3 ms·
It's just a fact that a lot of writing doesn't translate into very watchable TV if you take it too literally. Asimov especially usually wrote weak characters th
by _cenw 3y ago
It's just a fact that a lot of writing doesn't translate into very watchable TV if you take it too literally. Asimov especially usually wrote weak characters that aren't interesting, only the grander structure is. That doesn't work for a TV adoptation.
Foundation ironically is getting the most praise for the storyline that is not based on the books but deals with a subject that is thematically a good fit for an Asimov book (the "genetic dynasty"), because they managed to keep characters (and actors) around as their archetypes, not as the literal same character.
For the storyline more closely related to the book, they had to have three characters "cheat death" into a 150 year time jump to enable any kind of character building.
- lumost 3y agoHonestly, I think they could have made the foundation plot line an anthology of a rising empire while tracking the genetic dynasty as the empire fell apart. I get so annoyed when I tune into an episode and it focuses on the foundation characters. Lee Pace is amazing as empire.
- civilitty 3y agoEverything about Trantor shines in the show. The sense of scale, the epic space elevator disaster, the intrigue and plotting vis a vis the genetic dynasty, Lee Pace, etc. I don’t even mind that the world building has been rather weak when compared to a show like Altered Carbon, Trantor is just great. I also liked the atmosphere and world building on Synnax but the rest of the show is so bad once you get past the art direction and photography that I suspect someone will eventually make a fan recut where they remove every scene that isn’t absolutely necessary to make sense of the Empire plot. The Mule storyline better deliver one of the best seasons in scifi history or all this build up will be for nothing. </opinionated rant>