In Review: Foundation (S1 – EP10) The Leap

Synopsis: In ‘The Leap’. An unexpected ally helps Salvor broker an alliance. A confrontation between the Brothers leads to unthinkable consequences.

The Story

Picking up from where the season’s penultimate episode left off. The season finale sees a few interesting revelations. The biggest is that Salvor is Gaal Dornick’s daughter, but was carried to full term by a different mother and raised as part of The Foundation’s colony. We learn about this relatively early in the episode where we see Hari Seldon’s avatar break up the fighting between the colonists and the Anacreons and somehow get the two sides to work together and rebuild the colony. As she learns the truth about her biological mother Salvor chooses to go looking for Gaal who is travelling back to her home planet.

Meanwhile, back on Trantor. Brother Day returns home and finds himself having to deal with the fallout from the reveal that his younger brother was not a pure clone. His first order of business is to pass judgement on Azura who groomed Brother Dawn into turning his back on Empire. The sentence for Azura is a life of being deprived of all her senses while being kept alive via a drip. Brother Day also has every single member of her family killed. However, when it comes to passing sentences on Brother Dawn he attempts to pass a lenient sentence, which brings him into conflict with Brother Dusk.

The Acting

Lee Pace puts in another compelling performance as Brother Day. The scene where he speaks with Azura (Amy Tyger) about her sentencing and tells her that he has made sure there will be no one left of her family is brilliantly delivered. As is the scene later on where Brother Day and Brother Dusk come to blows over the fate of Brother Dawn.

Overall

The season one finale sees a few characters trying to take a leap of faith. But it ultimately only really works out for Salvor who finally reconnects with her mother Gaal, but 137 years after setting off on her journey. So, things are set up wonderfully for season two as we’ll see what becomes of Salvor and Gaal. But will also see a new generation of people on Terminus as well as a different incarnation of the Cleon Dynasty on Trantor. That is assuming that the Dynasty hasn’t died out by then.

Overall. A solid season finale that will keep us all guessing and speculation until the series returns should Apple go for a second season.