A lot of insane stuff took place in ‘Foundation‘ this week, so we thought we’d recap the six craziest moments from episode 5, “Upon Awakening”.
Gael Dornick forced to help execute her former teacher in flashback
The first quarter of this episode is basically a prequel to the events of episode one, as we learn more about Gaal’s backstory and her home planet of Synnax. Before seeing exactly how she won Hari Seldon’s math contest, we watch as she’s forced to help execute a former mentor by literally drowning him with math. We also hear her father wish she was dead at one point.
Seems like a pretty nice childhood!
Gael wakes up alone on a ship 34 years later.
The last scene in episode 4 all but confirmed we’d soon rejoin Gaal from her cryostasis escape-pod-journey through space — and 34 years later — now we have. Episode 5 follows her as she works through her mysterious new ship surroundings and its occasionally helpful AI pilot.
By the end of the episode we discover that the ship’s destination is Hari Seldon’s home planet, Helicon.
Phara rips out her fake eyeball and uses it as a cyberweapon
Ah yes, the oldest trick in the galaxy. The ol’ fake eyeball as a cyberweapon trick. We couldn’t expect any of The Foundation’s other members to keep things together without Salvor Hardin around, and of course the moment she leaves to rally a defence, Phara disables the base’s defences with her eyeball technology — and everything immediately goes to hell.
The Anacreon army storms through the disabled fence
Once the fence is down, it becomes apparent the helpless Terminus base citizens are screwed, and that the show isn’t about to offer up a miracle.
We watch a fleet of Anacreon soldiers breeze through the now disabled perimeter with futile resistance, killing an unknown number of people while taking Salvor and her mom hostage.
The Anacreons shoot down the Empire’s ship
In the show’s most visually-epic scene since episode one’s destruction of the Trantor Starbridge, we watch an Anacreon soldier use a space cannon to effortlessly shoot down the massive soldier-filled Empire ship .
A shame since we were already starting to grow fond of its dweeby captain.
Harry Seldon transported through time and space (or something?) and is somehow still alive (?)
In the biggest ‘WTF’ moment of the entire episode, the final scene has the presumed-dead Hari Seldon seemingly appear out of thin air onto the ship with Gaal, still bleeding from his supposed murder — 34 years ago.
We haven’t read the book series, so we won’t even going to begin to guess what is going on here…
It’s almost impossible to believe we’re still just halfway into season 1! And with season 2 of ‘Foundation’ already confirmed, where on Earth does this weekly space madness possibly go from here?
Episode 6 of ‘Foundation’ is set to release on Apple TV+ next Friday, October 22.