Brother Day embarks on The Spiral, Gaal discovers Hari’s ultimate plan and Salvor takes control of the weapons platform.

We’re really benefitting from the cumulative effect of this show as it rolls down the hill, each plot thread now fully formed and starting to deliver. This means that the episode (directed by Star Trek: Voyager’s Roxann Dawson) impresses on multiple fronts, which at this point in this season is about right.

We begin with Anacreon children playing hide and seek in an idyll, just before the sky lights up and the Empire attacks the planet. This is the back story of the Huntress, a tale of revenge to justify her actions, and why she wants to pilot the weapons platform to Trantor and take down the Empire. Salvor is still the voice of reason, and one of the few left alive on the booby-trapped vessel. She makes a break for it and is able to seal herself on the main bridge, giving herself the time to jack into the system. We discover that Hugo is alive and has been able to send out a distress call, and support arrives at the end of the episode… just as the ship makes a jump.

Gaal is still talking to Hari (or at least the virtual approximation of the dead mathematician) and is told that Seldon’s plan was to go Helicon to establish a Second Foundation. With the ship’s temperature reaching critical levels, the now-enlightened Gaal enters a 138-year-sleep. This plot line is by far the most exposition-loaded, and also the most static. It’s where Asimov’s ideas get most free rein while also demanding the greatest attention.

Finally, on the Maiden, Brother Day embarks on the ultimate pilgrimage to prove his worth – the 170km walk of The Spiral, an ordeal without food or water that will end with a vision. We see him at his most vulnerable, Lee Pace excellent as the previously pampered Emperor desperately trying to put one foot in front of the other. Somehow he makes it, but just how enlightened was he by the experience, and what vision did he have?

Verdict: Apple’s expensive sci-fi drama continues to give us three shows in one, and if you’re prepared to commit the time to get engaged, it’s a rewarding experience. 8/10

Nick Joy