Foundation (1×03) The Mathematician’s Ghost Review

For our review of the 2 episode premiere of Foundation, click here.

The Mathematician’s Ghost saw how “The Empire” (and Cleon I) managed their legacy and control over the galaxy. It also offered viewers more of a glimpse into the lives of Brother Dusk, Brother Dawn and Brother Day. As alike as these three men seem to be, gradually, you will begin to see cracks in their personas. Even though they are clones, they really are as different as dusk is to dawn. Brother Dusk is nearing his end when he will complete the final stage of the life cycle. It’s quite a melancholy scene, and one might be surprised to feel somewhat sorry for the clones as they fill their quota as leaders of the galaxy only to be reborn again over and over.

Time itself is an important factor in Foundation. The story itself spans lifetimes, spanning thousands of years, consistently moving forwards and backwards throughout the season and sometimes several times within any given episode. While it may be difficult to keep track of each character and their impact on the story, it is executed extremely well with a minimal impact on the overall pacing of each episode. Meanwhile, the episode offers more insight into Hardin who is still a mystery at this stage. At this point, just enough information is provided for viewers to begin forming an opinion about the characters thus far. But this saga, if expanded upon, will be a long one. There are a lot of stories yet to tell and a lot more to discover, including other planets, other cultures and religions.

On top of the added information about the legacy of Cleon I, the episode offers more background history on The Empire’s trusted right hand Demerzel (Laura Birn). She is an unknown entity until this point but her role on the growth of the imperial legacy is clearly a crucial one, one can only assume. But what’s for sure is that she is probably not the type to be taken lightly. There just has to be something dangerous about her under that calm exterior. Finally, the episode offers a glimpse of the planet Terminus, a planet that is featured throughout the season and is one of the most important planets in this story. That being said, it also leaves viewers with a few questions, such as what is the strange obelisk on Terminus?

Why is it there, and who put it there? Nobody on Terminus knows the answers to these questions, but they are eventually answered later in the season.

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