Season 2 shows why Foundation is such a revered work of fiction, exploring a layered and larger-than-life story with deep themes, all while presenting a blockbuster TV event with gorgeous visuals. This season also focuses more on more intimate character stories, which makes the macro story more meaningful by delivering compelling sci-fi drama.

“Foundation” already has enough to recommend it, thanks to rich, textured visuals and concrete world-building; married with purpose, the show may finally fully realize its aesthetic promises on the back of much-needed dramatic immediacy.

It is the emotional and thematic ambition underpinning Foundation Season 2 that pulls it all together, even as everything for the characters is beginning to come apart. It will always be a different beast than Asimov’s writing, but this second season has shown that it is a ride worth going on all the same.

Once you get past the stage setting and fake-outs, "Foundation" season 2 improves on season 1 with a narrative that eventually comes into its own and feels like time well spent.

It’s not always easy – except on the eyes, thanks to that extraordinary design – but this is sci-fi that’s worth putting the time in for. There’s nothing like a good Empire to immerse yourself in.

It’s all a bit much to properly invest in. The math and science that cleverly helped create the world of "Foundation" now feels like it didn't before—it's homework. It’s amazing such a detailed epic like “Foundation” exists. But by becoming far wider, it risks stretching its power and sense of danger too thin.

Fans of sci-fi will love this show. While the sets are a bit hokey the writing and acting are excellent as you expect from the show based on an Isaac Asimov story.

After Season 1 attempted to establish a – well – foundation to an epic space saga that spans the whole galaxy (and showed that someone at Apple is clearly in love with Lee Pace and wants to see him naked as many times as humanly possible), here comes Season 2. The good: - great visuals, in true "spared no expense" fashion. - the Cleon-clones are still a clever way to keep the same cast around during the series. Mann, Pace, and Bilton play their roles well. - Harris, Birn, and Sencindiver (Rue) are also rather good. - Laughland (Brother Constant) is cute and occasionally funny. The bad: - uneven performance by some of the younger cast members. They obviously struggle with a script so bad and wooden that it makes the widely derided dialog in George Lucas' Star Wars prequels sound Shakespearean by comparison. - the Gaal-Salvor-Tellem storyline feels forced and out of place (for now). - Smith (Queen Sareth) and Ghir (Poly Verisof) seem to be victims of their poorly written dialogs and bad directing. The ugly: even after Season 1 set quite low expectations it is still baffling how unbearably *weird* and excruciating the script is in Season 2. I have a hunch that we are experiencing the textual equivalent of the "uncanny valley," and would bet that it is a product of some generative AI – at least in part, maybe polished a bit by humans after, but still.

I loved season 1 of Foundation, and I really, really wanted to love season 2, but the writing just isn't good. We often don't know what the characters' immediate goals are or how their immediate goals are reasonably expected to help advance their long-term goals. Additionally, their long-term goals (stop the Mule and prevent the First Foundation from becoming tyrannical) are so remote that the stakes of any individual action rarely feel clear or significant. There's so much withholding of information that the solutions to the characters' problems often feel like deus ex machina. Prior to the reveal of various secret plans, technologies, and abilities in episode 10, at no point did it feel like the heroes had a realistic chance of surviving their various crises, so their victories aren't satisfying. It just feels like we're watching a series of doomed suicide missions, only to discover that at the last second that most of the danger was never real. There are at least four romantic relationships in this season, and all of them except the relationship between Bel Riose and Glawen Curr feel rushed and two-dimensional. That being said, there are some great scenes involving the three Cleons and their never-ending existential crisis. All of the performances are great, especially from Gayl, Bel Riose, and Queen Sareth. There are some great visuals as well, and we have the same great score as last season, although it is used more sparingly this time around. If you didn't like Season 1, you'll likely hate Season 2. If you did like Season 1, you'll probably only like Season 2 if you deeply love the world of the show and simply want to watch it unfold regardless of how clumsily it's done.

Four episodes in and I've already given up on watching this twice! Similarly to the first series, the storyline is ok, but the acting is abysmal, the direction is poor, and the pacing is way too slow! I'm pretty sure that I can no longer drag my way through this, despite liking the books when I was a teenager. The only redeeming part are the big budget visuals!

Like the first season, the Hari, Gaal and Salvor story arc is just awful. The Empire clones arc is much more entertaining but still highly flawed. The continuity of the storying telling here is a real problem. And if you are someone who enjoys a sci-fi story that gets the science right, don't look here. That's a shame too, because they chose to re-image an Asimov creation, someone known to really nail the science in sci-fi.