Diksha Sundriyal
Apple TV+’s ‘Foundation’ ends its second season with the Empire in turmoil as all the tension that had been building up this entire season leads to some explosive confrontations. The final episode is full of twists and turns (some predictable, others truly catching us off guard) that keep the audience on the edge of their seat. As the second chapter closes and the show prepares for its third run, we also lose some beloved characters whose absence will echo in the next season. SPOILERS AHEAD!
Foundation Season 2 “Creation Myths” Recap
At the end of the last episode, Hari Seldon made a miraculous return just when he was needed. Salvor is shocked to see him again, but Gaal is not. It turns out that the connection between Gaal and him was stronger than anyone could have expected. When Hari was drowning, Gaal used his mind to alter the brain of the man watching him die. She also used her power to make everyone believe that the dead man in the water was Hari, not the guard.
Meanwhile, Hari trekked his way through the dense and treacherous terrain of Ignis, trying to get back to Gaal. Meanwhile, she tried to hide his presence deep inside her mind, someplace Tellem wouldn’t find him. When Tellem dies, the residents of Ignis reveal that she had been holding them captive. She had been inside their minds, and with her death, their minds are free. They ask Gaal, Salvor, and Hari to stay and make Ignis their Second Foundation.
At Trantor, Rue and Dusk are trapped in the prison that once held Demerzel. When she finds them there, all pretenses are dropped. Demerzel reveals that she has been programmed to ensure the safety and continuity of the Genetic Dynasty, which means she can go to any lengths to ensure that no one, not even the Cleons, can do anything to harm it. She confesses that she hired the Blind Angels, but the goal wasn’t to assassinate Day. It was to put the blame on Sareth and have her executed so that his plans to marry Sareth and have children would be ruined.
Meanwhile, Day becomes more bloodthirsty and decides to blow up all the planets that had become a part of the Foundation. This leads Bel Riose to stand up against him. It also turns out that Hober Mallow had succeeded in making an alliance with the Spacers, and it was part of Hari Seldon’s plan to get Day’s entire fleet to Terminus so that it could be destroyed. However, in initiating that process, Mallow also signs a death warrant for himself and everyone else on the ship.
Day becomes angry and tries to find a way out of certain death. This leads to a fight between him and Bel Riose, who uses Mallow’s device to switch bodies. So, when people see Bel Riose being thrown out of the airlock into space, it is actually Day. While Bel Riose gets his revenge on Day, it does nothing to change the fact that the ship is going down. There is only one pod that can take only a person out of harm’s way. It is decided that Constant should take it. With her gone, Hober Mallow and Bel Riose share a glass of wine and eventually die with the rest of the fleet.
Foundation Season 2 Finale Ending: Is Salvor Dead?
At Ignis, things calm down as Salvor, Gaal, and Hari are accepted by people. They take a break and find their bearings. Salvor gets her powers back and plays heads or tails with the kids while Gaal and Hari are tended to. Unbeknownst to them, Tellem had burrowed her way into the mind of a young boy. It was difficult for her to get inside Gaal’s mind, but she did it easily with the boy, who was much less powerful. Still, the boy feels her presence in his mind and tries to alert the others, but by the time they find out, it’s too late.
Tellem takes complete control of the boy’s mind and uses him to attack Gaal. Salvor anticipates this and kills the boy but is also shot by him while trying to save Gaal. The boy dies, which means Tellem is dead for good this time. However, things don’t look so good for Salvor either. Her wounds are too severe to recover from, and she bleeds to death. Her death is a shock to everyone, especially Gaal, who saw Salvor die 150 years into the future. She knew Salvor’s life would be in danger, but she was preparing to change that future and didn’t anticipate it to come so soon.
While there is no way to bring Salvor back, her death opens the door to a new possibility. The future can be changed, after all. It is not fixed in stone. If Salvor died 150 years before her time, anything that happens next can also be altered. This means that the Mule, who seemed invincible in the future, can also be defeated. In the same vein, we can also explain Hober Mallow’s death. Hearing his name 150 years into the future, it was expected that he would be there to fight alongside the Mentallics. But now that he is dead, any part he might have played in the future can be rewritten.
Hari and Gaal Step Into the Future
While Gaal grapples with losing her daughter, she knows she cannot stop. The Plan is still in motion, and they need to create the Second Foundation and prepare for the Mule, who is waiting for them 150 years in the future. Hari tells Gaal to go into cryosleep, wake up once every year to keep in touch with the Mentallics, and then come back 150 years later to face the Mule. He plans to stay awake and teach the Mentallics psychohistory during that time, preparing them for the coming war. However, Gaal has other plans.
Having lost Salvor, Gaal is not ready to lose Hari either. She believes they can take a year before going into cryosleep, during which they can teach the Mentallics together. It would be a faster learning curve as Hari wouldn’t have to do it all by himself. Once they think the Mentallics are ready to go forward on their own, they can go into cryosleep and wake up when ready to face the Mule.
In the final scene, the show takes a 152-year jump, and we find the Mule preparing himself to fight Gaal Dornick because he knows it’s about time she wakes up. He knows what’s coming for him and is ready for it. Gaal and Hari, on the other hand, will be walking into it, completely oblivious of what has happened in the outside world during their absence. Fortunately, they will have reinforcements.
Rewind the clock 152 years, and we discover Constant floating into space, waiting to be found by someone before the oxygen in her pod runs out. Luckily, she is found and shocked when she finds herself in front of the Vault. It turns out that everyone on Terminus, including Poly Verisof and Glawen, is alive. Seldon wanted Day to blow up Terminus, but this doesn’t mean he wanted the First Foundation to be destroyed. Everyone on the planet was taken inside the Vault, which is a much bigger place than anyone could have expected. All of Constant’s loved ones are safe. She is not alone, and neither will Hari and Gaal when they wake up more than a century and a half later.
What Happens to Dawn and Sareth?
While things take a turn on Terminus and Ignis, Trantor also witnesses quite a few changes. When Sareth is arrested, Dawn tries to save her from Demerzel, but he sees the green mark on her neck, made by Dusk. He realizes that this is the mark of a traitor, which means he cannot trust Demerzel. Later, he seizes a window of opportunity and runs away with Sareth. Demerzel and the rest are distracted by Sareth’s two servants posing as her and Dawn while the real Sareth and Dawn run away.
By the time Demerzel realizes what has happened, Dawn and Sareth are already out of Trantor. Demerzel warns them that her programming will make her chase after them and kill them no matter what they do. In return, Dawn sympathizes with Demerzel, while Sareth reveals she is pregnant. Demerzel asserts that just having a pregnancy doesn’t mean their offspring will be strong enough. However, Dawn and Sareth are unfazed by her predictions. They are content about being with each other and know they will raise their child with love and care.
With all three Cleons gone at once, Demerzel decants three new versions. Once again, she is in complete control of the Genetic Dynasty as the new clones will follow her while believing that they are in charge all along, and she will continue to fulfill the tenets of her programming. It also turns out that when Demerzel left Day on the ship with Bel Riose and the others, she took the Prime Radiant. While she doesn’t understand it entirely yet, she eventually will.
This means that by the time Hari and Gaal come out of a cry, Demerzel might know their entire plan. This puts her in a position of power, which doesn’t bode well for our heroes because they already have the Mule to look forward to. But then, considering that Hari Seldon planned Day’s arrival and even the destruction of Terminus, could it be that he intentionally let the Prime Radiant be taken away as if he knew it would end up in Demerzel’s hands? Is it the real one or some fake version of it that Seldon wanted to keep Demerzel occupied with so that he could focus on the Second Foundation? If it’s real, then does Seldon hope to have Demerzel on their side by showing her the future that lies in wait for them? When the Mule arrives, will Demerzel help Hari and Gaal, or will she concoct her schemes? Only the next season will tell.
Read More: Who is Seldon’s Wife Yanna? What Happened to Her?
