Foundation Review: Barbarians at the Gate (Season 1 Episode 4)

Foundation Season 1 Episode 4, “Barbarians at the Gate,” slowly connects some of the pieces from previous episodes. The fall that Hari predicted is starting, and everyone is realizing it. The empire is falling slowly, and as such, it isn’t the most interesting thing to watch.

There’s a slight thrill at piecing pieces of the puzzle together, like realizing that Anacreon was one of the worlds that were destroyed on Foundation Season 1 Episode 2, “Preparing to Live,” or that the boy Salvor sees is a young Raych.

We also get to see the subtle differences between Dawn and his genetically identical clones/brothers, as well as witness the growing discord between Dawn, Day, and Dusk.

Granted, these are things that need to happen slowly. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and it takes time to dismantle an empire that has been ruling for generations. Hari said as much when he made his predictions. So, we have to sit and watch the empire’s slow descent into the darkness.

There’s still a need to keep watching, to see what happens next, because “Barbarians at the Gate” ends in a way that leaves you craving more — something Foundation has proven to be good at.

The end of the hour is the most exciting part because we finally catch a glimpse of Gaal. It is about time, Foundation! We have been waiting to check back in with her and learn what happened after Raych sent her off the spaceship on “Preparing to Live.” Let’s hope it will be worth the wait.

Salvor’s connection to the vault finally manifests beyond her simply being able to approach it. Foundation really hadn’t showcased how deep that connection went or just how special Salvor is prior to this. We had been given hints, but now we get to see and understand a bit more.

It’s fascinating, and it’s one storyline that I can’t wait for Foundation to continue to explore. We’d seen Salvor hallucinate the small child on Foundation Season 1 Episode 3, “The Mathematician’s Ghost,” but Salvor being transported to a place is a whole different beast.

Part of me wonders if it is a memory of Hari’s that Salvor steps into because it would explain how she knew where she was, and the vault being connected to them makes sense somehow.

If it wasn’t a memory of his, then I have no other theories. If it were one of Raych’s, then we would be seeing it from the boy’s point of view, not of someone following him. What’s your theory?

There’s a lot more to Salvor than initially meets the eye, and it’ll be exciting to learn more about her as the rest of the series unfolds.

What did you think of this episode of Foundation? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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