Foundation (1×04) Barbarians at the Gate Review

For our review of the last episode of Foundation, click here.

Barbarians at the Gate reveals even more about Hardin’s character and role. It’s still not clear as to why she’s important but there is clearly something about her that sets her from the other members of the Foundation. And, of course, she does suffer from strange lapses in time when she sees herself in different places in the galaxy. It’s hard to tell if these occurrences are just hallucinations or visions at this point, but it’s intriguing.

It’s easier to see how the story jumps back and forth between timelines and characters with Gaal Dornick’s narration present throughout. This might put some viewers off a little, but it’s an essential part of the storytelling process as each character connects directly or indirectly to another in the episode. The episode also features different versions of Cleon I with Pace’s Brother Day becoming more and more dominant as the season progresses. The relationship between the clones is one of the highlights of the series thus far, particularly now that the series offers a glimpse of Cleon I as a young man. How will his views of the galaxy and the people in it impact the events to come? There are many questions without answers, but that’s just how this story unfolds. Brother Day is also highly aggressive as well as persuasive. His persona seems to be the most dominant thus far. It’s hard to tell if it will remain that way.

Meanwhile, the episode finally introduced the first real threat to the Foundation and the Empire. These people have an essential role to play also, and as the story progresses, their struggle is revealed from this episode onwards. Are they an enemy that is worthy of the Empire’s attention? Are they even a threat at all? It appears that there’s a reason why they have come to Terminus, and their leader isn’t wasting any time making that known to Hardin.

The cinematography here is beyond amazing. For those who enjoy sweeping landscapes of foreign far-away places, they will surely be falling in love with this series right about now. The costume work is also fantastic as there is so much attention to detail in minor things such as Brother Dawn, Day and Dusk, all wearing different shades of blue for the varying shades of the day.

In the end, this was an intense episode offering some interesting character development and it will certainly be interesting to see whatever the next episode may reveal.

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