Long Ago, Not Far Away (Foundation S2 E9)

Welcome to spacing out with BB and Jason this week covering Foundation season two episode nine, Long Ago, Not Far Away.

Welcome to spacey Now.

I'm BB and I'm Jason, and we are discussing the Apple TV sci fi series Foundation, one episode at a time and spoiler free. This is our first time watching the series. We haven't seen the finale of season two, so we have no spoilers for that. In this episode, Dusk and Joiner Rue learned Demerzo's origin and true purpose, Helen's plans for Gaale take a dark turn, and on Terminus Day, confronts doctor Seldyn. Yep, that makes it sound like a really simple episode, but it was action packed.

Yes, vibe check. Did we like the episode overall?

I liked it.

It was good, good, is very excited. It had like finale vibe, you know, like everything coming to a head. Yeah, so I'm excited for the next one. But yeah, it was good. All the storylines were firing on all cylinders.

Yeah.

And it was funny at times too.

Yeah. Well parts were funny to you.

With Demersal said to Today's like you're just a sperm on your tail or something.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, you're just a sperm who's convinced the confusing spontaneity with creativity or something like that. Oh, she was so burning him because Harry Selden Plant. Are we ready to talk Let's choice? It was funny, yes, yes, okay, because I want to talk about that, but I want to talk about demersal a lot.

Let's get through the trivia first.

Okay, trivia time. What facts or news could we uncovered for Long Ago Not Far Away?

It is Foundation season two, episode nine, Long Ago Not Far Away. It's originally aired on September eighth, twenty twenty three. Written by Jane Espenson and Eric Carrasco and directed by rock Stane Dawson. So they tell the Empire that they never bothered with the Encyclopedia Galactica, but that was also something that was funny. Yeah, he wanted to get what

They refocus their energy. It seems the.

Empire's like I pre ordered his book, so cleon the first knows about Earth and presumably that it was the homeworld of humanity, and in the books, this knowledge has been lost by the time of Harry Selden and the stories being told. I do have a little bit more to say about that, but I think it might be spoilery for what's to come in the series. So I was thinking, next episode might do like a book talk spoiler section.

Oh, I like that. You know I love spoilers.

I know you do. And also on the book, so throughout the series, the thirds mentioned of the Robot War, in which all the robots were supposedly destroyed. Originally in Asimov's works is his Robot series as a Galactic Empire series and the Foundation series, and they were all separate, and then when he started writing more stories in the eighties, he decided to tie them all together and bring the

Yeah, they've done really good since season one, so I hope they keep this momentum going.

Deep space dive. Let's break down some of our thoughts on the episode. Share your thoughts with us through email or social media. We may use your comments on an upcoming episode.

All right, it's time we start off with getting some backstory on Demersal, A story long ago, not.

Story of a prisoner captain a chamber for five thousand years, and then when she thinks she's got freedom, they're like, nah, we're going to put you back together, but you're going to continue staying in this cage until I'm an old man, and then I'm going to devise a way to control you so you'll never be free. How horrible. It kind of makes you hate Empires so much more. Yeah, and you have a lot of sympathy for Demersal now because at first you're like, why is this bitch like serving him?

Yeah, and I'm not one hundred percent clear like how much autonomy she has. I mean, she's definitely like steering a lot of things from within the empire.

Yeah, but she's also like not able to leave.

Yeah, she's not allowed to do anything else.

Like she's forced to sit there and watch these fucking assholes ruin the universe and she thought her pussy could control them, but apparently not so.

Yeah, I don't know. I'd like I thought she was getting set up to be the villain, like the bigger villain does behind the scenes, and now it's like, I don't know.

She's a victim of empire, she's a victim of colonization, she's a prisoner of war. She's so many things now that make her way more interesting. Not that she wasn't already interesting, because she's a fucking robot who has been alive for like a millennia. But I love that she just like rage quit after fucking Harry Selden like pulled the curtain back and she's like He's like, what's important here?

Yeah, so I'm I'm really curious, Like what was she about to do, because she's just like, you know, I have to go do something else and get away from me a little sperm. But like she turning on Empire, she she doesn't have the uh what that.

Thing called tessarak or whatever? What's a tzarak?

That's a marvel. Oh, but she doesn't have that that mcguffin, No, they.

We're looking for it all all season. I like that he just gave it away so freely.

Right, so he wanted her to take it. She doesn't have it right now, pretty sure Empire still has it.

You don't know that it could be on their ship. Yeah, he's such a bitch. And then when he was smiling at the end, but.

I hated it, Yeah, Like I don't think we had any hope of redemption for this specifically on in particular, but like definitely not after this episode.

Yeah, he does have really nice teeth though, Yeah, well and pecks.

They probably programmed those in his genetics.

He imagined they did it, and every time he was born again, he had to have like orthodonics like in the middle. Oh, that'd be great.

No, the Merza is just like, let's make the pex a little bigger this time. Yeah. Also, in that flashback, we saw her shed a tear, which is interesting that she can do that.

She said she shed tears for the guy who tortured her. She's like, I produced tears because I knew they meant something to him because he was sadistic. And I mean, she's able to lubricate her vaginal canal for entry, so why wouldn't she be able to cry. She also eats. I'm pretty sure I've seen her eat, right, haven't I haven't I seen her sitting at a table with them? Or am I crazy?

I do not recall her eating? Does the mercill eat? Not getting an answer, but yeah, she has a lot of Oh.

No, they never show her eating. Sorry, go ahead.

She talked a lot about freedom and how like even though he's making her more free. He's like, this is not freedom. She almost seems more distressed to be in the servitude than chilling in that basement.

Yeah, well she got used to being in that basement, you know.

Yeah. She also told the story of the Empire, who was like, like the memory erase your stuff with them having sex with the women. I'm like, did she Is she the origin of them doing that? Now?

Probably?

Yeah? But then so when we cut back to Dusk and Rue down there hearing the story, they get locked in that cell that she was in.

Yeah, that's sucks. They're stuck. I don't mind the Empire being in there, but that other lady, she's you know, she didn't do nothing. Yeah, I wonder what that's gonna lead to. Dang, I really want to see another episode.

And we did not see Don and.

The Young Empress, yeah or Empress to be.

We saw a version of Don, but not our current one.

It's a pretty good like show today. I don't know when just getting that backstory was so good, Like her watching this little kid come in and not do anything to help her, knowing he could do something. Yeah, and didn't that just tell her this is a bad person. She should have snapped his neck right when she got out, she hesitated, and now she's paying for it. Was like centuries worths of servitude some dick who destroys planets for fun.

I bet she's gonna figure out a way to be able to snap his neck.

I think she's probably gonna plan a coup or something, or she's gonna like marry the little one off to the empress. Well, he's busy playing war at the outer reach or whatever they call it. But I'm glad she gave up on him. That's super powerful, you know that move to call him like a useless seamen or sperm.

Yeah, so brother Day is on terminus, which we haven't spent a lot of time there this season. No. No, I love how he's like we paid for an encyclopedia.

I like that their church is an armory, best use.

Of church in a while, And it was a church of scientism or something like that. Yeah, So, like I don't think it's like trying to be misleading. I think like the science is their religion.

So do you think they work for free because they could have just taken the day off when they saw empire at the door. Just saying like that was really stupid for them to all still be there, like working on stuff. I wonder how that works, like working at the factory. What's the compensation or do you have to pay to work there? The arms at the church or whatever.

I don't know. It seemed like very assembly line like. But the church catches Empire's eye is being a busy place. And once he's done there, then Harry Seldon's little vault catches his eye. He just keeps going towards these shiny.

Things, most of them phallic if you notice. Yeah, but Harry Selden shows himself and he's like, hey, boo, you want to meet with me, let's talk.

Yeah. I think it's the first time these two have shared screen time since the first episode.

Yeah, since you've basically exiled him. Yeah, and he's still on it. He's like, prove it's not real, Like, bitch, you have all these years to think about it and see what's happening. You know, Empire is dwindling. You're doing a Hail Mary and getting married to a cloud princess, which sounds like something out of Mario.

And the fact that these planets on the outskirts are like you're losing them and you don't even know what's going on out here. Terminus like, yeah, like your grasps in your reach has been shrinking.

Yeah, bro, and everybody's got a fucking shield or whatever. That bracelet thing, everyone's got one around here. You ain't special. That was my favorite. He was big mad when he saw those. Yeah, and he's like, you're selling these No, we're giving them away. That was so iconic just for that,

Well, he did take it, so, but how.

Is she gonna like figure out the turn turn tap tap?

She's super smart. She got robot brains, shot robot brains. And then there's you know, another one of those out there that we also got a space battle. Yeah, we really haven't had that in this show. It's like we were back watching Battle Star Galactica. I think the graphics are a little better. What take that back?

I said it.

I don't know.

Uh, the battle was interesting. So we find Hobo Mellow and I don't remember her name. It's not important. Hobo does don't even know it yet. Has he learned her name yet?

Yeah?

He knows it now, it's constant. Anyway, they're already in another little jail and they're bonding over their jail experience.

Yeah, he rest heed, he just long enough to have sex and then get locked up again.

And then the general comes in. He's like, why did you do it? Stupid man? And he's like it was love, wasn't it? And I think part of him kind of understood that. I feel bad for the General in this episode, don't you. Yeah, it's so sad he had to kill his spouse, but like I don't know, like to what end, or if he wasn't going to do it, somebody else would have put in the order, because Empire is Empire in this moment.

Right, So it's not like he has any thing Like if he said no, then like, well, no one knows how to do it or anything like.

Yeah, well no, and then like, also, the general hasn't been manning this ship long enough to really have loyalty, you know what I mean, Like, there's no way that there could be a mutiny against Empire in this situation. And he's alone, he doesn't have his partner with him. If he was with his partner, it might be something else. But his partner encouraged him to pull the trigger, so

Yeah, moments like that, I'm always like, like, Empire is like yelling at you to do this now, but he's going to give you, you know, a couple of minutes to whisper, have a little conversation. I'm going to sit back here feuding silently until it's my turn to speak again. Yeah. But yeah, first I was bum that we were killing one of our gay characters, and I was relieved that he was still alive, and then it was even more sad.

Yeah, it's the Hollywood trope of queer relationships where there's always being gay is always punished by death in Hollywood, and this unfortunately followed that model to a t. The tragic gay character lives on. It's really upsetting. Yeah, I really wanted them to band together with a religious people and take down empire right there and then, and like just at least his throat to feel something again, because they're gonna print out another one anyway.

Yep.

So it would have been nice to like have a little victory, a little bit, a little bit of revenge because that guy was in that prison planet for fucking how long without seeing his spouse and he finally got to be with him, and he had to be at work most of the time. Yeah, that really sucks.

It does. And I don't know. I was like, maybe there's still time for something that happened to stop this, but I don't know what it could be. Like they don't have time travel or anything, so it seems like that chip's about to hit the surface.

And it's just done, like you saw the planet collapsing on itself. It's still upsetting, but like he had somebody on that planet that he really cared about, and that one moment where he heard his voice and he's like, oh my god, we lost contact. I thought you were a Gonner and I has to agree from twice yep.

Oh so sad. Now I'm like conflicted on who should be the one to kill empire.

Somebody takes that chip out of her girl, although the Cloud Princess is like a strong second. But yeah, there's a list.

Yeah, anyway, on another planet another time.

I think maybe we don't know.

I think we learned that last time. Right, they're like a little bit earlier in the timeline, but something.

Hobo Mellow somehow confused everything.

Yeah, he's he somehow ties us all together. We have Salvor Hardened come to the rescue, interrupting.

Their mind meld.

Yeah, their mind meld has to give Gail a good slap.

That's always iconic.

Yeah, get a hold of yourself, woman, Like there's no way this cliche slaps and work. Oh does okay?

And then she's like fighting and all of a sudden it starts raining and then it's super muddy. Oh. I hated that they didn't.

Have to doup.

And like, let me just say, this planet never had any rain before this. They've been like kind of not perfect days, but there's been no rainy days.

Yeah, it's been chilling at the beach.

Yeah. So like all of a sudden, now that we have a fight scene between two black actors, they have to be covered in mud.

Why, Well sometimes he was white.

Right, sometimes it was her white boyfriend.

Yeah, And honestly, I feel like that was emotionally impacting her more than it should have because she knows the trick at this point.

But it's still like she still loves that visual I think she's a very visual person. But you're right, but she got to act, so that's good. She does have the acting skills to look distraught.

I wrote down, foresight is wasted on you can't remember who said that?

Was it? Tell him the which woman? Yeah, on Gail. But then Gail shows her the mule and she's like freaked out.

Yeah, another mule sighting.

Not a mule sighting? When is this mule coming into play?

That was good. That was clever, like because she took Gail to that place that she was so afraid of, but she knew that he was there and she could use that.

Yeah, she knew that that would scare her too.

Very clever. And then once salv War's in the ship and tell him kind of has the upper hand on both of them. There's Harry Selden again, somehow not dead or brought back to life again. I guess we're going to figure that out next episode.

Next episode, we're going to figure out if he's immortal, which defeats the purpose of becoming human. By the way, do you think he's just really good at playing dead because when he was a little kid, he was a weirdo.

He's somehow you had like him in that pool drowning was the projection?

Yeah? Yeah, yeah? Or like he's like Gail, Like they didn't show the takes or the him spending all that time in the pool swimming next to her, you know, when they were in that ship and she would just always be swimming, and she taught him how to hold his breast. No, no, because that would be an awesome flashback if they could do it. Just wanted to Harry Selden like fucking just smoke in those laps.

You have any other thoughts on this episode?

Um? I can't think of any. She like it was really interesting. A lot of shit happened.

Yeah, continuously engaging and they would cut between the storylines and it's just like a not a Dole moment.

Yeah, And the characters are developing in a way that's very like likable somehow, Like I really like Demros now, like I can see where she was going with her seduction, because initially I was like, this is nasty. Yeah, this is fucking gross, bro. And now that I know she's an ancient bean trying to influence a dumb man into becoming a better person, I kind of get that. But still, dude, I don't know, but uh, we'll see, we'll see.

Yeah. So, I mean, we had a really rough time with season one and we were pretty uncertain it's to start of season two, but it is really really coming to an exciting, engaging show.

Astoral Queens, who was the standout character in the episode.

There's a lot of people doing stuff, Desal, She's a pretty good choice.

She waited and waited and waited and then became somehow more entangled into this kid's life and this empire. And the last bit that we saw her, she'd had enough of this motherfucker. She's going somewhere else. I'm leeve with the house. I gotta go.

Yeah, I think I'm going to pick her too. I did, Like, I thought, both Gale and Salvar were really good in this episode, but it just seemed like a smaller part compared to the demerzal At going this episode. Yeah, yeah, there's a lot of good characters throughout it all, but today we award the robot. All right, well, I think that wraps up our coverage of episode nine. The next episode will be season two episode ten, season finale, titled Creation miss mits.

The miss that's hard word to say.

It is now I'm afraid to go take another go at it. Thanks for spacing out with us, and remember you're a sperm led by its waving flagullum, mistaking its random motion for complexity.

That's my next tattoo.

Thank you for spacing out with Bebe and Jason. You can help us out by subscribing and leaving a positive rating or review. Remember you can contact us through email or social media. Next time we will cover Foundations Season two, episode ten, Creation Myths,