Quick, watch one of the best sci-fi TV seasons ever while Apple TV Plus is free

2 days ago 39

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Image: Apple TV

Clayton Ashley , senior video editor, has been producing and editing videos for Polygon since 2016. He is the lead producer of the tabletop gaming series Overboard.

Apple TV Plus is free the weekend of January 3rd and 4th and, like a lot of people, I have a suggestion for what you should watch. Most of the suggestions are probably fantastic and worthwhile, as Apple has thrown their trillion dollar weight around the streaming wars and assembled a shockingly good catalogue of original shows. But I think you should ignore all of that and sit down for the single best season of science fiction television. No, not that one. Not that one either. I’m talking about Foundation… season 2.

Oh, you think that’s hyperbolic? Well I’m just getting started. Foundation (season 2) has one of Lee Pace’s best performances, has the best space ship designs this side of Villeneuve’s Dune, has the best romantic scoundrel Han Solo-type since Empire Strikes Back, and has the most bombastic television finale since the Red Wedding. It’s all backed up with an inexplicably lush costume, set, and CGI budget that can’t be explained as anything other than a nine figure tax write off. And you don’t need to have seen a single episode of the first season or read a page of the book to enjoy any of it!

Here’s the thing about Isaac Asimov’s Foundation: it’s a strange choice for a television series, one that requires a lot of modifications to function as episodic storytelling. There were clearly some kinks to work out, and it seems to have taken one mediocre season to iron out all those wrinkles. Luckily, the series also sort of functions like an anthology, with a cast of mostly new characters for the second (and upcoming third) season. All you need to know from the first season is that (spoiler warning) immortal clone emperor Lee Pace is big mad about a group of nerds (led by Ed Harris and his protege Lou Llobell) who keep saying his galactic empire is going to collapse (and they’re totally right, because math). There, I summarized the mediocre first season and now you’re ready for a prestige sci fi drama full of pulpy adventures, palace intrigue, steamy love stories (gay and not), and some really good explosions.

Still not convinced? Well there is that naked Lee Pace ninja fight in the season 2 premiere.

Now hurry up, you’ve got 10 incredible episodes to watch, you can thank me later!