‘Foundation' Just Smashed the Past Into the Present, and the Present Into the Future
But no encounter strikes a chord more than the one between Gaal and Demerzel. The robot's first instinct is violence: it's because of Gaal that Brother Dawn turned his back on Empire. Not only did his subsequent actions result in an entire planet and the Imperial fleet being laid to waste, but the youngest Cleon was last seen being blown out of an airlock.
Demerzel is furious at first, and her instinct to choke the life out of Gaal is very strong. Truths come out quickly: Gaal had no idea that Empire's majordomo was an immortal robot, but now that she's in on the secret, she realizes Hari (who did know) made his pitch about Foundation all those centuries ago to Demerzel, not the Cleons. Demerzel reveals that Hari used her memories to help complete his data set, which means… she's actually the co-creator of psychohistory.
Gaal points out, while gasping for breath, that she herself is part of Seldon's plan and that Dawn was helping her in direct service of that. She explains the Second Foundation in succinct terms Demerzel can understand: 'The Cleons have back-ups. Why wouldn't the Foundation?'
This makes sense, especially since Demerzel herself has noticed 'shadows in the math' clouding the Prime Radiant's ability to predict the future. She hadn't considered another Foundation, nor the fact that it would be powered by psychics—including Gaal, the most gifted among them—who are uniquely suited to battle the Mule. He has similar abilities, Gaal explains, but he uses them for sinister purposes.
Gaal admits, as she did last week to a shocked Brother Day, that she wanted that planet and the fleet to be destroyed. With Empire now in a perilously weak state, the Mule will attack, thereby setting up the ultimate battle with the Foundation. Later in the episode, we see the Mule attack the Foundation first, meaning Gaal's strategy may need some readjusting. But for now, Demerzel is intrigued by Gaal's most unique talent: 'I can project my consciousness forward.'
Demerzel insists that 'information cannot travel backwards on the timeline,' but Gaal pleads with her to expand her logical definition of what 'time' can be. She predicted the Mule's arrival 152 years ago, and she knows that four months in the future, there'll be a battle where she and the Mule will face off for the first and probably last time.
Realizing that lines up with the Prime Radiant's fraying ends, suggesting humanity itself might end in about four months, Demerzel sets her jaw. 'Show me,' she orders. Though she's not human, she has a mechanical way to read minds—a holdover from, it's implied, her Robot Wars era interrogating human prisoners. It involves injecting filaments into Gaal's brain, and it looks as painful as you'd expect.
It's effective, though, and it allows Demerzel to glimpse a vision Foundation viewers will recognize: the Mule, executing a very Demerzel-like chokehold on Gaal, demanding to know the location of the Second Foundation as war rages around them. She recognizes the battlefield as Trantor—the Imperial Library, to be exact—and asks Gaal if she's ever 'gone further.'
A second mind-reading session transpires, so intense Demerzel has to hard-reboot and Gaal requires resuscitation afterwards. Beyond the Mule, beyond that familiar and seemingly fated battle, there is blackness. Nothingness. But there's also a sound so far below the range of human hearing that only a robot could detect it: 'Gravitational waves emanating from a black hole.' That means, four months from now, Gaal will be… orbiting a black hole.
That's certainly ominous, and Foundation viewers will immediately think of that black hole-powered superweapon Brother Dusk has been gleefully developing on Trantor behind Demerzel's back. But there are suddenly more pressing concerns. Just as Demerzel and Gaal are striking an understanding (Demerzel won't accept Gaal's visions as 'premonitions' until the events actually take place, but she's going to give her the benefit of the doubt by not killing her), they learn the news about the Mule attacking the Foundation's home, New Terminus.
As Demerzel hurries back to Trantor, knowing the Mule will now have control of the Foundation's fleet, Gaal tries to send a message to her partner, Pritcher, currently being held in a prison cell orbiting New Terminus. Chaos, everywhere!
While Gaal's black hole drift is certainly the eeriest takeaway from 'The Shape of Time,' the episode is not without its amusements. Let us now appreciate Brother Day's 'mid-1990s Lollapalooza dude' glasses, hair, and bucket hat combination—his stoner disguise of choice while creeping through Trantor's underbelly.
New episodes of Foundation arrive Fridays on Apple TV+.
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what's next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Gizmodo
2 days ago
- Gizmodo
‘Foundation' Just Smashed the Past Into the Present, and the Present Into the Future
You knew it wasn't going to be a pleasant exchange when—at the very end of last week's Foundation episode—Demerzel barged her way aboard Gaal's spaceship. Gaal may be a psychic warrior who's lived for over 300 years, but Demerzel is an ancient robot. They aren't strangers, having met at the very beginning of season one. But times have changed since then, to put it mildly, and they really don't know much about each other. That evolves in a big way in season three, episode six, 'The Shape of Time.''The Shape of Time' is a turning point episode in many ways; we don't spend much time in the palace, but the other storylines all take big leaps forward. The Mule continues his cruel galactic takeover. The Foundation elite strike a tentative truce with the Alliance of Traders to witness Hari Seldon's promised return—a brief, confusing, emotionally brittle sequence with Holo-Hari that the Mule gleefully crashes. Brother Day continues his quest through Trantor's most mushroomy sub-region in search of his beloved Song. But no encounter strikes a chord more than the one between Gaal and Demerzel. The robot's first instinct is violence: it's because of Gaal that Brother Dawn turned his back on Empire. Not only did his subsequent actions result in an entire planet and the Imperial fleet being laid to waste, but the youngest Cleon was last seen being blown out of an airlock. Demerzel is furious at first, and her instinct to choke the life out of Gaal is very strong. Truths come out quickly: Gaal had no idea that Empire's majordomo was an immortal robot, but now that she's in on the secret, she realizes Hari (who did know) made his pitch about Foundation all those centuries ago to Demerzel, not the Cleons. Demerzel reveals that Hari used her memories to help complete his data set, which means… she's actually the co-creator of psychohistory. Gaal points out, while gasping for breath, that she herself is part of Seldon's plan and that Dawn was helping her in direct service of that. She explains the Second Foundation in succinct terms Demerzel can understand: 'The Cleons have back-ups. Why wouldn't the Foundation?' This makes sense, especially since Demerzel herself has noticed 'shadows in the math' clouding the Prime Radiant's ability to predict the future. She hadn't considered another Foundation, nor the fact that it would be powered by psychics—including Gaal, the most gifted among them—who are uniquely suited to battle the Mule. He has similar abilities, Gaal explains, but he uses them for sinister purposes. Gaal admits, as she did last week to a shocked Brother Day, that she wanted that planet and the fleet to be destroyed. With Empire now in a perilously weak state, the Mule will attack, thereby setting up the ultimate battle with the Foundation. Later in the episode, we see the Mule attack the Foundation first, meaning Gaal's strategy may need some readjusting. But for now, Demerzel is intrigued by Gaal's most unique talent: 'I can project my consciousness forward.' Demerzel insists that 'information cannot travel backwards on the timeline,' but Gaal pleads with her to expand her logical definition of what 'time' can be. She predicted the Mule's arrival 152 years ago, and she knows that four months in the future, there'll be a battle where she and the Mule will face off for the first and probably last time. Realizing that lines up with the Prime Radiant's fraying ends, suggesting humanity itself might end in about four months, Demerzel sets her jaw. 'Show me,' she orders. Though she's not human, she has a mechanical way to read minds—a holdover from, it's implied, her Robot Wars era interrogating human prisoners. It involves injecting filaments into Gaal's brain, and it looks as painful as you'd expect. It's effective, though, and it allows Demerzel to glimpse a vision Foundation viewers will recognize: the Mule, executing a very Demerzel-like chokehold on Gaal, demanding to know the location of the Second Foundation as war rages around them. She recognizes the battlefield as Trantor—the Imperial Library, to be exact—and asks Gaal if she's ever 'gone further.' A second mind-reading session transpires, so intense Demerzel has to hard-reboot and Gaal requires resuscitation afterwards. Beyond the Mule, beyond that familiar and seemingly fated battle, there is blackness. Nothingness. But there's also a sound so far below the range of human hearing that only a robot could detect it: 'Gravitational waves emanating from a black hole.' That means, four months from now, Gaal will be… orbiting a black hole. That's certainly ominous, and Foundation viewers will immediately think of that black hole-powered superweapon Brother Dusk has been gleefully developing on Trantor behind Demerzel's back. But there are suddenly more pressing concerns. Just as Demerzel and Gaal are striking an understanding (Demerzel won't accept Gaal's visions as 'premonitions' until the events actually take place, but she's going to give her the benefit of the doubt by not killing her), they learn the news about the Mule attacking the Foundation's home, New Terminus. As Demerzel hurries back to Trantor, knowing the Mule will now have control of the Foundation's fleet, Gaal tries to send a message to her partner, Pritcher, currently being held in a prison cell orbiting New Terminus. Chaos, everywhere! While Gaal's black hole drift is certainly the eeriest takeaway from 'The Shape of Time,' the episode is not without its amusements. Let us now appreciate Brother Day's 'mid-1990s Lollapalooza dude' glasses, hair, and bucket hat combination—his stoner disguise of choice while creeping through Trantor's underbelly. New episodes of Foundation arrive Fridays on Apple TV+. Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what's next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
Foundation set up in Southport victim's name to spread ‘magic'
The parents of one of the victims of the Southport attack hope to spread 'magic' through a foundation set up in her name to encourage children's love of dance. Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, was killed along with Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and six-year-old Bebe King when Axel Rudakubana, 18, launched his knife attack on a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in the town on July 29 last year. Her parents Sergio and Alexandra Aguiar told BBC Breakfast on Wednesday they have set up the Alice's WonderDance foundation in their daughter's memory. Mrs Aguiar said her daughter began dancing when she was 16 or 17-months-old and danced 'non-stop' from then. She said: 'Alice's WonderDance is a foundation we created in the name of Alice just to show everyone how wonderful Alice was. 'We just want to provide fun for children in the world of dance.' She said the logo for the charity features ballet shoes and a magic wand to 'spread the magic in her name'. Money raised could go towards dance classes for after-school clubs, uniforms for children or university funding for young dancers, Mrs Aguiar said. Mr Aguiar is set to take on six marathons across the world to raise funds, starting in Berlin next month. He said: 'Every mile I run is for her and her name. I just think about her.' He ran the London Marathon earlier in the year to raise money for a new playground at Churchtown Primary School, where Alice was a pupil. The family said they have received support from Elsie's Story and Bebe's Hive – funds set up in memory of the other two victims. Mr Aguiar said: 'We try to work together like a team, try to help each other.' Family friend Sarah Buck told the programme the foundation is also selling merchandise, including T-shirts, bags and hats, to raise money.
Gizmodo
08-08-2025
- Gizmodo
This Week's ‘Foundation' Took a Killer Spy-Fi Turn
Foundation is nearing the halfway point of season three. Episode five, 'Where Tyrants Spend Eternity,' began to show us how Gaal Dornick (Lou Llobell) hopes to gain an advantage over the sinister Mule (Pilou Asbæk). Her plan tapped into a much-loved trope that Star Wars series Andor also made excellent use of: sci-fi spycraft. 'Where Tyrants Spend Eternity' is also tense throughout and ends up involving a horrific, large-scale tragedy (another Andor similarity), building to a final scene that teases a confrontation we'll presumably see more of next week. While there are other subplots percolating in 'Tyrants,' the main thrust concerns Gaal's alliance with Brother Dawn (Cassian Bilton), the youngest of the three Cleon clones who make up Empire. In earlier episodes, we saw how Dawn's curiosity about a specific artifact in the Imperial library let Gaal know that a Cleon had come along with the right mindset to join her cause. We already know that Gaal's partner, Pritcher (Brandon P. Bell), is secretly working for the Second Foundation, despite his role as the main Foundation's head of intelligence. He's a double agent of the highest order, but he's not directly involved with Gaal's plan in this episode. Unsurprisingly, Gaal's perfectly capable of running the show on her own. She's thought through every detail, first paying Dawn a visit in hologram form, then showing up on Trantor in person to convince him how dangerous the Mule really is. What they must do, she insists, is force an 'enclosure' of Kalgan, the first planet to fall under the Mule's rule. As Foundation fans saw in season two, that involves completely encircling a planet with the Imperial fleet. It didn't work out back then, and nobody's in a rush to repeat a disastrous moment in history—which doesn't stop Dawn from trying (and failing) to get his brothers on his side. Dawn's influence is limited on his own, and Demerzel (Laura Birn), the ancient robot programmed to act only in ways that will serve Empire, thinks an enclosure is a bad idea. So does the Galactic Council, which has grown in power quite a bit as Empire's grip on the galaxy has loosened. The only solution, Gaal insists, is to follow her plan, which will require Dawn sneaking off Trantor—an absolute no-no as far as Demerzel is concerned—then picking a council member to blackmail, thereby forcing a vote that'll greenlight the enclosure. As Dawn has seen, Gaal has certain talents that make her a ready-made spy. She's open about her psychic abilities, which Dawn suspects have played a part in compelling him to help her. But that's brushed aside for now; tired of being told he's too unimportant to make any key political decisions, he's determined to do whatever it takes to get that enclosure approved. Here's why Gaal needs him so badly: with his high security clearance, Dawn can breeze right into the home of their chosen patsy—a councilor named Tarisk (Sule Rimi)—and plant incriminating information they can use against him. Tarisk has been a friend to Dawn, but he also has the most exploitable strategic leverage. 'If we fail, Foundation and Empire burn together,' Gaal stresses. 'I'm a Cleon. We aren't raised to be kind,' Dawn replies; he's ready to betray Tarisk. With Gaal guiding him along—and a giant, shiny hooded cape covering his robes, maybe not the most inconspicuous choice—the young Cleon strides into Tarisk's apartment and uploads evidence that falsely implicates him in aiding the Mule's bloody Kalgan coup. When the councilor enters unexpectedly, Dawn holds firm even when the man begs him to reconsider. If the Galactic Council votes to enclose Kalgan, it'll endanger Tarisk's wife and children, who went there on an ill-timed vacation just prior to the Mule's arrival. But if Tarisk doesn't back Dawn's play, Dawn will expose him as a traitor. 'So I ruin my career, or put my family's life at risk,' Tarisk says, before angrily calling Dawn 'a wannabe tyrant.' But then the tables turn. We see Tarisk, the family man, has a mistress cowering in a nearby closet. She's overheard everything. Dawn barely hesitates before shooting her, a terrible choice that nevertheless motivates a shaken Tarisk to speak up in the meeting and push for the enclosure. This is the most prominent a Dawn has ever been on Foundation—earlier seasons saw him trying to escape Empire's grasp for personal reasons rather than galactic-shaping ones—and his newfound boldness isn't without consequences. First, he's triumphant. The enclosure forms around Kalgan. But then the Mule sends a taunting transmission to the Galactic Council, revealing he was long gone before the Imperial fleet arrived. What's worse, he left a bomb behind, powerful enough to destroy not just the entire planet (Tarisk tight-beams his family just in time to watch them perish) but also all the ships in its orbit. Dawn, suddenly the least popular Cleon since season two's wretched Cleon the 14th, has to make a hasty exit while realizing the awful truth. His actions just caused the deaths of millions of innocent people, and Empire is now without any space force to speak of. Dawn… was a pawn. Gaal's pawn Dawn. Though she breathlessly tries to explain she had to lie to him in order to keep Hari Seldon's predictive plan on track—a big part of it is the end of Empire, which he's just personally fast-tracked—he's furious. Foundation viewers will recognize this is the same sort of anger Gaal felt when she realized Hari wasn't always forthcoming with his own plans; clearly, she learned to manipulate from the master. And just like Gaal did with Hari, Dawn decides getting as far away as possible from the person who deceived him is the only way forward. Too bad he's aboard a space station with limited options. The episode ends with his fate uncertain thanks to an exploding airlock, but even more worrisome is the reckoning Gaal's going to face. The last thing we see in episode five is Demerzel on a Cleon-hunting mission, barging aboard Gaal's ship in a very foul mood. Is this the end of Foundation's spy era—especially with Pritcher, whose own dealings finally caught up with him, languishing in jail—or will more trickery and espionage ensue in the coming weeks? New episodes arrive Fridays on Apple TV+. Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what's next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
