Diksha Sundriyal
As the third season of Apple TV+’s ‘Foundation’ progresses, a surprising turn of events occurs. The previous episode ended with a shocker for Empire as Dawn realises that Gaal has played him to give the upper hand to Foundation. Things don’t end well for him or for Kalgan, especially after it turns out that the Mule left the planet before the Enclosure could be put into place. This episode begins with the Mule on board his ship called Blacktongue. His interaction with Captain Pritcher allowed him to look into his mind and see Gaal Dornick. He reveals that he has been having dreams of her for a while, and now that she is finally here, he must find her before she finds him. He also mentions that he feels as if he is wearing someone else’s dream, and that doesn’t bode so well for anyone.
Demerzel and Gaal’s Meeting Takes a Shocking Turn
In the last episode, when Demerzel found out that Dawn had left for Clarion with Gaal, she decided to go to him herself. By the time she enters Gaal’s ship, Dawn’s nannites have already stopped their transmission, which means he is dead, and Demerzel isn’t too happy about it. While she moves to scare Gaal into telling her everything, the latter discovers that Hari kept yet another secret from her when he didn’t tell her that Demerzel is a robot. A flashback takes us back to the events of Season 1, where Hari first made a case for the existence of the Foundation. Gaal realises that back then, Hari wasn’t trying to convince the Cleons, but Demerzel.
Shockingly, Demerzel reveals that Hari indeed won her over. He needed her memories with some additional data to create psychohistory, and she helped him with all that. Now, she has her hands around Gaal’s throat, who pleads with her to continue believing in Hari’s plan. Demerzel decides to hear her out, but she wants to know everything, so Gaal tells her about the Second Foundation, the Mentallics, and how she saw the coming of the Mule 150 years ago. Hearing about Gaal’s abilities makes Demerzel interested in what she saw, and she asks Gaal to let her into her mind.
To induce the vision, Gaal has to feel like she is drowning, so Demerzel simulates that feeling, allowing her to see what Gaal did. However, unlike Gaal, Demerzel has a keener sense of presence, and she quickly deciphers that the battle with the Mule, which is supposed to take place in the next four months, takes place in Trantor, more specifically in Hari’s library. Demerzel asks her to see what’s after this battle, so Gaal takes her back into her mind. While Gaal sees nothing but darkness, Demerzel picks up a frequency that humans cannot hear, which leads her to decipher that Gaal’s vision shows her circling the ergosphere of a black hole.
The Mallows and Magnifico Reach New Terminus
Having convinced Uncle Randu to join them, Bayta and Toran finally head towards New Terminus with Magnifico. As expected, the arrival of their ship is treated as hostile, and it is when Toran names Captain Pritcher that they are allowed to land peacefully. However, they are taken to Pritcher’s cell, which leads to a fight between him and Randu. While Pritcher tries to lay down the grounds for a common goal, Randu is still angry with him for their previous encounter. Eventually, it is Magnifico who breaks their desire to fight each other and makes them unite their forces to combat the Mule’s expanding threat.
Pritcher becomes happy to see Magnifico, and he asks the balladeer if he would be ready to play against the Mule. Magnifico reveals that he doesn’t have any reservations against it as such. When Indbur shows up, the group tries to convince him of Magnifico’s importance. They even ask him and the others to hear the guy play and understand the true measure of his power. Indbur agrees, and as Magnifico plays his instrument, it becomes clear that his music is critical to the Mule’s powers. The music is used to manipulate people’s minds into letting their guards down, which makes them vulnerable to the Mule’s Mentallic powers. Meanwhile, the eclipse happens, and the Vault opens up as Hari Seldon returns to share his wisdom with the First Foundation.
Everyone, including the Mallows and Magnifico, enters the Vault to meet him. While he talks about the corruption of the First Foundation and the unrest displayed by the Traders, everyone else is more concerned about the Mule. They ask Hari to help them with this man with unprecedented powers, but they are shocked to discover that Hari has no idea who the Mule is. Before any explanation can be offered, the Mule shows up. He attacks the First Foundation, and before anyone can come up with the next course of action, Hari shuts down the Vault, forcing everyone to run as the null field is put back up. As Hari disappears and the Vault seals up, the Mule causes havoc and bloodshed everywhere. Meanwhile, everyone tries to run to find a place of safety. The effect of the null field leads her to fall unconscious, leading Toran to carry her on his back.
Day Receives a Reality Check in Mycogen
While the Empire, the Foundation, and the Mule go to war with each other, Day finds reprieve in the simple fact that he is close to his Song again. He roams around the markets of Mycogen trying new stuff, which includes something that tastes differently each time, and there is a danger that what you eat might be so good that you will keep chasing its impeccable taste, doomed never to find it again. He also hears the news about Kalgan and the Enclosure, and while he does seem concerned, it is not enough to bring him back to his old life. He takes a box of sweets to Song, and is not surprised when he knocks at her door and she doesn’t recognise him.
Day is not shaken by the fact that the woman he loves and who loved him until just a few days ago has no memories of their time together. She does remember that she was chosen to be his concubine, and she knew that it wouldn’t last. The next thing she remembers is being left back in Mycogen with no memory of her time with Day, because that was the deal. She has also received a lot of money in return, which now allows her to live a comfortable life. Day tells her that she became more than just a concubine for him. He tells her that they fell in love, and when she asked him to let her keep her memories, he agreed to do it. Not just that, he is here with her lost memories now so that she can remember how much they were in love with each other. He expects her to jump at the chance of getting her memories back, but she refuses his offer.
It seems that Song has no problem with the current arrangement because that’s what she signed up for. She has no interest in finding out what happened when she was with him and is appalled at the idea that he has come looking for her. Day is a little taken aback by her refusal, but he remains adamant in his belief that once she regains her memories, they will be back to the way they used to be. He dangles a carrot in front of her when he reveals that he knows about her religion, which is banned in the rule of the Empire. Additionally, he tells her that when she was with him, she witnessed a miracle. When she shows no interest in finding out what the miracle was, he tells her that she met a robot.
Day believes that her desire to have the memories of the robot would make her want to have them back, but she has other plans. She secretly calls someone, and before Day can figure out what has happened, this person shows up and attacks him. While Day tries to tell them that he is not there to hurt them, Song and the attacker can’t help but think about how the last time a Cleon was in Mycogen, he tried to wipe out their religion by killing everyone. Day tries to tell them that while he might look like that Cleon, they are not the same. Once again, he tries to get Song to remember that she loves him, but she just doesn’t remember it. However, Song points out that she could never have loved him, and if she told him so, it was most likely because she was scared of him. She also reveals that the person standing next to her is called Oceanglass, and they are her life mate, and that’s what finally breaks his heart.
Read More: Is Dawn Dead? Did Cassian Bilton Leave Foundation?
