Foundation Review: The First Crisis (Season 1 Episode 9)
Foundation Season 1 Episode 9, “The First Crisis,” is a little bit deceptive.
It starts out like your normal episode of Foundation. We’ve got Salvor doing her thing, trying to save her people, and we’ve got Dawn’s rather boring storyline featuring his escape from the palace, which we all knew was going to happen sooner rather than later.
I will say, Dusk calling out his colorblindness with that mural is pretty savage, but that’s really the bulk of the excitement for a while. So, you prepare for more of what we have come to expect with the show, and then Foundation reminds us all that it is the penultimate episode, and it’s time for things to get intense.
Thank goodness. We needed some shocking moments to get us excited going into Foundation Season 1 Episode 10, “The Leap.”
If you’ve read any of my prior reviews, then you know how I feel about Dawn and Azura — they are a snoozefest. His escape from the palace is a bit predictable, and honestly, it is surprising that he manages to find her and her house on his own.
But when the twist kicks in and she starts shooting him, that is unexpected and instantly garners your attention. You see Azura in a whole new light; she actually becomes interesting. Even more surprisingly, you start to feel sorry for Dawn.
Part of me wishes the infiltration actually happened.
It would have given Empire’s storyline a bit of suspense as we followed this fake Dawn around, and we would’ve learned more about whatever resistance group put this all into motion. However, it makes sense that they don’t get the chance because Dusk has been onto them from the start.
Empire has been around for ages, so it’s only logical that they are prepared for any kind of threat; it probably isn’t their first experience with an attempted infiltration. The fact that they employ a man called the shadow master proves that they are prepared for anything. Day is going to have a lot to process when he arrives home.
And then, there’s Hari Freaking Seldon strolling out of the vault as if it’s not unusual. The man loves to be dramatic, and honestly, it’s why we love him so much… well, maybe love is a strong word, but you know what I mean.
You have to assume that somehow the vault is tied into the secret second foundation, but we don’t quite know anything about that foundation to hazard a guess as to what’s going on.
“The Leap” will need to answer at least a couple of our vault-related questions, and there are a lot of them. Hari loves being mysterious, but we’ve put up with a lot of mystery, and I’m starting to feel like Gaal — increasingly frustrated.
Hari’s appearance does help up the ante for the finale though, you can’t deny that.
What did you think of this episode of Foundation? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Allison Nichols
Allison is in a love affair with television that doesn't seem to be letting up anytime soon. Slightly damaged fictional characters are her weakness. She loves to spend her free time curled up with a cat and a show to binge-watch. Allison is a Tomatometer-approved critic (Rotten Tomatoes).