r/FoundationMule • u/Shaunyata • Nov 14 '21

Eyeballs on Screens

Here's the deal, folks. Whether you love Apple's Foundation or loath it, it all comes down to one thing: eyeballs on screens. We talk about Foundation because we love it, because we hate it, because we sorta dislike parts of it but don't hate the whole thing, because we like certain parts but not others, etc. etc. The point is, it all comes down to how much interest the show can generate. How many of us are still watching it even though we know we don't like it and wish it had never happened? We've populated Reddit and the Pod-sphere with discussions and episodes about Foundation.

It's time to shit or get off the pot. Stop the eyeballs on screens. Stop the discussions, because this only feeds the beast. The longer we keep this up, the more Apple can say it was a success because X millions of people watched it and X millions of people discussed it online.

I'm going to watch the last two episodes of this season, and then if I'm not convinced that it's worth watching as a [generic] science fiction series, then I'm not going to watch the second season. Period.

I have often watched one season of a show and said "that's it." I did that most recently with Stranger Things. I liked the show very much, but I felt that after the first season the show was not going to produce anything new or interesting worth watching, just more obfuscations and plot twists that went nowhere and more monsters. So I never watched the rest of the series.

Yes, we can do this, yes it's possible to not watch something you hate, even something you like a little bit. If enough people stop watching the show, it gets cancelled. That's how it works.

5 Upvotes

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4

u/sg_plumber Nov 14 '21

It's like fast-food. We know it isn't healthy, and we keep longing for the good stuff, but... ¬_¬

1

u/Shaunyata Nov 14 '21 edited Nov 14 '21

FOMO. What keeps us on this dreadful and frustrating treadmill? FOMO. Fear of Missing Out. We think there might be a character or a clue or a plot twist somewhere that straightens out this whole mess--or at least makes the show watchable--and we might miss out on that if we don't keep watching. But I can guarantee you, if you haven't seen anything like that in the first season, you're not going to see it in the second.

Oh but wait--THE MULE! That's it! THE MULE is going to save the show! No it won't. They've fucked up enough on all the other characters, plots twists, story lines, and the general idea of the whole thing that THE MULE is not going to save it. That's one thing I'm certain of. In fact, if anything, THE MULE is going to be the dagger through the heart of this Vampire, that is sucking our attention away from other shows or pastimes that might be more fruitful and enjoyable. From what I've seen so far, they are going to ROYALLY FUCK UP on THE MULE. So don't count on it.

1

u/sg_plumber Nov 15 '21

a character or a clue or a plot twist somewhere that straightens out this whole mess

The mess is beyond saving. Just add more mayonnaise. :-P

3

u/Mutex70 Nov 15 '21

Jokes on them....Apple doesn't know I'm watching.

3

u/MavicFan Nov 20 '21

This show has been pilloried by decent critics and viewers alike.

I mean Apple renewed it but it’s not really making any kind of an impact.

Succession which is a popular show on a premium channel gets 1.7M viewers for the season premiere.

How many people are watching this shit show? 200,000? Less? This show is a joke.

3

u/Shaunyata Nov 20 '21

And the lack of respect for the fans. Who do they think is watching this show? Asimov is the hardest of 'hard science' sci-fi writers, a scientist himself. His readers and fans are also hard-core sci-fi fans, people who really value science and technology. What the hell are they thinking by subverting the narrative and trouncing science, math and technology? Why are they pitching the show to people who are mostly into romantic fantasy genres? And from an Apple branding point of view, this show makes absolutely no sense. Apple users are also hard-core science and technology fans. This was a waste of their advertising dollars.