Diksha Sundriyal
Things pick up pace in the third episode of Apple TV+’s ‘Foundation’ Season 3 as several twists and turns leave the characters in uncharted territory. The previous episode ended with the revelation that Brother Dawn has been secretly working with Gaal Dornick. This episode takes us into a flashback where the origins of their unlikely alliance are clarified. Meanwhile, a storm stirs in Kalgan as the Mallows try to figure out what the Mule is about and Day plans for something that might change his life forever. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Dawn and Gaal Form an Unlikely Alliance Against the Mule
The flashback takes us three years into the past, where Dawn walks into the library asking for Hari Seldon’s original work on psychohistory. For obvious reasons, the book was banned a couple of centuries ago, but Dawn believes that as the next emperor in line, he has the right to read anything he wants. What takes him by surprise is when the librarian tells him to meet a colleague of hers who can give him more information about Hari Seldon and psychohistory. Dawn shows up to the meeting in a getup supposed to hide his true identity and comes face to face with the hologram of Gaal Dornick.
He is shocked to discover that she is still alive, but what surprises her, though mildly, is that the net she cast out to find any fish interested in Seldon’s work actually led her to catch a giant whale. She remarks that his behaviour is in line with the previous Dawns, who have always been drawn towards their own sense of agency. The present Dawn admits that he has been interested in maths since he was a child and got to see its magic when Demerzel showed him the Prime Radiant. While Dawn is charmed and intrigued by Gaal, he also wonders if collaborating with her would be a treasonous act, but she points out that all of this is for the good of humanity, not just the Galactic Empire or the Foundation. She even offers him an escape hatch, should he need one when the time comes.
Gaal also warns him about the coming of the Mule, which brings us to the present day, where the duo indulge in a conversation about the warlord’s siege of Kalgan. Gaal doesn’t mince any words and tells Dawn that the Empire needs to impose an Enclosure on Kalgan to cut it off from the rest of the galaxy, to limit the Mule’s influence and the damage he can inflict. She also warns Dawn about his psychic powers and tells him not to have any face-to-face meetings, as the villain will easily take over his mind, and then all will be lost.
Understanding the urgency of the matter, Dawn, accompanied by Dusk, tries to have a chat with the Mule via a hologram. However, the man is in no mood for any peace talks. He calls Dawn and his brothers privileged people who know nothing about war and have spent their entire lives in comfort. Dawn notices some voices in the background, but the Mule dismisses them as “housecleaning.” It is when the call is cut that we discover that the Mule is actually killing and torturing people following a rather major incident which involves the Mallows.
Captain Pritcher and the Mallows Meet the Mule
In Kalgan, Toran and Bayta Mallow arrive at the Mule’s party with Captain Pritcher. Everyone seems to be enjoying their time there, especially with captivating music played by Magnifico Giganticus, the Mule’s private balladeer. While the Mule praises his man, he also shows deep disrespect towards the guy who doesn’t seem to be a man of many words. Bayta decides to talk to him while Toran goes to meet the Mule. This is after Captain Pritcher tries to approach the Mule, but his mind is taken over by the Mule’s voice inside his head. He notices that Pritcher is like him, and as Pritcher’s eyes turn red with blood, he finds it best to run away immediately, not just from the party but also the planet.
The captain’s sudden departure makes the Mallows even more intrigued. At the bar, Bayta uses her charm and befriends Magnifico, whom she promptly nicknames Maggie. Meanwhile, Toran makes his way to the Mule, but does not experience any mental assault like the captain did. While he tries to keep things light, the Mule indulges him by asking to be insulted, which is considered a greeting in his planet’s culture. While hesitant at first, Toran speaks anything that comes to his mind, and while the Mule seems entertained at first, his tone changes rather immediately.
He tells Toran that he plans to take over the galaxy, and all the while, he uses a peeler to peel off the skin from Toran’s palm. The moment Toran notices that his wife is gone from the bar, he uses his drones to distract the Mule as he is blasted by white light, and runs towards the ship. The couple is joined by Maggie, who is also eager to escape his sadist master. While the Mule’s forces try to bring down the ship, the Mallows act promptly and slip out of reach. The Mule seems particularly disturbed by the loss of his balladeer, but he calls it a “preordained” thing and moves on to the killing and torture, in the middle of which he gets the call from Dawn, where he berates the youngest Cleon for being too soft to go to war with.
Day Plans for the Escape From Trantor
While Dawn tries to find ways to deal with the Mule, Day has another plan in motion. In the previous episode, he expressed his desire to flee Trantor before things got as bad as predicted by the Prime Radiant. This time, he takes the first step in that direction. He approaches Commander Mavon, with whom he has a rapport, and asks to get him and Song off the planet. At first, Mavon is not sold on the idea because he has his family to think of, but then Day proposes that he and his family can also escape with them. To sweeten the pot further, he tells Mavon that he can give his own nanites to his daughter and cure her from her seemingly incurable disease.
While Mavon thinks about it, Day and Song retreat to their quarters, but in between, they spot Demerzel. Day tells Song to let her go out of earshot before they can talk about her or anything else, which piques Song’s curiosity. This is when Day tells her that Demerzel is actually a robot, and it shocks her to a degree that she starts reconsidering their escape plan. While they are in the middle of packing stuff, she wonders if they should stay in Trantor, under Demerzel’s protection, especially if things really are going to get as bad as the Radiant has predicted. However, Day cannot let go of the idea of finally living a normal life, which includes finally meeting Song’s parents and getting to know where she actually comes from.
Their conversation is interrupted by Demerzel, who asks Day to join an urgent meeting. Before they leave, Song touches two right fingers to her left forearm, an act meant for Demerzel and not seen by Dawn. In the throne room, Day presents his arguments for the Enclosure, but is unable to explain to his brothers and their robot why he is so concerned about a pirate warlord. Both Demerzel and Dusk advise against it because any move on the neutral Kalgan would be seen as an act of war, which isn’t something the Empire wants to get involved in. Because Day is the authority in this matter, he listens to Demerzel and Dusk. However, Dawn asks Demerzel to keep a close eye on Kalgan and the Mule, to which no one presents any opposition.
Is Song Dead? Did Demerzel Kill Her?
When Demerzel leaves the room, Day becomes more amicable, especially after he remembers that he forgot to attend Dawn’s robing ceremony. In a lighthearted moment which shows the true bond between the Cleons, Day asks Dusk to do the same thing they did when it was his robing ceremony, as it is supposed to be the best part about the whole thing. Sure enough, Dusk pulls out a flask from his robe, and they each take three shots in the name of “strength, wisdom, and fortitude.” Having this moment with his brothers would have been a good way to bid them goodbye, especially after Mavon tells him that he is ready to accept his offer and has already come up with the basic plan to get them out.
Whatever glee Day might have felt vanishes when he sees Demerzel waiting for him on the balcony while also realising that Song is nowhere to be seen. He fears that the robot found out about his escape plan because someone ratted on him. However, Demerzel reveals that it was something that Song did that caught her attention. It turns out that the gesture she made earlier at her indicated that Song belonged to a forbidden religion called the Inheritance.
These people believe that the robots will rise again someday and save humanity from itself. Everyone believed that robots were killed for good, so when Song discovered that Demerzel was one, she couldn’t help but reveal her true nature to her. Perhaps, Song thought that by showing Demerzel that she reveres her kind, she could get the robot to trust her and include her in her plans. Perhaps, she wanted to move from being Day’s concubine to Demerzel’s soldier.
What she didn’t realise was that Demerzel’s actions are still dictated by her code, which sees the Inheritance as a danger to the Cleons and the Empire, and hence, Song isn’t someone to befriend but to be eliminated. Obviously, Day fears the worst. He is shocked to find out about Song’s religion and her love for robots, but that doesn’t make the pain of losing her any less. To ease his heart, Demerzel tells Day that she didn’t kill Song. She simply removed all of her memories and sent her back home. She also points out that in any other situation, she would have killed Song without a second thought, but the only reason she didn’t do it is because of him.
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