Thoroughly enjoyed the 1st two episodes but this one really didn't progress the storyline at all. Far too much time spent concentrating, very slowly, on the Emperors, who aren't really that central to the overall story.
I don't have a problem with the writers departing from the books. Without a rewrite and additional material, the books would not make a very good tv epic. But, by now, they really should be getting on with the story. It's not supposed to be an action thriller, but that doesn't mean the plot has to proceed so painstakingly slow as it did in this episode.
The 'production' is excellent but there's still a number of details I find frustrating, particularly when, in an incredibly advanced technological environment, they often have characters using technology that is behind what we have now.
Let's hope they move on from the 'Empire' and start concentrating on the development of the 'Foundation'. They need to have the story come alive in the next episode, or people will start to give up on it. Not me though, I'll stick with it.