Diksha Sundriyal
Apple TV+’s ‘Foundation’ returns for a third season, marking a new phase in the journey of the Empire and the Foundation. It has been more than 150 years since the Season 2 finale, and a lot has changed for the opposing powers that are now placed such that the Third Crisis, as predicted by Hari Seldon, could unravel both of them. The episode opens with Gaal Dornick informing the viewers about how much the Foundation has evolved over the past three centuries and how going in and out of cryosleep has helped her stay in touch with and influence the course of events. Now, the Empire’s reach has significantly reduced as the Foundation has laid claim to all the Outer Reach planets, and is now trying to worm its way into the Middle Band, where the planet Kalgan stands as an important location. SPOILERS AHEAD.
The Mule Shakes the Foundation of the Empire
Kalgan’s position makes it an important planet because whoever it chooses to follow will also gain the support of the rest of the Middle Band. So far, both the Foundation and the Empire haven’t laid any claims on it, which has made it a “buffer state.” While both parties stay cautious with this one, the Mule doesn’t care for politics. His endless appetite, which can only be quenched by a galaxy, leads him to walk alone to Kalgan and face its forces. He faces the Archduke Bellarion, whose daughter he has kidnapped. In return for the girl, the Mule wants control of the planet, but Bellarion, with his infantry and his bunch of ships, is not afraid of the strange man with a stranger name.
But the Mule points out that he needs no armies as he has a very special talent, using which he forces the Archduke’s entire force to kill each other. In the end, he makes the Archduke eat his own finger to take off the signet ring, which the Mule wears, before telling the bloodied man to kill himself. Meanwhile, the New Terminus looks a lot different than the Terminus of Season 2. The religious phase of the Foundation is over, and now, it’s all about trade, wealth, power, and influence. There is a group called the Traders who are threatening to secede from the Foundation due to the heavy tariffs imposed on their grain-producing planets.
Because they are such an important part of Seldon’s new world, their departure could cause a ripple effect that would come back to haunt the Foundation. Self-proclaimed psychohistorian, Ebling Mis (who is a descendant and a lookalike of Advocate Xylas, who prosecuted Hari and Gaal more than three centuries ago) believes that this could lead to the Third Crisis. The only person he can turn to for help is Hari Seldon, so he visits the Vault, where Seldon welcomes him, especially after Ebling nullifies his null field. Ebling’s fangirling over Seldon ends as soon as the hologram tells him that he gave the Prime Radiant to Demerzel more than 150 years ago. When Ebling questions his judgment, Seldon throws him out of the Vault, no questions asked.
The Conflict Between the Empire and the Foundation Intensifies
Ever since they lost their Spacers in Season 2, interstellar travel has become much more difficult for the Empire, which is one of the reasons why they lost their grip on the Outer Reach so easily. Now, the new Cleons are trying to salvage whatever they can, while wondering whether they will be the last or if they turn the tide and make the Empire great again. As Demerzel examines the Prime Radiant, she notices a new development which points towards an event that highly concerns her. For now, she and Dawn have the Galactic Council’s meeting to look forward to.
While Day’s absence is noted by everyone, Dawn effortlessly slips into the role of a leader. He even stages a scene where a protester throws infertile soil at him. He uses the same soil to point out that since the grain-producing plants have fallen under Foundation’s control, they have suffered financially while their soil has also become infertile, which is so much more concerning because how will humans survive if there is no food? The Council is supposed to vote on whether they should support the Traders and their rebellion by supplying them with arms and other things. Despite Day’s absence, the vote goes forward and wins in favour of supporting the rebellion and breaking the Foundation’s back.
This flawless display of leadership and shrewd politics impresses Demerzel and is actually rather great because Dawn is supposed to take control of the Empire in the next ten days. As the day of his ascension nears, so does the day of Dusk’s death. He obsesses over it by watching the videos of previous Dusks walking towards their deaths. When one of them tries to run away, Demerzel stops him and forces him to be vaporised. Dusk wonders whether he will be able to face his death well, but there isn’t much point pondering over it because it is supposed to happen anyway. Later, they host Foundation Ambassador Quent, who expresses her distress over being kept in the dark about Kalgan’s new situation.
Meanwhile, the Foundation has become aware of the Empire meddling with their matters by backing Traders. However, they need proof to confront them, which is why Captain Pritcher is on the planet Haven with his soldier, Sephone. They watch Randu Mallow, the leader of the Traders, accepting the weapons dropped earlier by an Empire ship. For proof, they have to catch Mallow and get their hands on the shipment. This leads to a chase sequence through the treacherous terrain of the planet, but they prove unsuccessful at it. Back on the ship, Pritcher and Sephone almost kiss, until they are interrupted by the news about Mule’s sighting on Kalgan.
The Empire Finds Itself at the Beginning of the End
Being alive for millennia and watching the Empire go through its many ups and downs, Demerzel knows that her identity is intrinsically linked to the Cleons and their Empire. However, now that she has the Prime Radiant and Hari Seldon’s predictions are unfolding in front of her, she has an existential dread setting in. To share this emotional burden, she turns towards Zephyr Vorellis, who is called to Trantor specifically for the purpose of talking to her. Before sharing her load, Demerzel clarifies that the conversation will be removed from Vorellis’ memory and will be restored only for the duration of their next conversation.
At first, Vorellis claims that there is no secret she cannot keep, but then, Demerzel tells her that she is a robot, and things take a very different turn from there. Demerzel talks about the time when the robots were created to serve humans and worked under the three laws, the first of which was that no robot could harm humans. But over time, this law was rectified so that the robots could not do any harm to humanity, and things escalated from there when a robot killed a human in the service of this new law. Demerzel, who was a general in the war between robots and humans, was kept as a trophy at the end of the war. Now, she is programmed to be loyal to the Cleons and the Empire. However, she worries, what happens when she outlives her programming? What happens when the Cleons are gone and the Empire has turned to dust?
Her fears are not unfounded, as that new development in the Prime Radiant predicts that the Dark Age that Seldon predicted is now only four months away. This doesn’t just mean the end of the Empire, but of humanity itself. It is to discuss these extenuating circumstances that Brother Day is pulled out of his seemingly idyllic life with his consort, Song. While Dawn has been enthusiastically assuming the reins of the Empire, Day has resigned to a life of food, sex, and poetry. He doesn’t have a care in the world, at least not until Demerzel summons him for the family meeting, and he is made aware of the impending doom.
Meanwhile, Pritcher shares his concerns about the Mule with Mayor Indbur and wishes to put more thought into how to handle this pirate, who seems to be getting more powerful by the day. Indbur, however, is not interested in that. Because Pritcher couldn’t deliver the evidence against the Traders collaborating with the Empire, the mayor tells him to stay put. However, the captain is not so easily dissuaded. In fact, he steals his boss’ key fob and uses his ship to fly off the planet. Meanwhile, the episode’s narrator, Gaal, finally wakes up from her cryogenic sleep, still haunted by the visions of the Mule.
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