preston Barta // Features Editor

‘Foundation’ follows up a strong debut with an even better second season, combining elegant storytelling and vivid characters to create an immersive sci-fi epic.

It’s difficult to come by a show that’s as intellectually stimulating, emotionally rich and visually dazzling as the Apple TV+ series Foundation.

Created by David S. Goyer (The Dark Knight trilogy) and Josh Friedman (Avatar: The Way of Water), the first season served deep, esoteric thoughts and observations about human existence while set in a distant universe. It’s like imagining the Roman Empire dropped in a futuristic society. Things are coming undone, the fate of humanity is at stake, and civilization needs to be rebuilt. There’s a band of exiles, a royal family of clones, and a genius with the mind of Good Will Hunting. It’s a classic good versus evil with monumental intrigue scattered everywhere.

Its newly-released second season continues to expand its deep thinking themes, explosive ideas and wonderfully eccentric character work. We have new and familiar faces raising Cane, getting into naked fights (within a few minutes) and plenty of conversations with dialogue that manages to penetrate the soul. 

Try the first episode’s opening narration on for size: “Any [person] can be a success, but it takes a mad [person] to be great.”

Is success achievable by anyone? Were the most successful and celebrated people in our history a bit mad when creating their timeless work? It’s a lot to keep your mind running, but that’s this show. It asks big questions without leaving the viewer exhausted. You’re like, “Huh. That’s a curious thought, but did you see Lee Pace breaking those necks like he’s Viggo Mortensen in Eastern Promises?” 

It’s all good fun, too, and with characters whom you can invest in – especially the royal family of clones – a.k.a. the Galactic Empire/genetic dynasty, which is made up of three brothers or one clone at three different ages (portrayed by Pace, Terrence Mann and Cassian Bilton). Talk about immortality. But does every acting Emperor of the galaxy have the same thoughts and follow the same patterns? You can’t expect a sibling to have the same relationships as the others, but their ruling depends on them maintaining what they have for the past 18 generations. And that’s the thrill of the new season: rules are starting to be broken, characters have their secrets, and it’s all going to lead somewhere fantastically bloody.

We also see characters who shared no screen in the first season cross paths here, notably Gaal Dornick (Lou Llobell) and Salvor Hardin (Leah Harvey). It’s their conversations and challenges that really kick up the ticker and weigh down the heart. Salvor desperately wants to connect with Gaal (for reasons that shall remain a mystery to you if you don’t know already), and Gaal is not entirely on the same level. But here’s to hoping things develop as the adventures pick up speed and intensity. 

And then there’s Hari Seldon (a spectacular Jared Harris), who, if you know what happened in season one, is a brain living on without a body. His knowledge, discoveries and beliefs have jump-started new religions and all kinds of weird but unquestionably human reactions. It’s a fascinating road that runs parallel with the genetic dynasty.

What would it be like to have your mind live on well beyond your expiration date? If you are an artist, how would your art change as you entered new decades and witnessed technological and cultural developments? It’s a lot to think about (again).

Season two is on a more accessible and peculiar path than before. It’s becoming increasingly cinematic and poetic. So, allow it to continue working at expanding your mind and immersing you in a far-out world.

Cast & Creator Q&A

Before you run off to the newest season, watch our six video interviews below. We talk with showrunner David S. Goyer and cast members Lee Pace, Laura Birn, Jared Harris, Cassian Bilton, Leah Harvey and Kulvinder Ghir. Learn more about this wicked reality, character complexities, and their unique language. It may even get profoundly heartfelt. Enjoy!

Lee Pace (“Brother Day”) & Laura Birn (“Demerzel”)

Jared Harris (“Hari Seldon”)

David S. Goyer (showrunner, executive producer, writer and director)

Leah Harvey (“Salvor Hardin”)

Cassian Bilton (“Brother Dawn”)

Kulvinder Ghir (“Poly Verisof”)

The first episode is now available to stream on Apple TV+. New episodes are released weekly on Fridays.